At 7 albums and 83 songs, the massive ‚Tracks II‘ box set says a lot about Bruce Springsteen as an artist. It shows a true artist on a compelling quest.<\/b>
\n\u201cTwo faces have I
One that laughs, one that cries
One says hello, one says goodbye\u201d
Bruce Springsteen, \u201cTwo Faces,\u201d 1987
Taken off Springsteen\u2019s brilliant 1987 Tunnel of Love album, this gem is ostensibly written about a troubled relationship. But as someone who has interviewed so many of the greatest songwriters ever \u2013 Mike Stoller, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty \u2013 the list goes on and on, I can tell you most songwriters will tell you that songs often have multiple meanings and hidden subtext even the writers don\u2019t know about. I have had countless songwriters tell me they often don\u2019t know what a song is about until years later.
So, it is very interesting to revisit this particular track nearly 40 years later with two facts in mind. One, it was on the album that directly preceded Springsteen disbanding the legendary E Street Band for a dozen years. Two, looking at the song in the wake of the massive seven album, 83-song Tracks II: The Lost Albums set coming out Friday (June 27), it could easily be an artistic confession.
Because, although unlike Tracks, these are seven complete individual albums, when you look at them as a whole, they very much reveal the duality of Springsteen, the musician.
Almost all great artists have multiple artistic sides to them. Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Prince, John Lennon \u2013 if you go through their whole bodies of work, you see great detours along what is considered their artistic path. And some, like Waits, their whole career is exploration. So, to say Springsteen has multiple artistic personalities is not unusual. It is recognizing that as a true artist he has the normal wanderlust all great musicians do.
In Springsteen\u2019s case though it is particularly interesting because he has created a larger-than-life persona. This year is a perfect example. As he gets set to release this incredibly introspective collection he is currently touring overseas, playing stadiums to nearly 100,000 fans a night and again being recognized as an American hero for leading the artistic charge against the current presidential administration.
In a way, the Springsteen leading the E Street Band and tens of thousands in anthemic rockers like \u201cBadlands\u201d and \u201cBorn to Run\u201d is a version of Superman. Well, if that version is Superman, the Springsteen of these seven albums is Clark Kent.
Each of the seven albums \u2013 LA Garage Sessions \u201983, Streets of Philadelphia Sessions, Faithless, Somewhere North of Nashville, Inyo, Twilight Hours and Perfect World \u2013 has its own vibe and standout songs.
LA Garage Sessions \u201983, the collection that famously bridges Nebraska and Born in the USA, is 18 songs that range from the goofy, fun \u201cLittle Girl Like You\u201d to the story song \u201cJim Deer,\u201d a natural continuation of from Nebraska. The standout song is the incredibly sweet \u201cCounty Fair,\u201d a song beautiful in its simplicity and innocence.
The famed Streets of Philadelphia Sessions does not disappoint. The 10-song album, which opens with the recently released \u201cBlind Spot\u201d is driven by looping and rhythmic beats like on \u201cBetween Heaven And Hell\u201d and the somber, even a little sinister \u201cSomething In The Well.\u201d The highlight is \u201cMaybe I Don\u2019t Know You,\u201d a powerful statement on insecurity in a relationship.
Faithless, the soundtrack to a never-made movie is a gorgeous collection driven by a quest for answers and hope and propelled by religion. The record features at least six noteworthy songs out of the 11, including the Tom Waits-like \u201cAll God\u2019s Children,\u201d a screaming mix of blues and gospel, the stunning elegy \u201cLet Me Ride\u201d and the Johnny Cash-esque title track, a beautiful hymn. The standout though is the breathtaking ballad \u201cGod Sent You.\u201d
Somewhere North of Nashville, is, as the name implies, the most country record of the set. From the beautiful \u201cPoor Side of Town\u201d and \u201cDelivery Man,\u201d a very up-tempo, almost rockabilly tune, to the lush title track, the record is almost all country. The standout is \u201cYou\u2019re Gonna Miss Me When I\u2019m Gone,\u201d a sweet song that feels like \u201870s era Tom Waits doing country.
The largely Spanish and Mexican-influenced Inyo is next. The 10-song record is heavily influenced by both words of music, from \u201cThe Lost Charro,\u201d which is Mexican and unique on the set, to the Spanish-styled \u201cOne False Move.\u201d The highlight is the gorgeous gospel song, \u201cWhen I Build My Beautiful House.\u201d
The lush Twilight Hours, arguably the strongest individual album in the set, is a masterful work of strings, crooning and gorgeous arrangements. Every track is a standout on this one, including each of the first four; the gorgeous \u201cSunday Love\u201d and \u201cLate in the Evening\u201d and the crooners, \u201cTwo of Us\u201d and \u201cLonely Town.\u201d \u2013
Finally, the set ends with the more rock-based Perfect World. Heavier in tempo and vibes on songs like \u201cBlind Man\u201d and the rocking gospel fee of \u201cYou Lifted Me Up,\u201d these 10 songs have more of a grit, led by the slow build of \u201cIf I Could Only Be Your Lover.\u201d
So, each of the albums is musically strong and worthy of exploring. Ultimately though the most compelling part about Tracks II: The Lost Albums is what it shows about Springsteen as a complete artist. It shows an artist, like so many other greats, on a journey for an artistic vision that is ongoing and like all true greats, is much more about the quest than the destination.<\/p>\n