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Japan Today
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Bruce Springsteen takes seven 'Lost Albums' off the shelf for a new box set
FILE - Bruce Springsteen speaks to the audience during a concert with the E Street Band at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File) By DAVID BAUDER Bruce Springsteen's new project, 'Tracks II: The Lost Albums,' is entirely about that age-old question: What if? The box set, out June 27, comprises seven albums encompassing the period between 1983 and 2018, all but one he prepared to release in its time but ultimately shelved. Now that he's decided to drop them simultaneously, they offer a fascinating alternative story of his musical life. Building on its predecessor 'Tracks,' 1998's four-disc, 66-song collection of unreleased material, there are 83 songs here. While some slipped out on other projects — 'My Hometown' and 'Secret Garden' among them — the vast majority hadn't been heard publicly. This is all fully completed material, not half-baked or half-finished outtakes. It's not unusual for artists to leave songs — or even full-lengths — on the cutting-room floor, but multiple entire albums? Springsteen explains that he's taken care releasing albums, looking to build a narrative arc for his career, and believes this approach has served him well. Perhaps as a result, the most interesting work on 'Tracks II' comes when he stretches out and explores pathways not in his wheelhouse: countrypolitan Bruce, border-town Bruce, Burt Bacharach-inspired Bruce and a set of synthesizer-based songs modeled after his Oscar-winning 'Streets of Philadelphia.' Oddly, the one disc of strays cobbled together that feels most like an E Street Band record is the least compelling. Since these are seven distinct albums, it's worth evaluating them that way. 'LA Garage Sessions '83' captures Springsteen working virtually alone at a home in the Hollywood Hills. It was squarely in between his 'Nebraska' and 'Born in the USA' albums, and he seems torn between those two approaches. There are character studies here, and more lighthearted fare like 'Little Girl Like You,' with a single man yearning to settle down. The most striking cut is 'The Klansman,' about a boy and his racist father, yet it cries out for more development. Ultimately, Springsteen chose the right albums to release at the time. The song 'Streets of Philadelphia' was a genuine departure musically, and Springsteen decided to make an album in the same vein, with synthesizers and drum loops the dominant elements. If released in the early 1990s, this would have been the most contemporary-sounding disc of his career, with atmospherics that occasionally recall U2. Springsteen pulled it at the last minute, reasoning that the stories of doomed relationships — sample lyric: 'We loved each other like a disease' — was too much like 'Tunnel of Love.' At the same time he recorded 'The Ghost of Tom Joad' in 1995, Springsteen also convened a country band steered by pedal steel player Marty Rifkin. Their work was terrific, led by the one-two punch of 'Repo Man' and the Johnny Rivers cover, 'Poor Side of Town.' The title cut to a disc he calls 'Somewhere North of Nashville' escaped into the public some two decades later. Since the somber 'Joad' won a Grammy, who are we to second-guess his choice of what to put out? 'Nashville,' though, is a rollicking good time. 'Inyo' is similar to 'Joad' and 'Devils & Dust,' mostly acoustic-based narratives, here many of them stories of the Southwest. Springsteen even appropriately brings in mariachi bands for 'Adelita' and 'The Lost Charro.' Soozie Tyrell's violin is notable, particularly on the majestic 'When I Build My Beautiful House.' We're guessing that Springsteen may have considered 'Inyo' one album too many in the same style, but it's still strong work. At one point Springsteen considered making 'Western Stars,' his salute to early 1970s California songwriting, a double album. When he didn't, the songs on 'Twilight Hours' were left behind. Here Bacharach is the primary influence, and this almost feels like Elvis Costello's collaboration with Burt, only without him (and is the lyric 'God give me strength' a hat-tip to that project?). The crooning Bruce of 'Sunday Love' is spellbinding, maybe the box's best song. 'Lonely Town' sits at the intersection of Bacharach and Roy Orbison, while 'Dinner at Eight' is a lovely sum-up. 'Twilight Hours' may startle Springsteen fans — and impress them, too. The workmanlike songs on 'Faithless' were written on commission in two weeks, the soundtrack to a movie that was never made. It's a good bet it would have been a moody Western. When Springsteen duels with Tom Morello on the song 'Another Thin Line,' you realize how little you've heard his electric guitar on 'Tracks II.' The album 'Perfect World' is the one here made up of leftovers from different periods, with the greatest E Street Band participation. Here's the deal, though: Most good E Street Band material has already been released. The best left behind for this disc is 'You Lifted Me Up,' with minimalist lyrics and a vocal collaboration with Patti Scialfa and Steve Van Zandt. The box gives Springsteen completists plenty to mull over, and you can question whether these 'lost discs' would get more attention released separately instead of together. If it's too much, he's releasing a 20-song set of its highlights. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bruce Springsteen Calls Out Exactly How ‘Moron' Trump Rose To Power
Bruce Springsteen isn't letting up on his digs at PresidentDonald Trump and the administration he's already ripped as 'incompetent and treasonous.' The Boss, who is in the midst of the European leg of his Land of Hope and Dreams tour with the E Street Band, told The New York Times that he wanted to use his shows' set list to address the 'current situation' in the United States. 'It's an American tragedy,' said the rocker in a feature published on Wednesday. He went on, 'I think that it was the combination of the deindustrialization of the country and then the incredible increase in wealth disparity that left so many people behind. It was ripe for a demagogue.' 'And while I can't believe it was this moron that came along, he fit the bill for some people. But what we've been living through in the last 70 days is things that we all said, 'This can't happen here.' 'This will never happen in America.' And here we are.' Springsteen's criticism led to Trump raging on his Truth Social platform last month, calling the Boss 'dumb as a rock' and a 'dried out 'prune' of a rocker.' Trump also claimed without evidence that former Vice President Kamala Harrispaid Springsteen and other stars to endorse her presidential campaign and shared a wacky, edited clip of himself hitting a golf ball that cuts to a video of a 'ball' hitting Springsteen. Springsteen — who has been defended by Neil Young, Eddie Vedderand Bono amid the Trump feud — told the Times that he still has hope despite the state of the country. 'Because we have a long democratic history. We don't have an autocratic history as a nation,' he said. 'It's fundamentally democratic, and I believe that at some point that's going to rear its head and things will swing back. Let's knock on wood.' Last month, the rocker included recordings of two of his viral speeches against Trump on his 'Land of Hope & Dreams' live EP, which also includes a cover of Bob Dylan's 'Chimes of Freedom.' The Boss reportedly hadn't played the track — which expresses solidarity with marginalized people — live since 1988 before performing itseveraltimes on his tour this year. Obama Says U.S. Moving 'Dangerously Close' To Autocracy Under Trump Former Trump Aide Steve Bannon Says Fox News Is Pushing 'Pure Propaganda' On Iran 'Nobody Knows': Trump Won't Say Whether He Will Move Forward With U.S. Strikes On Iran
Perth Now
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
‘Hopefully next year sometime': Springsteen hints at Aussie tour
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen has hinted at a return to Australia with the E Street Band next year. Springsteen is currently on tour in Europe with the July 3 show at Milan's famous San Siro stadium set to draw a line under more than two years on the road. 'I'm doing my best as we speak to get down there, hopefully next year some time,' he told Rolling Stone. 'I feel bad. I apologise to my Australian fans for not getting down [there] on this stretch, but I want them to know that we are planning to get down there as soon as feasible, probably in the next year sometime.' The Springsteen and E Street Band 2023-25 tour, rebranded as the Land of Hope and Dreams tour for the current European leg, began in February 2023 in Florida. It was the band's first date since 2017, the longer than usual lay-off caused initially by the Springsteen on Broadway solo performances and then the COVID-19 pandemic. The final leg of that tour was in Australia and New Zealand, bringing to an end a fertile period for local fans after three visits in four years, the same amount as the preceding four decades. 'We had been off for six years,' Springsteen, who will next week release Tracks II: The Lost Albums — a collection of seven full-length, previously unheard albums — said. 'I had to get back in touch with my audience, and it was fun playing with the band. In the future, I think we'll probably play more often and less dates.' Earlier this week, fans got their first look at the biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, and with a release date in October, it looks like it's priming for an Oscar campaign. The Bear's Jeremy Allen White will play Springsteen as a young man on the verge of superstardom as he sets off to make his seminal record Nebraska, which he recorded from his bedroom on a four-track. It's a formative moment in his artistry, as he contends with his changed fortunes, recognition and reconciling his sometimes-painful childhood. The trailer features clips of White as The Boss as well as Jeremy Strong as producer and manager Jon Landau, Australian actor Odessa Young as love interest Faye, Paul Walter Hauser as engineer Mike Batlan, and David Krumholtz as a music executive. There are also black-and-white flashbacks to his younger days, with Stephen Graham and Gaby Hoffman playing Springsteen's parents. Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen and Jeremy Strong as Jon Landau in Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. Credit: 20th Century Studios Nebraska remains one of Springsteen's most beloved releases and features the tracks Atlantic City, Highway Patrolman and Johnny 99, while the trailer also features White singing other classics including Born to Run. In January, Springsteen confirmed White does his own singing in the film, and endorsed it by declaring, 'He sings well, he sings very well'. With Wenlei Ma
7NEWS
a day ago
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
‘Hopefully next year sometime': Bruce Springsteen hints at Australian tour plans
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen has hinted at a return to Australia with the E Street Band next year. Springsteen is currently on tour in Europe with the July 3 show at Milan's famous San Siro stadium set to draw a line under more than two years on the road. 'I'm doing my best as we speak to get down there, hopefully next year some time,' he told Rolling Stone. 'I feel bad. I apologise to my Australian fans for not getting down [there] on this stretch, but I want them to know that we are planning to get down there as soon as feasible, probably in the next year sometime.' The Springsteen and E Street Band 2023-25 tour, rebranded as the Land of Hope and Dreams tour for the current European leg, began in February 2023 in Florida. It was the band's first date since 2017, the longer than usual lay-off caused initially by the Springsteen on Broadway solo performances and then the COVID-19 pandemic. The final leg of that tour was in Australia and New Zealand, bringing to an end a fertile period for local fans after three visits in four years, the same amount as the preceding four decades. 'We had been off for six years,' Springsteen, who will next week release Tracks II: The Lost Albums — a collection of seven full-length, previously unheard albums — said. 'I had to get back in touch with my audience, and it was fun playing with the band. In the future, I think we'll probably play more often and less dates.' Earlier this week, fans got their first look at the biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, and with a release date in October, it looks like it's priming for an Oscar campaign. The Bear's Jeremy Allen White will play Springsteen as a young man on the verge of superstardom as he sets off to make his seminal record Nebraska, which he recorded from his bedroom on a four-track. It's a formative moment in his artistry, as he contends with his changed fortunes, recognition and reconciling his sometimes-painful childhood. The trailer features clips of White as The Boss as well as Jeremy Strong as producer and manager Jon Landau, Australian actor Odessa Young as love interest Faye, Paul Walter Hauser as engineer Mike Batlan, and David Krumholtz as a music executive. There are also black-and-white flashbacks to his younger days, with Stephen Graham and Gaby Hoffman playing Springsteen's parents. Nebraska remains one of Springsteen's most beloved releases and features the tracks Atlantic City, Highway Patrolman and Johnny 99, while the trailer also features White singing other classics including Born to Run. In January, Springsteen confirmed White does his own singing in the film, and endorsed it by declaring, 'He sings well, he sings very well'.
Graziadaily
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Graziadaily
Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Jeremy Allen White versus Bruce Springsteen Comparisons Are In
Hot on the heels of the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet, first look images of Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen in Deliver Me From Nowhere have arrived. Naturally, they have sent Springsteen fans and the internet into overdrive and have prompted endless comparisons between White and the real 'Born in the USA' singer. The biopic is based on Warren Zanes' book and follows Bruce Springsteen's journey crafting his 1982 album Nebraska, including his hit single 'Born in the USA' with the E Street Band. It joins the likes of Back to Black, A Complete Unknown and the upcoming Britney Spears film in a competitive era of music biopics. While Deliver Me From Nowhere doesn't come out until 24 October, the first official trailer is here and fans already have a lot to say about it. So, what do people think so far? Does White look like Springsteen? And will it pick up as many nominations as A Complete Unknown did next awards season? We'll have to wait to find out. White is a modest 5 ft 7 in height, while Springsteen is three inches taller at 5 ft 10. Yes, White sings and plays the harmonica throughout the film. To play the iconic singer, White reportedly studied hundreds of archive videos to perfect Springsteen's signature New Jersey rasp. 'It's really great to go down a YouTube rabbit hole and find him at all these different periods in his life and be able to listen to his speaking voice as well as his singing voice. It's been really fun preparing,' the actor told GQ last year. He has received Springsteen's seal of approval with the singer becoming a regular visitor on set. Springsteen has even praised White's performance, calling him 'a terrific actor' who sings 'very well'. Adding, 'He's got an interpretation of me that I think the fans will deeply recognise and he's just done a great job, so I've had a lot of fun.' Jeremy, who has won three Emmy awards for his lead performance in The Bear , is seen playing harmonica and singing Nebraska's title track, as well as Springsteen's breakthrough hit 'Born To Run', in the trailer. As for how the two stars visually compare, the internet is divided. One X user asked, 'So they didn't even try to make him look like Bruce?' Another joked, 'Wow! That's amazing. He looks just like Jeremy Allen White.' However, others were more optimistic. 'This casting lowkey makes so much sense,' reads one post. Another simply wrote, 'He's perfect.' White certainly has the right frame and hairstyle, but it looks like the rest might be down to the costume cupboard. Bruce Springsteen performing in 1978. (Photo: Getty) Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen on stage in 1985 in New York City. (Photo by Peter Carrette/Getty) Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen in 2005. (Photo: Getty) Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across entertainment, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).
