Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska ’82,’ plus Diane Hubka, the Kasambwe Brothers, and Terry Klein
Hot on the heels of Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, the movie about the making of 1982’s Nebraska, comes a greatly expanded edition of that LP. Called Nebraska ’82, this release includes four CDs and a Blu-ray disc. Much of it constitutes must-hear material for any Bruce fan.
One disc in this set features nine outtakes from the Nebraska sessions, including three that Springsteen later rerecorded for 1984’s Born in the U.S.A. A stripped-down rendition of that album’s title track is particularly effective and seems much less likely than the famous version to be misconstrued as a patriotic proclamation. Here, too, are acoustic versions of “Downbound Train” and “Working on the Highway” that are less rock-oriented than the Born in the U.S.A. performances. The former is more frenetic than the familiar recording and arguably more suited to the lyric; the latter is likable, though not as strong as the 1984 reading.
The CD also offers the excellent, previously unreleased “Losin’ Kind,” “Child Bride,” and “Gun in Every Home,” all of which sound like products of the dark mindset that produced Nebraska. Other tracks on the disc include the forgettable “On the Prowl”; “The Big Payback,” a single B-side that also featured on an edition of The Essential Bruce Springsteen; and an acoustic version of “Pink Cadillac,” a song that surfaced in a rock rendition on 1998’s Tracks.
The long-rumored electric Nebraska, which Springsteen recently unearthed in his vaults, fills another CD in this set. Featuring six of the songs that wound up on the released album, plus early versions of Born in the U.S.A.’s title track and “Downbound Train,” it is interesting but not as big a deal as you might expect. Electric instruments and contributions from E Streeters notwithstanding, a couple of its performances aren’t all that different from the ones on Nebraska. The rest just confirms the wisdom behind Springsteen’s decision to release his acoustic solo recordings rather than a full-band CD.
A third disc delivers a remaster of the 1982 album—great material, but not enough of an upgrade to justify buying this set if you already own the original LP. What might well offer sufficient reason to fork over your money, however, are the collection’s live performances of Nebraska’s songs, which are presented in the same order as on the original album and offered both on CD and as a film on Blu-ray.
Springsteen recorded this material last April without an audience at Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre (formerly the Count Basie Theatre) in Red Bank, New Jersey. As on the 1982 LP, he accompanies himself on acoustic guitar and harmonica. Though this sounds almost like another solo performance, however, he gets a bit of understated backup on all the songs except “State Trooper.” Larry Campbell, whose many credits include stints with Bob Dylan, contributes guitar, tambourine, or mandolin to the other nine numbers, and the E Street Band’s Charlie Giordano adds keyboards or glockenspiel to three of them.
Springsteen’s performance is stunning, with the now septuagenarian singer seeming just as immersed in his material as he was when he composed it more than 40 years ago. Thom Zimny’s black-and-white film of the event is particularly gripping. This reviewer has already watched it multiple times and, chances are, you’ll want to do the same.
Also Noteworthy
Diane Hubka & the Sun Canyon Band, Moon Over Larrabee. Longtime jazz vocalist Diane Hubka has, in recent years, shifted her focus to country, folk, and rock with excellent results. The approach on her latest release echoes the one she employed so effectively on 2023’s You Never Can Tell. She again offers charming, unaffected vocals, a mix of band originals and well-chosen covers, and complementary backup by the three-man Sun Canyon Band.
Highlights include the bright, upbeat “Sun Canyon,” which its composer, group guitarist Rick Myock, calls “an invitation to leave your loneliness behind and…dance to some good-time music”; the Louvin Brothers’ “If I Could Only Win Your Love,” which features mandolin and harmony vocals by veteran British multi-instrumentalist Albert Lee; a sweet, acoustic cover of “If I Needed You,” the classic Townes Van Zandt ballad; and a spirited reading of Delbert McClinton’s “Two More Bottles of Wine.”
The Kasambwe Brothers, The Kasambwe Brothers. If you liked the African musicians who played with Paul Simon during his Graceland days, you’ll also enjoy the work of the Kasambwe Brothers. Simon’s accompanists hailed from around Johannesburg, while this outfit comes from Malawi, a small country in southeastern Africa. But the Kasambwe Brothers seem to inhabit the same musical universe as Simon’s crew.
The multigenerational family band, which has been performing for almost 40 years, is now led by a young trio. They employ unusual homemade instruments such as the banjo-like babatone and a drum kit that incorporates pots, bottle tops, and sticks.
They have played on the streets and in bars in their native country and on local radio, but this incarnation of the group has never recorded an album until now. Let’s hope this eponymous LP is the first of many, because it’s loaded with gorgeous harmony vocals and stirring, rhythmic music.
Terry Klein, Hill Country Folk Music. This is the fifth album from Austin, Texas–based singer/songwriter Terry Klein, whose songs should appeal to fans of artists like Guy Clark, Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Young, and John Prine.
Produced, like Klein’s other recent CDs, by Thomm Jutz, Hill Country Folk Music creatively tackles a wide variety of topics. “If You Go,” for example, addresses the impact of suicide on the loved ones left behind, while the poignant “My Next Birthday” is sung in the voice of a dying old man.
Don’t get the idea that the subject matter is all gloomy: “I Used to Be Cool” is an upbeat rocker about Klein’s hometown that sounds reminiscent of James McMurtry, and “The Job Interview Song,” which the singer wrote with Jackson Emmer, is a funny number that’s bound to hit home with anyone who’s ever been questioned by a prospective employer.
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Jeff Burger’s website, byjeffburger.com, contains more than four decades’ worth of music reviews and commentary. His books include Dylan on Dylan: Interviews and Encounters, Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon, Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounters, and Springsteen on Springsteen: Interviews, Speeches, and Encounters.
