The Essential Bruce Springsteen [Digipak]

Performer: Bruce Springsteen
Artist: Nils Lofgren; Steve Van Zandt; Clarence Clemons
Engineer: Jimmy Lovine; Louis Lehav; Neil Dorfsman; Nick DiDia; Toby Scott; Bob Clearmountain
Producer: Chuck Plotkin; Jimmy Cretecos; Jon Landau; Mike Appel; Roy Bittan; Steve Van Zandt; Brendan O'Brien; Bruce Springsteen
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Initial pressings included a limited edition bonus disc featuring previously unreleased studios and live performances. Personnel includes: Bruce Springsteen (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, mandolin, harmonica, recorder, bass); Patti Scialfa (vocals, guitar); Nils Lofgren (guitar, slide guitar, dobro, banjo, background vocals); Steve Van Zandt (guitar, mandolin, background vocals); Danny Frederici (accordion, piano, organ, Farfisa organ, glockenspiel, background vocals); Clarence Clemons (saxophone, percussion, background vocals); Garry Tallent (tuba, bass, background vocals); Roy Bittan (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, pump organ, keyboards, synthesizer, glockenspiel, background vocals); David Sancious (piano, electric piano, organ, Clavinet); Max Weinberg (drums, background vocals); Soozie Tyrell (background vocals). Producers includes: Bruce Springsteen, Mike Appel, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, Steve Van Zandt. Recorded between 1973 & 2002. Personnel: Bruce Springsteen (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, harmonica, recorder, bass guitar, hand claps, background vocals); Patti Scialfa (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Nils Lofgren (guitar, slide guitar, dobro, banjo, background vocals); Steve VanZandt (guitar, mandolin, background vocals); Marty Rifkin (pedal steel guitar); Suki Lahav (violin); Jane Scarpantoni, Jere Flint, Larry LeMaster (cello); Danny Federici (accordion, piano, organ, Farfisa, glockenspiel, background vocals); Clarence Clemons (saxophone, hand claps, percussion, background vocals); Garry Tallent (tuba, bass instrument, background vocals); Roy Bittan (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, pump organ, Mellotron, keyboards, synthesizer, kurzweil, glockenspiel, background vocals); David Sancious (piano, Clavinet, organ); Ian McLagan (piano, organ); Harold Wheeler (piano); Randy Jackson , Bob Glaub, Jim Hanson (bass instrument); Gary Mallaber, Jeff Porcaro (drums, percussion); Max Weinberg, Vincent Lopez (drums, background vocals); Ernest "Boom" Carter (drums); Richard Blackwell (congas, percussion); Mike Appel, Soozie Tyrell (background vocals). Additional personnel: Alliance Singers. Audio Remasterer: Bob Ludwig. If you're looking for a definitive Bruce Springsteen collection, search no further. THE ESSENTIAL BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN covers every phase of the Boss's career, from the Dylan-inspired absurdist folk-rock of his 1973 debut, through the Brando-with-a-Telecaster pathos of DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN, to the Spectorian grandeur of BORN TO RUN and the stark, existential folk of NEBRASKA. And that's just the first disc! The second goes on to document Springsteen's superstar period with cuts from the epochal BORN IN THE USA and the moody, stripped-down TUNNEL OF LOVE, on through his post-9/11 mission statement, THE RISING. For hardcore fans that already own everything on the first two CDs, there's a bonus disc of rarities--none of which appeared on the prolific songwriter's rarities box set, TRACKS. The brightest spots of disc three are easily the equal of Springsteen's best-known material. Bruce's own version of "From Small Things" (covered successfully by Dave Edmunds), a furious live version of the working man's lament "Held Up Without a Gun," and the gorgeously evanescent "County Fair" are worth the price of admission all by themselves. True to its promise, this collection perfectly captures the essence of the gifted Jersey boy's magic.

Entertainment Weekly (11/21/03, p.86) - "...The collectible [third] CD...is [even] more rewarding than the '98 outtakes box, TRACKS....disc 3 is as engaging a ride as any through Springsteen's '80s peaks, '90s valleys, and current rebirth." - Rating: A- Q (1/04, p.148) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[I]ncontestably the heart of a mighty legacy." Uncut (1/04, p.124) - 4 stars out of 5 - "When he gets quiet, gets home after crowded nights and faces solitary dawns, he's an extraordinary artist with a spooky, magical gift."s Mojo (Publisher) (12/03, p.128) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[T]his is as good a Springsteen 'best of' as you're likely to get."

Bruce Springsteen came out of New Jersey in the early 1970s sounding like a cross between Bob Dylan and early Tom Waits, backed by the rambunctious E Street Band. After toughening up his sound, Springsteen created his 1975 masterpiece, BORN TO RUN, which garnered critical acclaim for its blend of Spectorian grandeur and street poetry. Nine years later, BORN IN THE U.S.A. made him a worldwide superstar with its beefed-up stadium-rock sound. Along the way, he's produced such low-key acoustic-based milestones as NEBRASKA and THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD, never losing the blue-collar ethos that is central to his vision. His 2002 album, THE RISING, is considered one of the finest artistic responses to the 9/11tragedy produced in the event's immediate aftermath.

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