Hi all, Bruce said last year that there was no good outtakes. But it's not real, perhaps he doesn't remember, here are some of them: Protection, Light of day, Drop on down and cover me, Delivery man, One love, Don't back down, The klansman, Sugarland... known songs. Perhaps Bruce don't want show all his thoughts. In Youtube also there are complete DVD París 1985 in a good resolution.
He recorded so much stuff with his band during the Nebraska/Born In The U.S.A. years (which is 1981-1984!). So, I'm sure there must be some good amount of outtakes in the vaults. A few nice examples can be found on that Tracks CD box set and I think there's more deserved to be heard. Hope there still is a box set for Born In The U.S.A. in the plans. But I think the making of the album is heavily linked to Nebraska and its demos, so a box set of both projects combined would be nice.
From pacman68 These are the songs we haven't heard in full band mode - he could have released a double album with all these songs. “All I Need” (January or February 1982) “Club City Soul” (January or February 1982) “Hold On” (January or February 1982) “Love’s On The Line” (January or February 1982) “Out Of Work” (January or February 1982) “Savin’ Up” (January 25, 1982; February 23, 1982) “Workin’ On It” (January 25, 1982) “Protection” (February 23, 1982) “Robert Ford” (April 27, 1982) “William Davis” (April 27-28, 1982) “On The Prowl” (April 30, 1982) “Gun In Every Home” (April 30, 1982; May 6, 1982) “Your Love Is All Around Me” (May 10, 1982) “Stop The War” (May 5-6, 1982) “Baby I’m So Cold” (May 11, 1982) “Common Ground” (May 11, 1982) “Fade To Black” (May 11, 1982) “King’s Highway” (May 23-24, 1983) “Light Of Day” (May 25, 1983) “Sugarland” (May 25, 1983) “Gone, Gone, Gone” (May 25, 1983; May 31, 1983) “Body And Soul” (May 25, 1983; June 2, 1982) “Richfield Whistle” (May 27, 1983; June 10, 1983) “Invitation To Your Party” (May 31, 1983) “Drop On Down And Cover Me” (May 31, 1983; June 2, 1983) “Bad Boy” (June 2, 1983) “True Love Is Hard To Come By” (June 2, 1983) “Unsatisfied Heart” (June 13, 1983) “Don’t Back Down” (June 15, 1983) “Glory Of Love” (September 16, 1983) “Shut Down” (October 26, 1983) “100 Miles From Jackson” (October 26, 1983) “Body And Soul” (November 29, 1983 – reworked version of the song cut in May/June 1983) “Roll Away The Stone” (November 30, 1983) “Swoop Man” (November 30, 1983) “Under The Big Sky” (November 30, 1983
Hi, Better not mix Nebraska and Born in the USA outtakes, 2 different projects, but a little bite connected. In the contract he has to release a box for Nebraska and other for BITUSA. From Wikileaks information, April 2015. 4 new studio albums (delivered at least 12 months apart) 1 anniversary box set, with 3 CDs, for the Born in the USA album 1 anniversary box set, with 3 CDs, for the The River album 1 anniversary box set, with 2 CDs, for the Nebraska album 1 box set with 3 or 4 discs with unreleased songs (the second volume of Tracks) 5 complete live-concert albums (the box sets and live albums will be released at least 6 months apart) With the new deal Springsteen would stay at Columbia at least until June 30, 2027 (if he has delivered all 13 products by then) or two years after delivering the last of the products. In the emails between the Sony execs they admit «it’s obviously a rich deal given his stature», but «this is not an artist we can afford to lose». And 4 years remaining to release 3 boxes: Nebraska, Bitusa, Tracks 2. No more time. 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027
I still love Bruce, but you can't trust a single word he says when he talks about what's there and what's not there and what's going to be released and what's not going to be released. Also, if anything is going to be released it will contain loads of new overdubs.
You are probably right about that last point, which means we might be able to believe Bruce when he says there will be no box…If he was putting the (substantial) work in on those overdubs, he likely wouldn’t deny its eventual release the way he did.
Last week I pulled out a copy of the Godfather, (I think) Murder, Inc. collection and as I was listening to a couple of the outtakes that Bruce says don't exist, or aren't any good, I thought about this very topic. I also just finished the Warren Zane book on Nebraska. So, timely post. To me, a BITUSA box set would seem to be a no brainer. That record had such a huge impact which still - to some degree - resonates. I think that a well done box would get a ton of media - probably more so than any other project he could release (such as Tracks 2). I cannot believe that Columbia would let this opportunity pass. As far as BITUSA, while a lot of outtakes have been released in the past in other projects (Tracks, Essential Bonus Disc), there are still a good many that we know are out there and have heard (such as "Protection") and the ones listed above by @JM76 You could put together a massive box from what has already been released along with a healthy selection of what has not. The Zanes book gives a good template of what could be on a separate Nebraska box, the songs he originally sent to Jon Landau as well as a disc of the mythical Electric Nebraska. Would love to see both of these projects. But I am certainly not holding my breath...
Also a remix of Born In The USA album with a bit more gentle snare sound would be a nice add in that box set.
You can make your own: Original album remastered couple of years ago About 1 full CD of outtakes/B sides already released (Tracks + Essential) 6 Archive releases, shows from 84-85, already released in a box set (18 CDs) Paris video Other music videos for singles on "Complete Bruce Springsteen"
Pretty disappointing if Springsteen believes there's nothing else further worth releasing from the Nebraska and Born in the USA sessions. Looking over what's been released on Tracks, Greatest Hits and Essential, I guess in his mind there were "only" 20 worthy demos and outtakes spread out across those three releases (not counting "Lion's Den" which Backstreets ties to a Gary "U.S." Bonds session given the credits involved). To be fair, that is a generous bit of material, especially when 16 of those 20 are on Tracks. Running at about 78 minutes, that alone would fill a disc. But if Born in the USA ain't happening, I can't see another box set being put together based around one set of album sessions (or I guess two albums in this case), a real shame.
As a casual Springsteen fan, I would love to see a "special edition" Born in the USA, where the original album is given a new mix to give it a bit less of an "80s" sound. Then, add in another album's worth of outtakes and unreleased tracks, to make a double-album. Something like that would be good. By the way, someone mentioned the "original album remastered a couple years ago". Can someone specify exactly what that is, and is it really a better-sound album?
They mean the 2014 remaster that was originally done for this box set: The Album Collection Vol. 1 1973–1984 - Wikipedia Each of those remasters have now replaced the standalone albums, so you don't need to get that box set to get the remasters. For my tastes, it feels like they boosted the bottom a bit too much and there seems to be some limiting, but it's a better A/D transfer. The poster upthread has a point - you technically have a pretty damn good deluxe edition of this album that exists in released form, it's just frustrating that it's spread out over different places. I wish they could find a first-generation source for "County Fair" (Essential sounds like it used a bootleg) but otherwise the cream of the crop was officially released years ago. FWIW, one thing I liked about the Darkness box set is that Springsteen didn't just dump the outtakes on to discs, he arranged them into an album. Yeah, I get people don't like overdubs made after the fact, but personally, I prefer to have something resembling a finished album. With Born in the USA, you have a LOT more stuff that sounds completely finished. To be fair, Tracks has a lot to do with that - most of the material only had rough mixes and they decided to go back and remix everything to sound finished. (Only "Don't Look Back" from Darkness retains its original vintage mix, partly because it very nearly made it on to the album, hence the existence of a finished, polished mix and not just a rough mix.) It would be too difficult to make multiple albums out of every outtake, it's just too tall of an order to expect that kind of cohesion from literally every song anyone records over the course of two years' worth of highly productive sessions, but I think he had at least one great, fully-realized album in that bunch. One I put together: Side A: 1. My Love Will Not Let You Down 4:24 2. This Hard Land 4:46 3. Frankie 7:22 4. Pink Cadillac 3:33 5. Man At The Top 3:19 Side B: 6. Murder Incorporated 3:57 7. Shut Out the Light 3:51 8. Wages of Sin 4:51 9. Janey, Don't You Lose Heart 3:24 10. County Fair 4:49
Thanks for that. By the way, that bootleg-ish Essential version of 'County Fair' is one of my top-5 all time Springsteen recordings. Looooove it! 'Man At The Top' is a nice tune.
I've always wondered this, too. He obviously played it live numerous times (I think), but a studio recording would be nice. He should have done one for High Hopes.
I think it’s crazy that we don’t have a new box set(s) of the Nebraska/Born in the USA/electric Nebraska period that would enhance Springsteen’s reputation, rather than dross like the soul covers album(s) which diminish his reputation, especially after the returns to form of Western Stars and Letter to You (even if they were old songs). But the Bruce who cared for his fans of a few years back ain’t there anymore, sadly.
Agree with every word of this post. And I second (third?) the praise for “County Fair”. At the time, I thought he could keep this level of quality going forever. In retrospect, though, that was a completely unrealistic expectation. This was his true purple patch. Like almost all other great artists, subsequent work is rarely as great and more frequently an echo.
Sometime around the Release of Born in the USA I ready an article by Jay Cocks - I am thinking it was in Time magazine but I could be wrong that mentioned the wealth of songs recorded but not used for the album. This came out right after the album was released - I think or maybe a little after. At that time I was pretty naive - I did not own a single bootleg (although I had heard one of the Winterland boots), and I had absolutely no clue about the actual recording of any Springsteen record (it still amazes me how little we knew about albums prior to the Internets). Anyway, Cocks' article mentioned "Shut out the Lights" which I was able to find on the BITUSA single, but he also mentioned "County Fair" and said something like "this may be one of the finest Springsteen songs he's recorded" or something like that. Of course I was intrigued. My "County Fair" obsession started that day. It took me quite a while to figure out how to "get it," I don't think I ever heard it - again - until the internet and file sharing became a "thing." I was not disappointed. While I would not go as far as Cocks' opinion of it - it is a song where I believe Bruce absolutely and totally nailed it. It is incredibly sentimental and there is, to me, always a bit of heartbreak to it to - wishing the moment would not end but knowing that (like all of life's other wonderful moments), it will. Its just an incredible piece of songwriting. It defies logic that it took as long to be released as it did. I too was disappointed in the version on Essential. It does not sound much better than any of the other versions I have heard. Interestingly, I just finished the Warren Zanes book on Nebraska and he mentions the fact that Bruce sent someone outside to record crickets for the record - that the crickets on the Essential version are, actually crickets.
Yeah it just suffers from a tad too much reverb, although I know what they were going for in terms of nostalgia. A remix should temper that but not lose it completely.
Hi all, 30 songs released between Tracks box + album, then 50 unreleased remains. There are high material for a box.
Choose songs unreleased for a possible Bitu box... the mine: Delivery man Protection Drop on down on cover me Little girl Don't back down The klansman Bye bye Johnny Sugarland Follow that dream On the prowl Light of day Seven tears Betty Jean Your hometown Seeds One love Beneath the boulevard Long way home
