With seven archival albums released from a packed vault, Bruce Springsteen shares the “what could have been” stories with his listeners. Every album bears the quality commonly associated with The Boss, who does well to tie Nebraska and Born in the U.S.A together with one release, and showcase his understanding of stadium-sized momentum on others. He reconnects with his roots, the foundations of others, and experiments well across seven albums certainly worth listening to. This is not a collection for the dedicated listener, though it does serve them well. Even a passing fan, someone wanting to learn more of Springsteen through his music, is catered to. Some albums are simply better than others, though, and you can find out which is the best of Tracks II: The Lost Albums below.
STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA
Even the weakest album of Tracks II: The Lost Albums has much to offer. Springsteen never lost his heart in the studio, and that much is heard even over the drum machine sound. His “loop album” is an interesting experiment, though it gives Springsteen very little to do as a performer. He has always had the right words for the occasion, and it makes this discarded album worth listening to, but the likes of Blind Spot and Something in the Well highlight the somewhat underwhelming feeling to the instrumental pieces. Experimentation is nothing to be ashamed of, though, and there are a few songs of note throughout.
Read our review of Streets of Philadelphia here.
TWILIGHT HOURS
A take on slow tempo, baroque-like pop numbers is a sweet set from The Boss. Twilight Hours gives Springsteen the chance to further his vocal appeal, to dig in deeper to those charms which he relies on during the most staggering of rock and roll tracks. Strip those instrumentals from him, and the mood is not the same, but the intensity and heart are. Warmth is what works for Twilight Hours, and there is enough of it here, in the likes of High Sierra and Lonely Town, for the project to work.
Read our review of Twilight Hours here.
FAITHLESS
A film project which was never meant to be and the first of many truly strong, overall solid efforts to be heard on Tracks II: The Lost Albums. Where Streets of Philadelphia and Twilight Hours present a wholly new form for Springsteen, Faithless takes him fully out of his comfort zone and has The Boss offer detailed instrumentals, songs which fit the score of the film. These are still his musings on life, but in the context of a film we shall never see, they have a flavour of the characters they were set to back, the world they were to be performed in.
Read our review of Faithless here.
PERFECT WORLD
Proving he can still write out capable, quality stadium rock and roll, Perfect World serves as a return to Springsteen’s roots. You can hear his command of the stage easily filtered through those rock and roll riffs here, but the stock he already has in his impressive discography makes even the best of this Tracks II: The Lost Albums entry redundant. A brilliant listen, but one which was easily scrappable given how hard it would be to fit these songs, exciting as they are, into an already crammed setlist. A harsh case, one of many to be heard on the compilation album.
Read our review of Perfect World here.
INYO
Crucial to his growth as an artist is an understanding of other countries, other hometowns. Springsteen gets to grips with that on the remarkable Inyo album, a collection of songs which suggest those fundamentals of faith and pride in the U.S.A. are not exclusive. Experimental? Absolutely. Great listening, too. That is all you can ask for. Lead single Adelita was more than a hint at what Springsteen was aiming for on this would-be release.
SOMEWHERE NORTH OF NASHVILLE
Springsteen always had a strong country album in him, it was finding the time to do it which seemed most taxing of all. Between those Seeger Sessions and the deep-rooted understanding for his country he displayed on Born in the U.S.A., the wordplay and confident assessments made by The Boss on Somewhere North of Nashville are a given. A shame to see them dumped at the time, but we are all the better for listening to it now the archives have been pillaged for quality materials.
Read our review of Somewhere North of Nashville here.
LA GARAGE SESSIONS ’83
A vital link between Nebraska and Born in the U.S.A. is unearthed on the LA Garage Sessions ’83. Even without this context, it would be the best Tracks II: The Lost Albums has to offer. A delicate selection of truly powerful materials which, had they seen the light of day at the time, would further the candid efforts of Nebraska and the powerful, political criticisms heard on Born in the U.S.A. A lost album, certainly, but no less impactful than the studio releases either side of it.
Read our review of LA Garage Sessions ’83 here.
