Commercially Released: November 16, 1995
Label: Columbia
Produced by Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin
Recorded by Toby Scott, assisted by Greg Goldman at Thrill Hill West (March 1995 - September 1995)
Mixed by Toby Scott at Thrill Hill West
Mastered by Dave Collins at A&M Mastering Studios
Design by Sandra Choron, Eric Dinyer, Harry Choron
Photography by Pam Springsteen
Research by Terry Magovern
Overview
Springsteen's January-February 1995 Blood Brothers studio sessions and live appearances with The E Street Band seem to have triggered a burst of songwriting activity in the months that followed, although the recording sessions for this newly-written material did not include The E Street Band. The sessions however, did feature E Street Band members in Federici and Tallent (and Soozie Tyrell). Although The Ghost Of Tom Joad sessions span a short, seven-month period (March-September 1995) Bruce wrote and recorded about two albums worth of new songs. Details surrounding these sessions remain sketchy and several of the song titles have still yet to come to light. The album was never truly mastered for release, Bruce instead used the rough mixes made on the day of the recordings. "I didn't want to dress it at all, similar to Nebraska", he told Rolling Stone in 2016, "These were records that were made at the very moment the music was made".
From the scattered comments of Springsteen and other session participants it would seem the Bruce recorded over an album's worth of solo material (seven of these recordings are found on The Ghost Of Tom Joad) and over an album's worth of band material (five of these recordings are found on The Ghost Of Tom Joad). The songs Bruce recorded solo may have spanned the entire session period. The band sessions appear to have been split into two or three phases during the spring and summer of 1995. One of the session phases included several rockabilly/country swing arranged songs – nothing from this session has yet emerged, although one verified composition from this session, "Tiger Rose", has been published.
Released
| # | Song Title | Running Time | Release |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD | 4:20 | GOTJ |
| 2. | STRAIGHT TIME | 3:23 | GOTJ |
| 3. | HIGHWAY 29 | 3:34 | GOTJ |
| 4. | YOUNGSTOWN | 3:50 | GOTJ |
| 5. | SINALOA COWBOYS | 3:46 | GOTJ |
| 6. | THE LINE | 5:11 | GOTJ |
| 7. | BALBOA PARK | 3:15 | GOTJ |
| 8. | DRY LIGHTNING | 3:29 | GOTJ |
| 9. | THE NEW TIMER | 5:41 | GOTJ |
| 10. | ACROSS THE BORDER | 5:22 | GOTJ |
| 11. | GALVESTON BAY | 4:58 | GOTJ |
| 12. | MY BEST WAS NEVER GOOD ENOUGH | 1:57 | GOTJ |
Total Running Time: 50:18
Additional Information
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