Details
| Song Title | Running Time | Release |
|---|
| ALL I'M THINKIN' ABOUT | 4:22 | DEVILS |
Note: Song written in 1997. The core recording (which may date from 1997–98) is Springsteen solo, on all instruments (vocals, guitar, keyboards and drums). Background harmonies (Patti Scialfa, Soozie Tyrell and Lisa Lowell) may also date from the original sessions. The bass (Brendan O’Brien) was added in 2004.
| ALL THE WAY HOME - V1 | 3:54 | GUEST: BETTERDAYS / 1991 promo |
| ALL THE WAY HOME - V2a | uncirculating | |
| ALL THE WAY HOME - V2b | 3:38 | DEVILS |
Note: Written sometime in 1990 or early 1991. Springsteen donated the song to Southside Johnny, and Bruce took part in the July 1991 recording session in New York that produced Southside's cover version. At least Springsteen's parts were recorded in mid-1991 at Sigma Sound Studios in New York City, NY. Bruce recorded his own version of the song in a dramatically different arrangement during the "daytime sessions" during the recording of The Ghost Of Tom Joad; it was presumably that version which was long-listed for Tracks. This recording provided the base track for the version released in 2005 on Devils & Dust. Brendan O'Brien (bass, tambora, sitar, electric sarangi) and Steve Jordan (drums) recorded their parts in 2004; the album version was mixed by Brendan O'Brien at Southern Tracks.
| BLACK COWBOYS | 4:08 | DEVILS |
Note: This appears to have originally been a Springsteen solo recording, with Bruce handling vocals, guitar, keyboards and percussion. Further percussion has been added (Steve Jordan), as well as bass (Brendan O’Brien) and strings (Nashville String Machine). Horns (Brice Andrus, Donald Strand, Susan Welty, and Thomas Witte) added in Atlanta.
| CAN'T TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS - V1 | uncirculating | |
| CAN'T TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS - V2 | 4:19 | GUEST: BACKIN20 |
Note: Gary U.S. Bonds and Laurie Anderson sent a tape of their composition "Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks" to Springsteen, requesting he contribute to Gary's album Back In 20. In response, Springsteen recorded guitar and vocal tracks in a Protools session on November 19, 2003, at his home studio in Colts Neck, NJ. The completed track, released June 1, 2004 on Back In 20, also featured harmonica by Southside Johnny Lyon.
| CODE OF SILENCE - V1 | uncirculating | |
| CODE OF SILENCE - V2 | 4:08 | GUEST: GOODLIFE |
Note: Co-written by Bruce Springsteen and Joe Grushecky around December 1997/January 1998. Grushecky sent Bruce an initial draft by long-distance fax after being asked if he was working on anything that might suit an E Street Band type arrangement; Bruce supposedly kept Grushecky's chorus while changing the chords and tweaking the verses. Springsteen premiered the song live on June 12, 2000 with the E Street Band, and another version recorded on June 29 during the same stand was released on The Essential Bruce Springsteen in 2003. It's uncertain if a Springsteen studio version was ever attempted. Grushecky later recorded a studio version of his own (V2) for his 2006 album A Good Life; the primary recording for the session took place in Studio L in Weirton, WV, but Bruce recorded his parts separately as overdubs at Thrill Hill East, Rumson, New Jersey, around February 2006.
| DEVILS & DUST V1 | uncirculating | |
| DEVILS & DUST V2a | uncirculating | |
| DEVILS & DUST V2b | 4:58 | DEVILS / ESSENTIAL: 2015 |
Note: Song written in mid-2003 (first known from appearances at soundchecks in April 2003) and the only song on Devils & Dust positively verified to have been composed after 2001. A rock-style studio demo was supposedly attempted at some point (V1); the released version is based on a solo acoustic demo (V2a) that, according to Brendan O'Brien, they "went back and basically redid everything." On the released take, Springsteen handles vocals, guitar and keyboards, with Brendan O'Brien on bass and Steve Jordan on drums (which include both live drums and loops). The strings (Nashville String Machine) and horns (Susan Welty and Thomas Witte) were arranged by Eddie Horst and were added later as overdubs. Most likely recorded March–August 2004, probably at Thrill Hill East, Rumson, NJ, with additional recording at Southern Tracks Recording, Atlanta, GA. Strings were recorded separately at Masterphonics, Nashville, TN. Mixed by Brendan O'Brien at Southern Tracks.
| JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON | 2:54 | DEVILS |
Note: Springsteen solo, on multiple instruments. The background harmonies (Scialfa-Tyrell-Lowell) were added to the recording later.
| LEAH | 3:31 | DEVILS |
Note: Springsteen solo, on multiple instruments. The trumpet overdub is courtesy of Mark Pender.
| LONG TIME COMIN' - V1 | uncirculating | |
| LONG TIME COMIN' - V2 | 4:17 | DEVILS / ESSENTIAL: 2015 / CHAPTER / BESTOF |
Note: Written by Bruce in the summer or early autumn of 1996 while on the Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour and premiered live on October 16, 1996. The Devils & Dust recording is a hybrid of two sessions quite some years apart. The basic track (V1) with Danny Federici, Marty Rifkin, Soozie Tyrell and Patti Scialfa emanates from 1997 or 1998 and was cut at Thrill Hill West, Beverly Hills. CA. It was recorded by Toby Scott and produced by Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin. The drums (Steve Jordan) and bass guitar (Brendan O’Brien) were added to the mix in 2004, at Masterphonics, Nashville, Tennessee, and Southern Tracks Recording, Atlanta, Georgia, which is the likely reason why this released version is credited as a Springsteen-Plotkin-O'Brien production, and issued on Devils & Dust.
An early Tracks six-CD sample set from June 1998 indicates that "Long Time Comin'" was considered for Tracks, but ultimately rejected. It's highly likely that this is V1, perhaps with some additional overdubs to complete the song. The sample set listed the song as "version 2", indicating there may have been a "version 1" that had already been rejected. This could have been V1 without overdubs, or an even earlier recording we are unaware of.
| MARIA'S BED | 5:35 | DEVILS |
Note: It is unknown if the composition dates from the 1990s or from 2003–4. Shares several lines of lyrics with "Further On (Up the Road)" (written in 1999–2000). Springsteen handles vocals, guitar and keyboards, with Brendan O'Brien on bass, Steve Jordan on drums, and Soozie Tyrell on violin. Background vocals are Scialfa-Tyrell.
| MATAMOROS BANKS | 4:20 | DEVILS |
Note: Springsteen solo, on multiple instruments. The strings (the Nashville String Machine) were recorded in Nashville in 2004 and added onto the core recording.
| RENO V1a | uncirculating | |
| RENO V1b | 4:08 | DEVILS |
Note: The song was first recorded during studio sessions in June 1996. Completed in 2004 and released on Devils & Dust. The core track (which is most likely the '90s recording) is Springsteen solo, on all instruments (vocals, guitar, keyboards, and tambourine). The strings (Nashville String Machine) and horns (Brice Andrus, Donald Strand, Susan Welty, and Thomas Witte) were recorded and added in 2004. Mixed by Brendan O'Brien at Southern Tracks.
| SILVER PALOMINO | 3:22 | DEVILS |
Note: The core recording is Springsteen solo, on all instruments (vocals, guitar, keyboards, and percussion). The strings (Nashville String Machine) were recorded in Nashville in 2004 and added to the core recording in Atlanta.
| THE HITTER - V1 | uncirculating | |
| THE HITTER - V2 | 5:53 | DEVILS |
Note: Written by Bruce while on the Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour and premiered live on November 13, 1996. The song was first recorded during studio sessions in June 1996 (this version does not circulate). Completed in 2004 and released on Devils & Dust. The core recording (which may date from 1996–98) is Springsteen solo, on all instruments (vocals, guitar, keyboards, and percussion). The strings (Nashville String Machine) and horns (Brice Andrus, Donald Strand, Susan Welty, and Thomas Witte) were recorded and added in 2004.
| THE LITTLE THINGS | uncirculating |
Note: Song written in 1995 and recorded for The Ghost Of Tom Joad - but not used. Bruce performed it live on the Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour. The song was revamped for Devils & Dust and was almost issued on the album as the 13th track. At this point it is the only known outtake from the 2004 sessions, although others likely exist.
| THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER | 2:49 | 2004 single |
Note: Springsteen recorded this solo 12-string acoustic guitar instrumental rendition of the American national anthem some time in 2004 and released it as a streaming-only single through his website.