From \""Born to Run\"" to \""Streets of Philadelphia,\"" this is a boss collection of classic Bruce, featuring 17 songs, including new music with his legendary E Street Band.
Track: 10: Glory Days,
Track: 11: Brilliant Disguise,
Track: 12: Human Touch,
Track: 13: Better Days,
Track: 14: Streets Of Philadelphia,
Track: 15: Secret Garden,
Track: 16: Murder Incorporated,
Track: 17: Blood Brothers,
Track: 18: This Hard Land,
Track: 1: Born To Run,
Track: 2: Thunder Road,
Track: 3: Badlands,
Track: 4: The River,
Track: 5: Hungry Heart,
Track: 6: Atlantic City,
Track: 7: Dancing In The Dark,
Track: 8: Born In The U.S.A,
Track: 9: My Hometown Media Type: CD Artist: SPRINGSTEEN,BRUCE Title: GREATEST HITS Street Release Date: 02/28/1995 Domestic Genre: ROCK/POP
Thirty-five years as a justifiable rock musician allows Bruce Springsteen an opinion on the state of over-the-air radio, and he takes it--and takes the medium to the woodshed on the ruthless "Radio Nowhere." The opening smash sets the tone, with the ageless Boss wondering, "Is there anybody out there?" before imploring, "I just want to hear some rhythm." Then, with E Street Band in tow, Springsteen goes on to retrace every step between here and Greetings from Asbury Park, hand-delivering more could-be, would-be hits than anything he's done since Born in the USA. Credit producer Brendan O'Brien for the wall of sound that backs "Girls in Their Summer Clothes," which sets the atmosphere for one of the great vocal performances by Springsteen, who plays the misfit "in the cool of the evening light" watching the girls "pass me by." With piano, glockenspiel, and infinite guitars, the rocker "I'll Work for Your Love" recalls The River, with Springsteen even settling for blue-collar hero in matters of the heart. "Livin' in the Future" could be an out-take from Darkness on the Edge of Town, with shades of Election Day blasting away with the boastful sax of Clarence Clemons and Little Steven's relentless backing vocals. There's even a hint of Nebraska on "Terry's Song," an earnest (and mostly solo) accolade with Springsteen acknowledging the death of a friend: "When they built you, brother/They broke the mold." The hidden track closes this unforeseen comeback, and for 48 minutes the nearly 60-year-old Bruce Springsteen sounds 35 again. --Scott Holter
Bruce Springsteen "The Essential Bruce Springsteen"
$10.99
Vastly expanding 1995's single disc Greatest Hits, The Essential Bruce Springsteen easily surpasses the earlier best-of set by serving up all its true essentials and tossing in less appreciated treats and a full disc of rarities. Disc one spans the first decade of Springsteen's recording career, serving up at least two tracks each from the six albums that laid the groundwork for his '80s burst into superstardom. Disc two picks up with his mainstream breakthrough, 1984's Born in the U.S.A., and carries on through 2002's The Rising, tossing in live recordings of "American Skin" and "Land of Hope and Dreams" for good measure. The selections and sequencing surpass those made on Greatest Hits, though there's not too much in the way of surprises, other than that it appears that Born in the U.S.A. hasn't aged all that well for the Boss; here, he selects only three songs from the hit-laden smash, one fewer than is found on the skimpy Greatest Hits. Disc three is where the fun really starts for all but neophytes. The live "Held Up Without a Gun" is as gutsy a one minute and 20 seconds as Springsteen as one could ask for, and the likes of "Trapped," "Countin' on a Miracle," and a cover of "Viva Las Vegas" rank with his signature songs. --Steven Stolder
Next time you find yourself debating the worth of Bruce Springsteen, pull out this brilliant four-disc outtake set. With a flick of his grease-monkey wrist, Springsteen proves--simply by issuing long-unreleased material--why he's the most consistent (read: important) composer in the pop-rock field of his generation. It's there in a dozen included B-sides ("Pink Cadillac," "Shut Out the Light," "Janey Don't You Lose Heart"). It's there in countless rabble-rousing anthems, the singer's stock in working-class trade ("Roulette," "Stand on It," "Car Wash," "Brothers Under the Bridges"). But, mainly, it's there between the lines, in the small idiosyncrasies Springsteen detected within almost every cut that made him--until now--withhold this material. Some are glaringly obvious--the singsong "Living on the Edge of the World," whose lyrics were later lifted for the more sinister "Open All Night"; the morphing of several "Iceman" verses into sentiments expressed on Darkness on the Edge of Town. Some are collectible curiosities, like the starkly disparate alternate takes of "Stolen Car" and "Born in the U.S.A." And others are more meticulous, often coming down to a simple phrase, riff, or melody line that wound up flunking final-cut muster. And when you stumble across those tiny, fleeting moments, moments that would matter to only a true perfectionist, the true artistry of Springsteen unfurls in all its ragged glory. --Tom Lanham
