Note: Introduced August 3, 1976 at Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, New Jersey, with Bruce singing and playing piano without the E Street Band, with deeply personal lyrics. 'The Promise' soon became the highlight of each show, and the major subject of discussion among Bruce's tight cult following, which would make up most of the modest crowd in those days. It would always be one of the last songs played for the night, the lights would go down, and one spotlight would be on Bruce playing piano, which he rarely did otherwise. Later, Roy or Danny would accompany him on glock. It was played live 22 times during the Lawsuit tour, until the first studio demo was recorded at Atlantic Studios on June 1, 1977. V1 was one of the takes recorded on June 30, July 1, 7, 8 and 13, 1977. After a break that included a trip with Steve to Utah and Nevada, Bruce came back with slightly revised lyrics, and recorded V2 , which then added dubs and mixing on August 24 and 30, completed on the last day of operations at Atlantic Studios. on September 28, 1977 at the Record Plant, V3, considered the definitive version by collectors and long-time fans, was recorded, clocking in at 7:09 with the full E Street Band, and first released unofficially on 'Deep Down In the Vaults'. However, Bruce found it lacking for some reason, and early in October, he re-wrote the first two lines of verse 3; "Well, my daddy taught me how to walk quiet and how to make my peace with the past, I learned real good to tighten up inside and I don’t say nothing unless I’m asked'. These lines replaced "I won big once and I hit the coast, oh but somehow I paid the big cost", and Landau agreed this solidified the narrative, and that 'The Promise' deserved to be on the January 16 album sequence for "Badlands", or whatever they were going to call album #4. In fact, 'The Promise' was to be the album closer. Instead of 'Streets of Fire', 'The Way' was in the third slot on side two, and 'Don't Look Back' followed 'Badlands' to open the album. The two songs missing, that we know made it on the March final lineup, were 'Factory', which Bruce had just started calling, "The Factory Song". He had been using the working title, 'Come On, Come On (Let's Go Tonight)' since June 1977, despite re-writing the lyrics in July, to tell the tale of his dad and the horrible plastics factory he had worked in when Bruce was a child. On January 2, 1978, final takes were completed, though Springsteen spent all day March 10 and 14 on final mixes, and his own vocal overdubs. The other missing song was 'Darkness On the Edge of Town', which had not been worked since June 1977, and appeared to be all but forgotten.
January 12 was the big day when the final takes of 'The Promise' V4 were to be completed. The proceedings were shot live in-the-studio by Barry Rebo, and one of the takes was released on the Thrill-Hill Blu-Ray/DVD2, in 2010 on the box set, 'The Promise:The Darkness On the Edge Of Town Story'. A Ruffs tape provided to Springsteen by his engineer, Jimmy Iovine, had the September 26, 1977 V3 recording featuring the "Old verse", followed by two mixes of the January 12 session with the "New Verse"; V4a had strings and "full harmony" overdubbed, while V4b just said "no strings". Springsteen fussed over mixing and dubbing for days, and finally on January 24, 1978, without the E Street Band around, he sat down at the piano and recorded V5 of 'The Promise' by himself, just like he did during the Lawsuit tour for 22 nights, when he was locked out of the recording studio. There is no doubt that he cared deeply about 'the Promise', but at a certain point in February, he decided that another contender would go on the album in it's place. It was quietly removed from the March track sequence, and the masters placed in the Columbia Vault. On March 8, 1978, Springsteen rounded up the E Street Band for an emergency session at the Record Plant, and over three days, they re-recorded 'Darkness On the Edge of Town' from scratch, and completed what would become the title track of the album. At the Darkness Tour rehearsals in Asbury Park on May 19, 1978, Bruce and the band played the "daddy taught me how to walk quiet" version of 'The Promise', and they played it on opening night in Buffalo too. It was on the setlist every other night, usually part of the encore, with Bruce by himself on piano, which was spine-tingling experience for fans. After playing it 22 out of the first 33 shows, he sang it on July 15, 1978 in Houston, Texas, and then, for unknown reasons, he never played it again.
That is, until a huge fan uproar, when 'The Fever' and 'The Promise' were both left off of 'Tracks' in 1998. Instead of releasing V3, he re-recorded 'The Promise' from scratch on February 9-12, 1999 at Boxwood Studios, located at his home in Rumson, New Jersey. V6 was released on April 12, 1999 on '18 Tracks', to the dismay of many long-time fans. He made his case to Charlie Rose, "Basically, I went back and I listened to it and we never really got a good recording of it in my opinion. It’s been a favorite song of a lot of..a lot of people mention it. It sort of was the sequel to “Thunder Road” in some fashion, it referred back to those characters. But I went back and we sort of had a very plodding, heavy-handed version of it. I couldn’t quite live with it, so maybe another time." However, he liked it enough to use it as the base track for V7, officially released on Disc 2 of 'The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story' in 2010, with overdubbed strings, guitars, glock, double tracked vocals, and backing vocals by himself, with modern vocals and musical elements recorded by assistant engineers Kevin Buell and Rob Lebret. Instead of replacing two lines of verse 3, two lines were deleted, "I followed that dream through the southwestern tracks, the dead ends and the two-bit bars, when the promise was broken I was far away from home sleeping in the backseat of a borrowed car". The lines were removed with slick editing, under a "Phil Spector-like Wall of Sound", consisting of layers of overdubs, and a modern string arrangement by Ken Ascher. In addition to making 'The Promise' family friendly, they succeeded in reducing the time of the track from 7:06 to 5:54. This version, along with other 1977 songs on "The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story", that many customers were familiar with, and had been looking forward to sonic improvements over their bootleg collections, now were hearing overdubbed Mexican horns, choirs, modern vocals, and assorted instruments, drowning out the base tracks created by the E Street Band 33 years ago. An uproar was created on message boards that has continued for years, as customers learn production details that have never been announced or printed. Thanks to Eddy Wehbe for spotting version 3 underneath the thick layer of overdubs, and discogs for the extra details, and the support of contributors on BTX, SPL, Hoffman Music Forums and Greasy Lake for helping to identify the key issues.
Springsteen said later it was ultimately rejected for Darkness due to the personal lyrics. "It was a song about defeat, and it was self-referential, which made me uncomfortable", said Springsteen in 2010. "I didn’t want it to overtake the album, which, in the end, was not my personal story. I wanted ‘Darkness’ to be completely independent of that. So I left it off. But I remember saying to myself, 'This is something I can sing later.' The distance really helps it now”. Regardless of what is said, Bruce was very upset and feeling betrayed by his first manager, Mike Appel, when he wrote the Promise. He blamed the lawsuit on himself, and wrote about a lonely, loveless, loser whose spirit had finally been broken. Many of us have had moments like this in our lives, but we are incapable of expressing them with clarity and honesty in a song, and though Bruce was just having a bad day or month, his words really hit home for some. You have to at least admire his bravery, to sing his innermost feelings in front of friends and 15,000 strangers. He re-wrote the lyrics extensively after that August 3, 1976 night, and played the new version on September 29, 1976, not calling himself a loser again until 1982, when he wrote about Frank Davis in the "Losin' Kind."
There are many, including that core group of fans who had him to themselves back in 1976-78, that believe "The Promise" is Bruce's greatest song. Perhaps a record was never meant to hold it.
| GIVE MY LOVE TO ROSE |
4:17 |
2002 'Kindred Spirits' Johnny Cash tribute album |
Note: Written by Johnny Cash. Recorded at Thrill Hill East (Bruce's NJ home studio) in February 12, 1999 and produced by Springsteen (alone). Bruce solo, on vocals and guitar. The performance was also video recorded and first broadcast commercially on April 18, 1999 as part of the Johnny Cash Tribute special on the USA's TNT network. The recording was not officially released until September 2002 on the Cash Kindred Spirits tribute album. The video of the performance has yet to be officially issued, although it circulates among collectors via copies of the original TV broadcast.
Note: Recorded at Thrill Hill East (Bruce's NJ home studio) in March 1999. Produced by Springsteen (alone). Bruce handles vocals and all instruments. Written by Bruce specifically for the John Sayles movie "Limbo" and first released on the movie soundtrack album in June 1999.
| THE WALL - V1 |
|
uncirculating |
| THE WALL - V2 |
|
HOPES |
Note: Written December 1997-January 1998. The title and idea came from Joe Grushecky and written by Springsteen after he and Patti Scialfa visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. Bruce premiered the song live on February 19, 2003 at Somerville Theatre in Somerville, MA, and prefaced the performance by mentioning that he'd visited the Vietnam Memorial in Washington in December 1997 and that several days later Grushecky (in advance of their songwriting sessions) sent Bruce a newspaper clipping about the Vietnam Memorial. Grushecky subsequently wrote a different, but similarly themed, song called "On The Wall" that appeared on his 2002 Fingertips album. Recorded in the late 90s (perhaps during sessions for Tracks) with the E Street Band, including Danny Federici. Played twice during 2005's Devils & Dust Tour. Produced by Ron Aniello and Springsteen. Musician credits: Springsteen (vocals, guitar, drums), Roy Bittan (piano), Danny Federici (organ), Nils Lofgren (guitar), Patti Scialfa (backing vocals), Garry Tallent (bass), Max Weinberg (percussion), Ron Aniello (synths, accordion) and Curt Ramm (cornet). V2 issued on 2014's High Hopes.
| GAVE IT A NAME - V1 |
|
uncirculating |
| GAVE IT A NAME - V2 |
2:47 |
TRACKS |
Note: V1 was recorded between December 1990 and late January 1991 at either the Record Plant, Soundworks West or A&M Studios in Los Angeles. Planned for inclusion on the Tracks boxset, but Bruce was unable to locate the master tape, so he re-recorded the song V2 on August 24, 1998 at his home studio in Colts Neck, NJ, and it's that recording which can be found on Tracks. Springsteen told Melinda Newman in an interview with Billboard published in November 1998, "What happened is I cut the original at the time I cut these other songs [Bruce is referring to songs like "Over The Rise", "When The Lights Go Out", "Loose Change" etc, which were all recorded around the December 1990-January 1991 period], but we couldn't find the master tape of it, and I really liked the song. So Roy Bittan came out, and we re-cut it in August".
| LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS - V1 |
|
uncirculating |
| LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS - V2 |
|
uncirculating |
| LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS - V3 |
6:58 |
WRECKING |
Note: Written by Bruce sometime in 1998 or early 1999. The song was premiered live with the E Street Band on March 18, 1999 for the Reunion Tour. A later live version with the E Street Band was officially released on the Live In New York City package. Cut in 2011 and issued on the Wrecking Ball album. V3 features Springsteen, Aniello (some combination of guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion and/or loops), Charlie Giordano (piano, B-3 organ), Curt Ramm (trumpet, cornet), Clark Gayton (trombone), Stan Harrison (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax), Ed Manion (tenor & baritone sax), Dan Levine (alto horn, euphonium), Art Baron (euphonium, tuba, sousaphone, penny whistle), Clarence Clemons (saxophone solo), Soozie Tyrell (violin & backing vocal), backing vocals from Patti Scialfa, Lisa Lowell and Michelle Moore, and the Victorious Gospel Choir. Steve Van Zandt is uncredited, but clearly audible at times.
| UNDER A BIG SKY |
|
uncirculating |
Note: "Under A Big Sky" was recorded in April 1998.
| CODE OF SILENCE |
|
uncirculating |
Note: Co-written by Bruce and Joe Grushecky during December 1997-January 1998. Springsteen premiered the song live on June 12, 2000 and released a live version (recorded June 29, 2000) on The Essential Bruce Springsteen in 2003. A Grushecky studio version (with Bruce on support vocals) was released on his album A Good Life in July 2006.
| ANOTHER THIN LINE |
|
uncirculating |
Note: Written sometime between late 1997 and early 2000. There remains some confusion if "Another Thin Line" is a writing collaboration with Joe Grushecky or if it was composed entirely by Springsteen. Springsteen premiered the song live on June 22, 2000. He then prefaced another performance of the song on June 29 by commenting "here's something I wrote with Joe Grushecky". However, a publishing registration, as well as the official US Copyright filing (July 21, 2000) lists the song as a Springsteen-only composition. Bruce has never officially released a recorded version, but Joe Grushecky released it on his East Carson Street album in 2009.
| BENEATH THE FLOODLINE |
|
uncirculating |
Note: Performed during soundcheck at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA September 17, 1984, during BITUSA tour. Recorded at several solo sessions between November 1997 and January 1998, before the E Street Band were reconstructed and the song was quietly sidelined, along with the album he was then working on. According to the Sony logs, it wasn’t recorded for BITUSA or TOL. The first time the song popped up was at soundchecks in the summer of 1984, one of which, at the Philadelphia Spectrum, some enterprising taper caught. But, aside from the title phrase and a strong melody line, it is almost impossible to discern what the song is actually about.
| 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".
| 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.
| IN 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 "In Freehold" on November 8, 1996 in Freehold, naturally. Also known as "Freehold". It is unclear whether this song was recorded during studio sessions.
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. This recording is a hybrid of two sessions quite some years apart. The basic track (Bruce, Danny Federici, Marty Rifkin, Soozie Tyrell and Patti Scialfa) emanates from 1997 or 1998, Thrill Hill West, Beverly Hills. CA. 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.
| THE HITTER - V1 |
|
uncirculating |
| THE HITTER - V2 |
5:53 |
DEVILS |
Note: Written by Bruce in the autumn of 1996 while on the Ghost Of Tom Joad tour and premiered live on November 13, 1996. Recorded during studio sessions in 1998 (this version does not circulate). Re-recorded in 2004 and released on the Devils & Dust album. The core recording (which may date from 1997-98) 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.
| 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 and premiered live on January 10, 1996.
| MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS - V1 |
|
uncirculating |
| MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS - V2 |
1:15 |
HDT |
| MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS - V3 |
4:18 |
TRACKS / US3 / HDT |
| MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS - V4a |
5:19 |
uncirculating |
| MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS - V4b |
5:19 |
GREETINGS |
Note: V1 was recorded at John Hammond's office , CBS Records, 51 West 52nd Street, New York, NY on May 2, 1972. V2 and V3 were both recorded at Columbia Studio E for his Columbia audition tape on May 3, 1972. V2 was Bruce's first attempt, followed by V3, which was a complete take and has been officially issued on Tracks. Both V4a and V4b are the same basic recording from June 26-27, 1972 at 914 Sound Studios, with a harmonica overdub added later on V3b, and released on Greetings.
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY take 1 - V1 |
3:05 |
uncirculating |
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY take 2 - V2 |
7:08 |
uncirculating |
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY - V3 |
4:18 |
uncirculating |
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY - V4 |
2:50 |
US3 / HDT / TRACKS / URT2 / EDR |
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY - V5 |
2:40 |
US4 / EDR |
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY - V6a |
|
uncirculating |
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY - V6b |
3:08 |
DDITV / TFTV / SA914 |
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY - V7 |
3:09 |
GREETINGS |
Note: V1 and V2 were recorded at Pocketful of Tunes, 39 West 55th Street, New York, NY on February 14, 1972, at Bruce's audition for Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos. Bruce started off with a new song, “It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City,” which was performed a second time at the request of Appel, who was dazzled by the lyrics. He was mumbling "like a Harley in heat" after the audition was over. V3 was performed at John Hammond's office, CBS Records, 51 West 52nd Street, New York, NY on May 2, 1972. V4 recorded at Studio E Columbia Records building, 6th floor, 49 East 52nd Street, New York City on May 3, 1972 and officially issued on Tracks. V5 likely recorded at Pocketful Of Tunes Studios, New York, NY in May-June, 1972. V6a was recorded on June 26, 1972, and V6b the following day, June 27. The only difference is that Bruce’s vocal on V6b is faded out several seconds earlier than in V6a, which reveals that there were a few “street rapping” words spoken by Bruce that were cut from the officially released version. V7 is the final album track after overdubbing and mixing on October 26.
Note: V1 is 'Eloise', a work-in-progress take with soon to be discarded lyrics, recorded at Mediasound Studios in April 1972. V2 was recorded in John Hammond's office on May 2, 1972, and V3 was cut the next day at Columbia Studio E for his Columbia audition tape, and V3b was officially released 26 years later on 'Tracks'. V4 was an acoustic take, recorded without the band at the first Greetings session on June 7, 1972, and does not circulate. V5 was cut on June 27, 1972, and V6, the final take from that session, was chosen for release on 'Greetings'.
| DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? - V1 |
1:55 |
TRACKS / US3 / HDT |
| DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? - V2 |
|
uncirculating |
| DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? - V3a |
2:05 |
PS / EY |
| DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? - V3b |
2:04 |
GREETINGS |
Note: V1 was recorded at Columbia Studio E for his Columbia audition tape on May 3, 1972 and officially released on Tracks. V2 was recorded on June 26, 1972 at the GFAP sessions. V3a was recorded the following day, and is allegedly a different mix but the difference, if there is one, is not perceptible. Running time variation is only at fade out. Recorded at 914 Sound Studios V3b was final overdubs and mixing of the album version on July 12, 1972.
| BISHOP DANCED |
4:25 |
studio version uncirculating / FOTF |
Note: Bishop Danced had a short life span, from December 5, 1972 to March 2, 1973. When it was chosen for Tracks, a live recording from January 31, 1973 was used. Bruce explained before the song, "Uh, this next song is a, uh… a nonsense… a kind of nonsense song. It's ah… I'll give you a quick rundown…It's about a bishop and his wife and this violin player in West Virginia. It's about how their daughter lost her mother to mathematics out on a business trip in Detroit." Which explains why some forgotten vinyl bootlegger titled it, "MAMA KNOWS RITHMATIC".
| SANTA ANA - V1 |
|
uncirculating |
| SANTA ANA - V2 |
|
uncirculating |
| SANTA ANA - V3 |
4:50 |
UNE / PS / EY / US5 / SA914 / FOTF |
| SANTA ANA - V4 |
4:33 |
TRACKS |
Note: Also known as "Hey Santa Ana", "My Contessa", and "The Guns of Kid Cole". Written in late 1972 or early 1973, performed live by Bruce at a few shows during April-June 1973. Both V1 and V2 are early recordings from June 22 and 26, 1973, that remain uncirculated. V3 was recorded and completed on June 28, and for many years was considered a complete, though unofficial, version. However V4 is an embellished mix and was completed on June 28 or July 1, or perhaps in 1997. overdubs includes piano (courtesy David Sancious), a layer of acoustic guitar (Bruce), calypso percussion (Richard Blackwell) and the addition of Suki Lahav’s voice in the group vocal mix. However the flute playing heard in V3 (courtesy of Clarence) has been entirely removed from the V4 mix, which had never circulated prior to its emergence on Tracks. Look for the lines “French cream won’t soften those boots, baby French kisses will not break your heart”; since this track was never released, Bruce later put them to good use in "She’s the One".
| SEASIDE BAR SONG - V1 |
|
uncirculating |
| SEASIDE BAR SONG - V2 |
|
uncirculating |
| SEASIDE BAR SONG - V3a |
3:37 |
UNE / PS / EY / US5 / FOTF |
| SEASIDE BAR SONG - V3b |
3:29 |
TRACKS |
Note: Written in late 1972 or early 1973. Performed live by Bruce during the April-June, 1973 period. V1 and V2 are early takes. V3a and V3b are the final recordings completed on July 24, 1973, mixed slightly differently. Recorded at 914 Sound on June 22, 26 and 28, as well as July 1 and 24, 1973. Frequently logged as "Johnny & The Hurricanes Song".
Note: Phantoms, also known by the title "Over The Hills Of St George", was written during early 1973, and apparently performed live several times during May and June, most famously on June 13 in Binghampton, NY. Sony logs during the Wild, Innocent sessions show Phantoms worked on June 22 and 26, V1 and V2, the backing track for Phantoms and Zero, of which two versions survive. On June 28, vocal tracks and instrumentation was added to both Phantoms and Zero and Blind Terry, completing each. But on July 1, 1973, Bruce added final dubs to Phantoms V5, the final take. While he was singing "To be free is to be lonely", Bruce had been writing another song with the Phantoms backing track, "Zero and Blind Terry", with lyrics about "the kid they just call Zero", and a wild love story ("Pack your bags baby and together they ran like reindeer through the streets") that is what makes the Boss magic. This was an E Street version of "West Side Story", the kind of music that would vanish after his bitter lawsuit with Mike Appel a few years later. Zero and Blind Terry was first played live July 18, 1973, at Max's Kansas City, New York, NY. Sony logs only mention "Zero" on June 28 and August 7, 1973. V1 is a stand-alone instrumental arrangement called "Wild Zero" that absolutely rocks; V2 is another instrumental take that serves as the backing track for which adds vocals and a sax solo. It was pressed on acetate, used as the publishing demo, but not included on album #2. It has circulated on various boots for many years, much loved by collectors and hardcore fans.
According to the Tracks session data, V6, the version on the 1998 set comes from the June 28 session. This is confirmed by the logs, which show that the June 28 version was referenced on November 5, 1997. But this does not explain the overdubs on the version used on Tracks. Sancious’s piano was certainly not recorded on June 28, nor presumably were the acoustic guitar and backing vocals by Suki Lahav found on that Tracks mix (the basic track was sent out as a publishing demo in its raw original mix – before a flute was removed from the backing). The vocals were also probably overdubbed in August. There are slight lyrical changes to the final verse as performed at Max’s Kansas City in mid-July 1973, which fails to specify whether Zero and Blind Terry got away. In all likelihood it was the June 28 basic track that was overdubbed on August 7. V6 had never circulated prior to its emergence on Tracks and it’s stunning. Suki is not credited in the Tracks booklet, but we know who she is.
Note: V1 recorded either May 8 or 19, 1975 has a more tentative vocal and is shorter than the later takes. V2 and V3 were recorded at The Record Plant on June 29, 1975 (not June 28, as found in the Tracks liner notes) and feature a much stronger vocal, a different intro and a different sax part. Further work undertaken (either mixing or overdubs) on July 8. Springsteen recorded two different versions on June 29, a 'hard slow version' and a 'ballad version'. As of July 2, 1975, sequenced for Side 2, track 1, but bumped in favor of…"Born To Run". See history section below for details.
| THUNDERCRACK - V1 |
|
uncirculating |
| THUNDERCRACK - V2 |
|
uncirculating |
| THUNDERCRACK - V3 |
|
uncirculating |
| THUNDERCRACK - V4 |
8:23 |
TRACKS |
Note: Written in mid-1972. This was performed live regularly, usually as the big show closer, from October 1972 right up until Vini Lopez’ departure from the band in February 1974. The basic recording of V1 on June 22, with further work undertaken on V2 August 7 and V3 August 9, 1973 – but not completed to Springsteen's satisfaction. In 1997, Springsteen V4 completed the overdubbing and mixing for Tracks, calling in Vini Mad Dog to add his trademark vocals, true to his original intention. Someday we hope the outtakes of this track from 1973 will be released.
Note: The same night Springsteen introduced "Something In the Night" at the Monmouth County Arts Center, Red Bank, NJ, he also played "Rendezvous" for the first time. He played it 50 times from that August 1, 1976 night to the end of the Lawsuit Tour on March 25, 1977. When the Darkness sessions began on June 1, it was one of the ten songs recorded that evening, and additional takes were logged on June 2, 3, 8 and 17, 1977, all at Atlantic Studios. One of these was V1, an otherwise good take, but the audio is marred by a vocal drop-out during the first verse. "Rendezvous" was not played again during the sessions, and not included on the album. In a 1978 interview, Springsteen said the song was kept off because it didn’t fit thematically. Bruce personally demonstrated the song to artist Greg Kihn in October 1978, who soon after recorded a cover (released in April 1979). A live-version was used for Tracks, which may indicate Bruce wasn't satisfied with the available studio versions. The officially released V3, released on "The Promise:The Darkness On the Edge of Town Story", has lead vocals recorded in 2010 overdubbed on the 1977 backing track, which though poorly matched, illustrates the lengths Springsteen was willing to go to issue a satisfactory version (in his eyes).
| GIVE THE GIRL A KISS |
3:47 |
TRACKS |
Note: Recorded at The Record Plant on October 11, 1977. The November 10 recording date in the Tracks liner notes appears to be an error - there was no session on that day. Premiered live on March 19, 1999 in Asbury Park at a public rehearsal show before the start of the Reunion Tour.
Note: also known as "The New Ballad", recorded at The Record Plant on October 27, 1977, and soon forgotten in the mass of songs created during the Darkness sessions. In a 1998 interview, Bruce recalled, "it was just something that I didn’t get at the time that I did it.” The second line of Iceman "I wanna go out tonight, I wanna find out what I got" was transplanted to verse 2 of "Badlands". V1b is almost identical to V1a, with the exception of a famous drop-out at 0:56, studio noises and the count-in, which are cleaned up for the official 1998 release on Tracks.
| BRING ON THE NIGHT - V1 |
2:29 |
ATEOD / UP / LM-12 |
| BRING ON THE NIGHT - V2 |
3:15 |
LM-9 / MT2 |
| BRING ON THE NIGHT - V3 |
4:10 |
LM-9 |
| BRING ON THE NIGHT - V4 |
0:31 |
LM-9 |
| BRING ON THE NIGHT - V5 |
1:20 |
LM-9 |
| BRING ON THE NIGHT - V6 |
1:54 |
LM-11 |
| BRING ON THE NIGHT - V7 |
2:35 |
TRACKS |
Note: V1 was recorded at Atlantic Studios during June 1977, the early Darkness sessions, obviously just composed, with chorus and music sounding good. Bruce put it aside, then resumed work on lyrics after the tour concluded in early 1979. V2-V5 were all band rehearsals at "Telegraph Hill Studios", the barn on his property in Holmdel, NJ, that had been equipped for basic audio recording, though "studio" in this case was only a figurative term. V6 was recorded on May 14, 1979 at Telegraph Hill Studios with the E Street Band. V7 was recorded with a full set of lyrics at The Power Station on June 13, 1979, and though it was included on a very early track sequence for "The Ties That Bind", it failed to make the cut, and was not considered for "The River" in 1980. It was eventually included in the 1998 Tracks compilation.
Note: It really doesn't matter what we call this song, it is Bruce Springsteen's Junior Walker soul groove, composed in the summer of 1974, and it permeated the live show for years under a variety of titles and choruses. At the same time, "Shotgun", Jr. Walker and the Allstars' biggest hit from 1966, was interpolated into "Rosalita" for some additional soul. V1 in surprising quality was released on 1998's Tracks as "So Young and In Love", with confusing notes dating it to 1/6/74. European listeners knew that meant June 1, 1974, but Tracks has a lot of bad dates. The Record Plant is listed as the recording venue, which is dead wrong, it was 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, NY, the only studio engineer Louis Lahav worked at for Bruce.Other reports that say "So Young And In Love" was recorded in late May 1974 are not possible, the band was working on "Born to Run" during this time period, and was in and out of the studio doing live gigs, but the biggest indicator is the drummer and keyboard player; if they are Weinberg and Bittan, the date must be after they joined the band in August 1974. Therefore, the cut on Tracks appears to be recorded on October 16, 1974, even though neither 'So Young and In Love V1' or 'A Love So Fine V2' is on the logs. There was a session on that day which produced a two-inch master reel that has ‘A Love So Fine’ and ‘Born To Run’ paired, suggesting this might be the master for an aborted ‘Born To Run’ single, which was rejected by Columbia. To add fuel to this speculative fire, an instrumental backing track of ‘A Love So Fine’ has been in circulation since the late seventies, and it is the same backing track as ‘So Young And In Love’ on Tracks. No studio vocal of ‘A Love So Fine’ version circulates. Thanks to author Clinton Heylin for trying to make sense of this incoherent mess. We will continue to work on it.
When the new E Street Band took the stage on September 19, 1974 for a special rehearsal at the Main Point, featuring their new drummer and keyboard player, Bruce was using the chorus "A Night Like This", the title of another song he was working on, confirmed by a local newspaper review. This incarnation lasted another show (September 22), but by October 4 at Avery Fisher Hall in New York, the title and chorus was now "A Love So Fine", which he would stick with through the Born to Run tour. On October 16, 1974 at 914 Sound Studios, a take of 'So Young And In Love' V1 was recorded for the BTR single, but the one that leaked to bootleggers was the backing track V2, which can be found on many "Born to Run" period bootlegs. Bruce performed the song live almost nightly through August 1975, after which it was dropped from the set. Later, it was reborn at the end of the 1977 Lawsuit Tour as "Action In the Streets" V4, with only lyrical changes. After emerging from the studio in May 1978, the band had a new Junior Walker riff called "Paradise By The C" V5, staring Clarence Clemmons, an instrumental which opened the second set at 57 Darkness tour shows. It was officially (and suprisingly) released on Ties That Bind, The River: Outtakes in 2015, but there is no sign of "Paradise By The C" on the 1977-81 studio logs. The lack of recording information in the box leads one to conclude there is none. One theory is that a rehearsal or soundcheck take from the 1978 tour was included on TTTB Outtakes because the Big Man had passed away in 2011 RIP.
Note: The Sony logs don't show the Hearts Of Stone story, which began before the Darkness sessions, as evidenced by a May 1977 list of "New Songs" that included "15. For Hearts Of Stone", in-between "I Wanna Be With You" and "Franky". Unlike most of the songs in the list, no evidence exists of a recording session until October 14, when a demo was cut for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and along with another of "Talk To Me", handed to Steve Van Zandt on a cassette tape tape. Steve was producing the Jukes' third album, and the two songs were Bruce's contributions to the effort.
The demo is the only surviving recording of Hearts of Stone from 1977, despite at least six months since conception, and evidence in the words and music of October 14 that "Hearts of Stone" was quite a ways along in development. Everybody knew what notes to play, and Bruce didn't have to "muff" any lyrics, because they were mostly completed. The band recorded this take live in the studio, with the sax of Clarence Clemmons the only horn present. In 1998, Bruce had the Tracks Horns (Cruz-Manion-Pender-Rosenberg-Spengler) record the sections he overdubbed to the 1977 track in V2. There is also something wrong with the vocals at the very end of the song. At 4:10, it is not clear who is singing, but it is clear who is playing horns that didn't exist in 1977. If you are good at audio editing, try patching the end with the 1977 demo. The demo was so good that Southside Johnny used the E Street Band base recording for the title track of the Jukes' 1978 album, adding Southside's vocal and the Miami Horns to create one of their best known tracks. Then Springsteen used the same base track and other elements in his 1998 re-recording of "Hearts of Stone".
Note: "Don't Look Back" was composed early in 1977, during the time Bruce was barred from the recording studio, so he practiced it live 12 times, from March 10, 1977 at Toldeo, Ohio, to the end of the Lawsuit Tour on March 25. The lyrics varied widely, and an excellent analysis can be found at springsteenlyrics.com. The case was settled, and the E Street Band entered Atlantic Studios, New York, on June 1, 1977. That night they recorded at least ten songs; “Rendezvous,” “Because the Night,” “I Wanna Be With You” and according to critic and author Dave Marsh, "the screaming rocker, Don't Look Back". Thom Panunzio, assistant engineer, said the session was recorded and transferred to a cassette they called “the Star Wars demo tape”. “That was an album, in my opinion, that was great from beginning to end,” Panunzio said. In a 2002 interview with Mark Binelli of Rolling Stone, Springsteen said, "We had great arrangements…the band sounded really good. We recorded about ten or twelve songs in one night, and I realized they weren’t any good. It was terribly disappointing…they were centerless, they were coreless, so I went back to the drawing board…"
Sony logs show takes were recorded on June 1, 6-8, 17 and 24, 1977. It is thought V1 and V2, which are instrumental backing tracks, were recorded on June 6-8, while V3 may be the "screaming rocker" from June 1; all were definitely recorded during June 1977. V4 was recorded at Atlantic Studios on July 2, 1977, and mixed (with possible overdubs) on February 28 and March 2, 1978 at the Record Plant. V4a is a widely bootlegged version with a prominent defect in the second verse, v4b sounds like the same take, complete with Springsteen's count-in, and v4c is the officially released version with the count-in removed. Don't Look Back was on the June 1977, October 1977 "Badlands", and the January 16, 1978 album sequences, and pressed onto an eleven-track acetate on April 12, 1978, but removed at the last-minute to ensure the album was not too long; another story says it was replaced by "Darkness on the Edge of Town", which is false, Darkness was on the final sequence and burned to the acetate.
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V1 |
2:37 |
LM-12 |
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V2 |
3:41 |
LM-12 |
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V3 |
1:36 |
LM-12 |
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V4 |
4:07 |
LM-12 |
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V5 |
3:37 |
LM-12 |
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V6 |
4:32 |
LM-12 |
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V7 |
4:29 |
LM-12 |
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V8 |
5:41 |
LM-13 |
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V9 |
2:13 |
LM-13 |
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V10 |
3:30 |
LM-13 |
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V11 |
3:45 |
LM-13 |
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V12 |
4:17 |
LM-13 |
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V13 |
3:47 |
LM-13 |
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V14a |
3:52 |
DROC1 / RN / ATMF |
| RESTLESS NIGHTS - V14b |
3:41 |
TRACKS / RIVER: OUTTAKES |
Note: V1 thru V7 are rehearsal workouts at Telegraph Hill on January 10, 1980, and V8 thru V13 are from the following evening, January 11. V14 was recorded at The Power Station on January 14, 1980, and mixed down on April 12 and May 2, mainly to reduce the track length. Included on an April 1980 shortlist for the double-album, but was beaten out by "Ramrod" and "I'm A Rocker."
| A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND (PITTSBURGH) - V1 |
3:40 |
private |
| A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND (PITTSBURGH) - V2 |
3:12 |
TRACKS |
Note: V1 is a Colts Neck band rehearsal from April 1982. Very similar to the final take, slightly slower with some lyrical variation. V2 recorded at The Power Station on May 5-6, 1982.
Note: V1 is an early demo from the first days of April 1979, after the Three Mile Island nuclear accident on March 28. By April 3, the track was completed at The Power Station, though the final vocal take was not dubbed until April 12, 1980. V2 is incomplete, with double-tracked lead vocals and a slower tempo. The lyrics show some variations to later versions, and the take was aborted, fading out during the guitar solo. V3 and V4 are two different takes from April 3, the first song to be completed at the River sessions. V3 vocal is not finished, while V4 contains some interesting alternate words and changes, some more powerful than the officially available version. There are at least 8 different mix variations in circulation, and more exist in private collections. The Tracks mix features more snare drum, but less guitar, than the mix found on the 1988 b-side to "One Step Up". Bruce states in his autobiography that 'Roulette' was recorded shortly after the MUSE benefits of September 21 and 23, 1979, but all evidence indicates he is mistaken. In an 1998 interview with Mojo magazine, Springsteen said about 'Roulette', “It would have been one of the best things on the record”.
Note: aka "Living In A Dollhouse", recorded at The Power Station on August 20 and 21, 1979.
Note: Two slightly different mixes. Recorded at The Power Station Studios on October 9, 1979.
Note: Recorded at The Power Station on July 18, 1979. V1 is the first take, described as "mix #1, original vocal and original sax" by the engineer, with full count in. This is a rougher vocal with some slight differences in the phrasing and very minor changes to the lyrics. This take has no overdubs, such as the double-track vocals found in V2, and 6 "Looooose Ends" refrains, double the amount on V2. There are three different mixes of V2, all are the same basic recording. V2a and 2b is take 2, found the on The Ties That Bind bootlegs and The River: Single Album (2b), the latter which omits the countin, and typos "Loose End". There are only 3 "Loooose Ends", but the guitars do the fourth, and there is an instrumental fade. The guitars are higher in Bob Clearmountain's 1979 (V2a) mix in comparison to the 1980 mix found on Tracks v2c,which is more keyboard focused. It also has 5 "Loooose Ends", and drum rolls after 3,4 and 5. v2d is only 3:45, starts out just like v2a, but features an awesome tape dropout right after Clarence's solo, after which a tambourine comes in just after the recovery. Lyrics from "Loose Ends" can also be found in "Little White Lies", and "Baby I'm So Cold", an outtake from Born In The USA.
| LIVING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD - V1 |
3:52 |
LM-12 |
| LIVING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD - V2 |
4:26 |
LM-12 |
| LIVING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD - V3 |
4:16 |
LM-12 |
| LIVING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD - V4 |
4:14 |
TRACKS / RIVER: OUTTAKES |
Note: V1 thru V3 are rehearsal workouts at Telegraph Hill on November 15, 1979. V4 recorded at The Power Station on December 7, 1979. Aspects of this song would later appear in Nebraska's "Open All Night" and "State Trooper".
| WAGES OF SIN - V1 |
2:00 |
LM-10 |
| WAGES OF SIN - V2 |
0:20 |
LM-10 |
| WAGES OF SIN - V3 |
3:05 |
LM-10 |
| WAGES OF SIN - V4 |
2:20 |
LM-10 |
| WAGES OF SIN - V5 |
5:10 |
LM-10 |
| WAGES OF SIN - V6 |
4:49 |
TRACKS |
Note: V1-V5 an interesting group of takes recorded January-April 1982. V5 is most like the final version on Tracks. Recorded at Springsteen's home in Colts Neck, NJ from mid-September 1981 thru May 1982. V6 recorded at The Power Station on May 10, 1982. Premiered live May 8, 2013 in Turku, Finland.
| TAKE 'EM AS THEY COME - V1 |
5:32 |
LM-9 |
| TAKE 'EM AS THEY COME - V2 |
1:50 |
LM-9 |
| TAKE 'EM AS THEY COME - V3 |
0:54 |
LM-9 |
| TAKE 'EM AS THEY COME - V4a |
4:25 |
DROC2 / ATMF |
| TAKE 'EM AS THEY COME - V4b |
4:24 |
DDITV |
| TAKE 'EM AS THEY COME - V5 |
4:25 |
TRACKS / RIVER: OUTTAKES |
Note: V1 appears to be primarily harmonies with bluffed lyrics. V2 includes some clearer lyrics, although it's obvious the song is in the very early stages of development. Two different recordings, although they're similarly arranged. V2 has some alternate lyrics in the last two verses. Backing track appears to have been recorded December 5, 1979 and Springsteen's vocal recorded at The Power Station on April 10, 1980.
Note: Evolved from "Mary Lou" and "Little White Lies". The only takes for this track all occurred on July 18, 1979 at The Power Station, and a mixing or overdub session took place on April 22, 1980. V1a runs fast and minimal vocal effects. V1b double tracked vocal second verse, bridge, break, no sax except tail, V1c same as 1b, piano mixed up, longer V1d longest take, single track vocal bridge break, V1e Double tracked vocals, background Vocals And Different Sax Solo), V1f take Ties That Bind and River Single Album version, included on an April 1980 shortlist for the double-album. V1g 1981 b-side/ A-side was FADE AWAY. V1h is Tracks version.
| RICKY WANTS A MAN OF HER OWN - V1a |
2:47 |
DROC1 / RRR / RN / ATMF |
| RICKY WANTS A MAN OF HER OWN - V1b |
2:48 |
private cdr |
| RICKY WANTS A MAN OF HER OWN - V2 |
2:54 |
LM-5 |
| RICKY WANTS A MAN OF HER OWN - V3 |
2:43 |
TRACKS / RIVER: OUTTAKES |
Note: V3 recorded July 16, 1979. V1 and V2 also recorded around this time. Similarly arranged versions, with some slight lyric differences between each. Another session at The Power Station on April 10, 1980. Likely a mixing or overdub session. Selected for (and later removed from) August 1979 and April 1980 album sequences. Differences between V1a and V1b are imperceptible, aside from a slight change to the count-in.
| I WANNA BE WITH YOU - V1 |
3:04 |
DDO / DO-1 / AM / UP / LES / GT |
| I WANNA BE WITH YOU - V2 |
3:12 |
uncirculated |
| I WANNA BE WITH YOU - V3 |
3:12 |
uncirculated |
| I WANNA BE WITH YOU - V4 |
3:12 |
LM-6 / ATMF |
| I WANNA BE WITH YOU - V5 |
3:15 |
TRACKS / RIVER: OUTTAKES |
Note: V1 was recorded at Atlantic Studios on the evening of June 1, 1977, and though this take is a little sloppy and only available on bootleg, Bruce and the band play with magic energy not to be repeated. For some reason, this was not realized, and over the next two years, Bruce tried and retried to get what he wanted on tape. V2 was recorded on July 1, 1977 (also at Atlantic), and V3 was a complete take on September 12, at The Record Plant. V3 was not to be the final take. V4 and V5 were recorded on May 31, 1979 at the Power Station, New York. There was another session on June 21, and mixing/dubbing on September 24, 1979, but the final May 31 take was the one used for Tracks. This is fine for some, but when comparing V5 to V1, the thought occurs that the June 1 take, remastered and cleaned up, could blow V2-V5 out of the water.
Note: Didn't make the cut for the double River album, but played important role in development, and eventually made two official compilation collections. V1-V4 are rehearsal takes, recorded in early 1979 at Telegraph Hill, working on music and lyrics. V5 thru V10 are full band rehearsal takes recorded at "Telegraph Hill Studios" on May 14, 1979. V11 is another Telegraph Hill rehearsal, probably from May 16, 1979. Heads up, the September 16, 1979 date in the Lost Masters IV liner notes is incorrect. Work resumed at The Power Station for three days starting with May 30, 1979, resulting in the final take, V12, which circulates in four slight mix variations. Studio logs show additional takes or mixing on July 13, 1979. On the last day logged for Mary Lou, June 1, 1979, "Little White Lies" was cut using the lyrics of "Mary Lou", which was only a temporary "loan", released on June 13 when a new take was recorded with mostly it's own lyrics. However, on July 18, Springsteen cut "Be True", again using Mary Lou's lyrics, this time permanently.
"Mary Lou" lyrics provided by springsteenlyrics.com.
Note: V1 recorded on June 21, 1979 is longer, containing three additional verses and is the most interesting of all these. All recorded during June 1979. V2 is the Stanton Lake version; V4 recorded on June 20 and 21, 1979 according to the studio logs, in contrast with July 26 quoted in the Tracks liner notes. Despite the song being completed at this point Bruce, seemingly unsatisfied, decided months later to radically alter the musical arrangement. The release of The River: Single Album was the first time the two arrangements were differentiated, with the original arrangement given the title "Stolen Car (Vs.1)". V4a and V4b have slightly different mixes. V5 Springsteen sings over a tape of a band rehearsal recorded in January 1980, and V6 recorded around same time. V7 thru V14 were recorded on January 16, 1980 at Telegraph Hill, and feature revised arrangements from that of the version recorded and completed six months earlier. V6 is an oddity - it features Bruce experimenting and singing the song over a pre-recorded tape of the band's January 10 Telegraph Hill rehearsal of "Restless Nights". The end result of all this was V15, which was recorded at The Power Station on January 21 and February 20, with further mixing or overdubs undertaken on April 1 and 9, plus May 9, 1980.
| BORN IN THE U.S.A. - V1 |
2:22 |
FFOD / HNWB / MT2 |
| BORN IN THE U.S.A. - V2 |
0:30 |
FFOD / HNWB |
| BORN IN THE U.S.A. - V3 |
4:45 |
FFOD / HNWB |
| BORN IN THE U.S.A. - V4 |
3:10 |
FFOD / HNWB |
| BORN IN THE U.S.A. - V5 |
2:55 |
FFOD / HNWB |
| BORN IN THE U.S.A. - V6 |
4:00 |
FFOD / HNWB |
| BORN IN THE U.S.A. - V7a |
3:06 |
LM-1 / HNWB |
| BORN IN THE U.S.A. - V7b |
3:06 |
TRACKS |
| BORN IN THE U.S.A. - V8 |
8:09 |
THLBB / UH / GS / BUERM / MI |
| BORN IN THE U.S.A. - V9a - take 9 |
4:34 |
BITUSA / ESSENTIAL / GREATEST / CHAPTER |
| BORN IN THE U.S.A. - V9b |
4:52 |
LM-19 / THLBP |
| BORN IN THE U.S.A. - V9c - freedom mix |
7:20 |
1984 EP |
| BORN IN THE U.S.A. - V9d - radio mix |
6:10 |
1984 EP |
| BORN IN THE U.S.A. - V9e - dub mix |
7:36 |
1984 EP |
Track-sheet from a recording of 'Born In The U.S.A.', dated May 3, 1982.
Note: V1 is rough demo from 1981. V2 is when things start to get familiar, featuring the lyrics "Born baby in the USA, I believe in the American way". A fascinating glimpse at the development of a classic. Recorded at Springsteen’s home in Colts Neck, NJ from mid-September to December 1981. V3 - V6 are demos written after Jon Landau sent Springsteen a Paul Schrader script called "Born In the USA" in 1981, evolving from an earlier song he wrote called "Vietnam". V7 was recorded on January 3, 1982, and Bruce included it on the "Nebraska" demos cassette tape he sent to Jon Landau. In his notes to Landau, Bruce describes the song as "[a] little ditty. should be done very hard rockin". It was officially released with the "Tracks" compilation in 1998. V8 and V9 recorded in just four takes (two complete), at The Power Station with the E Street Band, during the "Electric Nebraska Sessions". V8 was completed on April 27-28, 1982, and contains a different Springsteen vocal overdub and a very long, extended jam ending. V9a (take 9) was completed on May 3, and became the first song on side one of the album, "Born In the USA". V9b continues where 9a fades out, with an extended synthesizer ending; it was leaked out of the sessions, and released unofficially on one of the permutations of the bootleg, "This Hard Land". V9c thru V9e are dance remixes of V9b, undertaken by Producer/Mixer Arthur Baker, and recorded at Shakedown Studio in New York City around September 1984. Toby Scott was the recording engineer for the remixes (which include additional vocals by The Latin Rascals), which were first released in December 1984.
| COME ON (LET'S GO TONIGHT) II - V1 |
2:32 |
FFOD / HNWB |
| BYE BYE JOHNNY - V2 |
|
uncirculating |
| BYE BYE JOHNNY - V3a |
1:45 |
LM-16 trk 10 / UH / GS |
| BYE BYE JOHNNY - V3b |
1:45 |
LM-18 trk 13 |
| BYE BYE JOHNNY - V3c |
1:39 |
LM-18 trk 10 |
| JOHNNY BYE-BYE - V3d |
1:51 |
1985 b-side / BACK |
| JOHNNY BYE-BYE - V3e |
1:49 |
TRACKS |
| BYE BYE JOHNNY - V4 - with the Crickets |
2:55 |
LM-16 trk 11 / MT2 / ESRR |
| BYE BYE JOHNNY - V5 |
2:58 |
LM-17 trk 12 / GS |
| BYE BYE JOHNNY - V6 |
3:41 |
LM-17 trk 13 / GS |
Note: While he was resting between legs of the River Tour in March 1981, Bruce glanced at his to-do list, which said "recycle orphaned lyrics from "Come On (Let's Go Tonight)", which had lost it's backing track to "Factory" in 1977, when Bruce changed lyrics and song direction. So he whipped together a demo V1, with new music that he recorded at home in April 1981, recycling the title, too. "Come On (Let's Go Tonight) II" can be found on Nebraska bootlegs, "Fistfull of Dollars" and "How Nebraska Was Born" under the incorrect name, "Bye Bye Johnny". A dark, foreboding arrangement used the discarded lyrics, including the part about Elvis dying, and became a Nebraska-style song.
Just before he was sentenced to three years for being the real-life inspiration for "Child Bride" in 1962, Chuck Berry wrote "Bye Bye Johnny", a sequel to "Johnny B. Goode", where a mother sent her musician son off to Hollywood to be a star. "She drew out all her money from the Southern Trust, and put her little boy aboard the Greyhound Bus" wasn't a big hit for Chuck, but Bruce decided to use those lines in 1981, for a new song that used most of the lyrics from "Come On (Let's Go Tonight) II", calling it "Johnny Bye-Bye" V2. He kept the lines about Elvis dying in 1977, added stuff about Memphis, and had a bouncy hillbilly blues thing going. On May 13, 1981, at Manchester, UK’s Apollo Theatre, Johnny Bye-Bye became the first song since 'The Ties That Bind' in 1978 to be played live before being recorded. Springsteen sang it thirty-two times on the River tour. He did not record it as part of the January 1982 Nebraska demos at Colt’s Neck; the legendary Nebraska version of 'Johnny Bye Bye' does not exist. The version on the tape he sent Landau was almost certainly a live July 1981 recording. When the Nebraska tape was backed up in June 1982 in its entirety, alternate takes and all, there was still no 'Johnny Bye Bye'.
The first studio take of "Bye Bye Johnny" was recorded on April 27, 1982, at the Power Station, New York, during the Electric Nebraska Sessions. This audio does not circulate, but we'll call it V2. What would become the official versions were recorded on January 4, 1983 at Bruce's Hollywood Hills converted studio, Thrill Hill West, Los Angeles, CA, and five different mixes circulate. V3d, released February 6, 1985, as the B-side to "I'm On Fire", features a different drum overdub to that found on the mix chosen for Tracks, V3e. V3b and V3c have slight but noticeable variations in their mixes. V4 and V5 were recorded on March 9, 1983 at Thrill Hill West, Los Angeles, CA, and are different takes of a slower acoustic arrangement with a gentle synthesizer backing, slight lyrical differences and overdubbed with chirping crickets at the start and end. By far the definitive performance is V6, from March 24, 1983 at Thrill Hill West, which includes a poignant extra verse at the end, not found on the other versions. "Johnny Bye-Bye" was included on the July 1983 sequence for "Born In The U.S.A.", but was later deleted. After the lawyers met, Bruce and Chuck became composing partners, the song now registered as Springsteen-Berry.
| SHUT OUT THE LIGHT - V1a |
4:33 |
LM-16 / UH |
| SHUT OUT THE LIGHT - V1b |
3:25 |
LM-18 |
| SHUT OUT THE LIGHT - V1c |
3:56 |
1984 b-side / BACK |
| SHUT OUT THE LIGHT - V1d |
3:51 |
TRACKS |
| SHUT OUT THE LIGHT - V2 |
|
uncirculating |
Note: Same core recording V1 from January 19, 1983 but four different mixes. V1a is considered by many to be the definitive version of the song – it contains two additional lyric verses that were cut from the three other mixes. V1c contains a violin part courtesy of Soozie Tyrell that she overdubbed, probably in May 1983 (her first session work for Bruce). V1d brings the violin more to the fore in the mix. Considered for the album before it was released in 1984 as the b-side to "Born In The USA". V2 Recorded May 23 and 25, 1983. Likely sessions to add Soozie Tyrell's violin to January's Thrill Hill West recording.
| 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 on a set of homesick 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. Three takes (two complete), both circulating in a much more rocking arrangement. "Cynthia" resurrected as V3 on May 23, 1995; studio logs show this was recorded the same day as "The Ghost Of Tom Joad", 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 E Street Band took her on the road in 2003.
| MY LOVE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN - V1a |
3:12 |
private cdr |
| MY LOVE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN - V1b |
4:20 |
LM-19 / THLRR / UH / GS / THLBP |
| MY LOVE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN - V1c |
4:32 |
MI / UH / GS |
| MY LOVE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN - V1d |
4:20 |
TRACKS |
Note: Recorded at The Power Station on May 5, 6, and 7, 1982. Studio venue listed in Tracks is incorrect. All the mixes are very similar, but V1b has Springsteen adding a count-in, vocalizations over the first thirty seconds of the song and a complete ending. V1a cuts early. V1c and d fade ouit, and V1d Tracks mix has slightly different vocals at the end of the song, maybe a 1998 voice. "My Love Will Not Let You Down, that should have been on the Born In The USA record; I don’t know why it got left off. It was one of those things we pulled out in the first rehearsal and went, ‘‘Whoa!’’’ - Bruce Springsteen, 2001.
| THIS HARD LAND - V1 |
4.46 |
THLRR / TRACKS / UH / SQBI / MI / GS |
| THIS HARD LAND - V2 |
4.50 |
THLBP / THLBB / MAT / CAST |
| THIS HARD LAND - V3 |
4:43 |
VA |
| THIS HARD LAND - V4 |
|
uncirculating |
| THIS HARD LAND - V5 |
4:33 |
YBNT2 / BB |
| THIS HARD LAND - V6 |
4:40 |
DDITV |
| THIS HARD LAND - V7 |
4:48 |
GREATEST |
| THIS HARD LAND - V8 |
5:40 |
private |
Note: V1-V3 recorded at The Power Station (not The Hit Factory, as the Tracks liner notes suggest) on May 11 and 13-14, 1982. Springsteen returned to it V4 with two demos recorded on January 3 and 15, 1983. Re-recorded in January 1995 at The Hit Factory, New York City, for the Greatest Hits sessions. Frank Pagano guests on percussion instruments. V5 is a brief snippet shown in the video. V6 and V7 are two different recordings, though very similar. Neither is as good as the original 1982 Born In The USA studio session version that is available on Tracks. V7 is take #3 with mandolin and accordion and an extended coda.
Note: "Frankie" was composed by Bruce Springsteen in early 1976 just after the Born To Run tour. It was introduced live on April 4, 1976 st Michigan State University to overwhelming crowd response. Because of the Mike Appel lawsuit, Bruce was locked out of the recording studio for almost a year, but finally on June 3, 1977, V1 was recorded. V2 from just over a month later, July 12, 1977. Both recorded at Atlantic Studios. V3 was recorded at The Power Station on May 14, 1982. Four different mixes. V3a is take #10, and includes the saxophone overdub during the instrumental outro also found on the officially released V3d. This is absent on V3b and V3c.
| TV MOVIE - V1 |
2:40 |
private |
| TV MOVIE - V2a |
2:34 |
LM-19 / UH |
| TV MOVIE - V2b |
2:39 |
TRACKS |
Note: V1 is a band rehearsal from Colts Neck in April 1982. Very similar to the Tracks V2 from June 13, 1983. Same recording, different mixes. V2a has sax. V2b has the sax deleted.
| STAND ON IT - V1a |
3:03 |
TRACKS |
| STAND ON IT - V1b |
2:30 |
1985 b-side / TRP / BACK |
Note: Recorded on June 16, 1983. V1a is the superior version and contains an additional verse edited from the original b-side, which was released in May 1985 with "Glory Days".
Note: aka "Daniel In The Lion's Den". V1 recorded from late March to early April, 1981, at Springsteen's home in Colts Neck, NJ, and consists of the chorus, repeated. V2 base track recorded at The Hit Factory on January 25, 1982, from the Gary U.S. Bonds sessions. The horn section (Cruz-Manion-Pender-Rosenberg-Spengler) was added in 1998 (not 1982) and overdubbed for Tracks. The original 1982 element was not recorded by Toby Scott but rather by Neil Dorfsman, the engineer for the Bonds LP.
| SMALL TOWN GIRL - V1 |
2:04 |
TRACKS |
| CAR WASH - V2 |
|
uncirculating |
| SMALL TOWN GIRL as CAR WASH - V3 |
2:04 |
TRACKS |
Note: V1 recorded on May 31, 1983 under the title "Small Town Girl". Six months after it was in the can, Springsteen returns for another go, V2 on November 30, 1983. Tracks selected V1, but they changed the name to Car Wash for that track list. We don't rewrite history, so V3 went on Tracks, but is the same as V1.
| ROCK AWAY THE DAYS |
4:40 |
TRACKS |
Note: Recorded on January 12, 1984 The Hit Factory, New York, NY. Recording date (February 3) on Tracks could be a mixing date, or possibly a date chosen at random.
| BROTHERS UNDER THE BRIDGES |
5:02 |
TRACKS |
Note: Recorded on September 14, 15, 16 and October 10, 1983, with a take from the 14th chosen for Tracks.
| MAN AT THE TOP - V1a |
4:08 |
uncirculating |
| MAN AT THE TOP - V1b |
3:16 |
TRACKS |
Note: Recorded on January 12, 1984 at The Hit Factory, New York, NY, take 2, slow acoustic version. Springsteen premiered the song live on July 12, 1984 on the Born In The U.S.A. Tour. Thanks to the Panda for providing track length of full cut with hard stop, before it was downsized and faded out for Tracks.
| PINK CADILLAC - V1 |
|
uncirculating |
| PINK CADILLAC - V2 take 2 |
5:21 |
LM-1 / HNWB / MT2 |
| PINK CADILLAC - V3a |
3:45 |
BUERM / 1984AC |
| PINK CADILLAC - V3b |
4:21 |
private cdr |
| PINK CADILLAC - V3c |
3:33 |
1984 Japan b-side |
| PINK CADILLAC - V3d |
3:33 |
1984 b-side / TRACKS / CAST |
Note: V1-V2 recorded January 3, 1982. Two takes were recorded. V3 recorded on May 31, 1983. Officially released in May 1984 as the b-side to "Dancing In The Dark". V1a has the complete ending, V1b is a mono mix that for some reason was only issued on the Japanese single. Included on a 1984 Born In The USA artwork prototype, in place of both "No Surrender" and "I'm Goin' Down".
Note: Recorded during February 1987 at Thrill Hill East (Springsteen’s NJ home studio). Bruce alone, on all instruments.
| EVERYDAY AND EVERY NIGHT - V1 |
4:05 |
LM-8 |
| JANEY, DON'T YOU LOSE HEART - V2 |
4:31 |
UH / GS / MI / 1984AC |
| JANEY, DON'T YOU LOSE HEART - V3 |
3:24 |
1985 b-side / TRACKS / BACK |
Note: V1 is Bruce composing new song in early 1979 at Telegraph Hill; this is the first known recording of "Janey, Don't You Lose Heart". V2 recorded on June 16, 1983 and V3 released in August 1985 on the B-side of "I'm Goin' Down". V2 has a much longer fade out and features Steve Van Zandt on background vocals and guitar. V3 is the same recording but features a summer 1985 Nils Lofgren vocal overdub replacing Van Zandt’s.
Note: Originally titled "If You Need Me". Recorded on January 20, 1987 at Thrill Hill East (Springsteen’s NJ home studio). Bruce on all instruments. The drums (Gary Mallaber) and violin (Soozie Tyrell) were added to the core recording in 1998 for Tracks.
Note: Recorded on February 22, 1987 at Thrill Hill East (Springsteen’s NJ home studio). Bruce on all instruments. The drums (Gary Mallaber) were added to the core recording in 1998 for Tracks.
Note: Recorded on February 22, 1987 at Thrill Hill East (Springsteen’s NJ home studio). Bruce alone, on all instruments.
Note: Recorded April 4, 1987 at Thrill Hill East (Springsteen’s NJ home studio). Bruce alone, on all instruments. Included on early album track listings, replacing "Tunnel Of Love".
Note: Recorded on February 27, 1990 at Oceanway Studios, Los Angeles. Springsteen handles guitar and vocals and his three-man backing band on this recording is the same as on "Viva Las Vegas" - Bob Glaub (bass), Ian McLagan (keyboards) and Jeff Porcaro (drums).
Note: Recorded on June 29, 1990 at Oceanway Studios, Los Angeles. Springsteen handles guitar, bass and vocals and his two-man backing band on this recording is Roy Bittan (keyboards) and Shawn Pelton (drums).
| GAVE IT A NAME - V1 |
|
uncirculating |
| GAVE IT A NAME - V2 |
2:47 |
TRACKS |
Note: V1 was recorded between December 1990 and late January 1991 at either the Record Plant, Soundworks West or A&M Studios in Los Angeles. Planned for inclusion on the Tracks boxset, but Bruce was unable to locate the master tape, so he re-recorded the song V2 on August 24, 1998 at his home studio in Colts Neck, NJ, and it's that recording which can be found on Tracks. Springsteen told Melinda Newman in an interview with Billboard published in November 1998, "What happened is I cut the original at the time I cut these other songs [Bruce is referring to songs like "Over The Rise", "When The Lights Go Out", "Loose Change" etc, which were all recorded around the December 1990-January 1991 period], but we couldn't find the master tape of it, and I really liked the song. So Roy Bittan came out, and we re-cut it in August".
Note: Recorded on January 25, 1990 at Soundworks West, Los Angeles. Springsteen handles guitar and vocals and his four-man backing band on this recording is Randy Jackson (bass), David Sancious (keyboards), Michael Fisher (percussion) and Jeff Porcaro (drums).
Note: Recorded on December 4, 1990 at Soundworks West, Los Angeles. Springsteen handles guitar, bass, keyboards and vocals and his one-man backing band on this recording is Jeff Porcaro (drums).
Note: Recorded on December 7, 1990 at Soundworks West, Los Angeles. Springsteen handles vocals and all instruments except for Roy Bittan (keyboards).
| WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT |
3:05 |
TRACKS |
Note: Recorded on December 6, 1990 at The Record Plant, Los Angeles. Springsteen handles guitar, bass and vocals and his 2-man backing band on this recording is Roy Bittan (keyboards) and Jeff Porcaro (drums).
Note: Recorded on January 31, 1991 at The Record Plant, Los Angeles. Springsteen handles vocals and all instruments except for Roy Bittan (keyboards).
| TROUBLE IN PARADISE |
5:22 |
TRACKS |
Note: Co-written by Springsteen (lyrics) and Roy Bittan (music). Recorded December 1, 1989 at Soundworks West, Los Angeles. Springsteen handles guitar and vocals and his three-man backing band on this recording is Randy Jackson (bass), Roy Bittan (keyboards) and Jeff Porcaro (drums).
Note: The final song completed as part of the Lucky Town sessions. Recorded January 18, 1992 at A&M Studios, Los Angeles. Springsteen handles all guitars and lead vocals and his 2-man backing band is Roy Bittan (keyboards) and Shawn Pelton (drums). Bittan is credit as a co-producer of this recording. Apparently Bruce wrote this following the December 30, 1991 birth of his daughter in Los Angeles.
| PART MAN, PART MONKEY – V1 |
|
uncirculating |
| PART MAN, PART MONKEY – V2a |
4:26 |
HD |
| PART MAN, PART MONKEY – V2b |
4:31 |
TRACKS / 18TRACKS / 1992 b-side / BACK |
Note: Written in 1986 and first recorded during the 1987 Tunnel Of Love sessions and then performed live regularly during the 1988 Tunnel Of Love tour. Bruce re-recorded the song during the Human Touch sessions and that version was released as a 1992 b-side and then later on Tracks. This studio version dates from January 1990 at Soundworks West, Los Angeles. Springsteen handles guitar, bass and vocals and his two-man backing band on this recording is David Sancious (keyboards) and Omar Hakim (drums). V2a and V2b are extremely similar and may in fact be identical mixes.
Note: Recorded on January 29, 1991 at A&M Studios, Los Angeles. Springsteen handles vocals and all instruments.
| BACK IN YOUR ARMS - V1 |
0:34 |
YBNT2 |
| BACK IN YOUR ARMS - V2 |
3:16 |
YBNT2 |
| BACK IN YOUR ARMS - V3a |
4:38 |
DDITV |
| BACK IN YOUR ARMS - V3b |
4:33 |
TRACKS |
| BACK IN YOUR ARMS - V4 |
4:57 |
private |
| BACK IN YOUR ARMS - V5 |
4:47 |
private |
Note: Recorded in January 1995 at The Hit Factory, New York City. V1 is a brief snippet shown in the video. V2 is an incomplete alternate take. V3b (recorded on January 12) is the officially issued recording. V3a is the same basic recording as V3b but with the keyboard deleted and a different, more passionate vocal by Springsteen. Many consider V3a to be the superior version. V4 is an early take (#1) with some bluffed lyrics and an overdubbed introduction with some nice organ work. V5 is take #6.
| 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 West (Bruce's Los Angeles home studio). 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).
Note: Written in late 1971, as evidenced by a dated lyric sheet titled "(I Got The) Fever For The Girl", on display at the Hard Rock Cafe, Sydney, Australia. It is believed the earliest known live performance was during a March 1973 residency at Oliver’s in Boston, though rumors of 1972 performances exist. It was played live several more times into May. The studio version was recorded (in one take) on May 16, 1973 at 914 Sound Studios, though rumors have persisted for years that it dates from WGOE Studios, Richmond, VA on May 31. The recording features the Springsteen-Federici-Tallent-Clemons-Lopez lineup (pre-Sancious) and doesn’t include any overdubs. Mike Appel requested the studio take for publishing purposes, and Laurel Canyon Publishing company registered it as "Fever For The Girl". It does not appear that Springsteen had the song seriously in mind for his next album. In late 1973, Appel sent the demo to UK Publisher Intersong Music, and in early 1974, he sent cassettes to several USA radio stations. The song was an underground hit in places like Houston, Phoenix and Boston. In Philadelphia, according to a listener, “the song exploded!” With vigorous backing by influential Philly DJ and Bruce fan, Ed Sciaky, the song was played on WMMR as part of their regular rotation. Phone-in requests would have had the song played at least 4 times daily.
"The Fever" became a legendary 70s progressive FM-radio hit, but nowhere as big as in Houston, Texas, thanks to the March 1974 Liberty Hall shows, and several radio broadcasts. After a successful interview by KLOL-FM's Ed Beauchamp on March 8, Springsteen was invited back the next day with the E Street Band, for a lengthy afternoon radio performance that included highlights from both his albums, plus a rendition of “The Fever.” That night at Liberty Hall, a fan yelled "The Fever" and Bruce responded with "it's a weird thing 'The Fever'… that song 'Fever' we did as a demo tape about a year ago… and Mike here… sent it down to just this radio station, you know…. and it's a song we never even did but uh like we did it on the radio today, but I promise if we'll come back, we'll work it up for you." At the late show the next day, Springsteen introduced the song by saying: "We're gonna try something now, this is something… this is a song we haven't done in about a year but we found out that they sent a demo down here… yeah, let me bring out the rest of the band - we're gonna give it a try for you, hope we'll remember… you know but I'm gonna send this to the boys out here… it's a song we did about a year ago, no, we did it when we were recording the second album… as a demo tape for… to demo, I don't know what for (chuckles) and I know he knows it and uh… and uh, they sent the tape, they sent the tape down here and I guess KLOF has been playing it you know… who?… is that wrong? Sorry, folks but whoever, the radio station." David Sancious later said he had been under the impression it was an old Sam Cooke classic.
After they left Texas, "The Fever" was not played again until they returned on July 14, 1978 to San Antonio. Springsteen has said he never liked “The Fever,” but played it on the Darkness tour in many cities because, "people would jump onstage and grab me by the head and scream, ‘Bruce! Fever!'" It was played at Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston, TX, the next evening, and 22 more times to the end of the Darkness tour, including 12x in December. Though he joined Southside Johnny for duets many times, and it was rehearsed during soundchecks for the 1999-2000 Reunion tour, it was not performed again until September 24, 1999 in Philadelphia, PA.
First released by UK singer Allan Rich in 1975 but failed to make much impact. In June 1976, it was included on Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes' debut album, "I Don't Want to Go Home", under the title "The Fever", and became a Jukes classic. In early 1977, a 7" demo (studio take from 1973) of “The Fever” was released, coupled with “Rendezvous”, recorded live on November 4, 1976, at the Palladium, New York, which opens with Bruce calling out "New York! Go ahead, Max!". The single was released by the artist “The Jersey Devil” and was pressed on Bruce Records, which was Springsteen's independent label for his band. Whether Bruce was actually behind this is unverified. He was broke because of the lawsuit, but this record looked like a vinyl bootleg of the day, with one solid color and little printing. In 1979, The Pointer Sisters recorded the song under the title "(She Got) The Fever", for their album Priority. Finally, after being left off "Tracks", along with "The Promise" in 1998, to great dismay, it was officially released in April 1999 on 18 Tracks. The song was part of the movie soundtrack to the 2007 film "Lucky You".
Note: Introduced August 3, 1976 at Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, New Jersey, with Bruce singing and playing piano without the E Street Band, with deeply personal lyrics. 'The Promise' soon became the highlight of each show, and the major subject of discussion among Bruce's tight cult following, which would make up most of the modest crowd in those days. It would always be one of the last songs played for the night, the lights would go down, and one spotlight would be on Bruce playing piano, which he rarely did otherwise. Later, Roy or Danny would accompany him on glock. It was played live 22 times during the Lawsuit tour, until the first studio demo was recorded at Atlantic Studios on June 1, 1977. V1 was one of the takes recorded on June 30, July 1, 7, 8 and 13, 1977. After a break that included a trip with Steve to Utah and Nevada, Bruce came back with slightly revised lyrics, and recorded V2 , which then added dubs and mixing on August 24 and 30, completed on the last day of operations at Atlantic Studios. on September 28, 1977 at the Record Plant, V3, considered the definitive version by collectors and long-time fans, was recorded, clocking in at 7:09 with the full E Street Band, and first released unofficially on 'Deep Down In the Vaults'. However, Bruce found it lacking for some reason, and early in October, he re-wrote the first two lines of verse 3; "Well, my daddy taught me how to walk quiet and how to make my peace with the past, I learned real good to tighten up inside and I don’t say nothing unless I’m asked'. These lines replaced "I won big once and I hit the coast, oh but somehow I paid the big cost", and Landau agreed this solidified the narrative, and that 'The Promise' deserved to be on the January 16 album sequence for "Badlands", or whatever they were going to call album #4. In fact, 'The Promise' was to be the album closer. Instead of 'Streets of Fire', 'The Way' was in the third slot on side two, and 'Don't Look Back' followed 'Badlands' to open the album. The two songs missing, that we know made it on the March final lineup, were 'Factory', which Bruce had just started calling, "The Factory Song". He had been using the working title, 'Come On, Come On (Let's Go Tonight)' since June 1977, despite re-writing the lyrics in July, to tell the tale of his dad and the horrible plastics factory he had worked in when Bruce was a child. On January 2, 1978, final takes were completed, though Springsteen spent all day March 10 and 14 on final mixes, and his own vocal overdubs. The other missing song was 'Darkness On the Edge of Town', which had not been worked since June 1977, and appeared to be all but forgotten.
January 12 was the big day when the final takes of 'The Promise' V4 were to be completed. The proceedings were shot live in-the-studio by Barry Rebo, and one of the takes was released on the Thrill-Hill Blu-Ray/DVD2, in 2010 on the box set, 'The Promise:The Darkness On the Edge Of Town Story'. A Ruffs tape provided to Springsteen by his engineer, Jimmy Iovine, had the September 26, 1977 V3 recording featuring the "Old verse", followed by two mixes of the January 12 session with the "New Verse"; V4a had strings and "full harmony" overdubbed, while V4b just said "no strings". Springsteen fussed over mixing and dubbing for days, and finally on January 24, 1978, without the E Street Band around, he sat down at the piano and recorded V5 of 'The Promise' by himself, just like he did during the Lawsuit tour for 22 nights, when he was locked out of the recording studio. There is no doubt that he cared deeply about 'the Promise', but at a certain point in February, he decided that another contender would go on the album in it's place. It was quietly removed from the March track sequence, and the masters placed in the Columbia Vault. On March 8, 1978, Springsteen rounded up the E Street Band for an emergency session at the Record Plant, and over three days, they re-recorded 'Darkness On the Edge of Town' from scratch, and completed what would become the title track of the album. At the Darkness Tour rehearsals in Asbury Park on May 19, 1978, Bruce and the band played the "daddy taught me how to walk quiet" version of 'The Promise', and they played it on opening night in Buffalo too. It was on the setlist every other night, usually part of the encore, with Bruce by himself on piano, which was spine-tingling experience for fans. After playing it 22 out of the first 33 shows, he sang it on July 15, 1978 in Houston, Texas, and then, for unknown reasons, he never played it again.
That is, until a huge fan uproar, when 'The Fever' and 'The Promise' were both left off of 'Tracks' in 1998. Instead of releasing V3, he re-recorded 'The Promise' from scratch on February 9-12, 1999 at Boxwood Studios, located at his home in Rumson, New Jersey. V6 was released on April 12, 1999 on '18 Tracks', to the dismay of many long-time fans. He made his case to Charlie Rose, "Basically, I went back and I listened to it and we never really got a good recording of it in my opinion. It’s been a favorite song of a lot of..a lot of people mention it. It sort of was the sequel to “Thunder Road” in some fashion, it referred back to those characters. But I went back and we sort of had a very plodding, heavy-handed version of it. I couldn’t quite live with it, so maybe another time." However, he liked it enough to use it as the base track for V7, officially released on Disc 2 of 'The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story' in 2010, with overdubbed strings, guitars, glock, double tracked vocals, and backing vocals by himself, with modern vocals and musical elements recorded by assistant engineers Kevin Buell and Rob Lebret. Instead of replacing two lines of verse 3, two lines were deleted, "I followed that dream through the southwestern tracks, the dead ends and the two-bit bars, when the promise was broken I was far away from home sleeping in the backseat of a borrowed car". The lines were removed with slick editing, under a "Phil Spector-like Wall of Sound", consisting of layers of overdubs, and a modern string arrangement by Ken Ascher. In addition to making 'The Promise' family friendly, they succeeded in reducing the time of the track from 7:06 to 5:54. This version, along with other 1977 songs on "The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story", that many customers were familiar with, and had been looking forward to sonic improvements over their bootleg collections, now were hearing overdubbed Mexican horns, choirs, modern vocals, and assorted instruments, drowning out the base tracks created by the E Street Band 33 years ago. An uproar was created on message boards that has continued for years, as customers learn production details that have never been announced or printed. Thanks to Eddy Wehbe for spotting version 3 underneath the thick layer of overdubs, and discogs for the extra details, and the support of contributors on BTX, SPL, Hoffman Music Forums and Greasy Lake for helping to identify the key issues.
Springsteen said later it was ultimately rejected for Darkness due to the personal lyrics. "It was a song about defeat, and it was self-referential, which made me uncomfortable", said Springsteen in 2010. "I didn’t want it to overtake the album, which, in the end, was not my personal story. I wanted ‘Darkness’ to be completely independent of that. So I left it off. But I remember saying to myself, 'This is something I can sing later.' The distance really helps it now”. Regardless of what is said, Bruce was very upset and feeling betrayed by his first manager, Mike Appel, when he wrote the Promise. He blamed the lawsuit on himself, and wrote about a lonely, loveless, loser whose spirit had finally been broken. Many of us have had moments like this in our lives, but we are incapable of expressing them with clarity and honesty in a song, and though Bruce was just having a bad day or month, his words really hit home for some. You have to at least admire his bravery, to sing his innermost feelings in front of friends and 15,000 strangers. He re-wrote the lyrics extensively after that August 3, 1976 night, and played the new version on September 29, 1976, not calling himself a loser again until 1982, when he wrote about Frank Davis in the "Losin' Kind."
There are many, including that core group of fans who had him to themselves back in 1976-78, that believe "The Promise" is Bruce's greatest song. Perhaps a record was never meant to hold it.
