Born to Run: 30th Anniversary 3-Disc Set
The first retooling of any album in the mighty Springsteen catalog is an exemplary labor of love by Columbia. The original 1975 release was the make-or-break record of Bruce's career and arguably still his best collection of material. It is presented here on one disc unsullied by outtakes or inferior versions--just pristine digital remasters of those eight grittily romantic songs of street life that defined the artist's signature styles. The substantial bonuses are two new DVD programs, one featuring a full concert performance by Bruce and the E Street Band on their first date outside the U.S. at London's Hammersmith Odeon in November 1975, and the other a "making of" documentary including band interviews and contemporary concert footage. The whole handsome box truly honors a legendary recording while providing generous value for fans.
The meat of the bonus material is the London show. A mythology has built around it that the band were so disorientated by travel and culture shock and Bruce so enraged by label-generated hype that they gave one of the worst performances of their career. Primitively shot by today's standards, the footage captures the brilliance of the relatively new band's ensemble playing. Highlights include a "Thunder Road" accompanied only by keyboards that opens the show, fiery solos on "Kitty's Back," a dynamic "Saint in the City," and a number of songs that have long since been retired. It's certainly notable how pensive and joyless Springsteen appears when compared to his later, animated stadium persona, but it's also fun to see the far greater role as foil played by Clarence Clemons. As he now testifies in the sleeve notes, putting lie to the myth, on that night they had "gone for broke," and as this writer can bear witness, the British audience exalted the show as the arrival of the greatest live performer of his generation. --Rob Stewart [ read more ] »
Born to Run: 30th Anniversary 3-Disc Set @ amazon

Personally supervised by Bruce Springsteen and Jon Landau, the box set includes "Hammersmith Odeon, london '75," an astonishing film of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's legendary 1975 concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in London; the new film "Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run;" the classic album in remastered cd form; and finally, a 48 page booklet of previously unpublished photographs. With its two dvds, the package offers approximately four hours of previously unseen footage.
Spanning roughly two hours and ten minutes, the November 18, 1975 concert at London's Hammersmith Odeon finds an epic performance of sixteen Bruce Springsteen classics, including "Thunder Road," "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out," "Jungleland," and "Born to Run", as well as such other favourites such as "Kitty's Back" and "Rosalita". The multiple-camera film of the complete concert will be available in its entirety and its original sequence, as newly edited by emmy award winner Thom Zimny. "Hammersmith Odeon, London '75" is the only full-length concert film ever released of Bruce and the E Street Band's first 25 years.
The ninety-minute documentary "Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run" chronicles the definitive story of the creation of Born to Run, from songwriting to production and beyond. "Wings for Wheels" boasts archival film never shown publicly, including substantial footage of Springsteen and the E Street Band recording the album, 1975 concert film and other footage shot between 1973 and 1975. The film also features exclusive footage of Springsteen playing solo piano and guitar versions of songs from Born to Run. [ read more ] »
Born to Run: 30th Anniversary Edition @ amazon uk

The Essential Bruce Springsteen
Vastly expanding 1995's single disc Greatest Hits, The Essential Bruce Springsteen easily surpasses the earlier best-of set by serving up all its true essentials and tossing in less appreciated treats and a full disc of rarities. Disc one spans the first decade of Springsteen's recording career, serving up at least two tracks each from the six albums that laid the groundwork for his '80s burst into superstardom. Disc two picks up with his mainstream breakthrough, 1984's Born in the U.S.A., and carries on through 2002's The Rising, tossing in live recordings of "American Skin" and "Land of Hope and Dreams" for good measure. The selections and sequencing surpass those made on Greatest Hits, though there's not too much in the way of surprises, other than that it appears that Born in the U.S.A. hasn't aged all that well for the Boss; here, he selects only three songs from the hit-laden smash, one fewer than is found on the skimpy Greatest Hits. Disc three is where the fun really starts for all but neophytes. The live "Held Up Without a Gun" is as gutsy a one minute and 20 seconds as Springsteen as one could ask for, and the likes of "Trapped," "Countin' on a Miracle," and a cover of "Viva Las Vegas" rank with his signature songs. --Steven Stolder [ read more ] »