Bruce Springsteen - 18 Tracks

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Music reviews of 18 Tracks

Music Review: Okay sampler of box set (and why Bruce just can't win)
Rating: 3 Stars

It's a real shame the three tracks were not included in the box set (there's more than enough room on each of the four discs on "Tracks"), but Bruce did not have any sinister motive saving them for this sampler CD. One thing to consider was that Springsteen's people were rushed to complete this set. According to a detailed article in Mix Magazine, Springsteen, Landau, and his team of engineers were working at their own pace when Sony got wind that the project was under way. All of a sudden, a huge marketing campaign was begun and a three-month timetable landed on Springsteen's lap. An insane amount of coordination and work was done to meet the deadline. At one point, they had roughly 120 to 130 tracks in consideration, eventually whittled down to 66, and I wouldn't be surprised if the rush had some impact on their decision-making.

When the box set finally came out, many, including Charlie Rose who interviewed Springsteen on his own show regarding "Tracks," asked about "The Fever" and "The Promise." Springsteen said that "The Fever" was never one of his favorites, and as much as he liked "The Promise," none of the recordings did it justice (none of this was new information or a big secret to longtime Springsteen fans). Well, the complaints were universal, and since there was already talk of a one disc sampler for the budget-minded fan (which eventually became "18 Tracks"), Springsteen thought he could use that disc as a way of appeasing fans. So, his engineers retrieved and remixed "The Fever" for CD release, and because he was never satisfied with the old recordings, went back into the studio and recorded a solo, piano rendition of "The Promise" in 1999 (months after "Tracks" was already released). How "Trouble River" figured into the mix, I'm not sure, but he was set on putting two new tracks on the disc, so why not a third?

Of course, lots of fans already picked up the box set the month it came out, so even though Bruce was sympathetic to what he heard afterwards, you can understand why so many would still cry rip-off. But, 1) again, Bruce didn't do this to squeeze money out of his fans, he did it because he was trying to appease them. 2) you'll notice on Amazon, ebay, and many other sites that "18 Tracks" used goes for a paltry few dollars, the price of a CD single or a 45, so time has righted things for those who have yet to buy it.

As for the 15 cuts taken from the box set, they aren't the 15 best. I actually like all of them, but "Thundercrack," "Roulette," "Shut Out The Light," and "The Wish" among others are more essential than "Where the Bands Are," "I Wanna Be with You," "Lion's Den," and "Part Man, Part Monkey."

Unless you're strapped for cash, go for the box set. For those who have the box set and are considering buying this for the new material, don't pay full price, get a cheap, used copy, they should be easy to find.

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