THE BOSS BEAT: It’s been almost two...

THE BOSS BEAT: It’s been almost two years since Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” album was released and, frankly, many Springsteen fans around town are suffering from a bad case of Boss Withdrawal. Right now, the odds of Springsteen putting out a new album are slim, with even less chance of CBS throwing together a compilation of unreleased Bruce B-sides. But Rhino Records has come to the rescue with a savvy stop-gap measure. Titled “Cover Me,” it’s a wide-ranging collection of 13 Springsteen songs as performed by other artists.

Due out in late February, the package includes such old favorites as Patti Smith’s “Because the Night,” Robert Gordon’s “Fire,” Gary U.S. Bonds’ “This Little Girl” and Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes’ “Fever,” as well as more obscure tracks as the Hollies’ “4th of July, Asbury Park,” Dave Edmunds’ “From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)” and Johnny Cash’s “Johnny 99.” The record also has a new, never-before-released version of “Atlantic City” by Texas-based faves Zeitgeist.

As some Springsteen fanatic would surely point out, not all the classic covers made the final cut. According to Rhino execs, several Boss oldies, including Greg Kihn’s “For You” and (former Hollies vocalist) Allan Clarke’s “If I Were a Priest,” were unavailable due to “contractual disagreements and difficulties.” Rhino execs said they could be included on a future, Volume II compilation.