Red Mosquito

I think "The Wrestler" is technically a bonus track, though I'm not sure how useful of a distinction that is when every version of the album includes it. "Last Carnival" makes for a good closer, though -- I feel like it calls back to "Wild Billy's Circus Story" a bit, perhaps a sort of third act for those characters...

I definitely like the album closing with the combo of "The Wrestler" and "A Night with the Jersey Devil". That last one is such an unexpectedly sinister way to end things.

Magic is top notch.

Weirdly, I think BOB's production on Magic actually sounds really good. I don't know why WOAD sounds so bad when it came right after.

I'm completely the opposite. I don't know if it's a production or a mastering thing, but Magic sounds brickwalled to death. Gypsy Biker should have been the best rocker he's ever recorded, but the album version is literally painful to listen to.

WOAD sounds better to me for some reason. More clarity between the instruments.

Kevin Davis wrote:I think "The Wrestler" is technically a bonus track, though I'm not sure how useful of a distinction that is when every version of the album includes it. "Last Carnival" makes for a good closer, though -- I feel like it calls back to "Wild Billy's Circus Story" a bit, perhaps a sort of third act for those characters...

I know there were some editions that didn't have The Wrestler on it. I remember my friend Linley being super pissed that whatever edition she bought (maybe the iTunes one?) came without it.

The Last Carnival makes sense as a closer, what with Danny's death taking place less than a year earlier. The Wrestler really doesn't (and A Night With the Jersey Devil doesn't at all, being a freebie he emailed out the previous Halloween to people on his mailing list or something like that).

I'm listening to the first disc of "Tracks" now -- I'm fairly sure Bruce has unleashed about 75,000 words already, and I am halfway through the third song. A man after my own heart.

Has someone made a "Tracks" companion volume? As I understand this set barely scratches the surface of what Bruce has in the vault. I'm not very well-versed in his bootography.

I prefer this over the regular Born in the U.S.A.

Kevin Davis wrote:I'm listening to the first disc of "Tracks" now -- I'm fairly sure Bruce has unleashed about 75,000 words already, and I am halfway through the third song. A man after my own heart.

Has someone made a "Tracks" companion volume? As I understand this set barely scratches the surface of what Bruce has in the vault. I'm not very well-versed in his bootography.

There used to be an ungodly large anthology floating around the net somewhere. I'm sure it's still out there.

I've still never gotten around to putting Tracks on my ipod and giving it a listen

Personally, I love Magic, Wrecking Ball, and High Hopes...and I can't stomach Working on a Dream. Bruce was obviously just trying to capitalise on the country's optimism following Obama's election, but it was a huge swing and a miss.

However, I can't help but love Outlaw Pete. Its overly long and trying too hard to be epic, but its such a silly and fun story that by the time we're halfway through the song I'm totally on board.

Magic is the best thing he's done since Tunnel of Love, IMO. The record has a few legit all-time classics that rival anything he put out during his golden run in the 70s/80s. Radio Nowhere, Livin' in the Future, Gypsy Biker, Magic, Long Walk Home are all classics.

I didn't realise High Hopes wasn't that well liked. I know its a mish-mash of older material and whatnot but I think its great. Full-band Ghost of Tom Joad gives me the feels

I might make a little Magic/Wrecking Ball/High Hopes compilation.

Lament wrote:

Kevin Davis wrote:I'm listening to the first disc of "Tracks" now -- I'm fairly sure Bruce has unleashed about 75,000 words already, and I am halfway through the third song. A man after my own heart.

Has someone made a "Tracks" companion volume? As I understand this set barely scratches the surface of what Bruce has in the vault. I'm not very well-versed in his bootography.

There used to be an ungodly large anthology floating around the net somewhere. I'm sure it's still out there.

The Lost Masters series was nineteen discs, a cherry picked four disc Essential set followed.

Yeah, Lost Masters had a lot of stuff. I ended up making like a single disc mix of the stuff that I thought was worth revisiting, though.

Tracks is probably my favorite Bruce Springsteen release.

lecherouslittlestump wrote:I think he was going for the big lush 60s sound on Working On A Dream, but he already nailed it in the previous album Magic with Girls In Their Summer Clothes and Your Own Worst Enemy.

It's funny that one of his best albums and his worst album were released just over a year apart.

I was always under the impression that WOAD was basically 80% leftovers from the Magic sessions anyway. But yeah totally agree that there was a HUGE drop off between the 2 albums. Wrecking Ball was an improvement....High Hopes not so much.

Love the first 3 disks on Tracks, but could never get into the 4th disc which was mostly his 90s castoffs.

Restless Nights and Roulette are two of my all time favorites.

McParadigm wrote:Yeah, Lost Masters had a lot of stuff. I ended up making like a single disc mix of the stuff that I thought was worth revisiting, though.

Tracks is probably my favorite Bruce Springsteen release.

Egad! I just looked up "Lost Masters" -- too many alternates, re-takes, etc. for my tastes. I was thinking more "completed studio tracks that just haven't been released yet." Maybe the 4 disc version would make the endeavor more palatable.

I usually can't stand the 80's production, but for some reason I really like how Tunnel Of Love sounds. If I'd had a car, I would play it there all the time.

Edit: I fucking love One Step Up. Also, Valentine's Day. Love the keyboards on the latter.
Edit 2: I just put on Kim by Ryan Adams, and somehow these albums are related. I don't know, I'm not as smart as you guys.

Listening to Tunnel of Love now. I don't remember liking Tougher Than the Rest this much.

Monkey_Driven wrote:Listening to Tunnel of Love now. I don't remember liking Tougher Than the Rest this much.

It´s pretty awesome.

contamination wrote:Edit 2: I just put on Kim by Ryan Adams, and somehow these albums are related. I don't know, I'm not as smart as you guys.

You're not wrong. "I Just Might" is total Springsteen as well.

Copying a few hundred DVDs to HD and buying a speaker for the kitchen has me revisiting some more bootlegs recently. This little Boss spark has me listening to an instrumental Rosalita off Born in the Studio, really awesome right about now.

Edit: KD if you are looking for any particular bootlegs let me know, I may very well have them.