Bruce Springsteen 18 Tracks--What are the 3 songs that are not on the box set?

Not in my opinion, but this is a good example of his approach to the eighties: smooth out the rough edges losing the raw emotion within the songs, it turned out well for his bank account anyway

 

It is a cool rendition, but Cover Me is impeccably produced and performed; a much tighter performance IMO. Often people quickly jump to the conclusion that the vault items are superior, but Springsteen has released some stellar material on his albums. BITUSA could have been configured/sequence in a more compelling way, but the professionalism and near-perfection of the performances on the album has to be commended.

 

I think the biggest issue with some of the more rocked-out tracks on The River, which includes The Ties That Bind, is that the production and overall sound often is quite wimpy. There isn't enough punch to some of the songs. IIRC, it was purposely recorded that way, that is the sound Van Zant was going for and clearly Springsteen went along with it.

 

I agree. Many people over-value the alternate takes and out takes over the officially released versions because they are not the officially released version.
There is a faster, more rocking alternate version of "Point Blank" from The River that is cool and worth hearing and I hope it is included on the box set if/when it is released. But it is not superior to the official version. And with Springsteen, that is often the case.
However , from the same sessions, the bootlegged alternates of "Stolen Car" and "You Can Look (But You Better not Touch)" are superior--as is the original guitar-oriented mix of the great "Loose Ends",which showed up on Tracks with the organ more prominent--and with ( I believe) newer vocals.

 

You guys are half nuts and half right about The River, because it's two albums — a heavy, down one and a fun one — stitched together in a way that doesn't blend or flow particularly well. His deeper genius was making the joy and the tragic stuff unite perfectly in the live performances. But I still wouldn't change a thing (especially about the delirious throwaways like "I'm A Rocker" and "Sherry Baby" that the Bruce Ph.D's are always scowling at), and the River era is the gift that keeps on giving with all those overflowing outtakes and giveaways and sketch songs.

 

It could've been the greatest album. I just can't get through it either. I'd dump about half of it in exchange for the outtakes on Tracks from it. The first side of The River is good (even with the slick production on Sherry Darling, failing to capture what he did live and with recordings for Darkness of it), but once it's the second side, forget it. I like bits and pieces from there on but that's it. I wish he hadn't decided to "make an album for the girls."
He wrecked Point Blank too.
I love both the released The Ties That Bind and that AMAZING Passaic rehearsal.
I like the released Stolen Car but not nearly as much as the Tracks one.
Totally overrated album, The River.
It's always gonna be Darkness and WIESS for me. (then Nebraska).

Best songs on The River for me - The Ties That Bind, Jackson Cage, and You Can Look; glad he did not release that completely inferior "rockabilly" version of "You Can Look."

 

I find this is often the case in Dylanworld, as well.

 

I agree with your general argument, but not on the specifics. Just like there are good "throwaway" movies and bad "throwaway" films, so it is with songs. "Sherry Darling" is good, the rockabilly version of "You Can Look..." is good; "I'm a Rocker", "Crush on You", "You Can Look ...", "Ramrod" are not. I also understand where you are coming from in that --The River is a Jeckll & Hyde album--and conceived as one, with the fun songs providing a counterpoint to the serious, brooding ballads. In my opinion, the ballads win out in terms of quality, but "The Ties that Bind", " Jackson Cage" and "Out in the Street" are up there with them. And the unreleased "Stolen Car" is one of the best things he ever did. So was "Be True"--inexplicably relegated to B- side status.
Some great stuff on that album, but much was left off in favor of the inferior.

 

I think if the versions being discussed of Stolen Car were reversed, fans would largely be asserting the Tracks version was inferior to the other version (the master River take). People would likely be up in arms that Springsteen left the haunting version (the master River take) in the vaults. As others have pointed out, a lot of this seems to stem from songs being in an "unreleased status" and because of that, they immediately become elevated as being superior to the released album tracks. That isn't always the case; yes Springsteen has left some incredible music in the vaults and did not always effectively sequence his albums, but he did release a lot of his best stuff on his albums. There were just so many great performances that sometimes the outtake material seems as good or better because the master recordings have been heard so many times and dissected so many times and it makes it easier to conclude that some of vault items would be superior choices. But like I said, I think if some of these track selections were reversed, a lot of fans would be baffled that some of these "master" recordings that actually made the albums were left in the vaults.

 

As with every double album I have ever heard, it would have been better as a single album. Sequencing a 14 track album out of the released tracks and outtakes would be amazing.

But, as also with every double album, noone would be able to agree on the 14 tracks.

 

I thought I was the only one that thought The River was unbalanced. Glad to see I'm not alone.

Bruce is due for another trip to the vaults. There's still a lot of unreleased material that should see legitimate release.

 

"Stolen Car" is perfect in its album incarnation. Simply perfect
All ballads from "The River" are awesome .Not one sub standard
The rockers on the album are rooted in the american r&r style (Heartland Rock,Hot Rod,Frat Rock ecc..)
The Outtakes are more in a Brithish Invasion/Power Pop/New Wave style,more urban.They are great but cleary out of place on the main album
IMO

 

Backstreets the Springsteen fan site has been boiling over with threads about an imminent River boxset release for a good few weeks now. The resident experts seem think it may well be announced next week so we might get some more out takes quite soon.

 

After somewhat excessive overdubbing/reworking of the Darkness-era outtake material, I can't help but fear the same thing has happened with The River outtakes. Granted, some tinkering was done to the released songs on Tracks, but none were as grating as what was found on The Promise compilation.

 

In some ways, the aborted Ties That Bind album was more compelling than The River (although it is a bit of a head-scratcher that the lightweight I Wanna Marry You secured a place on both albums).

 

I agree. I call it the "Dylan fan" mindset.

 

Trouble River is nothing particularly special as a song, imo, but I like the arrangement and the performance of it and fwiw it makes my Human Touch playlist at the expense of a few of the other album tracks.

 

Add me to the list of fans conflicted about The River.

I really like Sherry Darling, but most of the other upbeat songs just aren't as good. The whole album gets too heavy and dull, and probably would have been a better single album. In the days of CDs, a 60 minute The River may have been the right choice.

Keep:
The Ties That Bind
Sherry Darling
Two Hearts
Independence Day
Hungry Heart
Out In The Street
You Can Look
The River
Point Blank
Cadillac Ranch
Stolen Car
Wreck On The Highway

Run time: 49:24 - That could have made a single LP if the track timings could even out

Cut:
Jackson Cage
Crush On You
I Wanna Marry You
I'm A Rocker
Fade Away
Ramrod
The Price You Pay
Drive All Night

Release Jackson Cage or Ramrod as a B side

 

I absolutely love The River. For me, it's the ONE Springsteen album that I would advise people to listen to to understand what the man's music is all about. It's got everything.

I agree that several of the outtakes, especially "Roulette", "Be True", "Take 'Em As They Come", "Where The Bands Are", and a couple of others that will hopefully see the light of day on the upcoming reissue box set, could have replaced a few of the cuts that made it on to the finished album, but one could say the same about Darkness On The Edge Of Town.

I think "The Price You Pay" is perhaps Springsteen's greatest song, but "The Ties That Bind", "Two Hearts", "Independence Day", "Out In The Street", "The River", "Point Blank", "Cadillac Ranch", "Fade Away", "Stolen Car", and "Wreck On The Highway" are all essential Springsteen as well.

I love both versions of "Stolen Car" equally, BTW.

 

As an aside, I thought I was the only fan of both Springsteen and the Dead. Nice to see I'm not alone!

 

...and "Cindy".

 

This thread has inspired me to give Springsteen another big shot.

For whatever dumb reason, he's an artist that I really enjoy everything I hear, but I still am beyond the reach of really "getting" him. If that makes sense.

I'm in the middle of sorting through all the outtakes I have from Tracks, 18 Tracks, The Essential, The Promise, etc. and organizing it all.

The amount of outtakes is ridiculous - his discography is pretty much doubled when you factor them all in.

So far, I've only gotten to make a sequence for the WIESB and BTR outtakes I have. Here it is if anyone is interested:

1. Seaside Bar Song
2. Santa Ana
3. Linda Let Me Be The One
4. The Fever
5. Zero and Blind Terry
6. So Young and In Love
7. Thundercrack


For whatever reason, I never really had given WIESB much of a listen before today. This album rules!

 

I echo your sentiment.

 

I want that River Box Set and hope for lots of hi rez mixes, alt mixes, alt versions, previously unreleased songs, and any studio extras. Something that might include all that would have that set an abaolute musthave for me. Any studio rehearsal footage also.

 

Wild Innocent is easily my favorite album of his. Unfortunately, I don't think he would have had much success if Born to Run had followed in that same style.