| THE ANSWER - V1 | 1:56 | FFOD / HNWB / MT2 |
| THE ANSWER - V2 | 3:17 | FFOD / HNWB / MT2 |
| LOSIN' KIND - V3 (take 1) | uncirculating | |
| LOSIN' KIND - V4 (take 2) | 4:47 | LM-1 / HNWB / MTQ / MT2 |
| LOSIN' KIND - V5 (take 3) | uncirculating | |
| LOSIN' KIND - V6 | uncirculating | |
| LOSIN' KIND - V7 | uncirculating |
Note: "The Answer" is an early work-in-progress version of "Losin' Kind". Two (unusually polished) incomplete takes circulate (V1 and V2) that were recorded consecutively between September and December, 1981. V1 is just the fourth (and final verse), while V2 consists of the third and fourth verses. Both demos are combined into the same track on the bootlegs 'Fistfull Of Dollars', 'How Nebraska Was Born', and 'Missing Tracks Vol. Two'. Bruce wrote an extensive poem about a troubled young man who had two visions of events, what he perceived in the present, and a spiritual self that could see Frank was headed for disaster. Bruce refers to this as "kind of like a James M. Cain story", and it also could have been a 1940s hard luck Jimmy Cagney movie.
At least three takes of "Losin' Kind" were recorded during the December 17, 1981–January 3, 1982 Portastudio sessions, one of the fifteen demos that Springsteen put on a tape and sent to Jon Landau. He wrote to Landau, "Searched and searched for a better title, spent many hours on this task but no good. I like the verses but I can't seem to find a better punchline. Kind of like a James M. Cain story. Could be done with more of a band arrangement." Springsteen's hunt for an ending can be seen in the development between "The Answer" and "Losin' Kind" - Frank barely survives in the former, while his escape in the latter adds an ironic punch. Three takes were included on this tape, each with slight lyrical changes in the first and last verses; take two is the commonly circulated recording first heard on volume 1 of the 'Lost Masters' in 1998. "Losin' Kind" shares DNA with several other songs, most notably "Highway Patrolman" and "Highway 29", which is essentially a re-write of this song.
V6 was recorded at the Power Station on April 30, 1982. At that time Springsteen was attempting to re-create that demo tape magic in a more professional environment - so this take could be solo or with the band. Given his note to Landau, perhaps the latter is more likely. A take of "Losin' Kind" (with "Pink Cadillac") was transferred to four-track half-inch tape on June 10, 1982 - presumably this was the original demo. A year later Bruce would make one more attempt to record "Losin' Kind", this time at Thrill Hill West, his Hollywood Hills studio, on March 12, 1983 (V7). This potential re-work was copied to a 24-track "mix" reel alongside "Don't Back Down", "James Lincoln Deer" (as "Jim Deer") and "Johnny Go Down". Without bootlegs, we would never know that "Losin' Kind" exists; officially, it has never been released.