Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Greatest Hits
Review by Jack Foley
IT’S been 14 years since Bruce Springsteen released his original Greatest Hits collection with The E Street Band, which has since sold over 1 million copies in the UK alone.
So, as The Boss and co prepare to headline Glastonbury on June 27, and the Hard Rock Calling Festival on June 28, a new package of the Greatest Hits collection is being released that focuses on his classic work with the E Street Band and features four tracks recorded since that 1995 collection.
The album also boasts two bonus tracks (previously only available on Bruce’s Live 1975 – 1985 box set) and is released as a Limited Edition CD in Europe exclusively.
It’s debatable just how essential this collection is if you’ve previously got it, but there’s no denying the timeless quality of some of the tracks.
Springsteen has delivered some gems with The E Street Band, even if some of his finest moments are reserved for his solo work (Philadelphia anyone?).
But the songs that helped to establish him as such a major force in global (let alone US) music are present and correct, from the anthemic likes of Born In The USA, with its famous intro, to Dancing In The Dark.
At his heart, Springsteen is a good old American rocker and his music is steeped in classic rock traditions. The big tunes are belted out with gusto (Born To Run, Glory Days etc), but there is a sensitivity to his songwriting that enables him to deliver a telling ballad or two.
Primary among these, of course, is the cracking I’m On Fire, while his storyelling ability is evident on tracks such as Thunder Road.
Springsteen fans will lap up every moment, of course, including the later material, including the most recent classic-in-waiting Long Walk Home, not to mention the live bonus tracks, Because The Night and Fire.
Newcomers, meanwhile, might like to add this to their collection as they’re sure to be surprised at just how many of these tracks have left an impression on them over the years.
Download picks: Born To Run, I’m On Fire, Long Walk Home, Born In The USA, Dancing In The Dark, Hungry Heart
Track listing: