Tracks - Studio Sessions

disco_18tracks.jpg
disco_tracks_cd.jpg
Tracks commercially released: November 9, 1998 / 18 Tracks commercially released: April 12, 1999
Label: Columbia
Produced by Bruce Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin*
Recorded by Toby Scott assisted by Greg Goldman and Thom Panunzio*
Mixed by Ed Thacker and Bob Clearmountain assisted by Thom Panunzio, Greg Goldman
 and Ross Petersen*
Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering
Photography by Phil Ceccola, Joel Bernstein, James A. Davis, David Gahr, Annie Leibovitz,
 Fred Lombardi, Jim Merchese, Neal Preston, Herb Ritts and David Rose
Design by Harry Chorron and Sandra Choron

* see Brucebase session listings for the specific producers and engineers of the original recordings.

Overview

Tracks (Archival Release)

Following the completion of the solo acoustic The Ghost Of Tom Joad tour in May 1997 Springsteen kept a relatively low profile and spent the summer months in New Jersey with his family. He held a studio session in November 1997 (the first of what is now known as the Seeger Sessions) and also participated in songwriting sessions with Joe Grushecky in December 1997-January 1998. According to interview comments by Toby Scott, (Springsteen’s audio archivist and recording engineer), it was in February 1998, during solo sessions being conducted at Bruce’s NJ home studio, that Springsteen approached Scott and said “let's do the boxed set”. Scott then went to work gathering the potential material from Springsteen’s massive audio library (located, along with Sony's sound archives, in the high-tech Iron Mountain facility near Buffalo, NY). Bruce’s NJ home studio (Thrill Hill East) served as the main operational center for all Tracks project activities.

Bruce announced the box set was being worked on during a Sony Music Entertainment convention on July 16, 1998.

Springsteen mentioned in an early 1999 interview with journalist Patrick Humphries that 200 to 300 different songs (twelve to eighteen CDs worth) formed the large pool of recordings that he initially reviewed in the spring of 1998 as potential candidates for the boxed set. Over the course of the next few months the 200-300 was narrowed down. According to Toby Scott by late June then number was down to about 128 songs (eight CDs worth). It was then narrowed down yet again during July to about one hundred songs (a six-CD set). Although these one hundred songs were prepped for the Tracks release there was a commercial decision made later in the summer to reduce the size of the release to a four-CD (sixty six-track) package. The package was delivered to Sony in mid-September in order to facilitate the mid-November 1998 release schedule.

The primary intent of Tracks (at least insofar as it’s slimmed-down six-CD and four-CD incarnations were concerned) was to cover all of Springsteen's commercially released album sessions. However due to ongoing (and at the time still-unresolved) court proceedings involving most of Springsteen’s unreleased 1972 studio recordings, it was decided not to release any of that in-dispute session material on Tracks. Consequently unreleased songs from the Greetings album sessions, or other demo sessions from that period, were not released in the package. The four "Hammond" CBS demo session songs that are found in the box were utilized because that particular studio session and those particular songs were not part of the court proceedings. Postscript: these legal matters were finally resolved, in Springsteen's favour, in 2001 – thereby freeing up these recordings for release at any time. It is likely that a "Tracks, Vol 2" (i.e., another boxed set of similar scope), will be released sometime in the future.

After the release of 18 Tracks (read below), the combined Tracks collection consisted of 65 outtakes and two new recordings. Unable to locate the master tape for "Gave It A Name", Springsteen re-recorded the song on August 24, 1998 at his home studio in Colts Neck, NJ. He did the same for "The Promise" (see below). There are also several tracks that were "supplemented" with additional instrumentation by overdubbing ("Hearts of Stone" has new horns). The full extent of "modern" recording used on Tracks is unknown.

18 Tracks

Despite stellar reviews the initial sales of the Tracks boxed set were well below expectations, probably due to this pricey retrospective not being issued in the wake of a huge selling Springsteen album (as had been the case in 1986 when Live/1975-85 followed the Born In The USA album). Partly as a consequence of the slow sales it was decided in January 1999 to release an abbreviated single CD version of Tracks titled 18 Tracks. This was intended for the more casual fan, although 18 Tracks also served the purpose as a promotional tie-in for the E Street Band "Reunion" tour that was announced at the same time. 18 Tracks contained fifteen recordings already issued on Tracks, plus three previously unreleased recordings ("The Fever", "Trouble River" and "The Promise"). "The Promise", a Darkness on the Edge of Town outtake, best known for legendary live performances from August 1976 - July 1978, was included after howls of outrage from the faithful for leaving it off Tracks. Springsteen, still rejecting all studio takes recorded between June 1977 - January 1978, responded by re-recording it on February 9-12, 1999 at Boxwood Studios, at his home in Rumson, New Jersey.

Sales of 18 Tracks were also disappointing, although the Reunion tour that followed was a tremendous commercial success.

Released

# Song Title Running Time Release
1.1. MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS (3) 4:28 TRACKS
1.2. IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (3) 2:55 TRACKS
1.3. GROWIN' UP (1 3) 2:41 TRACKS
1.4. DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (3) 2:04 TRACKS
1.5. BISHOP DANCED (2) 4:21 TRACKS
1.6. SANTA ANA 4:37 TRACKS
1.7. SEASIDE BAR SONG (1) 3:34 TRACKS
1.8. ZERO AND BLIND TERRY 5:58 TRACKS
1.9. LINDA LET ME BE THE ONE 4:27 TRACKS
1.10. THUNDERCRACK 8:29 TRACKS
1.11. RENDEZVOUS (1 2) 2:51 TRACKS
1.12. GIVE THE GIRL A KISS 3:55 TRACKS
1.13. ICEMAN 3:19 TRACKS
1.14. BRING ON THE NIGHT 2:40 TRACKS
1.15. SO YOUNG AND IN LOVE 3:49 TRACKS
1.16. HEARTS OF STONE (1) 4:32 TRACKS
1.17. DON'T LOOK BACK 3:00 TRACKS
# Song Title Running Time Release
2.1. RESTLESS NIGHTS 3:47 TRACKS
2.2. A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND (PITTSBURGH) 3:18 TRACKS
2.3. ROULETTE 3:55 TRACKS
2.4. DOLLHOUSE 3:35 TRACKS
2.5. WHERE THE BANDS ARE (1) 3:46 TRACKS / 1999 b-side
2.6. LOOSE ENDS (1) 4:04 TRACKS
2.7. LIVING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD 4:19 TRACKS
2.8. WAGES OF SIN 4:54 TRACKS
2.9. TAKE 'EM AS THEY COME 4:31 TRACKS
2.10. BE TRUE 3:42 TRACKS / 1981 b-sides
2.11. RICKY WANTS A MAN OF HER OWN 2:47 TRACKS
2.12. I WANNA BE WITH YOU (1) 3:23 TRACKS / 1999 single
2.13. MARY LOU 3:23 TRACKS
2.14. STOLEN CAR 4:31 TRACKS
2.15. BORN IN THE U.S.A. (1) 3:11 TRACKS
2.16. JOHNNY BYE-BYE 1:53 TRACKS
2.17. SHUT OUT THE LIGHT 3:52 TRACKS
# Song Title Running Time Release
3.1. CYNTHIA 4:15 TRACKS
3.2. MY LOVE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN (1) 4:27 TRACKS
3.3. THIS HARD LAND 4:50 TRACKS
3.4. FRANKIE 7:25 TRACKS
3.5. TV MOVIE 2:46 TRACKS
3.6. STAND ON IT 3:07 TRACKS
3.7. LION'S DEN (1) 2:19 TRACKS
3.8. CAR WASH 2:08 TRACKS
3.9. ROCKAWAY THE DAYS 4:44 TRACKS
3.10. BROTHERS UNDER THE BRIDGES ('83) 5:08 TRACKS
3.11. MAN AT THE TOP 3:24 TRACKS
3.12. PINK CADILLAC (1) 3:37 TRACKS / 1984 b-side
3.13. TWO FOR THE ROAD 2:00 TRACKS / 1987 b-side
3.14. JANEY, DON'T YOU LOSE HEART (1) 3:28 TRACKS / 1985 b-side
3.15. WHEN YOU NEED ME 2:58 TRACKS
3.16. THE WISH 5:19 TRACKS
3.17. THE HONEYMOONERS 2:08 TRACKS
3.18. LUCKY MAN 3:18 TRACKS / 1987 b-side
# Song Title Running Time Release
4.1. LEAVIN' TRAIN 4:07 TRACKS
4.2. SEVEN ANGELS 3:28 TRACKS
4.3. GAVE IT A NAME 2:51 TRACKS
4.4. SAD EYES (1) 3:50 TRACKS / 1999 single
4.5. MY LOVER MAN 4:00 TRACKS
4.6. OVER THE RISE 2:40 TRACKS
4.7. WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT 3:08 TRACKS
4.8. LOOSE CHANGE 4:22 TRACKS
4.9. TROUBLE IN PARADISE 4:43 TRACKS
4.10. HAPPY 4:54 TRACKS
4.11. PART MAN, PART MONKEY (1) 4:31 TRACKS / 1992 b-side
4.12. GOIN' CALI 3:04 TRACKS
4.13. BACK IN YOUR ARMS 4:43 TRACKS
4.14. BROTHERS UNDER THE BRIDGE (1) 4:55 TRACKS

Total Running Time: 4:13:23

1: Issued on both Tracks and 18 Tracks.
2: Live in Concert.
3: Demo-version.

Additional Recordings

Tracks-Reunion Period (1996 - 2000)

Springsteen issued the Ghost Of Tom Joad album in November 1995. Little did anyone suspect at the time that it would be six years and seven months (July 2002) before the next Springsteen studio album of recently written and recorded compositions would be released. Because of the tremendous amount of time that elapsed, the studio session period for what became The Rising is an enigma. Nearly all the recordings on the album emanate from one brief session period in early 2002, yet there are over five years' worth of earlier studio sessions of which only a few recordings have yet emerged – even though much was recorded.

Immediately following the release of the Ghost Of Tom Joad album Springsteen undertook an extensive solo tour that lasted for 17 months - until late May 1997. Bruce has mentioned that he wrote numerous songs while on this tour, some of which he actually premiered live during the tour. During breaks in this tour, Bruce recorded new material - from June to August 1996 and then from March to April 1997. Both sessions were held at Thrill Hill East (Bruce’s New Jersey home studio). Both were solo sessions.

Following the completion of the solo acoustic The Ghost Of Tom Joad tour in May 1997 Springsteen kept a relatively low profile and spent the summer months in New Jersey with his family. He held a studio session in November 1997 (the first of what is now known as the Seeger Sessions) and also participated in songwriting sessions with Joe Grushecky in December 1997-January 1998. According to interview comments by Toby Scott, (Springsteen’s audio archivist and recording engineer), it was in February 1998, during solo sessions being conducted at Bruce’s NJ home studio, that Springsteen approached Scott and said “let's do the boxed set”. Scott then went to work gathering the potential material from Springsteen’s massive audio library (located, along with Sony's sound archives, in the high-tech Iron Mountain facility near Buffalo, NY). Bruce’s NJ home studio (Thrill Hill East) served as the main operational center for all Tracks project activities.

In November 1997, several months following the completion of the Ghost Of Tom Joad tour, Springsteen undertook studio further sessions at his NJ home studio. About seven non-original compositions were recorded with a group of musicians Bruce had not previously recorded with. These have now become known as "The Seeger Sessions - Phase 1". Since the above-mentioned session produced recordings that Bruce subsequently decided to release on a stand-alone album, then please refer to The Seeger Sessions section for details on these recordings. Soon after (in December 1997 – January 1998) Springsteen undertook a song-writing collaboration session with Joe Grushecky at Bruce’s home studio. Song titles are known from this period but recording session details, if any, are unknown. According to comments made by engineer Toby Scott, it was in the early spring of 1998 (shortly before Bruce’s father passed away) that Springsteen told Scott the time was right to proceed with the long-anticipated box set of archived, unreleased studio takes. Although the Tracks project dominated activities during the remainder of 1998 Springsteen also recorded numerous new songs at his home studio during the February 1998 – February 1999 period, although little has been released.

Springsteen re-assembled the E Street Band for the Reunion (Tracks) tour. This tour lasted for 16 months, from March 1999 thru June 2000. Although no studio sessions took place during this touring period, there was an expectation that studio work with the E Street Band would follow this tour and a resulting new E Street Band album would emerge in late 1999 or early 2000 – however we now know that no such E Street Band sessions ever took place. In spite of the lack of E Street Band involvement in the studio Springsteen did, in fact, conduct scattered solo sessions at his Thrill Hill East home studio during the September 2000 - January 2001 period. Numerous songs were recorded – but details remain very sketchy. It is suspected that the base recording of only one of the fifteen songs issued on The Rising album emanates from these sessions.

Song Title Running Time Release
LIFT ME UP 5:16 OST: LIMBO / ESSENTIAL: BONUS
LONG TIME COMIN' 4:17 DEVILS / ESSENTIAL: 2015 / CHAPTER

Details

This is a compilation album, hardly any of these tracks are actually recorded during these sessions, some may have been edited for this release. However, there were studio session in 1997 and 1998, for new recordings and overdubs, so these songs are listed here as well. Please check the original studio sessions for more information regarding each track on Tracks by visiting the links in the above released-section. The tracks below however can be assigned to these sessions somehow.

Song Title Running Time Release

BENEATH THE FLOODLINE uncirculating

Note: Performed during a soundcheck at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA, on September 17, 1984 during the Born In The USA Tour. It was later recorded at several solo sessions between November 1997 and January 1998, before the E Street Band were reunited, when it was quietly sidelined, along with the album he was then working on. Possibly composed after the Born In The U.S.A. studio sessions ended, it is also missing from Tunnel Of Love session logs, according to a search of Sony records.

CODE OF SILENCE - V1 uncirculating
CODE OF SILENCE - V2 4:08 GUEST: GOODLIFE

Note: Co-written by Bruce Springsteen and [Grushecky] during December 1997 and January 1998. Springsteen premiered the song live on June 12, 2000 with the E Street Band, and another version recorded on June 29 was released on The Essential Bruce Springsteen in 2003. Bruce and Joe recorded a studio version together at Thrill Hill Recording, New Jersey, released on the Joe Grushecky album A Good Life in July 2006.

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."

HEARTS OF STONE - V1 5:32 SYMKB / DDO / DO-2 / LES / AM
HEARTS OF STONE - V2 4:27 GUEST: HEARTS
HEARTS OF STONE - V3 4:29 TRACKS

Note: Originally titled "For Hearts Of Stone" before Darkness sessions began. No evidence of a recording session has been found until October 14, when a demo was cut for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, along with "Talk To Me", and later handed to Steve Van Zandt on a cassette tape. There are obviously some dates to be found, judging by the performance of the band, and the complete lyrics. Steve was preparing to produce the Jukes' third album, and the two songs were Bruce's contributions to the effort. The band recorded this take live in the studio, with the sax of Clarence Clemons the only horn present. Southside Johnny used the E Street Band base recording, including Bruce on guitar, for the title track of the Jukes' 1978 album (V2), adding his vocal and a new lead guitar part from Steven Van Zandt to create one of their best known songs. In 1998, Bruce had a horn section (Cruz-Manion-Pender-Rosenberg-Spengler) added to the 1977 recording, which was released on Tracks (V3).

LIFT ME UP 5:16 OST: LIMBO / ESSENTIAL: BONUS

Note: Recorded at Thrill Hill East (Bruce's New Jersey 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.

LION'S DEN - V1 0:55 FFOD / HNWB
LION'S DEN - V2 2:18 uncirculating
LION'S DEN - V3 2:18 TRACKS

Note: "Lion's Den" was first recorded as a solo acoustic demo (V1) in late March to early April 1981 at Springsteen's home in Colts Neck, NJ, and consists of the chorus, repeated. It was bootlegged under the title "Daniel In The Lion's Den". V2 is a base track recorded at The Hit Factory on January 25, 1982, during the Gary U.S. Bonds sessions. V3 overdubs the 1998 horn section (Cruz-Manion-Pender-Rosenberg-Spengler) for Tracks over the V2 base track. The original 1982 element was not recorded by Toby Scott but rather by Neil Dorfsman, the engineer for the Bonds LP.

LONG TIME COMIN' - V1 uncirculating
LONG TIME COMIN' - V2 4:17 DEVILS / ESSENTIAL: 2015 / CHAPTER / BESTOF

Note: Written by Bruce in the summer or early autumn of 1996 while on the Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour and premiered live on October 16, 1996. The Devils & Dust recording is a hybrid of two sessions quite some years apart. The basic track (V1) with Danny Federici, Marty Rifkin, Soozie Tyrell and Patti Scialfa emanates from 1997 or 1998 and was cut at Thrill Hill West, Beverly Hills. CA. It was recorded by Toby Scott and produced by Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin. The drums (Steve Jordan) and bass guitar (Brendan O’Brien) were added to the mix in 2004, at Masterphonics, Nashville, Tennessee, and Southern Tracks Recording, Atlanta, Georgia, which is the likely reason why this released version is credited as a Springsteen-Plotkin-O'Brien production, and issued on Devils & Dust.

An early Tracks six-CD sample set from June 1998 indicates that "Long Time Comin'" was considered for Tracks, but ultimately rejected. It's highly likely that this is V1, perhaps with some additional overdubs to complete the song. The sample set listed the song as "version 2", indicating there may have been a "version 1" that had already been rejected. This could have been V1 without overdubs, or an even earlier recording we are unaware of.

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

Note: From a recently surfaced sampler a version of this song was considered for Tracks. Possibly recorded in the spring or summer of 1995. 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."

HEY SANTA ANNA - V1 uncirculating
HEY SANTA ANNA - V2 uncirculating
HEY SANTA ANNA - V3 4:50 UNE / PS / EY / US5 / SA914 / FOTF
SANTA ANA - V4 4:33 TRACKS

Note: "Santa Ana", referenced in 1973 Sony logs as "Hey Santa Anna", possibly received the former name for its inclusion on Tracks in 1998. Also known as "My Contessa" and "The Guns Of Kid Cole", thanks to bootleggers with unknown motives. Written in late 1972 or early 1973, and performed live regularly during 1973. Both V1 and V2 are early recordings from June 22 and 26, 1973, and remain uncirculated. V3 was recorded on June 28, 1973, and for many years was considered a complete, though unofficial, version. However, V4 released on Tracks, is an embellished mix, with overdubs added on July 1, 1973, including piano (David Sancious), a layer of acoustic guitar (Bruce), calypso percussion (Richard Blackwell), and Suki Lahav (vocals). The flute heard in V3 (courtesy of Clarence Clemons), has been entirely removed from V4. Mixing was done by Louis Lahav (1973) and Thom Panunzio (1998). 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".

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 Devils & Dust. 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.

THE WALL - V1 uncirculating
THE WALL - V2 HOPES

Note: Written December 1997–January 1998. The title and idea came from Joe Grushecky and the rest was 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 Fingerprints 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. V2 issued on 2014's High Hopes, produced by Ron Aniello and Springsteen.

THE WISH - V1 uncirculating
THE WISH - V2 5:09 TRACKS

Note: Recorded February 22, 1987 at Thrill Hill Recording, Rumson, New Jersey (Springsteen's home studio), with Bruce on all instruments. The drums (Gary Mallaber) were added to the core recording in 1998 for Tracks.

THUNDERCRACK - V1 uncirculating
THUNDERCRACK - V2 uncirculating
THUNDERCRACK - V3 uncirculating
THUNDERCRACK - V4 uncirculating
THUNDERCRACK - V5 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's departure from the band in February 1974. "It ended three or four different times - you didn't know where it was going to go. It was just a big, epic show-ender that was meant to leave the audience gasping a little bit for their breath - "Hey, who was that guy? That was pretty good…," Bruce said at a 1999 interview for Mojo. On the first known day of Wild & Innocent sessions, May 14, 1973, at 914 Sound Studios, the band recorded V1 of "Thundercrack" before moving on to 8 takes of "Circus Song". Work was resumed with V2, on June 22, 1973, then additional takes, overdubs or mixing took place on August 7 V3, and August 9, V4, but later comments by Springsteen indicate the song was not completed to his satisfaction, or perhaps a completed version could not be found for 1998's Tracks. V5 added background vocals by Vini Lopez, cut in 1997, to approximate the sound of live performances. "I found a version which was actually pretty good, called up Vini Lopez and I said, "Vini, I have some singing for you to do" and Vini - he's a caddy master at a golf course - he just comes by and I said, "Remember this song?" He came in and sang all his parts completely unprompted, like he remembered it exactly from 25 years ago," Bruce added at the Mojo interview. Regarding its omission from his second album, Springsteen said there just wasn't room enough for "Thundercrack" and "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)." Whether he meant his two biggest show-closers ever on the same record, or lack of disc space, is unknown.

UNDER A BIG SKY uncirculating

Note: "Under A Big Sky" was recorded in April 1998.

UNDER THE BIG SKY uncirculating

Note: Uncirculated track from the sessions, recorded November 30, 1983 at The Hit Factory. Springsteen may have returned to this song for Tracks, as a song titled "Under A Big Sky" was recorded in April 1998.

IF YOU NEED ME - V1 uncirculating
WHEN YOU NEED ME - V2 2:53 TRACKS

Note: Originally titled "If You Need Me". Recorded on January 20, 1987 at Thrill Hill Recording, Rumson, New Jersey (Springsteen's home studio), with Bruce on all instruments. The drums (Gary Mallaber) and violin (Soozie Tyrell) were added to the core recording in 1998 for Tracks.

Corrections

Dates / Locations

This list corrects the date and location errors found in the Tracks and 18 Tracks booklets.

Song Title Recording Date Location Session Era
MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS May 3, 1972 Columbia Studios, NY AUDITION
IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY May 3, 1972 Columbia Studios, NY AUDITION
GROWIN' UP May 3, 1972 Columbia Studios, NY AUDITION
DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? May 3, 1972 Columbia Studios, NY AUDITION
BISHOP DANCED January 31, 1973 Max's Kansas City, NY WIESS
THE FEVER May 16, 1973 914 Sound Studios, NY WIESS
SANTA ANA July 1, 1973 914 Sound Studios, NY WIESS
SEASIDE BAR SONG July 24, 1973 914 Sound Studios, NY WIESS
THUNDERCRACK August 9, 1973 + 1997 914 Sound Studios, NY WIESS
ZERO AND BLIND TERRY August 7, 1973 914 Sound Studios, NY WIESS
SO YOUNG AND IN LOVE Oct 1974 + 1978 uncertain BTR
LINDA LET ME BE THE ONE June 29, 1975 Record Plant, NY BTR
RENDEZVOUS December 31, 1980 Nassau Coliseum, NY DARKNESS
DON'T LOOK BACK July 02, 1977 Atlantic Studios, NY DARKNESS
HEARTS OF STONE October 14, 1977 + 1997 Record Plant, NY DARKNESS
ICEMAN October 27, 1977 Record Plant, NY DARKNESS
GIVE THE GIRL A KISS November 10, 1977 Record Plant, NY DARKNESS
ROULETTE April 3-4, 1979 + 1980 Power Station, NY RIVER
MARY LOU July 13, 1979 Power Station, NY RIVER
I WANNA BE WITH YOU May 31, 1979 Power Station, NY RIVER
BRING ON THE NIGHT June 13, 1979 Power Station, NY RIVER
RICKY WANTS A MAN OF HER OWN April 10, 1980 Power Station, NY RIVER
LOOSE ENDS July 18, 1979 Power Station, NY RIVER
BE TRUE July 18, 1979 Power Station, NY RIVER
STOLEN CAR June 21, 1979 Power Station, NY RIVER
DOLLHOUSE August 21, 1979 Power Station, NY RIVER
WHERE THE BANDS ARE October 9, 1979 Power Station, NY RIVER
LIVING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD December 3, 1979 Power Station, NY RIVER
TAKE 'EM AS THEY COME April 10, 1980 Power Station, NY RIVER
RESTLESS NIGHTS May 2, 1980 Power Station, NY RIVER
BORN IN THE U.S.A. January 3, 1982 Colts Neck, NJ NEBRASKA
LION'S DEN January 25, 1982 The Hit Factory, NY BITUSA
MY LOVE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN May 7, 1982 Power Station, NY BITUSA
A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND (PITTSBURGH) May 6, 1982 Power Station, NY BITUSA
WAGES OF SIN May 10, 1982 Power Station, NY BITUSA
THIS HARD LAND May 11, 1982 Power Station, NY BITUSA
FRANKIE May 14, 1982 Power Station, NY BITUSA
JOHNNY BYE-BYE January 4, 1983 Thrill Hill West, CA BITUSA
SHUT OUT THE LIGHT January 19, 1983 Thrill Hill West, CA BITUSA
CYNTHIA June 15, 1983 The Hit Factory, NY BITUSA
PINK CADILLAC May 31, 1983 The Hit Factory, NY BITUSA
CAR WASH May 31, 1983 The Hit Factory, NY BITUSA
TV MOVIE June 13, 1983 The Hit Factory, NY BITUSA
STAND ON IT June 16, 1983 The Hit Factory, NY BITUSA
JANEY, DON'T YOU LOSE HEART June 16, 1983 The Hit Factory, NY BITUSA
BROTHERS UNDER THE BRIDGES ('83) September 14, 1983 The Hit Factory, NY BITUSA
MAN AT THE TOP January 12, 1984 The Hit Factory, NY BITUSA
ROCKAWAY THE DAYS January 12, 1984 The Hit Factory, NY BITUSA
WHEN YOU NEED ME January 20, 1987 Thrill Hill East, NJ TUNNEL
TWO FOR THE ROAD February 1987 Thrill Hill East, NJ TUNNEL
THE HONEYMOONERS February 22, 1987 Thrill Hill East, NJ TUNNEL
THE WISH February 22, 1987 Thrill Hill East, NJ TUNNEL
LUCKY MAN April 4, 1987 Thrill Hill East, NJ TUNNEL
TROUBLE IN PARADISE December 1, 1989 Soundworks West, CA HUMAN
PART MAN, PART MONKEY January 1990 Soundworks West, CA HUMAN
SAD EYES January 25, 1990 Soundworks West, CA HUMAN
LEAVIN' TRAIN February 27, 1990 Ocean Way Studios, CA HUMAN
TROUBLE RIVER April 6, 1990 Soundworks West, CA HUMAN
SEVEN ANGELS June 29, 1990 Ocean Way Studios, CA HUMAN
MY LOVER MAN December 4, 1990 Soundworks West, CA HUMAN
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT December 6, 1990 Record Plant West, CA HUMAN
OVER THE RISE December 7, 1990 Soundworks West, CA HUMAN
GOIN' CALI January 29, 1991 A&M Studios, CA HUMAN
LOOSE CHANGE January 31, 1991 Record Plant West, CA HUMAN
HAPPY January 18, 1992 A&M Studios, CA LUCKY
BACK IN YOUR ARMS January 12, 1995 The Hit Factory, NY GREATEST
BROTHERS UNDER THE BRIDGE May 22, 1995 Thrill Hill West, CA GREATEST
GAVE IT A NAME August 24, 1998 Thrill Hill East, NJ TRACKS
THE PROMISE February 12, 1999 Thrill Hill East, NJ TRACKS: 18

Modern Elements

Modern Elements

This section was created to describe archived tracks with modern overdubs such as vocals and strings. The chart only concerns material released on compilations like The Promise, The Ties That Bind (The River Collection), Tracks, The Essential, Greatest Hits, etc. Many songs included on these collections may not have been completed to Springsteen's satisfaction during their respective recording sessions, so require modern additions. Unfortunately, the work undertaken on these tracks is not described in liner notes, so we try to get the information for our readers.

Though this information has been researched and reviewed for accuracy, there may remain elements of subjectivity or opinion. Please don't hesitate to inform us, so we can make this as factual as possible.

# Song Title Modern Element(s) Recording Date / Location
1. THUNDERCRACK modern background vocals by Vini Lopez 1997 August 9, 1973 V4 + 1997
2. SANTA ANA modern background vocals-Vini Lopez 1997 July 1, 1973 + 1997
3. HEARTS OF STONE modern 1997 horns - Mario Cruz tenor sax, Ed Manion baritone sax, Richie Rosenberg trombone, Mike Spengler trumpet, Mark Pender trumpet October 14, 1977 + 1997
4. LION'S DEN modern 1997 horns - Cruz-Manion-Rosenberg-Spengler-Pender January 25, 1982 + 1997
5. THE WISH Gary Mallaber, drums February 22, 1987 + 1997
6. WHEN YOU NEED ME Gary Mallaber, drums, Soozie Tyrell, violin January 20, 1987 + 1997
7. THE PROMISE re-recorded February 12, 1999
8. GAVE IT A NAME re-recorded August 24, 1998

Note:
"Thundercrack" 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 base recording V1 from June 22, 1973, with additional takes or overdubs on August 7 and 9, were not completed to Springsteen's satisfaction. In 1997, overdubs were added for Tracks V4, including background vocals by Vini Mad Dog, to approximate the sound of live performances.

"Santa Ana" was also known as "Hey Santa Ana", "My Contessa", and "The Guns of Kid Cole", thanks to creative or possibly erratic bootleggers. V3 was recorded on June 28, 1973, and for many years was considered a complete, though unofficial, version. However, V4 released on Tracks, is an embellished mix, with overdubs added on July 1, 1973, including piano (David Sancious), a layer of acoustic guitar (Bruce), calypso percussion (Richard Blackwell) and Suki Lahav (vocals). The flute heard in V3 (courtesy of Clarence), has been entirely removed from V4. Mixing was done by Louis Lahav (1973) and Thom Panunzio (1997), who also worked on Thundercrack.

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 "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".

"Lion's Den" base track recorded at The Hit Factory on January 25, 1982, from the Gary U.S. Bonds sessions. The 1998 horn section of Cruz-Manion-Pender-Rosenberg-Spengler was recorded 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.

"The Wish" was recorded February 22, 1987 at Thrill Hill Recording, Rumson, New Jersey (Springsteen’s home studio), with Bruce on all instruments. The drums (Gary Mallaber) were added to the core recording in 1998 for Tracks.

"When You Need Me" was originally titled "If You Need Me". Recorded on January 20, 1987 at Thrill Hill Recording, Rumson, New Jersey (Springsteen’s home studio), with Bruce on all instruments. The drums (Gary Mallaber) and violin (Soozie Tyrell) were added to the core recording in 1998 for Tracks.

There was a huge fan uproar, when "The Fever" and "The Promise" were both left off of 'Tracks' in 1998. Instead of releasing V3 or V5, he re-recorded "The Promise" from scratch on February 9 and 12, 1999 at Boxwood Studios, located at his home in Rumson, New Jersey. It 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".

"Gave It A Name" 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 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".

Concept List 1993

At some point in 1993, presumably following the conclusion of the 1992-93 World Tour, a 25-song archival concept list was created of "lost songs put together by a Sony engineer". It is possible that this was an early Tracks concept, even if this was not the intention at first, according to Clinton Heylin. Twelve of the 25 songs have been subsequently released, either on Tracks itself or other projects, twelve are known outtakes and one is a live cut. Please see the relevant album recording session page for more information on each track.

Song Title Sessions Released?
A LOVE SO FINE BORN TO RUN No
SHA LA LA (2) None No
NEW SPANISH (aka SPANISH EYES) DARKNESS PROMISE
HEARTS OF STONE DARKNESS TRACKS
GIVE THE GIRL A KISS DARKNESS TRACKS
TRIANGLE SONG DARKNESS No
DOLLHOUSE RIVER TRACKS
NIGHT FIRE RIVER RIVER: OUTTAKES
THE MAN WHO GOT AWAY RIVER RIVER: OUTTAKES
DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY ALRIGHT RIVER No
I WILL BE THE ONE RIVER No
ARNIE RIVER No
THAT'S OKAY RIVER No
FROM SMALL THINGS (BIG THINGS ONE DAY COME) RIVER RIVER: OUTTAKES
TAKE 'EM AS THEY COME RIVER TRACKS
BRING ON THE NIGHT RIVER TRACKS
UNDER THE GUN RIVER No
WHERE THE BANDS ARE RIVER TRACKS
LOOSE ENDS RIVER TRACKS
LIVING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD RIVER TRACKS
ANGELYNE (1) RIVER No
JOHNNY GO DOWN BITUSA No
KING'S HIGHWAY BITUSA No
THE GLORY OF LOVE BITUSA No
IDA ROSE (NO ONE KNOWS) BITUSA No

1: "Angelyne" was recorded with the E Street Band in February 1980 before being donated to Gary U.S. Bonds.
2: Live, December 12, 1975, circulating on bootlegs.

Six-CD Sampler

June 4, 1998

In June 1998, some five months before the release of Tracks, a six-CD sampler set was produced with basic printed track lists and packaged in a plain brown cardboard box. A number of tracks were crossed-out in black pen while others were underlined in red, for reasons unknown. This box was presumably intended for internal Sony use, but photographs of the labels are available. It should be noted that the discs are labelled 1-6, but the box is labelled 'QTY=5'. Sadly, we do not have any information regarding the contents of CD5. Much of the track listings align with the final version of Tracks, but there are also many interesting additions that are undocumented. As with the final retail version the track listings appear to be chronological, so we can make some assumptions on the recording dates of previously undocumented songs.

Disc 1 covers the period between 1972 and 1977.

# Song Title Included on Tracks?
1-01 MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS (demo) Yes
1-02 IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (demo) Yes
1-03 JAZZ MUSICIAN (demo) No
1-04 ARABIAN NIGHTS (demo) No
1-05 GROWIN' UP (demo) Yes
1-06 DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (demo) Yes
1-07 BISHOP DANCED Yes
1-08 SANTA ANA Yes
1-09 SEASIDE BAR SONG Yes
1-10 ZERO AND BLIND TERRY Yes
1-11 THE FEVER Yes (2)
1-12 LINDA LET ME BE THE ONE Yes
1-13 RENDEZVOUS Yes
1-14 A LOVE SO FINE Yes (1)
1-15 HEARTS OF STONE Yes
1-16 DON'T LOOK BACK Yes
1-17 OUTSIDE LOOKING IN No

1: As "So Young And In Love".
2: On 18 Tracks.
3: As the 1983 recording. Version 2 is likely a 1995 recording.
4: As the 1983 recording. 6-12 "Janey, Don't You Lose Heart" is likely a 1995 recording.

Tracks from sampler without concrete recording dates

BIG NEWS (IN A SMALL TOWN) uncirculating

Note: From a recently surfaced sampler a version of this song was considered for Tracks. Possibly recorded in the spring or summer of 1995.

DIDDLY uncirculating

A song titled "Diddly" was included on a six-CD internal sampler of Tracks from June 1998 alongside three other songs, possibly all dated from the same period. Since Tracks is arranged mostly chronologically we can assume with reasonable confidence that these songs are dated to the period between the conclusion of the Born In The USA Tour in October 1985, and the release of Tunnel Of Love in 1987. We can probably speculate that "Diddly" refers to Bo Diddley, but the song was dropped for the final version of Tracks, and no further information is known.

DUMB NOT BLIND uncirculating

Note: From a recently surfaced sampler a version of this song was considered for Tracks. Possibly recorded in the spring or summer of 1995.

I'M ALL GONE uncirculating

Note: From a recently surfaced Sampler a version of the song was considered for Tracks.

INDIAN TOWN uncirculating

Note: From a recently surfaced sampler a version of this song was considered for Tracks. Possibly recorded in the spring or summer of 1995.

RAIN (IN THE POURIN') uncirculating

Note: A song titled "Rain (In The Pourin'" was included on a six-CD internal sampler of Tracks from June 1998 alongside two other songs, presumably all dated from the same period. Since Tracks is arranged mostly chronologically, we can assume with reasonable confidence that these songs are dated to the period between the conclusion of the Born In The USA Tour in October 1985, and the release of Tunnel Of Love in 1987. Unfortunately "Rain (In The Pourin'" was dropped for the final version of Tracks, and no further information is known.

RUNAWAY uncirculating

Note: A song titled "Runaway" was included on a six-CD internal sampler of Tracks from June 1998. Since Tracks is arranged mostly chronologically, we can assume with reasonable confidence that "Runaway" can be dated to the period between 1989 and 1991. Unfortunately "Runaway" was dropped for the final version of Tracks, and no further information is known.

SILVER MOUNTAIN uncirculating

Note: From a recently surfaced sampler a version of this song was considered for Tracks. Possibly recorded in the spring or summer of 1995.

"SONG" uncirculating

Note: An early Tracks six-CD sample set from June 1998 indicates that a track titled "Song" was considered for Tracks, but ultimately rejected. It is likely this is a placeholder for another track, maybe one we are aware of. Since Tracks is arranged mostly chronologically, we can assume with reasonable confidence that it was recorded around late 1993, possibly into 1994. Unfortunately no further information is known.

Disclaimer | © 1996 - 2025 | Brucebase

icon_facebook.png icon_twitterx.png icon_instagram.png icon_youtube.png
infoonthetracksott_trcksstatistics
Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License