Back in 1979, Bruce Springsteen was all set to release the
follow-up to the previous year’s 'Darkness on the Edge of Town'. After
legal problems made the wait between that album and its predecessor, the
breakthrough 'Born to Run', a long three years and an eternity in the ’70s, Bruce was more than ready to get back into the studio.
Bruce had written and recorded hundreds of songs for 'Darkness' and its follow-up, which was going to be called 'The Ties That Bind'. The single-record project, like the album before it, took on a somber
tone, as Bruce, approaching his 30s, explored grown-up themes like
marriage and responsibility. But something happened on the way to the
album’s release. Springsteen pulled the record and decided to revisit
the project with more upbeat songs, and ended up with the double-LP epic
'The River' in 1980 instead.
'The Ties That Bind: The River Collection' is a box
set of 52 songs from the sessions on four CDs, and tells the story
of how one of music’s most determined artists scrapped a great album
and replaced it with an even better one. Lengthening the 10-song The
Ties That Bind made the double-LP 'The River' a more expansive record, and
not just in physical size. By broadening his scope, Springsteen
guaranteed 'The River' wouldn’t be just Darkness on the Edge of Town Part
II.
The original Ties That Bind is collected here in its entirety and made up
of some songs that ended up on The River, some that didn’t and some
that did in different versions, scales back the breadth of the
two-record edition, tightening some of the loose ends and in some ways
laying a more solid foundation for the songs. But The River works better
as narrative and as the next step in Springsteen’s evolution as one of
rock’s most masterful songwriters.
For further proof as to just how prolific and consistent he was during
this period, check out the 22 outtakes from the album’s sessions. Several ended up as B-sides, bonus tracks and songs on 1998’s odds-and-ends box set 'Tracks', but they take on new perspective in this
light, not only revealing that Springsteen had enough material for a
four-LP set but also how differently The River might have sounded with
some alterations.
Like 2010s The Promise, which gathered a ton of 'Darkness on the Edge of
Town' leftovers, 'The Ties That Bind: The River Collection' is more
rewarding if you’re familiar with the original material. Songs like "Meet Me in the City," "Roulette," "Where the Bands Are," "Living on the
Edge of the World" and "Held Up Without a Gun" are great songs that fit
into The River‘s concept, but what would they replace? It’s tough to
say.
In the end, 'The River' was the album Springsteen needed to make at that
time.
For the freeload, tell us about the worst Boss you ever worked for.