The Promise

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

Not to get too far ahead, but I wonder how many more of these album retrospective box sets Bruce has on his radar. I assume that Nebraska is a no brainer with the electric sessions, etc. And there are reportedly as many as 75-100 songs from The River era, so that's a possibility, as is BITUSA, but that's gotta be it right? When and if we ever get a Tracks 2 I would think it would focus more on the early 70's, possibly even pre E Street days and more from the lost days from the late 80's-reunion in the late 90's.

 

I was thinking along the same lines. The River, if it gets a similar treatment, could be absolutely epic. Electric Nebraska has been absolutely the holy grail for Springsteen fans (althought much of it has leaked in the past), but there would be no corresponding concert release as Bruce did no touring behind Nebraska. It won't get a remix either (isn't really possible in the manner it was recorded). Born in the USA would probably get the mythic treatment its reputation has earned.

I don't know if Bruce is considering retirement and trying to cement his legacy, feeling the cold hand of mortality, or finally listening the the voices that have been clammoring for this...but I am digging this.

[bobfrombob]

I will probably end up buying both the cd/dvd set, and the 4-LP set as well. Wilco and Bruce are just about the two artists that I'm the most of a completist with. I own every Bruce album on vinyl and cd, same for Wilco.

I will probably do the same but I'm a little ticked on this one. First, it's too bad there wasn't an option that combined the audio on vinyl with the DVDs - it appears there won't be. I guess it would be difficult to package that. Even worse, I'm seeing the vinyl only at $120 - for 4 discs, that's pretty steep.

[Vacant Horizon]

There is so much good stuff out there that is professionally recorded and shot.

 

I was listening to the Christic Institute shows yesterday. Absolutely breathtaking.

 

I wonder what Bruce's career would have been like if he had a manager who actually challenged him and pushed him to challenge himself instead of a worshiper.

 

 

can you say more about the Christic shows. don't know anything about them

.

i hope that we at least get remasters of greetings and e street shuffle. they are pretty bad in their current state. i wonder if brendan obrien will remix the 80s and early 90s albums like he did with pearl jam. i wouldn't mind that. i remember seeing on charlie rose that he recored a bunch of other songs during tom joad so that might be another set or part of tracks 2. i'm not too familiar with the unreleased stuff as i am with neil young's so this is some fun discovery.

[Vacant Horizon]

I wonder what Bruce's career would have been like if he had a manager who actually challenged him and pushed him to challenge himself instead of a worshiper.

 

i'm also curious about the above statement. did landaou steer bruce in a more pop direction?

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

I wonder what Bruce's career would have been like if he had a manager who actually challenged him and pushed him to challenge himself instead of a worshiper.

 

i'm also curious about the above statement. did landaou steer bruce in a more pop direction?

 

I don't know...it may have had the same ultimate outcome. But Bruce got into a very distinctive rut in the 80's. The production values of his records has always left a lot to be desired. I'm thinking a manager who ran the business side and left the production to the professionals might have been a better move.

[Vacant Horizon]

I don't know...it may have had the same ultimate outcome. But Bruce got into a very distinctive rut in the 80's. The production values of his records has always left a lot to be desired. I'm thinking a manager who ran the business side and left the production to the professionals might have been a better move.

 

 

well, wasn't all music produced horribly in the 80s

 

i know what you mean though.

[LouisvilleGreg]

Anyone see the Springsteen intro to the emmy's last night. pretty frickin' hilarious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjkDxlhleN8

[Analogman]

I don't think I would really be interested in anything after Nebraska.

 

Plus, a lot of that stuff is out there to be had. I also wish he would do something with the first two albums.

 

Also, since he stopped other people from putting it out, it would be nice to see an official release of Before The Flame, and the rest of those demos.

[JAK2112]

I feel like there isn't enough Greetings or Wild and the Innocent material laying around to do a big release like for BTR or Darkness, but they could probably do a combined box set with Greetings and Wild and Innocent

[LouisvilleGreg]

There's some really good songs from '73 that made the Tracks collection. "Thundercrack," "Zero and Blind Terry," "Santa Ana," and "Seaside Bar Song" are all very good early E Street outtakes, some of which got played live quite often. Of course the complete John Hammond solo auditions from '72 could be on an early collection. My favorite early solo track is "The Ballad of the Self Loading Pistol." That's about as dark as anything Bruce has ever done, just a downright knockout performance and it hasn't been properly released yet.

[Analogman]

There's some really good songs from '73 that made the Tracks collection. "Thundercrack," "Zero and Blind Terry," "Santa Ana," and "Seaside Bar Song" are all very good early E Street outtakes, some of which got played live quite often. Of course the complete John Hammond solo auditions from '72 could be on an early collection. My favorite early solo track is "The Ballad of the Self Loading Pistol." That's about as dark as anything Bruce has ever done, just a downright knockout performance and it hasn't been properly released yet.

 

I have this:

 

A Pocketful Of Demo’s

The Complete Demo Recordings 1972-1973

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

well, wasn't all music produced horribly in the 80s

 

i know what you mean though.

 

All you need to know about Bruce is the 80's is that he couldn't find a place on any record for Murder Incorporated, Replaced Drop on Down with Down, Down, Down and gave away Protection.

 

He was not well served by Jon Landau in an artistic sense, although he did make him a multi-millionaire.

[Vacant Horizon]

All you need to know about Bruce is the 80's is that he couldn't find a place on any record for Murder Incorporated, Replaced Drop on Down with Down, Down, Down and gave away Protection.

 

He was not well served by Jon Landau in an artistic sense, although he did make him a multi-millionaire.

 

wow. did not know that about murder inc. thanks for the info. it's interesting and a bit sad to think about how artists make decisions about production, writing and song selection influenced by a business mindset. that being said, tunnel of love is a great album despite its production. have to wonder how that would've sounded produced int he 70s.

 

question crow-how do you like the most recent production by o'brian? i thought devils and dust was a bit overproduced in places.

 

I feel like there isn't enough Greetings or Wild and the Innocent material laying around to do a big release like for BTR or Darkness, but they could probably do a combined box set with Greetings and Wild and Innocent

 

right. they really need a remaster. however, the muddy mix they currently exist in is kind of part of the charm:)

[Analogman]

I never much cared for the song Murder Incorporated. I always thought it sounded like Bruce trying to do hard rock or something.

[Vacant Horizon]

I never much cared for the song Murder Incorporated. I always thought it sounded like Bruce trying to do hard rock or something.

 

yeah, it's not catchy, but the lyrics are def not 80s pop.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

wow. did not know that about murder inc. thanks for the info. it's interesting and a bit sad to think about how artists make decisions about production, writing and song selection influenced by a business mindset. that being said, tunnel of love is a great album despite its production. have to wonder how that would've sounded produced int he 70s.

 

question crow-how do you like the most recent production by o'brian? i thought devils and dust was a bit overproduced in places.

 

I think O'Brien's production on the recent Rock records (The Rising, Magic, Working on a Dream) are a definite improvement over Human Touch and Lucky Town (the last studio records Landau and Chuck Plotkin were involved in).

 

I'm not sure if there is anything that could have helped Devils and Dust. It was a place holder cobbled together from a handful of new tunes and things that were at least 10 years old. (Long Time Coming had been a staple in the Ghost of Tom Joad Tour). Some of the songs on there should have been saved for a rocking E-Street Band record and others he should have simply had the guts to do fully acoustic.

 

As frustrated as some of the Wilco fans are about Sky Blue Sky and Wilco(TA), Tweedy and company have never had a loss of nerve like Springsteen periodically had. Springsteen's muse exploded in the late 70's and early 80's and he was faced with making decisions not based on musical merit, but on other issues. Not necesarily business decisions, but artistic decisions that often left better tunes in the can than were officially released.

[Analogman]

The Devils and Dust album was the last one I bought. I don't think I have played it since I found out about the Sony BMG Rootkit deal.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

The Devils and Dust album was the last one I bought. I don't think I have played it since I found out about the Sony BMG Rootkit deal.

 

Certainly a reason for not playing it, but I would have to assert that Magic is a really good record. Working on a Dream has its moments, but I don't think Bruce was that happy with most of the record (witness that he hardly played any of it on the last tour).

[Analogman]

Of course, there was a fix for that thing. But, it makes me nervous. If I recall correctly, it would not play without skipping or jumping around, like the Son Volt album The Search. Or maybe it was only that the DVD side would play. It was something like that. I believe I heard the last album, but decided not to buy it.

[Vacant Horizon]

I think O'Brien's production on the recent Rock records (The Rising, Magic, Working on a Dream) are a definite improvement over Human Touch and Lucky Town (the last studio records Landau and Chuck Plotkin were involved in).

 

I'm not sure if there is anything that could have helped Devils and Dust. It was a place holder cobbled together from a handful of new tunes and things that were at least 10 years old. (Long Time Coming had been a staple in the Ghost of Tom Joad Tour). Some of the songs on there should have been saved for a rocking E-Street Band record and others he should have simply had the guts to do fully acoustic.

 

As frustrated as some of the Wilco fans are about Sky Blue Sky and Wilco(TA), Tweedy and company have never had a loss of nerve like Springsteen periodically had. Springsteen's muse exploded in the late 70's and early 80's and he was faced with making decisions not based on musical merit, but on other issues. Not necesarily business decisions, but artistic decisions that often left better tunes in the can than were officially released.

 

yeah, production recently is much better than human touch/lucky town. can you imagine jim orouke producing bruce? very sparse instrumentation so that we could hear everything rather than that compressed mess that the last albums have been. it's ironic that bruce made decisions based on commercial rather than songs. the new promise set seems to me to be a snapshot of bruce writing a shitload, but picking his best...maybe landau had a role in that too.

 

didn't know some of the tunes on devils were that old. interesting. i thought rising was too long. probably 2 really tight albums could have come out over the last 10 years rather than 5 kind of random albums.

[imsjry]

I think O'Brien's production on the recent Rock records (The Rising, Magic, Working on a Dream) are a definite improvement over Human Touch and Lucky Town (the last studio records Landau and Chuck Plotkin were involved in).

 

I couldn't disagree more. Everything O"Brien has done gives me a headache within minutes and there are no dynamics whatsoever. Horrible production.

 

Lucky Town/Human Touch may actually be the best "sounding" albums in Bruce's catalog.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

I couldn't disagree more. Everything O"Brien has done gives me a headache within minutes and there are no dynamics whatsoever. Horrible production.

 

Lucky Town/Human Touch may actually be the best "sounding" albums in Bruce's catalog.

 

The arrangements, instrumentation, pacing on Human Touch was absolutely HORRID. It's as close to Michael Bolton territory as an artist can get to. It managed to obscure the greatness of several beautiful songs (Soul Drive, Human Touch, Real World) under layers of synthesizer, cheesy background vocals...ugh. Lucky Town was infinitely more appealing, but portions of it come off just a bit half-baked.

[Analogman]

I can see what he is saying, but as you say, the songs are so generic.

 

Snakes and dice? No thanks.

 

I do like the song Human Touch though.

[imsjry]

I can see what he is saying, but as you say, the songs are so generic.

 

Snakes and dice? No thanks.

 

I do like the song Human Touch though.

 

I wasn't talking at all about the songwriting quality or arrangments. I'm talking about the overall sound quality on the albums which to me are perfect. You can hear the instrumentation and the songs have dynamic range. O'Brien and Bruce seem to not care about either anymore. Maybe I have it all wrong what a producer does.

[Vacant Horizon]

I wasn't talking at all about the songwriting quality or arrangments. I'm talking about the overall sound quality on the albums which to me are perfect. You can hear the instrumentation and the songs have dynamic range. O'Brien and Bruce seem to not care about either anymore. Maybe I have it all wrong what a producer does.

 

i agree. lucky town has a kind of 80s sheen to it, but one can def hear the bass, drums, guitar and the space between them. the problem with 80s-early 90s production is that it sounds tinny and reverbed to hell and just plain fake and inorganic. now the problem i see with the o'brian stuff is that it is so compressed one can't discern anything. it's just a mass of muddy chords and thwack of drums. what happened to just drums, bass, guitar, vocals and piano? the blood brothers stuff is produced okay. at least we can hear the instruments. oh well, it's so frustrating. production has ruined so many great songs over the last 50 years.