Tracks [Box set, Original recording remastered]

Bruce Springsteen | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 10, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Columbia
• ASIN: B00000DHTF
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (206 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,055 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #95 in Music > Rock > Singer-Songwriters

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Next time you find yourself debating the worth of Bruce Springsteen, pull out this brilliant four-disc outtake set. With a flick of his grease-monkey wrist, Springsteen proves--simply by issuing long-unreleased material--why he's the most consistent (read: important) composer in the pop-rock field of his generation. It's there in a dozen included B-sides ("Pink Cadillac," "Shut Out the Light," "Janey Don't You Lose Heart"). It's there in countless rabble-rousing anthems, the singer's stock in working-class trade ("Roulette," "Stand on It," "Car Wash," "Brothers Under the Bridges"). But, mainly, it's there between the lines, in the small idiosyncrasies Springsteen detected within almost every cut that made him--until now--withhold this material. Some are glaringly obvious--the singsong "Living on the Edge of the World," whose lyrics were later lifted for the more sinister "Open All Night"; the morphing of several "Iceman" verses into sentiments expressed on Darkness on the Edge of Town. Some are collectible curiosities, like the starkly disparate alternate takes of "Stolen Car" and "Born in the U.S.A." And others are more meticulous, often coming down to a simple phrase, riff, or melody line that wound up flunking final-cut muster. And when you stumble across those tiny, fleeting moments, moments that would matter to only a true perfectionist, the true artistry of Springsteen unfurls in all its ragged glory. --Tom Lanham

Product Description

item is in great condition plastic has just been removed. great gift for any music lover.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential listening for Bruce fans September 26, 2003

By Aaron Collins

Format:Audio CD

I know it's tempting to pick up the single disc 18-Tracks compilation instead of the whole four disc set, but this is truely four discs worth of great music. Fans of Springsteen should definitely pick up this set. I'm usually bored to death by B-Sides and rarities collections, but I absolutely adore this set. Every song has something to say. When most bands are struggling to include one or two decent songs on an album, Bruce has come forward with stuff that didn't make the cut at first, and it's more consistent then most albums coming out today. He is an amazing musician and this release helps to display that. It's hard to believe that most of these songs stayed in the vaults for no one to hear for so long. One highlight is My Love Will Not Let You Down, which consistently made it's way into live sets when the E Street band reunited in 1999. There's a great recording of This Hard Land, which is one of my favorite songs Bruce has ever written. Overall, I like the recording found on his Greatest Hits set more, but this recording is still wonderful. This set is a must buy for fans, and it is certainly good for anyone seeking an education in what real music is all about.

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars ****1/2 - very impressive November 22, 2003

By Docendo Discimus

Format:Audio CD

Not a career retrospective, Bruce Springsteen's "Tracks" gathers four discs worth of unreleased songs, B-sides, and alternate takes.
It does miss out on a few great songs, like the superb rock n' roll gem "From Small Things" (which is now finally available on the "Essential Bruce Springsteen" collection), and the grinding, bluesy folk of "If I Was The Priest" (which isn't).

But that's a minor complaint, because this big, handsomely packaged and well annotated set is a real treasure trove. Bruce Springsteen has always been famous for leaving great songs off his records simply because they didn't fit in with the overall mood or the theme of the record, and the quality of much of this material is amazing.

The songs are logically sequenced, beginning with a few early acoustic demos of songs which would appear on Springsteen's debut album, and ending with outtakes from "Human Touch" and "Lucky Town".
The first 2 1/2 discs are the best, but there is a lot of excellent material on all four CDs, ranging from acoustic folk-rock to tremendously gritty electric rock songs like "Give The Girl A Kiss" and the rough and emotional "Hearts Of Stone".
Other highlights include the driving hard rock of "Where The Bands Are" and "Rendezvous", the original version of "This Hard Land", and of course the classic "Pink Cadillac". And numerous other songs, many of which will be completely unknown to most listeners.

Springsteen may not be the blinding visionary that Bob Dylan is, but "Tracks" is almost as essential for Springsteen fans as Bob Dylan's renowned "Bootleg" series is for Dylan-philes. It is certainly hard to imagine another rock composer who could put out four CDs worth of outtakes and B-sides, let alone four discs which would maintain this level of quality....
This is not the place to start your Springsteen collection, of course, but it's a great stop to make along the way once you are hooked. Read more ›

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A few thoughts for new Springsteen fans June 30, 2000

By "rainbowcrow"

Format:Audio CD

For diehard Springsteen fans, no review is necessary. If any one of them has yet to acquire a copy of this stunning four-CD set, it is certainly not a matter of WHETHER or not to do so, but simply a matter of how to beg, borrow, or steal the sixty-odd dollar price of the collection. And once the copy is finally purchased, the fan won't be reading reviews; she'll be too busy immersing herself in the power of the music, the joy of watching Springsteen's songwriting evolve, and the fascination of discovering the roots of well-loved and well-worn Springsteen classics.

So let me target my review to newer Springsteen fans - those who own one or two records but certainly not the whole canon, or those who know his songs from radio play or friends, but have yet to pick up any of his music. For these people, the obvious question arises - is Tracks a good place to begin?

For all the incredible things I could say about this record (notice my unequivocal five-star rating) and for all the time that these four CD's have spent in my CD player, I would suggest that the new fan start elsewhere. In my opinion, there are at least three records that one should buy first: Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and Nebraska. I don't think that I venture too far into hyperbole with the claim that these three records offer a power, brilliance, and consistency of vision almost unmatched by any trio from any artist in the whole of rock and roll. If you don't own these three records, go out and buy them now. When the chills finally start to subside and your breath finally begins to return, THEN you can order yourself a copy of Tracks. You won't be disappointed....

That said, the absolutely amazing thing about this collection is how very close it comes, in quality and span, to these three keystone records. While I've recommended them over this collection, one would not go far wrong by starting with Tracks as an introduction to Springsteen. This is an extraordinary claim, after all; I am arguing that a collection of unreleased material and B-sides comes very close to holding its own against three of the greatest records in all of rock and roll. Read more ›

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bruce hits like a thundercrack August 22, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Audio CD

I have been a long-time fan of Bruce Springsteen. Bootleggers may know me as the guy that shouted "Bradley Beach!!" from the Bottom Line. Anyway, even though there is a tremendous amount of great Bruce music omitted, what is included in this collection is going to blow you away. Remember that Bruce was writing these songs shortly after the Beatles sued each other, right through the disco age, and well into the hairspray sounds of Duran Duran and Kajagoogoo (or something like that). The Punks had come and gone. Heavy metal and rap found niches.

But nothing shook Bruce from the pure foundation of full steam ahead american rock & roll painted with the sweat of desire. His ability to tell a story about characters we would never otherwise want to know, but now totally relate to is genius.

I cannot stop listening to this unbelievable collection.