Bruce Springsteen Born to Run Sessions & Outtakes

Bruce Springsteen is America itself. Born in the richest country in the world after World War II, Bruce enjoyed its wealth and confidence in his childhood, lived in a society shaken by the Vietnam War in his youth, and became an adult in the chaotic social climate after the Cold War. Bruce’s life is closely linked to the course of modern American history. This is probably why Bruce is a special artist to Americans. The struggles of a boy growing up, the contradictions in society and the conflict with the reality that he must live with, the typical American public expects Bruce to send a message to the world through Bruce. It is truly a “cry of youth” and a cry of the times. The highlight of Bruce’s concerts is undoubtedly “Running Away”. It is a representative song of Bruce that is always played as a final blow before the encore at the most heated venue of the concert, and it is also the title song of Bruce’s third album released in 1975. The album “Running Away” was released on August 25, 1975. With its overwhelming power and the strength of the songs, this album, which seems to encompass the present and future of rock and roll, quickly rose up the charts. Until then, Bruce’s album sales had not been impressive, but he had been steadily performing live, and his first achievement came to fruition as “Runaways”. This work contains session recordings from this album “Runaways”. There are three versions of “Tears of Thunder Road”. The song is already perfectly completed in Take 1. It starts with a quiet piano intro and gradually builds up to a thrilling song structure. Since Bruce is still singing in a relaxed manner, it seems that he had little intention of making this the release version. Take 2 has a saxophone inserted into the intro. It may be a trace of trial and error, but it is ultimately omitted. It feels strange to ears accustomed to the release version, but it was probably decided that a simple piano intro would have been better for this song. The acoustic version has a completely different melody, and the lyrics are so different that you can tell. The demo take of “Scream in the Night” starts with a blues count. While the fast-paced performance remains the same, only the blues vocals stand out, as if he is searching for a new way to sing. He is probably singing with a pre-recorded orchestra in the background. The lyrics are fast-paced and in rapid succession, so the impression that it is still unfinished cannot be wiped away. There is also a take of the vocals in this song with double-tracking. You can see that he sang very carefully here, perhaps to avoid any misalignment in the vocals. There are four versions of “Backstreet” included in this album. The blues is already in full swing from take 1. In particular, you can see that the hoarse vocalization of the “Haa~Lonzaba~kstrea~♪” part is intentionally sung in a different way from the other parts. Take 2, which starts with a count, is so complete that it could have been released as is. The two versions credited as “With Strings” contain the instruments that were cut from the final release version. A guitar solo is inserted from the intro, which gives a very different impression. The guitar is layered from beginning to end, so it would have been a good idea to cut this one as well. The last song on disc 1 is a song that was recorded during the recording of this album but was shelved. “Lonely Night In The Park” is closer to the second album in tune. “Linda Let Me Be The One” is a ballad with a beautiful melody. “Walking In The Street” is also known under the working title “Lovers In The Cold”. The lyrics seem to be incomplete, and there are parts where Bruce follows the melody with a humming “woo woo woo”. “A Love So Fine” is a cover of an oldie song with a 50’s rock and roll feel. Unfortunately, there are no lyrics yet and only the performance is included. And finally, the long-awaited “Runaway Tomorrow”. The introduction with the bass at the forefront, and the impressive riff are repeated over the glittering performance. This way of adding dynamics makes this song a masterpiece. What is surprising is the inclusion of a female chorus. It was probably decided that it was unnecessary to make such a dramatic statement, that it was overdone, and that this was the reason why it was ultimately omitted from the released version. Furthermore, a version with double-tracked vocals is also available for this song. Although the title of “If Not Her” sounds like a light love song, the grandiose song is full of blues flavor. The drums are brought to the forefront, the rhythm is emphasized, and the vocals are sung with a slight echo, making it a masterpiece that is sung very freely. Two takes are included in this album, but neither is the released version. Alternate take 2 is as raw as if Bruce were singing in front of you in a closed room. This is probably because the vocals are single-tracked and raw, with no effects whatsoever on them. “Meeting Across the River” was called “Heist” as a working title during recording. Both of the two takes included in this album were recorded under that working title. It is only Bruce that the tone of the saxophone does not give the impression of urban snobbism. And then there is “Jungleland,” which closes the album. Take 1 starts with Bruce’s murmuring count, and suddenly the orchestra is featured prominently. It is an orchestration that seems to have no place there. Take 2 starts with what sounds like a staff member’s voice, and Bruce’s murmuring count. Although the song is almost complete, the singing style is not fixed, and it seems as if he is trying various ways of singing. Take 3 also starts with a count, but it is surprising to start with the sound of string instruments like a suspense drama. Perhaps because it was too inappropriate, Bruce’s laughing voice can be heard in the background. The last take is a recording of Bruce concentrating on rehearsing only the ending part of this magnificent song, perhaps because they were unable to decide on it. There is also footage of a female staff member in the studio making suggestions. What is surprising is that a female soprano solo is added. Of course, it was ultimately cut, but it’s amazing that such an unusual idea was even tried out during the trial and error process. This is a two-disc set that covers all the studio session recordings of Bruce Springsteen’s third album, the masterpiece “Born to Run,” which is engraved in rock history. DISC ONE THUNDER ROAD 01. take 1 02. take 2 03. take 3 04. acoustic version NIGHT 05. demo 06. double vocal track BACKSTREETS 07. take 1 08. take 2 09. with strings #1 10. with strings #2 OUTTAKES 11. Lonely Night In The Park #1 12. Lonely Night In The Park #2 13 Linda Let Me Be The One 14. Walking In The Street a.k.a. Lovers In The Cold 15. A Love So Fine DISC TWO BORN TO RUN 01. with strings 02. with strings & double vocal 03. instrumental basic track SHE’S THE ONE 04. alternate take 1 05. alternate take 2 MEETING ACROSS THE RIVER 06. working title “Heist” take 16 07. working title “Heist” JUNGLELAND 08. alternate take #1 09. alternate take #2 10. alternate take #3 11. rehearsal for the ending