Demo songs and outtakes from the golden years of Bruce Springsteen are as crucial a listening experience for music history buffs as The Bootleg Series from Bob Dylan. These are the alternative versions, a sixty-nine-strong song collection of what-ifs. The Boss has all but cleared his archives with a double bill of Tracks II: The Lost Albums and Electric Nebraska, but there are still the earlier materials to sift through, too. Tracks is a blistering four-hour experience which profiles Springsteen’s earliest years as a performer, all the way back to songs recorded in 1972. What will stand out across Tracks is the first few moments of Springsteen in the studio are as confident and considered as his glory days. Tracks is, naturally, a project pitched to the already interested Springsteen fan, rather than the passing listener, but Tracks is a sensational project which compiles worthy demo tapes and outtakes which can stand as strong songs without the demo tag to them.
Take both Mary Queen of Arkansas and It’s Hard to be a Saint in the City, for instance. Two exceptional songs which highlight not only the strong vocal work Springsteen has provided for decades, but his stylish, unique qualities as an instrumentalist who can set the tempo for these slice of life stories. Standout moments in these 1972 recordings are a mesmerising example of Springsteen as a voice of the working class, something he has managed to maintain over the decades. But you can hear it best of all in these pre-fame days, the likes of Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street? and Santa Ana. Twenty-seven years of material is covered here, and it’s quite the feat. Chronologically presented, and rightly so, much of what makes up Tracks is of the same quality as what was officially released at the time. Alternatives to Born in the U.S.A. and songs which didn’t quite make the cut at the time of recording are the standard set here.
Outstanding moments from Springsteen can be found the whole way through Tracks. Selecting only the best of his demo recordings, live moments, and outtakes, provides listeners with context for their favourites and a selection of excellent deep cuts. Give the Girl a Kiss sounds like a Van Morrison number while the new wave thrills of Bring on the Night elicit a whole new sound for Springsteen. Much of Tracks is The Boss toying with new genres, in search of a new sound which was ultimately shelved in favour of what would be another startling album. Some all-time great Springsteen material can be found on here, like the beautiful This Hard Land, another song where The Boss blows his harmonica and hopes of a better future for his homeland. That’s his bread and butter, and there’s plenty of that sentiment, with a crucial variety, to be heard across Tracks.
Most of all, though, is how marvellous and consistent these sixty-nine songs are. Not a dud within, just the real best bits of twenty-seven years in the studio. Much of the material here is on par with the very high bar Springsteen set on his studio releases, and those that fall behind are because they are the sparks of an idea, rather than the fully fleshed out, final version. Tracks is a phenomenal collection of songs, and if you compare this structure to Tracks II, the sentiment and aim of the project is a little simpler. Here are the extra details and songs worth releasing, listen to them. That’s all Tracks is built on and it works tremendously well. Some all-time great Springsteen pieces can be found in here, just like they can be on The Promise, which released over a decade later. His archives are rich in quality, and the Springsteen team has, thankfully, taken care with how they release all this great work.
