Tracks, pt. 2

Bryan: We're back with pt. 2 of the 4-CD set:

Bryan: I'm here again with Bryant. Bryant! We were just talking in pt. 1 about the amount of great tunes here and how inconceivable it is to think they were just lying around in the vault.

Bryant: Indeed we were. The entire Tracks project is arguably proof of Bruce’s ability to take great material and do the wrong thing with it.

Bryan: It seems there are a few more clunkers on the last 2 discs than the first. But let's put that to the test:

DISC THREE

“Cynthia”

Bryant: 2.5/5 Okay, now THIS sounds like Born in the U.S.A. The album, I mean. It’s not quite good enough for me to say it ought to have made the cut, though. I do like it, though. I will not end a third consecutive sentence in “though,” though.  (Dammit!)

Bryan: 2.5/5 I don't reall like the rhythm / syllable-emphasis of "Cyn-THEE-a." The name is typically emphasized CYN-thee-a, so it seems like it's being forced to fit into the chorus to me. Just pick a different name, dude. But I agree with your review/score.

“My Love Will Not Let You Down”

Bryant: 4.5/5 Fuckin’-A, man. Fuckin’-A.

Bryan: 3/5 I like this one a bit less than you but about the same as the Live from NYC one.

“This Hard Land”

Bryant: My personal take is that this original version is preferable to the Greatest Hits version. My guess is that Bruce’s reason for rerecording it is the fact that his voice sounds here as if it’s been shredded by a hard day’s work. And yeah, sure, that’s true. But I think the strength of the band renders that sort of irrelevant. 2.75/5 I don’t think it’s that much better.

Bryan: Agreed. I actually rated the Greatest Hits version too high and just adjusted it. This is a better version. 2.75/5

“Frankie”

Bryant: Hoo boy. Let’s go with 3.5/5, although I kind of want to go higher. I can imagine some Springsteen fans holding this one near and dear the way I do “New York City Serenade” and “Valentine’s Day.” I don’t quite get there with it, but it is awfully good. It feels like it might have been envisioned as the epic album-closer, only to get replaced by the simpler, more intimate, more inviting “My Hometown.”

Bryan: 3.25/5 This could've been something for sure. Added a quarter point for that outro/last section, which is pretty cool.

“TV Movie”

Bryant: Shades of Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally” (or Ringo Starr’s, if you prefer), this kickass country/rock hybrid would have felt right at fuckin’ home on Born in the U.S.A., which is what it was written for. 3.75/5

Bryan: 4/5 Agreed on all counts. "Act Naturally" (or "Maggie May" from Let It Be) kind of vibe for sure and had vinyl only been able to hold more songs back then, hard to see Bruce having left this off. Would've fit Born in the U.S.A. like a glove in every respect.

“Stand On It”

Bryan: 3.25/5 Can we peek into that alternate timeline where Bruce got a bunch of songs to Elvis? And can we add another 10-20 (or more) years to the King's life so this could be the soundtrack to a Bruce/ Elvis team-up movie?

Bryant: Here’s another one that could very, very easily have fit on Born in the U.S.A. Man, that dude was on fire for the first three or four years of the eighties. 3.25/5  I’ll echo your call for Elvis to return to life to be given Springsteen songs circa 1984. Oh, if only.

“Lion’s Den”

Bryant: 3/5 I repeat: on fire. I dig the chorus on this one, although I can also imagine some people hating it.

Bryan: 3.9/4 On fire indeed. This is great! Maybe a shade too Huey Lewis, they thought? I dig Huey don't get me wrong but I can see that decision making sense at the time. Love the outro. Actually, I kind of wish I could hear early 80s Huey Lewis and the News do this one; they'd have killed it.

“Car Wash”

Bryan: 2.5/5 The riff was kinda recycled for "Darlington County" somewhat. Interesting he chose a girl for the protagonist. Not a bad one. Like you say he / the band was on such a roll that even something slight like this has the sound/ feel of a missed-classic. Though, I don't think it's missed too much.

Bryant: I mean, of course he wrote a song about somebody working at a car wash at some point. How could he not have? And hey, surprise, surprise: it’s good. 3/5 from me.

“Rockaway the Days”

Bryant: Never have been a fan of this one, and my mind didn’t change this time. It’s not bad, it just hits my ears wrong for some reason. I’ll go with 2/5.

Bryan: Agreed, 2/5. Although a slower, sparser version might've fit in on Tunnel of Love.

“Brothers Under the Bridges ‘83”

Bryant: 2.5/5 In terms of the band’s performance, this one is strong. But I really don’t like that “lay-lay-lay-lay” business at the beginning and end, and that probably drops this one a full point for me. Unfair? Mayhap it is.

Bryan: 2.25/5 This one seems to have been casserole'd for a variety of other songs, but I couldn't tell you exactly which. Well, except that "lay lay lay" part going to "No Surrender" I guess. But the rest of it too.

“Man at the Top”

Bryant: This was a Born in the U.S.A. outtake, but it would have worked better on Nebraska. I say that, but the band sure does add a lot to this one, especially Clarence, who doesn’t quite rip loose, but nevertheless makes his presence strongly felt. 2.75/5

Bryan: 2/5 Nice CC at the end, though, for sure.

We covered “Pink Cadillac” in some depth, so on to:

“Two for the Road”

Bryan: 3.75/5 Sweet little tune. Although I think "All That Heaven Would Allow" kinda covered this vibe - hell, maybe that one was cannibalized from this one or vice versa, I don't know.

Bryant: For no apparent reason, a Tunnel of Love outtake has been jumped up in the chronology. It works just fine there, to be honest. It sounds like the mood of Nebraska had not quite gotten out of Bruce’s system, and that is a-ok by me. This is nothing super special, though. 2.25/5 from me.

“Janey Don’t You Lose Heart”

Bryant: This b-side for “I’m on Fire” returns us briefly to the land of Born in the U.S.A. rejects. I 100% dig this song, too. 4/5, which is about how good a song needs to be to be an adequate b-side for “I’m on Fire.”

Bryan: 4.25/5 This should've been the B-side hit alongside "Pink Cadillac." Great tune. And yeah I agree 4 stars is a minimum threshold to justify being the flip side of "I'm On Fire."

“When You Need Me”

Bryant: Dadgum, apparently even Tunnel of Love had some strong castoffs! I say that as though (A) it surprises me and (B) as though that’s not a great album. As we’ve established, it IS a great album. It might have been slightly greater if it had this on it instead of, say, “Spare Parts.” 2.25/5

Bryan: 3.75/5 This could use a bagpipe. That's in addition ot the harmonica. Or maybe some CC.

“The Wish”

Bryant: This seems like it could have been written for Dolly Parton or Kenny Rogers or somebody like that. Either one of them would have crushed this. It’s a bit less persuasive coming from Springsteen, but he does okay by it. I wonder if it was a bit TOO country for Bruce to feel comfortable putting it on Tunnel of Love? It covers some of the same thematic territory as “Walk Like a Man,” so maybe he just felt it was unnecessary. 3.5/5 from me, which puts it on the same plane of equality with “Walk Like a Man.” I’d have just put ‘em both on there; this would immediately have become a favorite of many a middle-aged female Bruce fan.

Bryan: 3.25/5 Yeah I hear "Walk Like a Man" in here a little, too. Not a bad tune. Very country for sure - Emmylou Harris or Natalie Merchant again might've killed it in addition to the two you mention. We'd have made great middlemen between Bruce and those who'd have covered his songs. Favorite of middle-aged ladies sounds about right.

“The Honeymooners”

Bryan: 2/5 That was definitely where his mind was at then for sure. I'm not sure where the pivotal point would actually be, but it seems a lot of traditional-rock acts like Bruce (or coming out of the rock/ singer-songwriter tradition) end up with the "back to roots/ country-folk" album after they hit the big-time. Dylan and Mellencamp and some others (McCartney too) come to mind. Maybe Bruce was just at that point of his career.

Bryant: I mean, shit, he really just wanted to write a for-real country album circa 1987, didn’t he? I think that’s obvious, and I betcha somebody talked him out of marketing Tunnel of Love that way. The Carlin book probably speaks to that one way or the other. You’d think I’d remember, but no. I’m not too big a fan of this song, but it’s okay. 2.25/5, which makes it marginally better than most of Tom Joad.

“Lucky Man”

Bryan: 1/5 Nothing to this one really, just a punctuation mark for the end of this disc I guess. I can kinda sorta hear where this might've gone (think some big blues-rock # like "Dark Night" by The Blasters, maybe? Would've been cool.)

Bryant: 1.75/5 The lyrics mark this as possibly a version of what turned into “Valentine’s Day,” but apart from that, I’m not much interested in this song. It points the way toward the next couple of albums, and not necessarily in the good way.

DISC FOUR

Bryan: So far my idea that the last 2 discs have the clunkers is totally wrong. Disc Three had some fantastic material.

Bryant: With the exception of the last two tracks, which come from the Tom Joad era, this disc is entirely composed of rejects from the Human Touch and Lucky Town era (and of those, only one comes from Lucky Town’s sessions). So I suspect my memory is correct, and this disc really drags the entire box set down. Let’s find out!

“Leavin’ Train”

Bryant: Well, okay, this isn’t great, but it’s quite a bit better than much of Human Touch. 2.25/5

Bryan: 2.25/5 I look forward to revisiting Human Touch to answer to all of your charges! But yeah this one's just okay. (This was written before I listened to Human Touch for this project, even though that one was published first. It's like Lost around here!)

“Seven Angels”

Bryant:  Shit … okay, well, here’s another one I don’t love, but find to be vastly preferable to most of Human Touch. Bruce, what was your deal in 1992, man? 2.25/5 for this song, 1/5 for your song-selection skills in the early nineties.

Bryan: 2.5/5 See, I think this would've fit in over on Lucky Town moreso than Human Touch. I'm not sure I could explain or even understand why I think that, just from how those two albums hit my ear.

“Gave It a Name”

Bryant: Well, it’s only a few precincts that are reporting in, but I’m already prepared to announce that not only is this fourth disc of Tracks better than I remembered, but there was clearly a MUCH better version of Human Touch waiting to be sequenced and released, probably to a more receptive audience. And that’s without even getting the Lucky Town songs involved! This song is probably another 2.25/5, but I’m tempted to go a quarter-point higher.

Bryan: 2.25/5 This guitar strum sound is so early 90s, isn't it? Not bad. This one needs some Clarence or Danny Federici or something. Too bad they never revisited it (to my knowledge) when they got the band back together and re-arranged it a bit.

These pics are incongruous with the chronology of the tunes, but hey.

“Sad Eyes”

Bryant: 4/5, which means this would have been my favorite song on Human Touch. Instead, he gave it away to Trisha Yearwood, who, admittedly, did a good job with it. Maybe Bruce thought his falsetto didn’t work? To be fair, it kind of doesn’t. But the song is so good that it doesn’t really matter to me.

Bryan: 3.5/5 Yeah this is quality. I don't think I'd ever heard the Trisha Yearwood version until just right now, and I quite like it. I wouldn't have in the 90s, so that's always fun to discover.

“My Lover Man”

Bryant: This is perhaps not a worthy thought, but I’m forced to wonder if Bruce’s gay fans don’t get hard as a rock when they hear this. I hope they do! That sort of thing puts a smile on my face.

Bryan: 2/5 We cover all the angles here at the Omnibus! I can't speculate as to the arousal effect on the gay Springsteen fan of the species, but it sounds like it started life as either a "Brilliant Disguise" clone or maybe this is the tune that turned into that, I don't know. Not much going on here, your score seems about right.

Bryant: I would speculate that he must have written this intending to give it to Patti, or maybe to some country artist. It’s not a favorite for me, though, and definitely does not inspire tumescence. 2/5

“Over the Rise”

Bryan: 2.5/5 It's okay but not a fave.

Bryant: I’m digging this one hardcore only a few seconds into the song, and that never lets up. 4/5 Great stuff. Unthinkable for this not to have been included on Human Touch. He’d have been nuts to leave this off Tunnel of Love!

“When the Lights Go Out”

Bryant: The opening bass line is heavily reminiscent of “57 Channels,” so much so that I wonder if this song didn’t turn into that one somehow. Nothing special here, but I can give it a 2/5 and feel good about it.

Bryan: 2.5/5 "57 Channels" and "Pink Cadillac" both. It's okay but yeah, not so much.

“Loose Change”

Bryan: 2.25/5 Oh sure Bruce! Go all 911 Truther on us, now! And even a few years ahead of the curve.

Bryant: Okay, this is just getting silly, now. 3.25/5 and to be honest, I might be low on this one. I wonder if it was left off just because Bruce says “shit-hole town”?

“Trouble in Paradise”

Bryant: 2/5 Here again, I don’t love it but definitely like it.

Bryan: 2/5 Kind of boring.

“Happy”

Bryan: 2.75/5 Not bad but not a fave. I forget what Bruce has - bipolar like his Dad? Manic depression? Just some depressive tendencies? - but I bet this describes it pretty well. I appreciate the glimpse in such cases, but it's a crowded field. Still, this is pretty good. I kind of want to hear Tom Petty do it. Again! I've been saying that a lot with these tracks.

Bryant: Here’s the sole Lucky Town outtake on the box set, and goldurn if it’s not strong enough (3.75/5) that I feel it was a foolish omission, too! Boy, I really misremembered the quality of this fourth disc. I believe there may have been a specific reason for that…

“Part Man, Part Monkey”

Bryant: 2.25/5 …and it was this song, which I hated the last time I heard it. But hearing it now, it’s not only not bad, it’s actually kinda cool. Do I need Bruce to do a reggae song about Darwinism? Probably not. But he did, and it’s kinda catchy.

Bryan: 3/5 Love the title. One of my favorite books in college was Zen Mind, Monkey Mind. I appreciate the attempt at this sort of thing. Not bad. Feels like I've heard this before but googling around I don't think I have (never had the "57 Channels" single nor seen any of the live clips on YouTube.) Is it from anywhere else?

“Goin’ Cali”

Bryan: 2/5 Meh.  Although the lyrics are interesting in that he wrote it (he says) as a self-reflection of his own journey, but it kind of mirrors the one his Dad made (and for similar reasons) too.

Bryant: Here’s another one that sounds a bit like it could be an early version of “57 Channels.” This is even more strongly reminiscent of that than “When the Lights Go Out” was. But to be honest, this is no “57 Channels.” It’s just okay. 2/5

“Back in Your Arms”

Bryant: 3.5/5, proving that even the Greatest Hits sessions weren’t immune to having a reject that ought to have made the grade. In fact, does it seem likely that they had enough good material from those sessions that they could have just stuck to the actual hits on that compilation and then turned right around and put out a full album? It does to me. Instead, we got The Ghost of Tom Joad, which seems like a poor deal for us.

Bryan: 2.5/5 I'd never criticize the sentiment expressed in this song. If it hits you, it hits you, but otherwise it's a crowded field, this sort of tune and vibe, for me. (Nice Clarence as always.)

“Brothers Under the Bridge ‘95”

Bryant: 3/5 for this one, which is obviously a much more contemplative thing than the ’83 version. And for me, it’s an improvement.

Bryan: 3/5 This sounds a lot nicer coming out of my TV speakers than it does my computer ones. FWIW.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Bryant: Overall – I was tempted to score the discs separately, but that’d be silly, and unproductive. * So instead, I’ve got a score for the full set: 185.5 total, 2.81 average.

Bryan: * (Nevertheless I plugged his scores into my spreadsheet when I got them, hence the individual-disc scores already given.) My scores averaged out at 2.83. Pretty close.

Bryant: Okay, so, two more bits of business:

First, the hypothetical tracklist (and score) for the imaginary Loose Ends album:

(1)  Thundercrack (4/5)
(2)  Give the Girl a Kiss  (4/5)
(3)  So Young and in Love  (4/5)
(4)  Hearts of Stone  (4/5)
(5)  Don’t Look Back  (3.25/5)
(6)  Roulette  (3.75/5)
(7)  Loose Ends  (4.25/5)
(8)  Be True  (4/5)
(9)  My Love Will Not Let You Down  (4.5/5)
(10)  Frankie  (3.5/5)
(11)  Man at the Top  (2.75/5)

That album would have received a 3.82 from me, good enough to vault it into fifth place among his albums for me.

So that’s what Bruce had going on in those days.

Bryan: Your proposed Loose Ends album gets a respectable 3.39 from me. I like that you left off a few of your own higher-scored favorites and went for more of an album-flow/ tell-a-story sort of deal, much as Bruce himself does when choosing his final song order. I’d have found room for “Janey” and “Pink Cadillac” though, which would put it up 3.58.

Bryant: The second piece of business is to go through 18 Tracks real quick. Obviously, it’s a condensation of the box set, with a few extras frustratingly added on, although I am sure glad to have them.

Bryan: Let's have a look at those.

"Trouble River"

Bryant: This is a Human Touch outtake, and while it’s on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of the rejects this project unearthed, it’s arguably still better than some of Human Touch. 1.75/5 from me. Not sure why you’d put this on 18 Tracks as opposed to, say, “Thundercrack,” but hey, whatever, Bruce.

Bryan: I hear you on that last score. Inscrutable Bruce can be. I suppose this tune nods towards commercial viability, which was what he (allegedly) was going for with this 1-disc set. Not bad. I’ll give it 2.5.

“The Fever”

Bryant: Hey, remember a minute ago, when I was making a hypothetical album?  This might ought to have been on it. 4.5/5 from me for this insanely awesome E Street Shuffle outtake, which has some of Clarence’s finest moments.

Bryan: Right there with you on this one. This reminds me of an obscure INXS b-side called “On the Rocks,” not because it reminds me of it musically, just the vibe/ tucked-away-out-of-sight-ness of it. This definitely belongs on the Loose Ends compilation album. I won’t go as high as 4.5, but a solid 4.25 from me. Very Van Morrison-esque. Okay, so adding this tune raises the hypothetical Loose Ends to 3.92 from you and 3.63 from me.

“The Promise”

Bryant: So evidently, fans were super pissed about this song from the Darkness on the Edge of Town sessions being left off of Tracks. Bruce’s response was to record an entirely different version than the one fans wanted, and then slap it onto a Reader’s Digest Condensed Books abridgement of Tracks that those fans would then feel obliged to buy. It’s precisely this kind of shit that led to the collapse of the music industry’s physical sales. But I’m not here to judge shenanigans resultant from poor business decisions, I’m here to judge the music. And this a fine song. 3.25/5 from me.

Bryan: Man, I don't even know the right kind of word for that. Ornery? Eccentric? Recalictrant? Insouciant? Wankerish? Tough to tell what the thinking was there. I’m not even a big fan of this tune. Sounds like a bad church tune to me personally. 2/5.

Bryant: The original version is even better, which we’ll get to later. But it’s also very different, which makes me wonder why on Earth Bruce thought putting a vastly different version on 18 Tracks was a good idea.

RANKINGS

Just for fun, I've included the proposed Loose Ends as well as Bryant's proposed mash-up (at the aforelinked review of '92 Bruce - here it is again) of Lucky Town and Human Touch that he dubbed Book of Dreams.

Bryant:

Human Touch 1.7
Lucky Town 2.15
The Ghost of Tom Joad 2.46
Book of Dreams 2.58
Chimes of Freedom 2.69
In Concert / Mtv Plugged 2.75
Greetings from Asbury Park 2.75
Tracks 2.81
Blood Brothers 2.9
Tunnel of Love 3.35
Greatest Hits (New Tracks Only) 3.38
The River 3.39
The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle 3.68
Live ’75 - ‘85 3.7
Loose Ends 3.92
Born to Run 4.35
Darkness on the Edge of Town 4.4
Nebraska 4.63
Born in the USA 4.88

Bryan:

Lucky Town 2.15
Greetings from Asbury Park 2.19
The Ghost of Tom Joad 2.44
In Concert / MTV Plugged 2.82
Tracks 2.83
Chimes of Freedom 2.86
Blood Brothers 2.88
Human Touch 2.9
Book of Dreams 3.1
The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle 3.43
Loose Ends 3.63
Greatest Hits (New Tracks Only) 3.65
The River 3.71
Tunnel of Love 3.8
Darkness on the Edge of Town 3.82
Live ’75 - ‘85 4
Born to Run 4.41
Nebraska 4.5
Born in the USA 5.4

~

See you next week for another 4 discs of E Street Mayhem with 

Live in New York City and The Rising!