(RockAndMetal.com) (11/10/03)

Edited By Michael Bennett

NEW YORK, NY - Set for release tomorrow from Columbia Records, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN's "The Essential Bruce Springsteen," his first-ever career-spanning audio collection, includes songs from every BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN album since his debut in 1973.

The set comes packaged with a third bonus CD of rarities and previously unreleased tracks, too. But that's not all, folks.

A week from tomorrow the double-DVD "Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band: Live In Barcelona" sees it's release, capturing Springsteen-and-band's record-breaking 2002-2003 World Tour, including new interviews and bonus footage of Springsteen's 2003 performances at Boston's Fenway Park and New Jersey's Giants Stadium.

"Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band: Live In Barcelona" thoroughly explores Springsteen's unmatched live show, on the heels of his most successful world tour ever.


"The Essential Bruce Springsteen," featuring two discs of Springsteen's best-known songs, is the first such collection to range from early classics 'Blinded By the Light,' '4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy),' and 'Rosalita,' to his most recent hits such as 'Mary's Place,' 'The Rising,' and 'Lonesome Day,' from his 2002 release "The Rising."

The third, limited-edition CD contains many rarities and previously unreleased recordings - each one annotated by Springsteen in the album's liner notes.

Many of the songs were never released commercially before, including 'None But the Brave' (recorded during the 'Born in the USA' sessions at The Hit Factory in New York City), live recordings of 'Held Up Without A Gun' and Jimmy Cliff's 'Trapped' from the breakthrough "The River" tour.

Also included is the acoustic, country-blues version of 'Countin' On A Miracle,' a home recording of 'County Fair' (recorded shortly after the "Nebraska album), and more.

The collection is part of a series of "Essential" sets recently released by Columbia Records. Previous releases include "The Essential Bob Dylan," "The Essential Johnny Cash," "The Essential Clash," and others.

"The Essential Bruce Springsteen," however, is the first in the series to include a bonus "rarities" disc.

The "Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band: Live in Barcelona" DVD set includes the entirety of Springsteen and The E Street Band's October 2002 concert at Barcelona's Palau St. Jordi, a show which prompted the Spanish newspaper El Pais to rave "The Boss made the walls of the Palau St. Jordi tremble."

In addition, the set contains the featurette "Drop the Needle and Pray: The Rising on Tour," packed with never before seen material, including new interviews, footage from this summer's US stadium tour at Fenway Park and Giants Stadium, and a photo montage chronicling 'The Rising' tour.

The 2-DVD set contains almost three hours of footage, with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound audio recorded and mixed by "The Rising" producer Brendan O'Brien.

The concert in Barcelona -- portions of which were broadcast on MTV Europe and CBS -- was widely considered among the most exciting of the 120 dates on Springsteen and The E Street Band's acclaimed "Rising" World Tour dates.

Together with the bonus material and U.S. footage, the DVD's are a compelling document of one of the most sucessful concert tours of all time.

The executive producers of 'Live in Barcelona' are Jon Landau and Barbara Carr, and were produced by George Travis and directed by Chris Hilson.

Thom Zimny, whose editing on the 2001 HBO concert special, "Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band," won an Emmy, also edited "Live In Barcelona."

"THE ESSENTIAL BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN" CD Set - Disc 1:

1. Blinded By the Light
2. For You
3. Spirit In The Night
4. 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
5. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
6. Thunder Road
7. Born To Run
8. Jungleland
9. Badlands
10. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
11. The Promised Land
12. The River
13. Hungry Heart
14. Nebraska
15. Atlantic City

"THE ESSENTIAL BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN" CD Set - Disc 2:

16. Born In The USA
17. Glory Days
18. Dancing In The Dark
19. Tunnel Of Love
20. Brilliant Disguise
21. Human Touch
22. Living Proof
23. Lucky Town
24. Streets Of Philadelphia
25. The Ghost Of Tom Joad
26. The Rising
27. Mary's Place
28. Lonesome Day
29. American Skin (41 Shots) (Live)
30. Land Of Hope And Dreams (Live)

"THE ESSENTIAL BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN" CD Set - Bonus Disc:

31. From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come) (Recorded in 1979, covered by Dave Edmunds on his 1982 release, "DE 7th")
32. Big Payback (Home recording made shortly after "Nebraska")
33. Held Up Without A Gun (Live) (Recorded live in Uniondale, NY, in 1980)
34. Trapped (Live) (Jimmy Cliff song recorded live on "The River" tour)
35. None But The Brave (Recorded during 'Born In The USA' sessions)
36. Missing (Appeared in the Sean Penn film, "The Crossing Guard")
37. Lift Me Up (Written for the John Sayles' film, "Limbo")
38. Viva Las Vegas (Recorded for The NME Benefit album)
39. County Fair (Recorded in 1983 at home after "Nebraska" sessions)
40. Code Of Silence (Live) (Written with Joe Gruschecky, recorded live in 1999)
41. Dead Man Walking (Written for the Tim Robbins film, "Dead Man Walking")
42. Countin' On A Miracle (Acoustic) (Recording played at the end of every show on "The Rising" 2002-2003 tour)

"LIVE IN BARCELONA" DVD Set - Disc 1:

43. The Rising
44. Lonesome Day
45. Prove It All Night
46. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
47. Empty Sky
48. You're Missing
49. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
50. The Promised Land
51. Worlds Apart
52. Badlands
53. She's The One
54. Mary's Place
55. Dancing In The Dark
56. Countin' On A Miracle
57. Spirit In The Night
58. Incident On 57th Street
59. Into The Fire

"LIVE IN BARCELONA" DVD Set - Disc 2:

60. Night
61. Ramrod
62. Born To Run
63. My City Of Ruins
64. Born In The USA
65. Land Of Hope And Dreams
66. Thunder Road

**Bonus Documentary: "Drop The Needle And Pray: The Rising On Tour." Features rare, live footage of historic shows at Boston's Fenway Park and New Jersey's Giants Stadium, exclusive interviews with Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band members, plus previously unpublished photos chronicling "The Rising" tour.

Copyright 2003-2010 Internet Music Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

---

[ Top ]