What Could Have Been...

Last Friday, Bruce Springsteen dropped Tracks II: The Lost Albums, a box set that includes seven albums that he recorded between 1983 and 2018. These are not slapped together; the albums are sequenced, mixed, and mastered. According to Springsteen himself, these were never released because he did not find them to be essential. This is unfortunate because they are absolutely stunning and provide a new way of looking at the oeuvre of Bruce Springsteen.

Let’s start at the beginning with the 1983 sessions that occurred between Nebraska and Born in the U.S.A. In these songs, Springsteen revisits many of the down-and-out and down-on-their-luck characters that populate Nebraska. As a result, it does give an idea of what an electric Nebraska would have sounded like. From my perspective, the answer is good, but Springsteen, with all of his second guessing, made the correct decision to just release the demos as Nebraska. While I do believe this, there is much to recommend about these sessions. Songs like “County Fair,” “My Hometown,” and “Black Mountain Ballad” possess the beautiful imagery that typify the strongest songs in Springsteen’s catalog. In addition, the band is locked in, providing excellent accompaniment when necessary. While the whole thing does not quite hold together as an album, it is still a set of songs from a man who was on a hot streak at the time and it shows.

Next album up is the Streets of Philadelphia Sessions. As we’re all well aware, “Streets of Philadelphia” is the song that Springsteen wrote for the movie Philadelphia, the song that won him an Oscar and multiple Grammys. It was also an outlier in his catalog as it was driven by synths and drum machines rather than the E Street Band. This was the album in the set that I was most curious about. “Streets of Philadelphia” is a top tier song in my book, and I wanted to know what an album of it sounds like. The answer is really good. As I listened to the tracks, I was reminded that so many of Springsteen’s lyrics are about longing, desire, and disconnection. A great way to explore these ideas is through the space of electronic music. The coldness of the synths and the drum machine make the emotions rawer and give Springsteen a greater vulnerability. On these tracks, his voice is so present in the mix, adding even more to the sadness of the lyrics.

When listening to this, I started thinking about acts like Everything But The Girl, who merged nakedly emotional lyrics with electronic programming, and much like them, I think Springsteen comes by the style sincerely. It does not feel like a put-on or anything of the sort. I think the juxtaposition between the coldness of the instruments and the intensity of the lyrics is fantastic. I think that this album would have been a real game changer if he had actually released it in 1993, when he actually recorded it.

The next album, Faithless, is a soundtrack to an abandoned movie. Here, Springsteen tells a compelling narrative about the battle to understand one’s faith. Stripped down and heavily referencing folk music, the album is another testament to the storytelling abilities of Springsteen, as he paints a compelling story arc across the release. The true revelation in this box set is Somewhere North of Memphis, on which Bruce Springsteen goes full country. The step from rock to country isn’t really that far, but the step is an easy one to mess up. One who makes this move carelessly can sound like an interloper, glomming onto a sound. This does not happen to Springsteen. Tracks like “Detail Man” could easily have come out of Nashville in the 1990s. Springsteen and the band sound excellent, and they clearly respect the genre. I never would have thought that Springsteen could be a legit country music player, but like with the various releases, he has proven all of us wrong again.

With Inyo and Twilight Blues, Springsteen’s strengths again come to the forefront, with beautiful storytelling and inspired backing instrumentals. On Twilight Blues, Springsteen releases an album that rivals any of his 2010s work. The songs have a nocturnal mood that is stunning. The lyrics explore the difficulties of relationships and romance, and the grand orchestrations and instrumentation provide a beautiful accompaniment to the proceedings. Tracks like “Sunday Love” are absolutely gorgeous, and could be considered one of the stronger songs in the overall discography. Let’s be clear: it’s not “Badlands” or “I’m On Fire,” but it is in the top tier.

The last album in this box set is Perfect World. This was not conceived of as an album by Springsteen, and it kind of shows. It is a group of very good songs that reminds you of the magic that Springsteen and the E Street Band can generate together. After some of the slow-burning tracks from the earlier albums, the harder rocking is greatly appreciated by this point. It’s just an example of how much power Springsteen and the E Street Band and why they are still such a draw now.

To consider this box in his archive, I think that this box set contains some of Springsteen’s best albums. The Streets of Philadelphia Sessions is easily one of the best things that he recorded in the 1990s. It would have been the signal of a more dynamic, creative artist who was finding new ways to express himself through his music. It is beautiful and captivating. Somewhere North of Nashville is also another phenomenal album that should have come out in the 1990s. The working-class nature and very precise storytelling of Springsteen fit well into the country milieu, making the album feel absolutely natural. Absolutely could stand against work from professional country musicians like Dwight Yoakam. I loved the noir-ish intensity of Twilight Blues, and I think that it is one of the best things he did in the 2010s. I just think that he is absolutely in the pocket on this recording.

After finishing this whole box set, listening to it again, and considering it, I found myself shocked by the fact that he sat on these records. They are truly the work of a master of his craft and only would have added to his already immense legacy. If you are not familiar with Bruce, this is not the best place to start your journey. You should start with his 70s and 80s records. Once you understand the true power of Springsteen, listen to this box set and then try to understand how he decided to sit on these albums for years. I don’t know how he did it. Maybe you have an answer. If you do, let me know please.

As always, tell your friends to subscribe, and I’ll be back again next week with more spins and another long inquiry into something. What? Who knows. I have ideas, but I don’t want to set anything in stone. With everything going to shit, make sure to take care of yourselves. As well, make sure to drink water. Stay hydrated.