\n<\/p>\n
Quick side note:<\/em> I\u2019m addressing these in their presumed chronological order were they to have been released as the albums they\u2019ve been grouped as rather their ordering in the box.<\/em><\/p>\n Aside from being a fascinating look at Springsteen\u2019s working process, Tracks II: The Lost Albums<\/em> provides an insight into his archival management too. Somewhere North of Nashville<\/em> is a prime example of both: work on the project that became Western Stars<\/em> actually began in 2010. That places its genesis between Working on a Dream <\/em>\u2013 his last album with Brendan O\u2019Brien \u2013 and Wrecking Ball<\/em> \u2013 his first with Ron Aniello. It\u2019s also the period of time when he was rooting around in his vaults for The Promise<\/em> and the archival box-set release of Darkness\u2026<\/em> <\/p>\n Given that theWestern Stars<\/em> project didn\u2019t reach full fruition until 2019 \u2013 the process for which we\u2019ll get to in a few albums time \u2013 it\u2019s indicative of how many different projects Bruce had (and, seemingly, has<\/em>) on the go at anyone time. At the start of that project, in 2010, Springsteen told Aniello \u201ccome out here, we have plenty of material to work with\u201d and handed over \u201ca country record [that] was basically cut with musicians in LA \u2013 live with a tight band \u2013 in the 1990s.\u201d <\/p>\n Quite a find I\u2019d guess\u2026. ish. If we go back again to the Bruce Springsteen Timeline and move the dial back to 1995 we\u2019ll find a pretty busy period. Having popped his \u2018loops\u2019 album on the shelf, completed the Greatest Hits<\/em> material and accompanying promotion, Bruce decided to leave the band to it once again and make a \u2018country\u2019 record. With two different recording setups in place and a backing band that included a couple of E Streeters, he\u2019d work on the livelier stuff in the afternoon and save the more sombre material for the evening. The story goes that the Boss was originally making one album before the narrative voice and style of the Ghost of Tom Joad<\/em> material became the more cohesive of the projects and while the \u2018other\u2019 material remained a good way to get the band warmed up, it remained in the vault instead. <\/p>\n All we had, until now, was a smattering of track names that were known to have been recorded at the time like \u2018Tiger Rose\u2019 and \u2018Poor Side of Town\u2019 that were presumed in the same mould as the ..Joad<\/em> material. Turns out, they\u2019re very much not. Somewhere North of Nashville<\/em> wasn\u2019t a complete album. It couldn\u2019t have been, really, given that \u2026Joad<\/em> soon took other focus. Instead, as part of the archival process, Bruce and Aniello recruited the same players that featured on the original material \u2013 including Marty Rifkin on pedal steel guitar (if you\u2019re ever wondering \u2018how much pedal steel guitar is too much pedal steel guitar?\u2019 this album has your answer) \u2013 and added some songs to the mix that matched the initial clutch. Songs such as \u2018You\u2019re Gonna Miss Me When I\u2019m Gone\u2019 and \u2018Somewhere North of Nashville\u2019 (which would be revisited and retooled again for Western Stars<\/em>) are among the \u2018new\u2019 songs. <\/p>\n This isn\u2019t one of the strongest albums in the set. In fact, there\u2019s a lot of material here that could, really should<\/em>, have stayed in the vaults and nobody would have minded. While it certainly fleshes out the picture of Springsteen\u2019s output during that era and, again, gives a revealing look at his working process, this isn\u2019t a \u2018holy crap, Ghost of Tom Joad<\/em> should\u2019ve been a double album\u2019 revelation. I don\u2019t have to wrack my mind to chose a weak moment here, I\u2019m afraid\u2026.<\/p>\n Least: Detail Man<\/strong><\/p>\n