Seven previously unheard Bruce Springsteen records will be released for the first time this summer on the widely-rumored and long-anticipated “Tracks II: The Lost Albums”, coming 27 June via Sony Music. A set spanning 83 songs, these albums fill in the chapters of Springsteen’s expansive career timeline, potentially offering invaluable insight into his life and work as an artist. “All of “The Lost Albums” were full records, some of them even to the point of being mixed but not released,” said Springsteen. “I’ve played this music to myself and often close friends for years now. I’m glad you’ll get a chance to finally hear them. I hope you enjoy them.”
From the lo-fi exploration of ‘LA Garage Sessions ’83‘ — serving as a crucial link between “Nebraska’” and “Born in the U.S.A.” — to the drum loop and synthesizer sounds of “Streets of Philadelphia Sessions”, these recordings offer unprecedented context into the 35 prolific years (1983-2018) of Springsteen’s songwriting and home recording. “The ability to record at home whenever I wanted allowed me to go into a wide variety of different musical directions,” Springsteen explained.
Throughout the set, that sonic experimentation takes the form of film soundtrack work (for a movie that was never made) on “Faithless”, country combos with pedal steel on “Somewhere North of Nashville”, richly woven border tales on “Inyo” and orchestra-driven, mid-century noir on “Twilight Hours”. Alongside the album announcement, a first look at the collection has also been released in the form of the song ‘Rain In The River‘ — which comes from the album “Perfect World”, and encapsulates that project’s arena-ready E Street flavour.
The whole package will arrive in limited-edition nine LP, seven CD and digital formats — including distinctive packaging for each previously unreleased record, with a 100-page cloth-bound, hardcover book featuring rare archival photos, liner notes on each lost album from essayist Erik Flannigan and a personal introduction on the project from Springsteen himself. A companion set — “Lost And Found: Selections from The Lost Albums” — will feature 20 highlights from across the collection, also arriving June 27 on two LPs or one CD. The whole project was overseen by Springsteen himself along with producer Ron Aniello, engineer Rob Lebret and supervising producer Jon Landau at Thrill Hill Recording in New Jersey. The package can be pre-ordered here.
Tracks II: The Lost Albums
LA Garage Sessions ’83
1. Follow That Dream
2. Don’t Back Down On Our Love
3. Little Girl Like You
4. Johnny Bye Bye
5. Sugarland
6. Seven Tears
7. Fugitive’s Dream
8. Black Mountain Ballad
9. Jim Deer
10. County Fair
11. My Hometown
12. One Love
13. Don’t Back Down
14. Richfield Whistle
15. The Klansman
16. Unsatisfied Heart
17. Shut Out The Light
18. Fugitive’s Dream (Ballad)
Streets of Philadelphia Sessions
1. Blind Spot
2. Maybe I Don’t Know You
3. Something In The Well
4. Waiting On The End Of The World
5. The Little Things
6. We Fell Down
7. One Beautiful Morning
8. Between Heaven and Earth
9. Secret Garden
10. The Farewell Party
Faithless
1. The Desert (Instrumental)
2. Where You Goin’, Where You From
3. Faithless
4. All God’s Children
5. A Prayer By The River (Instrumental)
6. God Sent You
7. Goin’ To California
8. The Western Sea (Instrumental)
9. My Master’s Hand
10. Let Me Ride
11. My Master’s Hand (Theme)
Somewhere North of Nashville
1. Repo Man
2. Tiger Rose
3. Poor Side of Town
4. Delivery Man
5. Under A Big Sky
6. Detail Man
7. Silver Mountain
8. Janey Don’t You Lose Heart
9. You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone
10. Stand On It
11. Blue Highway
12. Somewhere North of Nashville
Inyo
1. Inyo
2. Indian Town
3. Adelita
4. The Aztec Dance
5. The Lost Charro
6. Our Lady of Monroe
7. El Jardinero (Upon the Death of Ramona)
8. One False Move
9. Ciudad Juarez
10. When I Build My Beautiful House
Twilight Hours
1. Sunday Love
2. Late in the Evening
3. Two of Us
4. Lonely Town
5. September Kisses
6. Twilight Hours
7. I’ll Stand By You
8. High Sierra
9. Sunliner
10. Another You
11. Dinner at Eight
12. Follow The Sun
Perfect World
1. I’m Not Sleeping
2. Idiot’s Delight
3. Another Thin Line
4. The Great Depression
5. Blind Man
6. Rain In The River
7. If I Could Only Be Your Lover
8. Cutting Knife
9. You Lifted Me Up
10. Perfect World
Here’s that single:
It certainly looks an exciting set for the die hard fans and considering the eye watering price, there is the clue! Die hard fans, get it while it’s hot.
Yes, all very well…but about £250 for 7 CDs? £35 a pop? Dynamic pricing has reached Springsteen’s CD releases.
Plainly and simply Bruce ,at that price you can go and do one.