New Bruce Springsteen Compilation to Include Five Unreleased Songs
Bruce Springsteen will release a new compilation album that doubles as a companion piece to his upcoming autobiography. The 18-track set, Chapter and Verse, arrives on Sept. 23, Springsteen's 67th birthday and four days before the publication of the Born to Run book.
The album spans Springsteen's entire career and includes many of his best-known songs, including "Born to Run," "Badlands," "Born in the U.S.A." and "The Rising." But the big news here for fans is the inclusion of five previously unreleased cuts, all dating before his debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., was released in early January 1973.
The new tracks lead off the compilation and include two songs he recorded with his band the Castiles ("Baby I" and a cover of Willie Dixon's "You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover," which was a hit for Bo Diddley), one each by his early groups Steel Mill ("He’s Guilty [The Judge Song]" and the Bruce Springsteen Band ("Ballad of Jesse James") and "Henry Boy," a studio recording from June 1972.
You can see the track listing for Chapter and Verse below and trailer for the LP above.
The compilation precedes the publication of Springsteen's autobiography, and, according to an announcement on Springsteen's website, he "selected the songs on Chapter and Verse to reflect the themes and sections of Born to Run. The compilation begins with two tracks from the Castiles, featuring a teenaged Springsteen on guitar and vocals, and ends with the title track from 2012’s Wrecking Ball. The collected songs trace Springsteen’s musical history from its earliest days, telling a story that parallels the one in the book."
All of this activity should keep fans sated until Springsteen's new studio album arrives. Last week, manager Jon Landau said that the next LP will be “a very different kind of record” made without the E Street Band. But apparently the record won't be a stripped-down solo set like Nebraska or The Ghost of Tom Joad.
Bruce Springsteen, ‘Chapter and Verse’ Track Listing
1. "Baby I" — The Castiles (recorded May 2, 1966, at Mr. Music, Bricktown, NJ; written by Bruce Springsteen and George Theiss; previously unreleased)
2. "You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover" — The Castiles (recorded Sept. 16, 1967, at The Left Foot, Freehold, NJ; written by Willie Dixon; previously unreleased)
3. "He’s Guilty (The Judge Song)" — Steel Mill (recorded Feb. 22, 1970, at Pacific Recording Studio, San Mateo, CA; previously unreleased)
4. "Ballad of Jesse James" — The Bruce Springsteen Band (recorded March 14, 1972, at Challenger Eastern Surfboards, Highland, NJ; previously unreleased)
5. "Henry Boy" (recorded June 1972, at Mediasound Studios, New York, NY; previously unreleased)
6. "Growin’ Up" (recorded May 3, 1972, at Columbia Records Recordings Studios, New York, NY; previously appeared on ‘Tracks’)
7. "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" (1973, ‘The Wild, The Innocent & the E Street Shuffle’)
8. "Born to Run" (1975, ‘Born to Run’)
9. "Badlands" (1977, ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’)
10. "The River" (1980, ‘The River’)
11. "My Father’s House" (1982, ‘Nebraska’)
12. "Born in the U.S.A." (1984, ‘Born in the U.S.A.’)
13. "Brilliant Disguise" (1987, ‘Tunnel of Love’)
14. "Living Proof" (1992, ‘Lucky Town’)
15. "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (1995, ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’)
16. "The Rising" (2002, ‘The Rising’)
17. "Long Time Comin’" (2005, ‘Devils & Dust’)
18. "Wrecking Ball" (2012, ‘Wrecking Ball’)
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