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THE ESSENTIAL BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Bruce Springsteen
(Sony)
When your songbook boasts nearly 230 tunes, it's almost impossible to pare it down to 30 for a greatest hits compilation.
But that's what Bruce Springsteen did on his latest release, "The Essential Bruce Springsteen."
So basically 200 songs didn't make the Boss's cut, which will no doubt fuel the requisite amount of outrage among Springsteen fans. Which is why in the liner notes Springsteen writes:
"In any body of work there are obvious high points. The rest depends on who's doing the listening. Where you were, when it was, who you were with when a particular song or album cut the deepest."
This is the latest volume in the Columbia Records "Essentials" series, that has included previous contributions from Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, The Clash and others.
Springsteen says he saw a lot of "new faces" on his most recent tour and put the album together with them in mind. In essence, the album is split evenly between the "Old Bruce" - songs from 1972-82 - and the "New Bruce," which covers the period from 1984 until now.
The Boss is pretty democratic in his selections, choosing three tracks each from "Greetings From Asbury Park NJ," "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle," "Born to Run," "Darkness on the Edge of Town," "Born in the U.S.A.," the "Human Touch/Lucky Town" double release and "The Rising."
There are two songs each from "The River," "Nebraska," "Tunnel of Love" and "Live in New York City." Springsteen includes just one song from 1995's ill-received "Ghost of Tom Joad" and rounds out the top 30 with his Grammy winning tune "Streets of Philadelphia."
However, in trying to be all things to all people Springsteen has missed a chance to make this compilation truly outstanding. "The Rising," his weakest album lyrically, is elevated above "The River," arguably one of the best albums of all-time. He doesn't even include "My City Of Ruins," the best track on "The Rising." He could have easily overlooked the unexceptional "Mary's Place" and "Lonesome Day" (who knows the lyrics to this one?) for "The River's" more time-tested numbers like "Out In The Street," "Sherry Darling" or "I Wanna Marry You" to name but a few.
For our money he could also have subbed in "If I Should Fall Behind" and "Leap Of Faith" for "Living Proof" and "Lucky Town" off the self-same record.
Why Springsteen also felt the need to include "American Skin (41 Shots)" and "Land of Hope and Dreams" from "Live in New York City," which he had just released a year before, is anyone's guess.
Back in the spring Uncut magazine released a list of the 40 greatest Springsteen tracks, as compiled by editors, musicians and industry executives. Just 21 of those choices appear on "The Essential Bruce Springsteen." Songs that made that list, but we're omitted on this collection include: "Racing In The Streets," "Backstreets," "Highway Patrolman," "I'm On Fire," Candy's Room," "Lost in the Flood," "My Father's House," "State Trooper," "Meeting Across the River," "Dry Lightning," "If I Should Fall Behind," "Independence Day," "Prove It All Night," "Stolen Car," "Incident on 57th Street," "Kitty's Back," "Bobby Jean," "Adam Raised A Cain," and "Because The Night."
Interestingly just 10 of the 37 tracks covered on the recent release "Light Of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen," are included on the "Essential" album.
Basically, as Shakespeare would say, this is "Much Ado About Nothing." This is not the last greatest hits package The Boss will release and it's not the first, as he had previously documented his vast career on "Live 1975-1985" and 1995's "Greatest Hits."
The real gem of this release is not the old material, but the bonus CD of 12 songs, ranging from previously unreleased numbers like "The Big Payback" and "None But The Brave, to an awesome live cover of Jimmy Cliff's "Trapped" and a solid acoustic version of "Countin' On A Miracle."
However it always frustrates when an artist of Springsteen's magnitude tries to accommodate "new fans" at the expense of those of us who have been around long enough to tell his best work from a simple album-to-album anthology.
If they just wanted to produce a sampling from all his albums, which they have done here, they shouldn't have called it "The Essential Bruce Springsteen."
Track Listing
Disc 1:
1. Blinded By the Light
2. For You
3. Spirit In the Night
4. 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
5. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
6. Thunder Road
7. Born To Run
8. Jungleland
9. Badlands
10. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
11. The Promised Land
12. The River
13. Hungry Heart
14. Nebraska
15. Atlantic City
Disc 2:
1. Born In The U.S.A.
2. Glory Days
3. Dancing In The Dark
4. Tunnel Of Love
5. Brilliant Disguise
6. Human Touch
7. Living Proof
8. Lucky Town
9. Streets Of Philadelphia
10. The Ghost Of Tom Joad
11. The Rising
12. Mary's Place
13. Lonesome Day
14. American Skin (41 Shots) (Live)
15. Land Of Hope and Dreams (Live)
Disc 3:
1. From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)
2. Big Payback
3. Held Up Without A Gun (Live)
4. Trapped (Live)
5. None But The Brave
6. Missing
7. Lift Me Up
8. Viva Las Vegas
9. County Fair
10. Code Of Silence (Live)
11. Dead Man Walkin'
12. Countin' On a Miracle (Acoustic)