Yeah, but it's still better than no vocals or incomplete mumbles, IMO. I've heard discs of Darkness/River outtakes & rehearsals and...for the most part they're really not that interesting without a coherent lead vocal. (Same with Stones outtakes, while we're at it) I know there's some who really delve into that stuff, and that's cool, but it wouldn't make a very good commercial product. Granted, they could've skipped adding The River (which everyone already owns, several times) and instead included both 'original' and 'completed' versions of tracks, and made everyone happy, but that would've required more imagination than I think BruceCo is capable of with these things.
I do think there is a market for reissues of the 3 albums you mention. Maybe not a big box, but a couple discs with outtakes and extras/live songs would be easy to market and would sell, obviously not millions but a good number of copies. J
I do think they could create an interesting set centred around the first 2 albums, although I am not too sure they need to actually include the original albums themselves. There are the John Hammond demos for example. I also note that the Nugs archive releases have not included anything from this period yet. The documentary for this set would be interesting as it could chart his rise to success, including his earlier bands. A blu ray of latter day performances of each of the two albums would also be welcome.
They could create very interesting sets for the first two albums and they would sell next to nothing.
Documentary is tough to do without Danny/Clarence. Not sure how much archival interview stuff exists for those 2. Plus Landau only wants HIS Bruce origin story known and not Appel's, even if everyone is on good terms. ESB members rarely offer much insight into the band in interviews, especially after 1999. Some were VERY honest in the early 90's.
Yeah, they can only reheat this stuff so many times. I think some Springsteen friends may have box set exhaustion.
Agreed. Love what Sony just did with Janis Joplin’s “Cheap Thrills” Sessions — two discs of outtakes, no remastered original album in sight.
There would be more than enough material to do that with any Bruce album. I really like the alternate Fleetwood Mac Tusk album as a way of presenting outtakes/alternate versions in an interesting way to the casual/normal listener, and certainly an alternate Darkness and River could've easily been assembled, and probably would've helped sales, particularly of the River set. (I get the focus and priority was on unreleased songs, but the aversion to alternate takes throughout both sets strikes me as odd)
A buddy of mine was recently discussing Tusk with me. He's a casual Fleetwood Mac fan at best but since Tusk is his favorite Mac album, he now plays the 'alternate' version of that album from the recent Tusk reissue (it was released on vinyl as a Record Store Day release, I believe) whenever he's in the mood for Fleetwood Mac. In Springsteen's case, the omission of the alternate, radically different rock arrangement of Point Blank is a bit of a head-scratcher. Another option is to present the album in a similar manner to what The Beatles recently did with Sgt. Pepper's and The White Album (i.e. provide the album proper only in a newly remixed presentation and supplement it with additional outtakes, alternate versions and demos). When news broke that Bruce was going to release a box set celebrating The River album, some Springsteen fans were clamoring for a remix of The River tracks. The River album had just been remastered the previous year for The Album Collection Vol. 1 set so a remix of the album may have made more sense for The River box set.
OK, then!!! Unless I’m missing something, that Wikileaks info reveals the outline of Springsteen’s contractual obligations with Columbia, and essentially relegates other speculated releases in this thread, to the “back-burner”. Even the rough dividing line between Columbia and Nugs live releases is drawn, based upon quality. Perhaps the contract has some “escape clauses”...?
Yeah, I'm 100% behind the idea of the River remix. I actually think the recent vinyl reissue is the best I've ever heard the album sound, but I'd have loved a fresh take on it. I'm glad we have all those new/old songs, even with the modern finishing touches, but skipping the main album and including 20-25 alternate takes (especially instead of re-using stuff that was already on Tracks) would've probably moved a lot more units. I know BruceCo was disappointed at the sales of the River set compared to the previous one, but I think that's largely on Bruce.
At the very least, if the original River album had to be included, it should have been totally remixed. The box would have been the perfect opportunity to do this. As it is, the new remaster has more bass, but that's about it.
Yeah, that remaster had already been released two years earlier, making it even more redundant. Maybe the 'remixing' trend hadn't really reached non-prog-rock attention by 2015 when this set was put together so it didn't occur to anyone yet.
Based on what the The River box set was, this is more or less what I believe a Nebraska/1982 sessions joint box set would sound like: MURDER INCORPORATED: THE NEBRASKA COLLECTION Disc One - Nebraska: 01 Nebraska 02 Atlantic City 03 Mansion on the Hill 04 Johnny 99 05 Highway Patrolman 06 State Trooper 07 Used Cars 08 Open All Night 09 My Father's House 10 A Reason to Believe Disc Two - Murder Incorporated: 01 Born in the USA 02 Murder Incorporated 03 Downbound Train 04 I'm Going Down 05 Glory Days 06 My Love Won't Let You Down 07 Working on the Highway 08 Darlington County 09 Frankie 10 I'm on Fire 11 This Hard Land Disc Three - Electric Nebraska: 01 Nebraska 02 Atlantic City 03 Mansion on the Hill 04 Johnny 99 05 Highway Patrolman 06 Common Ground (Stay Hungry) 07 Used Cars 08 Open All Night 09 Gun in Every Home 10 Losin' Kind 11 William Davis 12 A Reason to Believe 13 Johnny Bye Bye Disc Four - Outtakes: 01 Losin' Kind 02 The Big Payback 03 Child Bride 04 Lion's Den 05 Saving Up 06 Club Soul City 07 All I Need 08 Cover Me 09 Protection 10 Your Love is All Around Me 11 Robert Ford 12 Fade to Black 13 Stop the War 14 Baby I'm So Cold 15 A Good Man is Hard to Find 16 On the Prowl 17 The Wages of Sin Follows the same pattern as The Ties that Bind collection. First two discs are the double LP ("Murder Incorporated" was Bruce's first BITUSA tracklist), the third disc is one alternate configuration of the album (but instead of the Single Album we get Electric Nebraska), and a fourth disc of outtakes, with contemporary overdubs and previously released songs. Track orders on the 3 & 4 records aren't supposed to make sense, as we haven't heart most tunes. A bit disappointing? Perhaps, but real life is disappointing most of the time The rest of the 1983 and 1984 sessions would be released as DANCING IN THE DARK: THE BORN IN THE USA COLLECTION, of course
I created the playlist below using Unsatisfied Heart: Remastered BORN IN THE U.S.A. Outtakes and The Lost Masters as sources (except where noted). I stayed away from most of the officially released material since I have the best of it on my 14 TRACKS compilation, and ultimately wanted to restrict this disc to booted versions. For the exceptions..."Shut Out the Light" for me is definitive, "County Fair" is the same quality or a tick above the boot, and I've loved this version of "Johnny Bye Bye" since buying the "I'm On Fire" 45 (almost exactly) twenty four years ago. MURDER INCORPORATED 1. Born in the U.S.A. 2. Don't Back Down 3. Murder Incorporated 4. Follow That Dream 5. This Hard Land 6. Johnny Bye Bye 7. Drop On Down and Cover Me 8. Shut Out the Light (TRACKS) 9. Frankie 10. None But the Brave 11. Sugarland 12. My Love Will Not Let You Down 13. Richfield Whistle 14. The Klansman 15. County Fair (Essential) 16. Johnny Bye Bye (B-Side) 17. Unsatisfied Heart
Disagree completely....listen to the backing music /sound effects...not to mention the wistful sounding keyboard flourishes.......totally sets the tone for the subject matter....what's not to like?....I put it up there with Ritchfield Whistle, The Klan and The Hitter for great solo tracks....
I'm a huge fan of "County Fair." To me its sort of a "mood piece," setting up a feeling as opposed to telling a story. It totally captures the feeling of the subject matter, a county fair in a small rural area/town (grew up going to many of these in South Carolina).
Count me as one more person who’s a big fan of “County Fair”. Wonderfully evocative. I just hope it’s sound quality is improved on the box.
