Two new books are being released. One has been mentioned on Flamingo Lane before. It's called Tramps Like Us and consists of various accounts from fans of Bruce. The book is available now. The other one is not available yet, and the only info we have is that it's called Bruce Springsteen: The Official Story. Sounds very interesting if the title is any indication. Both books can be ordered from Amazon. Read more

   

There is no sign of any singles prior to the release of Tracks, except for the promo sampler sent out to radio stations. Word has it that the first single can't be expected until January. Read more

   

Last Friday, the 17th, WNEW-FM in New York were the first in the United States, probably the whole world, to broadcast parts of Tracks. More specifically, they played a three-song promotion sampler which includes "I Wanna Be With You", "Where the Bands Are" and "Growin' Up". But according to the SonicNet web site, the radio station had gotten hold of the sampler too early and that Columbia tried to stop them. Speaking of WNEW, they have announced this upcoming weekend "Springsteen weekend". People can call and request any Springsteen songs, and caller number 20 will win a personal invitation for two to a listening party at Hard Rock Cafe in New York City. Since WNEW sneak-premiered the sampler, it has now officially been sent out to more radio stations in the States, and the three songs can now be heard regularly from coast to coast. People who heard them say they sound astonishing. Much, much better than the bootleg versions. No signs yet that European radio stations have started to play the songs, but this will no doubt happen very soon. Read more

   

CD stores in Norway (possibly other countries as well) have been provided with a 3-minute promo video for Tracks showing clips of Bruce with "Loose Ends" playing in the background. The song is being referred to as "I Wanna Be With You". Read more

   

WMMS in Cleveland is planning to rebroadcast the famous August 9, 1978, show from the Agora. The often bootlegged show will air sometime in October. Keep your eyes on their website for more info. Read more

   

In order to avoid coinciding with other major releases, Sony in Holland has allegedly decided to move the release of Tracks from Tuesday, November 10, to Friday, November 6. Since much of Europe, especially Northern Europe, usually follow Holland's example, there is a good chance other countries will see an early release as well. Speaking of Holland, the Dutch fan club, Roulette is in the process of organizing a pre-release listening party, possibly in the last days of October. Keep an eye on Roulette's webpage. Read more

   

Bruce Springsteen has spent his week in a London courtroom trying to prevent a record company from releasing some of his early demos, the same demos that have been released a million times by various bootleggers. If you, unlike us, can be bothered with following the details of the trial, the best way is to check out the Badlands website newsroom. There are even pictures of Bruce dressed in suit and tie. Pretty weird. But apart from that his condition is reportedly great. However, we still think it's a shame Bruce has to waste his time with this nonsense instead of writing some songs. Read more

   

Though it's not official word has it that the River outtake "I Wanna Be Where the Bands Are" will be the first single of Tracks. No word as to when it will be released and what the bonus songs will be. Read more

   

This afternoon the official press release announcing Tracks was released: "Bruce Springsteen Tracks" is Confirmed for November 10th Release on Columbia Records Four CD Set Contains 66 Songs, Including 56 Previously Unreleased Masters From Over 25 Years of Recording "Bruce Springsteen Tracks", a four CD set containing 66 songs and over four hours of material, will be released by Columbia Records on November 10th, 1998. The collection spans Bruce Springsteen's entire 25 year career as a recording artist. The box set includes 56 previously unreleased masters, many of which were recorded during the making of The River and Born In The U.S.A.albums. The remaining ten masters on Bruce Springsteen Tracks are b-sides, some of which were released only internationally. Bruce Springsteen Tracks is comprised of Disc 1 Featuring 17 masters from 1972-77, including Springsteen's very first Columbia Records recordings, made in 1972 with legendary A & R executive John Hammond. This disc also features additional songs recorded for (butnever released on) Greetings From Asbury Park; The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle; Born To Run and Darkness On The Edge Of Town. Disc 2 Featuring 17 masters from 1977-83, taken primarily from sessions for The River, as well as from Born In The U.S.A. recordings.The original version of the song Born In The U.S.A., recorded in 1982 for the Nebraska CD, is also featured on this CD. Disc 3 Featuring 18 masters from 1982-87 -- additional music recorded for (but never released on) Born In The U.S.A., as well as tracks from the Tunnel Of Love sessions. Disc 4 Featuring 14 masters from 1989-98 -- including 13 previously unreleased songs recorded by Bruce Springsteen in the '90s, from Human Touch up to and beyond sessions for The Ghost Of Tom Joad. In the liner notes, Bruce Springsteen describes the box set as follows "During the long intervals between my record releases, as I was spending more and more time in the studio, when I met a fan on the street I was often asked, What are you guys doing in there? I regularly pondered that question myself. What we were doing in there was making a lot of music, a lot more music than I could use at any one time. As a result, my albums became a series of choices -- what to include, what to leave out? I based my decisions on my creative point of view at the moment -- the subject I was trying to focus on, something musical or emotional I was trying to express. In certain instances, as on Darkness on the Edge of Town, Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad, these choices crystallized the album I was making. On some of my other records the reasons I had for choosing one song over another, in hindsight, feel a good deal less significant. One of the results of working like this was that a lot of music, including some of my favorite things, remained unreleased. This collection contains everything from the first notes I sang in the Columbia recording studio, my early and later work with the E Street Band, through to my music in the 90s. It's the alternate route to some of the destinations I travelled to on my records, an invitation into the studio on the many nights we spent making music in search of the records we presented to you. I'm glad to finally be able to share this music; here are some of the ones that got away." Bruce Springsteen September 1998 Bruce Springsteen Tracks will be accompanied by a 56-page book of lyrics, liner notes and rare photos. The members of the E Street Band, past and present, who appear on this set include Roy Bittan, Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, Nils Lofgren, Vini Lopez, David Sancious, Garry Tallent, Stevie Van Zandt and Max Weinberg. Other musicians who join Springsteen on various tracks include Mario Cruz, Michael Fisher, Bob Glaub, Omar Hakim, Randy Jackson, Gary Mallaber, Ed Manion, Ian McLagen, Frank Pagano, Shawn Pelton, Jeff Porcaro, Mark "The Love Man" Pender, Marty Rifkin, Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg, Mike Spengler, Soozie Tyrell and Jerry Vivino. The box set was produced by Bruce Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin. Among the original producers of the tracks were Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, Stevie Van Zandt, Roy Bittan, John Hammond, Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos. Many of the selections were originally recorded by Toby Scott, Jimmy Iovine, Neil Dorfsman or Louis Lehav. Toby Scott also served as technical coordinator on the box set, which was mixed by Ed Thacker, Bob Clearmountain and Thom Panunzio. 10/98 A detailed track listing follows "Bruce Springsteen Tracks" Disc 1 Track 1 Mary Queen Of Arkansas Recorded at CBS Studios, NY on 5/3/72 Track 2 It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City Recorded at CBS Studios, NY on 5/3/72 Track 3 Growin' Up Recorded at CBS Studios, NY on 5/3/72 Track 4 Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street? Recorded at CBS Studios, NY on 5/3/72 Track 5 Bishop Danced Recorded at Max's Kansas City (Live) on 2/19/73 Track 6 Santa Ana Recorded at 914 Sound Recording on 6/28/73 Track 7 Seaside Bar Song Recorded at 914 Sound Recording on 6/28/73 Track 8 Zero And Blind Terry Recorded at 914 Sound Recording on 6/28/73 Track 9 Linda Let Me Be The One Recorded at The Record Plant, NY on 6/28/75 Track 10 Thundercrack Recorded at 914 Sound Recording on 6/28/73 Track 11 Rendezvous Recorded at The Record Plant (LA Remote) (Live) Track 12 Give The Girl A Kiss Recorded at The Record Plant, NY on 11/10/77 Track 13 Iceman Recorded at The Record Plant, NY on 10/27/77 Track 14 Bring On The Night Recorded at The Power Station on 6/13/79 Track 15 So Young And In Love Recorded at The Record Plant, NY on 1/6/74 Track 16 Hearts of Stone Recorded at The Record Plant, NY on 10/14/77 Track 17 Don't Look Back Recorded at The Record Plant, NY on 7/2/77 "Bruce Springsteen Tracks" Disc 2 Track 1 Restless Nights Recorded at The Power Station on 4/11/80 Track 2 A Good Man Is Hard To Find (Pittsburgh) Recorded at The Power Station on 5/5/82 Track 3 Roulette Recorded at The Power Station on 4/3/79 Track 4 Dollhouse Recorded at The Power Station on 8/21/79 Track 5 Where The Bands Are Recorded at The Power Station on 10/9/79 Track 6 Loose Ends Recorded at The Power Station on 7/18/79 Track 7 Living On The Edge Of The World Recorded at The Power Station on 12/7/79 Track 8 Wages of Sin Recorded at The Power Station on 5/10/82 Track 9 Take 'Em As They Come Recorded at The Power Station on 4/10/80 Track 10 Be True Recorded at The Power Station on 7/21/79 Track 11 Ricky Wants A Man Of Her Own Recorded at The Record Plant, NY on 7/16/77 Track 12 I Wanna Be With You Recorded at The Power Station on 5/31/79 Track 13 Mary Lou Recorded at The Power Station on 5/30/79 Track 14 Stolen Car Recorded at The Power Station on 7/26/79 Track 15 Born In The U.S.A. Recorded at Thrill Hill Recording, 1/82 Track 16 Johnny Bye Bye Recorded at Thrill Hill Recording, 1/83 Track 17 Shut Out The Light Recorded at Thrill Hill Recording, 1/83 "Bruce Springsteen Tracks" Disc 3 Track 1 Cynthia Recorded at The Hit Factory on 4/20/83 Track 2 My Love Will Not Let You Down Recorded at The Hit Factory on 5/5/82 Track 3 This Hard Land Recorded at The Hit Factory on 5/11/82 Track 4 Frankie Recorded at The Power Station on 5/14/82 Track 5 TV Movie Recorded at The Hit Factory on 6/13/83 Track 6 Stand On It Recorded at The Hit Factory on 6/16/83 Track 7 Lion's Den Recorded at The Power Station on 1/25/82 Track 8 Car Wash Recorded at The Hit Factory on 5/31/83 Track 9 Rockaway The Days Recorded at The Hit Factory on 2/3/84 Track 10 Brothers Under The Bridges ('83) Recorded at The Hit Factory on 9/4/83 Track 11 Man At The Top Recorded at The Hit Factory on 1/12/84 Track 12 Pink Cadillac Recorded at The Hit Factory on 5/31/83 Track 13 Two For The Road Recorded at Thrill Hill Recording, 2/87 Track 14 Janie Don't You Lose Heart Recorded at The Hit Factory on 6/16/83 Track 15 When You Need Me Recorded at Thrill Hill Recording on 1/20/87 Track 16 The Wish Recorded at Thrill Hill Recording on 2/22/87 Track 17 The Honeymooners Recorded at Thrill Hill Recording on 2/22/87 Track 18 Lucky Man Recorded at Thrill Hill Recording on 4/4/87 "Bruce Springsteen Tracks" Disc 4 Track 1 Leavin' Train Recorded at Oceanway Studios, LA on 2/27/90 Track 2 Seven Angels Recorded at Oceanway Studios, LA on 6/29/90 Track 3 Gave It A Name Recorded at Thrill Hill Recording on 8/24/98 Track 4 Sad Eyes Recorded at Soundworks West, LA on 1/25/90 Track 5 My Lover Man Recorded at Soundworks West, LA on 12/4/90 Track 6 Over The Rise Recorded at Soundworks West, LA on 12/7/90 Track 7 When The Lights Go Out Recorded at The Record Plant, LA on 12/6/90 Track 8 Loose Change Recorded at The Record Plant, LA on 1/31/91 Track 9 Trouble In Paradise Recorded at Soundworks West, LA on 12/1/89 Track 10 Happy Recorded at A & M Studios, LA on 1/18/92 Track 11 Part Man, Part Monkey Recorded at Soundworks West, LA 1/90 Track 12 Goin' Cali Recorded at A & M Studios, LA on 1/29/91 Track 13 Back In Your Arms Recorded at The Hit Factory on 1/12/95 Track 14 Brothers Under The Bridge Recorded at Thrill Hill Recording on 5/22/95 For more information on Bruce Springsteen, please call Marilyn Laverty or Seth Cohen at Shore Fire Media, 718.522.7171. 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Here we go again! Two New Jersey record companies have sued Bruce accusing him of using "bullying tactics" to prevent them from releasing some of Bruce's early recordings, which the two companies, Pony Express Records Inc. and JEC Music USA Inc., claim they have the rights to. The recordings are, of course, once again, the famous Prodigal Son songs from the very early Seventies. They were first attempted released in 1993 by the British company Dare International. Bruce had this stopped after a court settlement, but apparently only temporarily. Why anyone would want to release these songs in the first place remains a mystery. Most Springsteen fans already have the bootlegs that followed in the wake of Dare's failed release. And apart from that, most of the songs are just not worth listening to more than a few times. The record companies may think there's good money in anything with Bruce's name on it, but in this case they would probably be disappointed. Maybe they are just hoping for an out-of-court settlement that would land them a small compensation from Bruce. Read more