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Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Tracks II’ is an epic act of rock-star lore

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After fifty years since he became a rock star drenched in sweat with the release of “Born to Run” in 1975, Bruce Springsteen has decided to share his collection of previously unheard material for a new box set, covering almost the entirety of the half-century he’s spent pursuing the elusive American dream.

The collection titled ‘Tracks II: The Lost Albums’ comprises 83 songs, many of which have never been heard by die-hard fans of The Boss. It serves as a follow-up, in a way, to the 1998 release ‘Tracks’, which featured demos and leftovers to flesh out the tale of one of music’s most productive and detail-oriented songwriters. Unlike its predecessor, ‘Tracks II’ groups the songs into seven separate LPs, each with a unique sound and theme; Springsteen came very near to releasing some of these albums at their original time but eventually chose not to for numerous personal and professional reasons.

In terms of extensive content, “Tracks II” stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Peter Jackson’s Beatles documentary series “Get Back” and Taylor Swift’s re-recording projects. This release coincides with Bruce Springsteen’s current media attention, stemming from his public disputes with President Trump over immigration policies and the announcement of the upcoming fall show “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” where Jeremy Allen White portrays Springsteen. Our pop music critic Mikael Wood and staff writer August Brown recently convened to evaluate this box set and its rich offerings.

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To begin, let’s discuss how Springsteen and his team are releasing this grand project. Based on the articles, videos, and discussions that have introduced “Tracks II,” they view the box set as a chance to redefine our perception of the Boss in two significant ways.

Initially, Bruce Springsteen appeared uncertain about achieving rock stardom. The album ‘L.A. Garage Sessions ’83’, one of the records presented here, seems designed to challenge the notion that Springsteen seamlessly transitioned from the low-fi ‘Nebraska’ in 1982 to the arena-focused anthems of ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ in 1984. This largely self-produced album, recorded in a small apartment he owned in the Hollywood Hills, suggests that Springsteen was contemplating staying within his more literary realm instead of pursuing the glitz and glamour of MTV. In my opinion, it implies that he may not have embraced stardom as enthusiastically as we believed; even back then, he was considering both the advantages and disadvantages of becoming a sex symbol in tight jeans.

It seems that ‘Tracks II’ aims to set the record straight about Springsteen during the ’90s, a decade in which grunge was dominant and none of his three albums were successful according to his own standards. However, these three LPs suggest that he was actively exploring new sounds instead of just waiting for the grunge trend to pass. ‘Streets of Philadelphia Sessions’ stemmed from the moment that led to his Academy Award-winning theme for ‘Philadelphia’, and showcases his experiments with synthesizers and drum loops. ‘Somewhere North of Nashville’, made concurrently with the more introspective ‘Ghost of Tom Joad’, is a lively country record. Lastly, ‘Inyo’ was inspired by the Mexican music he listened to while riding around Southern California on his motorcycle.

The ways these tales are being preserved align closely with Bruce Springsteen’s memoir, solo Broadway performance, various recent documentaries, and the upcoming release of “Tracks II”. Before the anticipated biopic that could spark a new era for The Boss, similar to what “A Complete Unknown” did for Bob Dylan last year. However, August, do you feel there’s a need to reinterpret Springsteen’s portrayal? Does he appear in 2025 as an artist who may have been misunderstood by anyone?

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Mikael, I believe you’re right on target! This container symbolizes Bruce Springsteen as a thought-provoking and questioning songwriter, even during times when his popularity in pop culture made his rise to fame seem predestined – almost mythical.

In this day and age, there’s never been a more fertile period for enthusiasts curious about Bruce Springsteen’s creative methods. The highly successful Broadway production and his widely praised book paved the way for “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” which seeks to portray him during the gloomy, brilliant, transformative phase of “Nebraska.” This was a time that Springsteen himself described as “depression…spreading like an oil spill across the beautiful turquoise-green gulf of my meticulously planned and managed existence.” He likened depression to a “black sludge…threatening to suffocate every last living part of me.

Could you envision yourself as a movie executive, having secured the rights for a Bruce biopic, but then finding out that the story you’ll be presenting is based on his most unrelentingly sad solo album?

However, “L.A. Garage Sessions ’83” provides additional depth and grit to the period when Bruce transformed from a symbol of the working class into a worldwide sensation. I concur that it reflects his conflicting feelings about being known as the most prominent rear end in the nation, should it overshadow his literary ambitions. It’s astonishing to find out that while he was expressing the bravado of “Born In the U.S.A.,” he was simultaneously working on “The Klansman,” a complex character analysis of American wickedness that foretells, “When the race war ends us in a fiery vision / It’ll be a Klansman who will cleanse this nation / This, son, is my dream.

Wood: Talk about dancing in the dark.

In addition to the four records we’ve discussed, “Tracks II” features a few other notable pieces. Springsteen refers to “Faithless” as the soundtrack for an uncompleted “spiritual Western” project he was part of in the mid-2000s. It also contains “Twilight Hours,” a sophisticated arrangement, and “Perfect World,” which diverges from the box set’s theme by compiling 10 energetic rock songs that couldn’t find a place among his recordings throughout the past few decades. In an essay accompanying “Perfect World,” he mentions that “If I Could Only Be Your Lover” nearly made it onto the 2012 album “Wrecking Ball,” but it wasn’t politically relevant enough.

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Combining all these works leaves you questioning: Among Springsteen’s boomer-royalty contemporaries, who is more versatile? I believe Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder possess similar abilities, but it seems neither has been motivated to explore such a wide range of styles for quite some time. However, when examined individually, the albums demonstrate how dedicated Springsteen was to each genre he embraced.

I’m particularly fond of the “horny-apocalyptic” style in “Waiting on the End of the World,” a track from “Streets of Philadelphia Sessions.” However, I find myself frequently returning to “Inyo,” where he adopts a style reminiscent of Townes Van Zandt’s regally weary minimalism. He paints vivid pictures of the California desert and border-town Mexico, a setting that seems particularly relevant from our perspective, looking at L.A., which currently feels under siege.

Regarding this topic: One aspect that captures my attention about these series of albums that challenge traditional storytelling is that they come at a time under Trump’s presidency, when Springsteen’s portrayal as the poet of working-class white America might be as misleading as it has ever been.

I recall attending Bruce’s Vote for Change tour in 2004, where Bright Eyes and R.E.M. were also performing. That concert was to rally young Floridians for John Kerry. (As we now know, the election didn’t go as planned.) It’s inspiring to witness him continuing his activism, criticizing totalitarian tendencies every night, even in his eighth decade.

It’s clear we’re not fooling anyone. Fans of MAGA who might have once been swayed by the Boss’ views on labor unions and standing against fascism probably won’t be found anymore – not even if it slightly irritates the present-day White House resident from the Tri-State Area in the ’80s. At best, these working-class individuals are now following Zach Bryan; more realistically, they’re tuning into Morgan Wallen instead.

Wood: It’s hard to believe that the reported $500 million Bruce Springsteen earned in 2021 by selling his catalog didn’t make it harder for some people to see him as a wealthy individual detached from everyday people, who have lost touch with the working class. (In essence, it appears that both Bruce and Don are just two wealthy men trying to influence the life of Blue-Collar Larry.)

Music

As a fellow moviegoer and music lover, I’d like to express my deep sadness upon hearing about the passing of Wilson, who left us at 82. This man was undeniably one of the visionaries in the realm of music – if we can even find a word that encapsulates someone who constantly explored the boundless potential of sound.

Your observation on “Inyo” reminds me of how deeply rooted the tunes from “Tracks II” were in Springsteen’s California experiences. During the ’80s and ’90s, it seemed as though California served as a sanctuary from his fame and a wellspring for creative rejuvenation for him. For example, the notes accompanying the “Streets of Philadelphia Sessions” reveal that he recorded the demos for that unfinished album at his Bel-Air residence, having moved there following the Northridge earthquake damage to his Hollywood Hills home. It appears that Springsteen became enamored with drum loops as a result of his immersion in West Coast hip-hop.

In 1994, it’s quite possible he was listening to Beck’s “Loser” on KROQ, as the catchy and laid-back tune “Blind Spot” seems to suggest. It’s intriguing to imagine an artist so deeply rooted in New Jersey lore shifting his focus towards fresh paths at that time.

Despite the changes in his ability to connect with the heartland, “Tracks II” demonstrates that Springsteen had one constant motivator – himself. He was able to create these raw yet complete albums no matter where inspiration struck him, even during his peak popularity. It’s understandable why he chose not to release these albums at the time, as they might have confused his image when rock music was undergoing significant transformations, just before his resurgence in the 2000s with “The Rising.

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Instead of saying “But they deepen and affirm what, I think, ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere’ is trying to do for his ’70s era,” you could rephrase it as “These records continue and emphasize what I believe ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere’ aims to convey about Bruce’s 1970s period.”

And instead of saying “demonstrate that Bruce’s ubiquity in the ’80s — and the new churn of rock in the ‘90s — left him uneasy and turning back to the sturdy craftsmanship and scene-setting experiments he loved,” you could rephrase it as “They show that his widespread presence in the ’80s, along with the changing trends in rock during the ’90s, made him feel unsettled, causing him to return to the solid songwriting and innovative setting styles he cherished.”

Lastly, instead of saying “These records don’t reveal anything jaw-dropping about his ambitions, but they show that given the choice of being an artist or a hero, he never shortchanged the former even when the culture was begging for the latter,” you could rephrase it as “These albums do not disclose any groundbreaking aspects of his aspirations, yet they illustrate that he would always prioritize being an artist over a hero, even when society seemed to want the opposite.

I mentioned that “Inyo” is probably my favorite of the lost albums. How about you?

Wood: Among the bunch, “Twilight Hours” stands out quite notably. This collection features songs that Bruce Springsteen recorded during the same sessions as his 2019 album “Western Stars.” While the latter had a radiant Glen Campbell feel, this one is more somber and melancholic, reminiscent of Frank Sinatra’s “In the Wee Small Hours” era. Here, Bruce sings about feelings of loneliness and regret, accompanied by lush horns and strings arrangements. For a comparison, you might think of Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach’s 1998 album “Painted from Memory.

Springsteen’s singing in this track is both intimately personal and grandly dramatic – a style he referred to as “doomed romanticism” during an interview with The Times of London. This album certainly evokes nostalgia, but there’s also a sense of mystery about it; it seems like he’s yearning for something, yet unsure of exactly what that is or why. Much like the album “Tracks II”, “Twilight Hours” explores the path not taken, and it carries an air of both haunting melancholy and hopeful anticipation.

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2025-06-27 13:32

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