The Ghost Of Tom Joad - Studio Sessions

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Commercially Released: November 21, 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 song writing 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 fairly vague and some 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 around April–June 1995. At least one of the session phases included several rockabilly/country swing arranged songs, which would become the core of the Somewhere North Of Nashville disc of Tracks II: The Lost Albums. Several songs from Springsteen's back catalogue were also re-recorded with a small band during this period, including "Cynthia" and "Janey Don't You Lose Heart".

Released

# Song Title Running Time Release
1. THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD 4:20 JOAD
2. STRAIGHT TIME 3:23 JOAD
3. HIGHWAY 29 3:34 JOAD
4. YOUNGSTOWN 3:50 JOAD
5. SINALOA COWBOYS 3:46 JOAD
6. THE LINE 5:11 JOAD
7. BALBOA PARK 3:15 JOAD
8. DRY LIGHTNING 3:29 JOAD
9. THE NEW TIMER 5:41 JOAD
10. ACROSS THE BORDER 5:22 JOAD
11. GALVESTON BAY 4:58 JOAD
12. MY BEST WAS NEVER GOOD ENOUGH 1:57 JOAD

Total Running Time: 50:18

Additional Recordings

Details

Song Title Running Time Release

1945 uncirculating

Note: Co-written by Bruce Springsteen and Joe Grushecky in July 1995. Grushecky released a version on his 1997 album Coming Home, recorded without the participation of Springsteen. It is unknown whether a Springsteen recording exists.

ACROSS THE BORDER 5:22 JOAD

Note: Recorded sometime April–June 1995 at Thrill Hill West (Bruce's Los Angeles home studio).

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.

BALBOA PARK 3:15 JOAD

Note: Recorded sometime March–August 1995 at Thrill Hill West (Bruce's Los Angeles home studio). Springsteen solo.

BLUE HIGHWAY V1a uncirculating
BLUE HIGHWAY V1b 3:20 TRACKSII

Note: Recorded around May/June 1995 at Thrill Hill West, Beverly Hills. Some elements of the released V2, including Charlie Giordano's piano, were overdubbed later, likely around 2018. The uncredited but highly prominent pedal steel guitar is presumably courtesy of Marty Rifkin.

BROTHERS UNDER THE BRIDGE 4:51 TRACKS

Note: No direct relation to the 1983 Springsteen song also found on Tracks, except for the similar title. Recorded on May 22, 1995 at Thrill Hill Recording, Beverly Hills, California. Springsteen handles guitar and vocals and his 5-man backing band on this recording is Danny Federici (keyboards), Garry Tallent (bass), Marty Rifkin (pedal steel, dobro), Gary Mallaber (drums) and Soozie Tyrell (violin). A copyright was filed on November 1, 1996, under the title "Brothers under the Bridges" with a creation date of 1995. A second one was filed for Tracks on December 29, 1998 with the title "Brothers Under the Bridge", referencing the prior 1996 filing. It declared the publication date as November 10, 1998, the release date of Tracks. Perhaps the title was amended to not conflict with his earlier song.

CHEAP MOTEL uncirculating

Note: Co-written by Bruce Springsteen and Joe Grushecky in July 1995. Grushecky released a version on his 1997 album Coming Home, recorded without the participation of Springsteen. It is unknown whether a Springsteen recording exists.

CYNTHIA - V1 3:24 LM-18 / GS
CYNTHIA - V2a 4:01 SO / MAT / UH
CYNTHIA - V2b 4:10 TRACKS
CYNTHIA - V3 uncirculating

Note: V1 was recorded April 20–21, 1983 at Thrill Hill West, Bruce's Hollywood Hills home, in rockabilly style for a set of home demos. V2 was Bruce re-recording this with The E Street Band on June 15, 1983, not April 20 as the Tracks notes claim, at The Hit Factory, New York in a much more rocking arrangement. "Cynthia" was resurrected over a decade later on May 23, 1995 (V3); studio logs show takes were recorded at Thrill Hill West with a four-man backing band of Danny Federici (keyboards), Garry Tallent (bass), Marty Rifkin (pedal steel, dobro) and Gary Mallaber (drums), the same day as "The Ghost Of Tom Joad". Both 1983 and 1995 versions were on early Tracks listings, but the latter was eventually dropped for the final release.

DEAD MAN WALKIN' V1a 2:43 OST: DEADMAN / ESSENTIAL: BONUS / 1995 single
DEAD MAN WALKIN' V1b 2:43 1996 video mix

Note: Written in spring 1995 upon request of friend and director Tim Robbins for his movie Dead Man Walking. First released on December 30, 1995 on the film's soundtrack CD and then as a single in early 1996 in some countries. Recorded sometime April–May 1995 at Thrill Hill West (Bruce's Los Angeles home studio). Springsteen handles guitar and vocals and his three-man backing band on this recording is Danny Federici (keyboards), Jim Hanson (bass), and Gary Mallaber (drums). V1b is the version used for the commercially released video – it is the same base recording as V1a, but features an alternate ("live") Springsteen vocal and a somewhat different mix.

DELIVERY MAN - V1 2:17 LM-17 / GS
DELIVERY MAN - V2 2:50 LM-17 / UH / GS
DELIVERY MAN - V3 2:47 TRACKSII

Note: Initially known from two different recordings from around January 1983 at Springsteen's home studio in the Hollywood Hills. V1 is more rocking and has a quick fade-out. V2 is the definitive version and features an extra verse not found in V1. "Delivery Man" is missing from studio logs, suggesting it was recorded at a standalone session, separate from other songs cut around the same time. Bruce returned to the song in the summer of 1995 when he recorded a new version with a small band at his residence in Beverly Hills. This new cut (V3) was issued on Somewhere North Of Nashville, album four of Tracks II: The Lost Albums in 2025.

DETAIL MAN V1a uncirculating
DETAIL MAN V1b 2:48 TRACKSII / TRACKSII: LF

Note: Recorded around May/June 1995 at Thrill Hill West, Beverly Hills. Some elements, including Charlie Giordano's piano, were overdubbed later, likely around 2018.

DRY LIGHTNING - V1 3:56 private cdr
DRY LIGHTNING - V2 3:03 private cdr
DRY LIGHTNING - V3 3:29 JOAD

Note: V1 and V2 are two takes of an acoustic demo recorded on February 25, 1993. Both utilize the same music but they are sung in different keys – this music however is totally different than what ended up being used on the official, released version, while the lyrics are about a 70% match. V3 was recorded sometime April–June 1995 at Thrill Hill Recording, Beverly Hills, California. Springsteen handles guitar and vocals and his four-man backing band on this recording is Danny Federici (keyboards), Garry Tallent (bass), Gary Mallaber (drums) and Soozie Tyrell (violin).

FREEHOLD uncirculating

Note: Bruce wrote "In Michigan" backstage in Kalamazoo, MI while on the Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour and premiered it live the same day, September 24, 1996. The concept was to write a song which included the name of the state of the location he was playing. He then expanded on the premise of the song and premiered the almost completely rewritten "Freehold" on November 8, 1996 in Freehold, naturally. Also known as "In Freehold". It is unclear whether this song was recorded during studio sessions.

GALVESTON BAY 4:58 JOAD

Note: Recorded sometime March–August 1995 at Thrill Hill West (Bruce's Los Angeles home studio). Springsteen solo.

HIGHWAY 29 3:34 JOAD

Note: Recorded sometime March–August 1995 at Thrill Hill Recording, Beverly Hills, California. Springsteen solo.

IDIOT'S DELIGHT 3:34 TRACKSII

Note: Co-written by Bruce Springsteen and Joe Grushecky in July 1995. Grushecky released a version on his 1997 album Coming Home, recorded without the participation of Springsteen. Springsteen first performed the song live on March 2, 1998, with Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers; he would perform it again with Grushecky in 2000 (with the E Street Band) and 2004 before playing it in a radically revamped bullet mic stomp blues arrangement ten times on the 2005 Devils & Dust Tour. Springsteen's own studio recording was first broadcast during episode five of 'From His Home To Yours' on E Street Radio on June 3, 2020; in 2025, this version was included on the Perfect World disc of Tracks II: The Lost Albums. It's not clear when exactly this version was recorded. The arrangement is very similar to the Reunion Tour performance, which may suggest a late-'90s or early 2000s origin, but Ron Aniello's participation confirms that at least some elements of the track date from the 2010s.

I'M NOT SLEEPING 3:37 TRACKSII

Note: Co-written by Bruce Springsteen and Joe Grushecky in July 1995. Grushecky released a version on his 1997 album Coming Home, recorded without the participation of Springsteen. Springsteen first performed the song live on November 4, 2010, with Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers, although the song was previously soundchecked on June 17, 2000. A Springsteen studio version was released in 2025 on the Perfect World disc of Tracks II: The Lost Albums. It's not clear when exactly this version was recorded, though the musician credits suggest that some or all of the work occurred sometime in the 2010s.

I'M TURNING INTO ELVIS uncirculating

Note: Written by Springsteen during March–April 1995.

JANEY, DON'T YOU LOSE HEART - V1a 4:31 UH / GS / MI / 1984AC
JANEY, DON'T YOU LOSE HEART - V1b 3:24 TRACKS / 1985 single / BACK
JANEY DON'T YOU LOSE HEART - V2a uncirculating
JANEY DON'T YOU LOSE HEART - V2b 3:32 TRACKSII

Note: "Janey, Don't You Lose Heart" was originally recorded on June 16, 1983 at The Hit Factory, New York, with a melody borrowed from earlier outtakes "Everyday And Every Night" and "Drop On Down And Cover Me". The heavily bootlegged V1a features Steve Van Zandt on background vocals and guitar, and an extended wistful organ coda closes out the track. V1b is the same base recording, except Nils Lofgren's new vocal and guitar parts replace Van Zandt's. Lofgren's overdubs were recorded on July 14, 1985. The organ coda was also removed, reducing the length by over a minute. V1b was released September 7, 1985, as the b-side of "I'm Goin' Down" and then re-released in 1998, on Tracks. On June 16, 1995, the twelve year anniversary of the 1983 recording date, V2 was recorded at Springsteen's home studio in Beverly Hills with a line-up of Bruce, Gary Mallaber (drums), Jim Hanson (bass), Marty Rifkin (pedal steel), Chuck Plotkin (keyboards), and Soozie Tyrell (violin). Both variants were considered for Tracks, but the 1995 recording was dropped in favor of the 1983 cut. The 1995 version was finally released in 2025 on Somewhere North Of Nashville, one of the albums found on Tracks II: The Lost Albums. Some elements of that released version, including Charlie Giordano's piano, were overdubbed later, likely around 2018.

LONG TIME COMIN' - V1 uncirculating
LONG TIME COMIN' - V2a uncirculating
LONG TIME COMIN' - V2b 4:17 DEVILS / ESSENTIAL: 2015 / CHAPTER / BESTOF

Note: Recorded during sessions for The Ghost Of Tom Joad in spring/summer 1995 at Thrill Hill West, Beverly Hills, "Long Time Comin'" was premiered live on October 16, 1996 and performed 35 times on the Joad Tour. 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 V2a, 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. The Devils & Dust release uses the 1995 recording, featuring Danny Federici, Marty Rifkin, Soozie Tyrell and Patti Scialfa, as its base track. It was recorded by Toby Scott and produced by Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin. Drums (Steve Jordan) and bass guitar (Brendan O’Brien) were added to the mix in 2004; additional production and mixing was completed by O'Brien at Southern Tracks Recording, Atlanta.

MY BEST WAS NEVER GOOD ENOUGH 1:57 JOAD

Note: Recorded sometime March–August 1995 at Thrill Hill West (Bruce's Los Angeles home studio). Originally slated to be a non-album b-side. Springsteen solo.

PILGRIM IN THE TEMPLE OF LOVE uncirculating

Note: Written by Bruce in March/April 1996 while on the Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour and premiered live on April 16, 1996. Also known as "Santa Gets A Blowjob".

POOR SIDE OF TOWN - V1a uncirculating
POOR SIDE OF TOWN - V1b 3:07 TRACKSII

Note: "Poor Side Of Town", sometimes listed as "The Poor Side Of Town", was written by Johnny Rivers and Lou Adler and recorded by Rivers in 1966. Springsteen's studio cover dates from around May/June 1995 at Thrill Hill West, Beverly Hills during the "daytime sessions" while recording The Ghost Of Tom Joad. The officially released V1b includes some later overdubs, likely recorded around 2018, including Charlie Giordano's and Ron Aniello's parts.

REPO MAN V1a uncirculating
REPO MAN V1b 2:55 TRACKSII / TRACKSII: LF / 2025 single

Note: Recorded around May/June 1995 at Thrill Hill West, Beverly Hills. Some elements, including Charlie Giordano's piano, were overdubbed later, likely around 2018. A version of the song was considered for Tracks, but not ultimately included. Bruce on the release of "Repo Man": "I wrote all these country songs at the same time I wrote The Ghost Of Tom Joad, Those sessions completely overlap each other. I'm singing "Repo Man" in the afternoon and "The Line" at night. So the country record got made right along with The Ghost Of Tom Joad. Very similar to Born In The U.S.A. and Nebraska."

SELL IT AND THEY WILL COME uncirculating

Note: Written by Bruce during December, 1995 and early January, 1996 while on the Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour. Premiered live January 10, 1996.

SILVER MOUNTAIN V1a uncirculating
SILVER MOUNTAIN V1b 3:08 TRACKSII

Note: Recorded around May/June 1995 at Thrill Hill West, Beverly Hills. A version of the song was considered for Tracks, but not ultimately included. Some elements of the released V2, including Charlie Giordano's piano and organ and Ron Aniello's guitar, were overdubbed later, likely around 2018.

SINALOA COWBOYS 3:46 JOAD

Note: Recorded sometime March–August 1995 at Thrill Hill Recording, Beverly Hills, California. Springsteen solo.

STAND ON IT - V1 3:03 TRACKS
STAND ON IT - V2 2:30 1985 b-side / TRP / BACK
STAND ON IT - V3 3:12 TRACKSII

Note: "Stand On It" was first recorded on June 16, 1983 at The Hit Factory, New York. V2 was released as the b-side of the single "Glory Days" on May 22, 1985. V1, which is possibly the original take that V2 was mixed from, contains an additional verse and complete ending, both missing from the single release. It was released on Disc 3 of Tracks in 1998. V3 was recorded around May/June 1995 at Springsteen's home studio in Beverly Hills with a backing band of Danny Federici (piano), Garry Tallent (bass), Gary Mallaber (drums), and Marty Rifkin (pedal steel), and issued in 2025 on Tracks II: The Lost Albums.

STRAIGHT TIME 3:23 JOAD

Note: Recorded sometime April–June 1995 at Thrill Hill West (Bruce's Los Angeles home studio). Springsteen handles guitar and vocals and his five-man backing band on this recording is Danny Federici (keyboards), Jim Hanson (bass), Gary Mallaber (drums), Marty Rifkin (pedal steel guitar), and Soozie Tyrell (violin).

THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD - V1 uncirculating
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD - V2 4:20 JOAD / ESSENTIAL / CHAPTER / BESTOF
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD - V3 4:26 COMP: APPLESEED10
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD - V4 4:44 OST: PEOPLESPEAK
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD - V5 7:34 HOPES

Note: Written as a rock song for the Greatest Hits project, but abandoned when Springsteen couldn't find an arrangement. Re-imagined as an acoustic song, and recorded May 23, 1995 at Thrill Hill Recording, Beverly Hills, California. Springsteen handles guitar and vocals, and his four-man backing band on this recording is Danny Federici (keyboards), Garry Tallent (bass), Marty Rifkin (pedal steel, dobro), and Gary Mallaber (drums). V3 is an entirely re-recorded version, but was not recorded during any of the three Seeger Sessions. It was recorded at various stages and studio locations during mid-/late-2006. Bruce's parts (vocal, harmonica) were recorded at Thrill Hill Recording, Rumson, New Jersey in August 2006. Pete Seeger's vocals were recorded at Seeger's cabin in Beacon, NY on July 4, 2006. The backing band's individual parts were recorded at various locations around the United States during mid-/late-2006 and then everything was mixed together at Shelter Island Sound Studios in New York City by David Seitz, and produced by Springsteen, Jim Musselman, and Seitz. The recording was first released on September 11, 2007 on the Various Artists charity compilation Sowing The Seeds (Appleseed). V4 was recorded, most likely early 2009, in his home studio for the The People Speak documentary. V5 was recorded in March 2013 in Los Angeles, the day before a flight to Australia for the Australian leg of the Wrecking Ball Tour, and was produced by Ron Aniello and Springsteen.

THE LINE 5:11 JOAD

Note: Recorded sometime March–August 1995 at Thrill Hill West (Bruce's Los Angeles home studio). Springsteen solo.

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 NEW TIMER 5:41 JOAD

Note: Recorded sometime March–August 1995 at Thrill Hill West (Bruce's Los Angeles home studio). Springsteen solo.

THERE WILL NEVER BE ANY OTHER FOR ME BUT YOU uncirculating

Note: Also known as "Never Any Other For Me But You". Written by Bruce in mid-1996 while on the Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour and premiered live on September 19, 1996.

TIGER ROSE 2:00 TRACKSII

Note: Recorded sometime during the summer of 1995 at Thrill Hill West when Garry Tallent was out in Los Angeles participating in The Ghost Of Tom Joad sessions. By late 1995, Tallent was in Nashville about to start producing rockabilly legend Sonny Burgess's new self-titled album. Garry contacted Springsteen asking if Burgess could cover the song. According to Burgess's comments, Tallent taught his band the music and Springsteen supplied the lyrics over the phone. The Burgess cover was released in June 1996. Springsteen first performed the song live on October 18, 2001. A leaked sampler track-listing indicates that a version of the song was considered for Tracks; it was finally released in 2025 on Tracks II: The Lost Albums.

UNDER A BIG SKY V1a uncirculating
UNDER A BIG SKY V1b 4:24 TRACKSII

Note: Although Clinton Heylin dates the recording of Under A Big Sky to around April 1998 in preparation for possible release on Tracks, the band lineup and Tracks II liner notes suggest that the song was more likely recorded around May/June 1995 at Thrill Hill West, Beverly Hills. Some elements, including Charlie Giordano's B3, were overdubbed later, likely around 2018. A version of the song was considered for Tracks, but not ultimately included. It's unclear if this is the same song as "Under The Big Sky", a song recorded in 1983 during the Born In The U.S.A. sessions. Given Bruce's other revivals of songs from that period during the 1995 sessions, it's certainly possible, but the earlier song remains uncirculated.

YOUNGSTOWN 3:50 JOAD

Note: Springsteen was inspired to write "Youngstown" after he read Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass, Dale Maharidge's book about the struggling working-class and the decline of industry. Recorded on June 16, 1995 at Thrill Hill West, Bruce's Beverly Hills home studio. Springsteen handles guitar and vocals and his five-man backing band on this recording is Chuck Plotkin (keyboards), Jim Hanson (bass), Marty Rifkin (pedal steel), Gary Mallaber (drums), and Soozie Tyrell (violin). Reimagined as a searing rocker for 1999's Reunion Tour.

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