So Gary Mallaber, a drummer who played on Springsteen's Lucky Town, stated that he recorded some parts for older songs for a boxed sets due to release around Christmas. We were all expecting Born In The USA 35 to be released then, but this appears to be more of a Tracks 2 project. Either way, we're in for a treat. RUMOR: Bruce Springsteen's Tracks 2 Boxset Due Out This Winter - Blog It All Night: A Bruce Springsteen Blog
There are some posts on BTX hinting that the scope of this project is huge. I'm very excited about this. Great year so far for Springsteen fans.
Below is a link to the full thread. There's a lot of stuff in there, but page 2 has some info on how many songs are out there still unreleased and a potential nugget on this project being more than 4 discs. Tracks in 1999 was originally planned to be 128 songs before being cut town to 66. BTX • Login
Just read the whole thread. I'm still marveled by "Western Stars" and already buzzing for Tracks 2. Happy days!
An apparently trustworthy poster confirmed it's a "Tracks style" box, but there's not other info. Just people listing what they hope will be on it and speculation.
Could be intriguing, depending on what eras are represented. He has issued quite a bit of material from the 1973 - 1980 period. There are clearly additional Hammond demos, bits and pieces from the E Street Shuffle, BTR, Darkness, and The River, but unless he is willing to release alternate takes, there cannot be much from the period that is releasable (plus there is the prospect that Springsteen will overdub/re-record the material in question, especially reworked vocals). Then you have the Nebraska recordings and BITUSA sessions; will these be reserved for another box set? There are apparently some country recordings from the mid-80's and perhaps a few remaining scraps from TOL, but probably not much. It seems like most of the HT/LT session work has been released. Again, if he issues alternate takes, then there are conceivably many more options. That said, if this rumored box set consists of a multitude of discs, one suspects a lot of the material could come from the past 20+ years, which is far less interesting.
Interesting, but you know how there were remastered box sets from Greetings through to BITUSA, and then, in Japan only, for Tunnel of Love up to Tom Joad, and including the Chimes of Freedom EP, and the reunion E Street EP, will there be a 3rd remastered set including everything post Tom Joad ? Just a thought ?
I wonder if the plan to do a Tracks 2 box instead of a Nebraska/BITUSA box is for copyright extension purposes. I am not hugely knowledgeable about what exists but I am assuming there are some Steel Mill recordings and early demos that would need to be protected if they don't want them released by one of those budget labels?
I can't imagine Springsteen is going to officially release the bulk of Steel Mill era recordings he has access to in the archives just to combat some PD releases in the UK. A sampling to show the public what he was doing early on and how he developed, yes, but not the majority of the recordings. With respect to BITUSA, I suppose there is no guarantee he is going to produce such a box set.
Now that would be a lovely gift and I suppose possibly run up and through 1971, and perhaps even part of '72, so that a dedicated, expanded Greetings set could also still be issued at some later date, if so desired. Yes, there are a few solid soundboard recordings from that era in circulation but who knows if or what else may exist of decent material, performances, and sound quality.
I don't think Bruce is really that fussed about extending copyright. He doesn't care about stuff on YouTube, or bootlegs of shows or things like that like the Beatles, Dylan and a few others are. Most of the Dr Zoom, Steel Mill and Bruce Springsteen Band stuff aren't of top quality (in sound or performance) and he's quite picky with what stuff he releases to the masses officially so I can't see them releasing things like Grandpa Gone Down for example. I'd love him to release the Train Song on a set like this though. But some of the demos he recorded in 72 are boring, monotonous, too wordy and not very good. There are about 40 BITUSA tracks not available, there's a country album from the 80s, a hip hop type album from the 90s, side project stuff like all the songs he wrote for Gary US Bonds in the 70s and 80s and then stuff we're not even aware of that could be put on Tracks 2. There's also the stuff he contributed to VA releases over the years. I'd say an album's worth of stuff with them alone.
This is what I want to see on TRACKS 2 THE RIVER OUTTAKES 1. Chevrolet Deluxe 2. Janey Needs A Shooter 3. Jole Blon 4. Under The Gun 5. Oh Angelene 6. I will be the one NEBRASKA 1. All of Electric Nebraska 2. child Bride 3. Losin Kind 4. Downbound Train 5. Johnny Bye Bye 6. Pink Cadillac BITUSA 1. Johnny Go Down 2. The Glory Of Love 3. Ida Rose 4. Seeds 5. Light Of Day 6. Fugitive Dream 7. Don't Back Down 8. Sugarland 9. Richfield Whistle 10. Kings Highway. TUNNEL OF LOVE 1. Pretty Baby Will You be mine 2. Things ain't that way 3. Walking through midnight HUMAN TOUCH 1. 30 Days Out 2. All The Way Home STREETS OF PHILIDELPHIA 1. Waiting On The End Of The World 2. Father's Day 3. Blind spot 4. Nothing Man 5. Between Heaven and Earth 6. Dark And Bloody Ground 7. Homestead. TOM JOAD 1. Cynthia 2. 1945 3. Cheap Motel 4. Tiger Rose THE RISING 1. The Hitter 2. Code Of Silence 3. I'll Stand By You Always 4. Another Thin Line DEVIL'S 1. It's the little Things that count
Wow this really shows how the industry has changed. In the old days they'd be milking the current album for months, there'd be some tour dates, etc. No way they would schedule a prestige box of unreleased material in the same year.
NEBRASKA 1. All of Electric Nebraska April 26-30 1982 2. child Bride January 3, 1982 3. Losin Kind Jan 3 and April 30 (Electric Nebraska try) 4. Downbound Train Jan 3 and Electric-released 5. Johnny Bye Bye April 27 only Nebraska take - not recorded in January 6. Pink Cadillac 2 takes January NO electric takes until 1983 I created a day-by-day "Electric Nebraska" chart covering the main week, and the week after Nebraska - Studio Sessions - Brucebase Wiki the first day was all Atlantic City, and most of day 2 until they finally gave up and moved on The only tracks to be released from this period was "Born In the U.S.A.", completed May 3, "Downbound Train" and "Working On the Highway" both May 6 the rest of these are all waiting to get out, including the 8 min "Born In the U.S.A." from April 27-28, which has been bootlegged
D&D and the BTR box both came out in 2005. Bruce only seems to want to do the theatrical film as promo for W-Stars and nothing else. If there really is an ESB tour in 2020, then Track 2 is a funny way to launch it. Especially when the T1 didn't sell crazy and didn't get too much play on the "reunion" tour.
I’ve always had a soft spot for ‘If I Was The Priest’, would love to see that cleaned up and properly released
Will this also be a case where the sampler disc has two tracks not on the box set so you'll have to buy both?
Nebraska-BITUSA 111 songs recorded, 43 songs released. 68 remain officially unreleased. this does not include alternate takes, like just about the entire Electric Nebraska sessions 28 tracks were recorded first week April 26-30 1982 The River 68 songs 21 are UNRELEASED Darkness 61 songs 27 unreleased who was asking if he had anything left in the vault?