There's been a lot of static about a Wal-Mart only Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 'Greatest Hits' that was released earlier this month; specifically whether or not Springsteen should have allowed it to happen. It is ironic to see one of the world's biggest rock stars give an exclusive to a company whom he has spoken out against before (he even let an anti Wal-Mart documentary the rights to use his music in it). So what happened? Money, that's what happened. According to the recent Wall Street Journal article on the fiasco if Sony can not recoup their $100 million contract for his new recordings, they are allowed to make up for the losses through his back catalog. However, what many may find ironic is that I almost don't care about any of the above. What I want to know is why they made such a craptastic product. Springsteen's 1995 collection had 18 songs on it, of which the E Street Band performed on 14 of them (I'm counting "Brilliant Disguise"). This new package only has 12. My quibble is that is has only 52-minutes of music. Yeah, I know it's specially discounted at $10, but come on, this was the best they could do. It's not as if Springsteen has used a battery of outside songwriters in his life and has to pay them royalties. The disc should house a full 80-minutes, this is a compilation, not a thematic album. Seriously. I am guessing they did not give this collection more than 5-minutes of thought and it shows. What I will do is find creative ways that they could have utilized those extra 28-minutes. Now, let the hate mail come, but my point is that the product is out there, you may as well throw a bone to the die-hards and while you're at it you may as well and try to give a more insightful look to someone who may be buying your music for the first time. Easy Options
The disc is missing a number of high profile songs including "Blinded By The Light", "Jungleland", "Prove It All Night", "The Promised Land", "The River" and four top-ten hits from Born in the U.S.A.. Then there's assorted live tracks and close to thirty songs from this decade they could have chosen from, specifically a live version of "Gypsy Biker" or "Long Walk Home" from their most recent tour; two songs that became so much more in concert. Then there's "Code of Silence", which was recorded for The Rising? Granted, Tunnel of Love was largely a Springsteen solo disc, but why not include a live cut from the Tunnel tour? Regardless, even if you picked two songs from U.S.A., "Jungleland" and two of the other songs I had mentioned, they would have hit 80-minutes.
The flipside of how to complete the missing 28-minutes could be solved by just that, by filling it out with B-sides. "Pink Cadillac" anyone? It's a well known b-side that received a fair amount of FM airplay and is only available on Tracks and 18 Tracks. Considering that 18 Tracks sold a whopping 40,000 copies tells me people didn't seek that compilation out just for that song, but it would be another buying point for the average consumer. The last Top-20 hit Springsteen had was "Secret Garden" in 1997. Ironically, it re-charted two years after it was first released as a single due to its placement in Jerry Maguire. OK, so they may not want to put it here and cause people to not want to buy the regular Greatest Hits, but what about the b-side of the song, the version with strings? It's not as if they didn't whore that version enough between 1995 and 1997 putting it on every b-side imaginable. It's a well known Springsteen song and why couldn't they add it here?
Unreleased Outtakes
What made Springsteen's two previous packages essential (excuse the pun), were that it housed A-grade outtakes. The Greatest Hits finally saw the release of "Murder Incorporated" from 1982 and another long cherished outtakes, "This Hard Land", was re-recorded. The Essential collection housed an entire disc of bonus recordings including the stoic "County Fair" and the serene "None But The Brave". So why couldn't they throw us one outtake? Probably because everyone would bitch a fit about having to go to Wal-Mart to get it, alas if they really wanted it in some form or fashion, they would find ways to obtain it (much like what people did last fall when Bob Dylan's third disc from Tell Tale Signs was only available in a $100 package). However, Springsteen has so many alternate takes and unreleased songs sitting in his vault, it is unlikely they will ever all get to see the light of day. So why not give us that thunderous eight-minute take of "Born in the U.S.A."; it's spine-tingling and rumor has it that it was the first take of the song. I highly doubt the average fan would complain about the extended jam.
If Springsteen and manager Jon Landau were really unhappy with Sony making the deal with Wal-Mart, then they should have messed with them. They could have put the incomplete take of "Because the Night" from 1977. There is a near completed take done, but Springsteen never finished the verses, but Patti Smith did. I still think it would elicit. Sweet revenge handing over an incomplete song (assuming this was out of their hands which I don't fully believe). Or how about the unedited "Glory Days"? Yeah, I know that extra verse about his Dad isn't that great. But it would be nice to have and seriously, if the person buying this package doesn't have the original "Glory Days" from their vinyl, cassette or cd copy of U.S.A. or one of the two previous hits packages, and they notice the difference, they can go download it. Chances are they won't even notice the difference. "Fire" would be another great outtake to have, although I imagine that is being saved for Tracks 2 at some point. The E Street version of "Atlantic City" from the legendary Electric Nebraska sessions would also serve its purpose? I know that these sessions aren't looked upon fondly, but there has to be at least one useable take.
I understand the complaints of giving Wal-Mart an exclusive and I have mixed feelings over it, but still, whether this was sold everywhere or only at Wal-Mart, it leaves no excuses for such a lousy product execution. Why not give some of these outtakes a showcase? Most importantly, this is a compilation and there is no excuse to not use the full 80-minutes of space allowed on the disc. How long would it take to clean up and masters of the above mentioned songs, one afternoon? It's a loss to shed some light on a few lesser known gems, because ultimately, I can't see Wal-Mart selling boatloads of this disc. Do yourself a favor and skip this one, if you're really interested in getting a snapshot of Springsteen's career, start with his 1995 Greatest Hits and if you can afford a few extra dollars, you would be far better served by the 2003 Essential Bruce Springsteen collection. Ultimately, I'm more upset about the lousy execution than where it's being sold.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.
