Latest news with #Springsteen
Japan Today
4 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.
Perth Now
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Jeremy Allen White was 'tolerant' of Bruce Springsteen on film set
Jeremy Allen White was 'very tolerant' of Bruce Springsteen on the set of Deliver Me From Nowhere. The 34-year-old actor portrays Springsteen in the upcoming biographical movie, and the rock legend has revealed that Jeremy was gracious during his visits to the film's set. Springsteen, 75, told Rolling Stone magazine: 'Jeremy Allen White was very, very tolerant of me the days that I would appear on the set. 'I said to him, 'Look, anytime I'm in the way, just give me the look and I'm on my way home.' So the days that I got out there, he was wonderfully tolerant with me being there. And it was just fun. It was enjoyable.' The new movie explores 'some of the most painful days' of Springsteen's life. And the chart-topping star actually made a conscious effort to avoid the set on certain days. He explained: 'I mean, there's some unusualness to it because the movie involves, in some ways, some of the most painful days of my life. 'If there was a scene coming up that was sometimes really deeply personal, I wanted the actors to feel completely free, and I didn't want to get in the way, and so I would just stay at home.' Springsteen is one of the best-selling artists of all time, but he still suffers from stage fright. He previously explained to the Guardian newspaper: 'You work on an album in a hermetically sealed environment. One of the most frightening things is playing it for someone else. For the first time you're hearing it through their ears. 'They're just sitting there, but you're hearing the thing totally brand new through their ears. And you're recognising all its faults and all its strengths. So the thing about coming out in front of an audience every night is that I'm hearing what I'm doing through that audience's ears.' Springsteen learned how to play in big stadiums after years of touring. He shared: 'It's all about making that initial connection with the audience. If you do that, the folks at the back will feel it, the folks in the middle will feel it, the folks at the front will feel it. 'If you go out there and you can't imagine that connection, it's not going to happen, and then you're going to have a miserable few hours. That's when you think, 'OK. I'm a fraud.''
Perth Now
6 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
New York Post
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Bruce Springsteen reveals why he stayed away from ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere' set during ‘deeply personal' scenes
Bruce Springsteen is reliving his glory days on set. But the singer, 75, got candid on which scenes he stayed away from in Jeremy Allen White's portrayal in the upcoming biopic, 'Deliver Me From Nowhere.' 'If there was a scene coming up that was sometimes really deeply personal, I wanted the actors to feel completely free, and I didn't want to get in the way, and so I would just stay at home,' Springsteen revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone published Thursday. 6 Jeremy Allen White plays Bruce Springsteen in 'Deliver Me From Nowhere.' 20th Century Studios The icon added, 'If Scott Cooper, the director, wanted or needed me there for something, I would try to make it. But I was on tour in Canada for the whole first month or so of the filming, and so I was really out on the road quite a bit and working at that time.' Springsteen went on to praise White, 34, for being 'very, very tolerant of me the days that I would appear on the set,' while also noting the project includes 'some of the most painful days of my life.' While on set, the musician told 'The Bear' star, 'Look, anytime I'm in the way, just give me the look and I'm on my way home. The days that I got out there, he was wonderfully tolerant with me being there. And it was just fun. It was enjoyable.' 6 Jeremy Allen White plays the rocker circa 1982. 20th Century Studios The biopic follows Springsteen's upbringing in Freehold, N.J., and the making of his 1982 album 'Nebraska.' The movie hits theaters Oct. 24 and includes Jeremy Strong as Springsteen's producer and manager, Jon Landau, Stephen Graham as the rocker's father, Douglas, Paul Walter Hauser as Mike Batlan, who created a set-up for Springsteen to record his music in his bedroom, and Marc Maron as Chuck Plotkin, the producer who mastered the songs on the album. When the outlet asked the Grammy winner if he would consider performing 'Nebraska' in order to promote the film, Springsteen wasn't fully on board. 6 White has called the Boss 'just the greatest guy.' 20th Century Studios 'I doubt I'll do it,' he confessed, 'but I could possibly go out and play that record straight through one day. I think that would be fun to do, and the fans would get a kick out of it. That's not off the table.' In October, the Boss appeared on the British chat show 'The Graham Norton Show' where he gushed over the film's 'lovely cast' and told Norton, 62, he's 'involved a little in the project.' 'This is not easy to do because you can't do an imitation, you have to do a personal interpretation,' Springsteen explained about White stepping into his footsteps. 'It's difficult, but he is a great actor and sings pretty good.' 6 Bruce Springsteen and wife Patti Scialfa circa 1991 in New York City. Getty Images During an August interview with GQ, the 'Shameless' alum gushed over the musician being 'really supportive of the film' 'I've had some access to him, and he's just the greatest guy,' he shared. The trailer dropped on Wednesday, and starts with Springsteen looking to buy a new car before the salesman recognizes him. 6 Springsteen praised White as a 'great actor.' Kamala Harris/ YouTube Springsteen replied, 'Well that makes one of us.' Then, the young singer is recording a song in his room, telling the engineer: 'It don't need to be perfect. I want it to feel like I'm in the room by myself.' The clip also shows Landau going to bat for his artist in a room full of music label execs. 'This isn't about either one of us. This isn't about the charts. This is about Bruce Springsteen,' he said. 'And these are the songs that he wants to work on right now.' 6 Bruce Springsteen speaks in concert. AP 'Bruce is a repairman and what he is doing with this album is he's repairing that hole in his floor,' a voiceover noted in the trailer. 'He's repairing that hole in himself. And once he's done that, he's going to repair the entire world.' 'I'm trying to find something in all them worries,' Springsteen added.
The Advertiser
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
The Boss brands Trump 'moron' in latest scathing attack
Bruce Springsteen has branded President Donald Trump a "moron" in a new scathing attack. The Born in the USA hitmaker, who has been locked in war of words with the world leader, has branded the current state of his home country an "American tragedy" and lambasted the man in charge. "I think that it was the combination of the deindustrialisation of the country and then the incredible increase in wealth disparity that left so many people behind. It was ripe for a demagogue," Springsteen told The New York Times. "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." The Boss then went in on Trump's controversial immigration policies, which led to riots in Los Angeles, and saw Trump deploy thousands of National Guardsmen to "address the lawlessness" in the US city amid the unrest over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He said: "When I went to California, obviously there was a large migrant culture. I was interested in the history of it, because I felt that this is the future of the United States — which it has become." Springsteen said it's "disgusting" and a "terrible tragedy" what's happening in US. He continued: "There are communities all across America now that have taken in immigrants and migrant workers. So what's going on at the moment to me is disgusting, and a terrible tragedy. "We have a long democratic history. We don't have an autocratic history as a nation. 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." Trump, 78, was left furious after The Boss, 75, hit out at the "corruption" and "incompetence" of the Trump administration during a recent concert in Manchester, and Trump responded with a lengthy rant via his social media platform Truth Social. Trump blasted Springsteen as a "pushy, obnoxious JERK". Springsteen made three separate rants against the "corruption" and "incompetence" of the Trump administration. After opening the gig with a performance of Land of Hope and Dreams, he told the audience: "It's great to be in Manchester and back in the UK. Welcome to the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour! The mighty E St Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock 'n' roll in dangerous times." A short while after, several musicians spoke out in support of Springsteen, including Neil Young, who insisted he wasn't "scared" of Trump. Bruce Springsteen has branded President Donald Trump a "moron" in a new scathing attack. The Born in the USA hitmaker, who has been locked in war of words with the world leader, has branded the current state of his home country an "American tragedy" and lambasted the man in charge. "I think that it was the combination of the deindustrialisation of the country and then the incredible increase in wealth disparity that left so many people behind. It was ripe for a demagogue," Springsteen told The New York Times. "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." The Boss then went in on Trump's controversial immigration policies, which led to riots in Los Angeles, and saw Trump deploy thousands of National Guardsmen to "address the lawlessness" in the US city amid the unrest over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He said: "When I went to California, obviously there was a large migrant culture. I was interested in the history of it, because I felt that this is the future of the United States — which it has become." Springsteen said it's "disgusting" and a "terrible tragedy" what's happening in US. He continued: "There are communities all across America now that have taken in immigrants and migrant workers. So what's going on at the moment to me is disgusting, and a terrible tragedy. "We have a long democratic history. We don't have an autocratic history as a nation. 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." Trump, 78, was left furious after The Boss, 75, hit out at the "corruption" and "incompetence" of the Trump administration during a recent concert in Manchester, and Trump responded with a lengthy rant via his social media platform Truth Social. Trump blasted Springsteen as a "pushy, obnoxious JERK". Springsteen made three separate rants against the "corruption" and "incompetence" of the Trump administration. After opening the gig with a performance of Land of Hope and Dreams, he told the audience: "It's great to be in Manchester and back in the UK. Welcome to the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour! The mighty E St Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock 'n' roll in dangerous times." A short while after, several musicians spoke out in support of Springsteen, including Neil Young, who insisted he wasn't "scared" of Trump. Bruce Springsteen has branded President Donald Trump a "moron" in a new scathing attack. The Born in the USA hitmaker, who has been locked in war of words with the world leader, has branded the current state of his home country an "American tragedy" and lambasted the man in charge. "I think that it was the combination of the deindustrialisation of the country and then the incredible increase in wealth disparity that left so many people behind. It was ripe for a demagogue," Springsteen told The New York Times. "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." The Boss then went in on Trump's controversial immigration policies, which led to riots in Los Angeles, and saw Trump deploy thousands of National Guardsmen to "address the lawlessness" in the US city amid the unrest over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He said: "When I went to California, obviously there was a large migrant culture. I was interested in the history of it, because I felt that this is the future of the United States — which it has become." Springsteen said it's "disgusting" and a "terrible tragedy" what's happening in US. He continued: "There are communities all across America now that have taken in immigrants and migrant workers. So what's going on at the moment to me is disgusting, and a terrible tragedy. "We have a long democratic history. We don't have an autocratic history as a nation. 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." Trump, 78, was left furious after The Boss, 75, hit out at the "corruption" and "incompetence" of the Trump administration during a recent concert in Manchester, and Trump responded with a lengthy rant via his social media platform Truth Social. Trump blasted Springsteen as a "pushy, obnoxious JERK". Springsteen made three separate rants against the "corruption" and "incompetence" of the Trump administration. After opening the gig with a performance of Land of Hope and Dreams, he told the audience: "It's great to be in Manchester and back in the UK. Welcome to the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour! The mighty E St Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock 'n' roll in dangerous times." A short while after, several musicians spoke out in support of Springsteen, including Neil Young, who insisted he wasn't "scared" of Trump. Bruce Springsteen has branded President Donald Trump a "moron" in a new scathing attack. The Born in the USA hitmaker, who has been locked in war of words with the world leader, has branded the current state of his home country an "American tragedy" and lambasted the man in charge. "I think that it was the combination of the deindustrialisation of the country and then the incredible increase in wealth disparity that left so many people behind. It was ripe for a demagogue," Springsteen told The New York Times. "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." The Boss then went in on Trump's controversial immigration policies, which led to riots in Los Angeles, and saw Trump deploy thousands of National Guardsmen to "address the lawlessness" in the US city amid the unrest over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He said: "When I went to California, obviously there was a large migrant culture. I was interested in the history of it, because I felt that this is the future of the United States — which it has become." Springsteen said it's "disgusting" and a "terrible tragedy" what's happening in US. He continued: "There are communities all across America now that have taken in immigrants and migrant workers. So what's going on at the moment to me is disgusting, and a terrible tragedy. "We have a long democratic history. We don't have an autocratic history as a nation. 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." Trump, 78, was left furious after The Boss, 75, hit out at the "corruption" and "incompetence" of the Trump administration during a recent concert in Manchester, and Trump responded with a lengthy rant via his social media platform Truth Social. Trump blasted Springsteen as a "pushy, obnoxious JERK". Springsteen made three separate rants against the "corruption" and "incompetence" of the Trump administration. After opening the gig with a performance of Land of Hope and Dreams, he told the audience: "It's great to be in Manchester and back in the UK. Welcome to the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour! The mighty E St Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock 'n' roll in dangerous times." A short while after, several musicians spoke out in support of Springsteen, including Neil Young, who insisted he wasn't "scared" of Trump.
