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From the Vault...
11/08/1998
#602 |
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info
Bruce Springsteen
"Another Side Of Bruce Springsteen"
© Columbus Records
Year of Release: 1994
Rating:
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track listing
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Held Up Without A Gun
Be True
Roulette
The Big Payback
Pink Cadillac
Shut Out The Light
Johnny Bye Bye
Stand On It
Janey Don't YouLose Heart
Lucky Man
Two For The Road
I Ain't Got No Home
Vigilante Man
Viva Las Vegas
Chicken Lips AndLizard Hips
Part Man Part Monkey
Thirty Days Out
Streets Of Philadelphia
Gypsy Woman
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Bruce Springsteen
"Another Side Of Bruce Springsteen"
Bruce Springsteen's latest release, the box set Bruce Springsteen:
Tracks is due in stores this Tuesday (November 10, 1998), and as I
patiently wait till this day; it's ironic that this week's album is similar to
this box set. Another Side Of Bruce Springsteen contains 19 songs that
are not featured on any major Springsteen release. The album cover, (likewise
the title of the album) is very similar to the Bob Dylan album -- Another Side
Of Bob Dylan. This was clever for the people who developed the album cover;
when you listen to Springsteen's earliest material, everyone was quoted as saying
that Bruce Springsteen would be the next Bob Dylan. Well, we all know how that
comparison went....NOT!
In looking at the track list for the upcoming box set, there are songs from
Another Side... that are NOT included on the recent Tracks box set.
Songs NOT on the box set, yet found on this Import...
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"Held Up Without A Gun", originally the B-side to
the single "Hungry Heart". It's Bruce rocking at his best, being a short
song, under 2 minutes in length. |
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"The Big Payback" is a song that could of been from
the Nebraska period, and I'm surprised it's not on the box set. It's
similar to the tune found on Nebraska, "Open All Night". |
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"I Ain't Got No Home": a somewhat pop, yet folksy
tune as heard on Nebraska and/or Ghost Of Tom Joad, it's another
great ballad. |
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"Vigilante Man": a different kind of Bruce tune, it
has a blues beat like songs found on John Fogerty's Blue Moon Swamp. |
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"Viva Las Vegas": yes, the Elvis Presley remake, and
I believe this song was from a movie soundtrack based on Elvis Presley imitators
(or was that ZZ Top's version?). Bruce's version is more rockin' than Elvis,
and it is much better than ZZ Top's cover. |
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"Chicken Lips and Lizard Hips" definitely has a Bob
Dylan style, where it is a story telling song, featuring singing and talking.
Dylan recorded a huge assortment of songs like this in his early career. And,
this song is another short one, under two minutes in length. |
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"Thirty Days Out" definitely has the pop sound of
songs found on Tunnel Of Love. It has the same feel as the title track.
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"Streets Of Philadelphia": The Award winning song
from the movie Philadelphia, where Tom Hanks won an Oscar for Best Actor,
where he portrays a gay man who has AIDS. |
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"Gypsy Woman" is the cover tune originally done by
Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions, and also popular by Brian Hyland. Bruce's
version was originally released as part of a Curtis Mayfield tribute album. It
is quite different in sound than any of the well-known versions, it's slow and
soulful. |
Songs FOUND on the Tracks box set, likewise on Another Side
of Bruce Springsteen:
"Be True" is a song that's similar to a song released on the album
The River, "Out On The Streets". "Roulette" is a medium-paced rock song,
and is unfamilar in sound compared to previous Springsteen songs.
"Shut Out The Light" is obvious from the Nebraska period.
"Pink Cadillac" is here, and obviously this song is a must for any
Springsteen fan, and it's no surprise that this song is also found on the upcoming
box set. Other artists have covered this song (Natalie Cole, for one), but
Springsteen's version is the ultimate best.
"Johnny Bye Bye" is another short song, and you kind of wish it was
more. "Stand On It" is a bar-bouncing tune, and it has a somewhat country
feel. "Janey, Don't You Lose Heart" has a pop sound, as heard on songs
from the Tunnel Of Love album.
"Lucky Man" was recorded in 1987, but it could of been a good track
for the 1992 Human Touch album. It's rough vocal Bruce at his best,
it's bluesy, it's Bruce. Also from 1987, "Two For The Road" is another
pop-sounding tune that could of been added to the songlist of Tunnel Of
Love.
"Part Man, Part Monkey" has a reggae feel to it, and it sounds like
a very slow version of Born In The USA's "Cover Me". If you do
get the box set, this one is worth checking out.
In observing the track list for the upcoming box set, obviously there are
tunes not found from Another Side Of Bruce Springsteen. The songs
that were chosen for the box set were from over 200 songs from Bruce Springsteen's
Vault. One of the songs not listed in the box set is "The Fever", a
song that I was hoping would be included. Other songs that didn't make the
box set were his Christmas versions of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"
and "Merry Christmas Baby". I'm sure he recorded some other Christmas
songs too. Hmmm, with Christmas coming around the corner, wouldn't it be
nice to see a Bruce Springsteen Christmas release????
There are 66 songs on the box set, and since these songs were picked
from well over the 200-300 songs from the vault, maybe there will be another
release of Springsteen songs that did not make the box set. And for all the
Springsteen fans like myself who collect his music, we will always ask the
question: "Do I REALLY have the COMPLETE Bruce?" Well, after
viewing the box set song list, the answer to that question is "NO."
But for the die-hard Bruce fan, the box set will be a must. Likewise,
if you find any bootleg/import CDs (like Another Side...) it's always
a thrill to hear songs that were never released before. When I saw this import,
I read through the list of songs, and saw the ones I knew, and those I didn't.
There's only 19 songs on this import, but I wished there were more.
Anything by Bruce Springsteen is an adventure. The songs on the box set
are those that Springsteen felt "did not meet his high standards but because,
they didn't fit in with the tone or themes he mined for each set (album)"
1 (How he came up with that idea for
songs such as "Pink Cadillac" and "The Fever" amazes me; they should
of been included.)
1BILLBOARD MAGAZINE, "Springsteen Backtracks: Columbia Box
Surveys Music Off The Record," 11/07/1998
But every artist plays their best Judge and Jury. Songs that are not
included are put on the shelf. And as the years go by, these songs are
sometimes forgotten, and when it comes time for inventory, the dust is blown
off the items found on the shelves, as artists will take another listen in
what was recorded years gone by, and the timing would be perfect to share
these songs with the millions of fans who have been waiting for years for it
to happen. This is the case with Bruce Springsteen. The box set of unreleased
material is long overdue, and I'm sure that every song will be enjoyed by
many, many Springsteen fans.
Another Side Of Bruce Springsteen is an excellent journey in
hearing the songs that "didn't fit" in Springsteen's major releases. After
hearing this album, you'll want to hear more, and on November 10th 1998, we can
all rush to the local record stores and pick up the 4-CD box set, entitled
Bruce Springsteen: Tracks.
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