In 1996, two disgruntled former associates of
Bruce Springsteen opted to purge their stash of high quality outtakes and demos by releasing the 19 volume set, The Lost Masters. While the bootleggers beat Springsteen to the punch by a full two years (the officially released 'Tracks' did not hit the shelves until the fall of 1998), several of the tracks that appear on The Lost Masters were subsequently released on Tracks. However, in every case, Springsteen changed the mixes and/or added new overdubs before officially releasing them. The Lost Masters presents the material in its original, unadulterated form.
The problem with The Lost Masters series is that there really isn't a need for the set to be so voluminous. Many of the discs in that set contain multiple, nearly identical versions of the same song. Despite trying to appeal to more casual fans with two, double-disc "best of" collections, they still managed to miss the mark by including too many low quality rehearsal recordings. The best sounding recordings are easily the studio outtakes and solo demos so that is what should have comprised the "best of" sets.
These two discs represent my own personal picks of the best of the best.
Disc 1: 1977 - 1979
Darkness on the Edge of Town studio outtakes:
01. Drive All Night - early demo, subsequently rerecorded for The River
02. The Promise - unreleased full band version, subsequently rerecorded in 1999 for 18 Tracks
03. Racing in the Street - alternate arrangement w/ harp
04. One Way Street
05. Candy's Boy - lyrical predecessor to Candy's Room
06. The Fast Song - musical predecessor to Candy's Room
07. Fire
08. Because the Night - incomplete lyrics (this unfinished song was given to Patti Smith who's subsequent release of the track provided her with her biggest single ever)
09. Spanish Eyes
10. Get That Feeling
The River studio outtakes:
11. Roulette - original version
12. To Be True - original version w/ double tracked vocals
13. Rickie -
alternate mix (prominent organ) and slight lyrical changes
14. I Wanna Be With You - slight lyrical changes
15. Cindy - Clarence Clemons harmony vocals
16. Hungry Heart - original tempo
17. The Price You Pay - alternate intro & 3rd verse, extended ending
18. I Wanna Marry You - alternate mix: new vocal, no sax
19. Stolen Car - original version considered for the aborted The Ties That Bind album from 1979
Disc 2: 1981 - 1983
Nebraska solo acoustic outtakes:
01. Born in the USA - subsequently rerecorded with the E Street Band for Born in the USA
02. Downbound Train - subsequently rerecorded with the E Street Band for Born in the USA
03. Child Bride - lyrical predecessor to Working on the Highway
04. Pink Cadillac - subsequently rerecorded with the E Street Band for Born in the USA
05. Losin' Kind - thematic predecessor to Highway 29
Born in the USA solo outtakes:
06. Shut Out the Light - unabridged version w/ 2 extra verses
07. Sugarland
08. The Klansman
09. Don't Back Down - acoustic version
10. Unsatisfied Heart [note - this song is unfortunately rather poorly mixed with an overbearing synthesizer]
11. Bye-Bye Johnny - alternate arrangement w/ cricket sound effects
12. Follow That Dream - rewrite of the Elvis Presley song
Born in the USA studio outtakes:
13. County Fair - E Street Band version
14. TV Movie - alternate mix: sax solo
15. Glory Days - original recording w/ extra verse
16. Murder Incorporated - original recording
17. My Love Will Not Let You Down
18. Frankie
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