Bruce Springsteen
The Essential Bruce Springsteen

Let me start by stating that I own the 2003 version of The Essential Bruce Springsteen with a bonus CD, and that, whether considering the original version or the one updated in 2015, although I generally love the material included, I cannot help but consider the collection incomplete. I believe the historic Greatest Hits from 1995 is more complete, proportionate to being a single-disc collection. Let's go, step by step, to see why.

Analyzing with hindsight the material included and comparing the two editions, a choice I understand, for example, is the replacement of the 3 tracks chosen from Greetings From Asbury Park (namely Blinded by the Light, For You, and Spirit in the Night) with Growin' Up, given the autobiographical nature of the song and its popularity, especially live. Sandy and Rosalita remain unchanged, as do Thunder Road and Born to Run — for good reason, since they were Bruce's first songs to enter not only the Olympus of the artist's classics but the history of rock as a whole. From the album that bears the latter's title, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out is included in the collection, replacing Jungleland — a choice that is, to me, questionable but objectively understandable, given the piece's recent popularity.

As for the most iconic albums by an artist like Bruce, choosing among the minor classics for inclusion in a collection is always challenging, as we can see with Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River. In the former case, fixtures are the grand Badlands, the album's most known song, and The Promised Land, another great classic, particularly popular in concert due to its versatility, suitable for both electric and acoustic performances. To disappear, however, is the title track itself, in favor of Prove It All Night — which, of course, I absolutely like, but the absence of a rock ballad like Darkness in a collection of Bruce's essential pieces is a crime. Additionally, much debated was the exclusion of Racing in the Street, especially considering the appreciation not only from critics and audiences but also from the artist himself. Regarding The River, the inclusion in the original edition of only the title track and Hungry Heart (as much as I love them) is truly madness, especially considering the inclusion of 3 pieces from the much less iconic Greetings; fortunately, the error is remedied in the 2015 edition, with the inclusion of minor classics such as The Ties That Bind and Out in the Street. Certainly, someone could have also considered ballads like Independence Day or rock and roll like Cadillac Ranch, but the selection made, and having 4 songs from The River, certainly doesn't displease.

From Nebraska, Bruce's first solo album, Atlantic City could not be absent in any case, while the title track is replaced by Johnny 99. Choosing among the minor classics of Nebraska is quite difficult, especially because between the two selections mentioned and the alternative that would be more likely (also because it has shone on Broadway again), namely the autobiographical My Father's House, one is better than the other. As for Born in the USA, the choice of the title track, Glory Days, and Dancing in the Dark remains unchanged; objectively understandable selections, although not my favorite songs from the album, but the absence of not saying minor classics I love, like No Surrender, but of big hits like My Hometown and I'm on Fire — especially the latter among the artist's most popular songs — which I both secretly prefer over the other big hits of the album, is inexplicable. Also, from the box set Live 1975-85, nothing is present in any case, neither Because the Night nor Fire.

As for Tunnel of Love, there couldn't have been a more fitting choice than finally including Tougher Than the Rest in the updated version of The Essential. It is one of the most beloved songs in his catalog in recent times, especially by the European audience. Brilliant Disguise remains a constant presence, while the title track is replaced by One Step Up, a piece similar in popularity: both were hits when released, but in fact, they are not considered among Bruce's timeless classics.

We're in the '90s, and from the two 1992 albums, the only presence that remains unchanged is clearly the classic Human Touch, while Lucky Town and Living Proof are replaced by Better Days and If I Should Fall Behind; an understandable choice, as they are the slightly better-known pieces. Of course, the iconic Streets of Philadelphia, the historic film soundtrack with Tom Hanks and Oscar winner for Best Song, is always present. Regarding the tracks newly released on the legendary Greatest Hits, a worse choice could not have been made: the inclusion of Murder Incorporated in a collection called The Essential is absolutely incomprehensible. If the choice had been a hit, Secret Garden would have been included, but someone evidently preferred to insert a lesser-known piece, and at this point, I cannot explain how an immensely more representative, and above all, more beautiful piece like This Hard Land was not chosen.

After the Greatest Hits, a new era begins with The Ghost of Tom Joad, with its Nebraska-esque dark folk atmospheres, and the great title track is absolutely essential. Unfortunately, Land of Hope and Dreams and American Skin, present in the first edition, are eliminated in the second. From The Rising, Lonesome Day is present in both cases, and, of course, the song that gives the album its title, which perhaps most represents Bruce in the last two decades, while the absence of Waitin' on a Sunny Day, among the period's major classics and in my opinion one of the album's most valid pieces, is absolutely inexplicable. Similarly, I can’t explain how Mary's Place was included in the first edition, neither a hit nor anything similar, and absolutely not among my album favorites.

The pieces released after 2003 conclude the collection, and therefore only the updated version: from Devils & Dust, we have the title track and Long Time Comin', from Magic the predictable hit Radio Nowhere — I understand its presence, but regardless of my preferences, why aren't there Girls in Their Summer Clothes nor Long Walk Home? — and from Working on a Dream, no less than 3 songs, namely the title track, My Lucky Day, and The Wrestler. Perhaps a bit too many, considering that instead from Wrecking Ball only We Take Care of Our Own was included, and there is neither the studio version of the already mentioned Land of Hope and Dreams nor the same song that gives the album its title, both certainly important pieces. Closing the collection is Hunter of Invisible Game, known for being the song from the short film that marks Bruce's debut as a director.

As for the most recent material, we can only leave room for imagination. Surely the first pieces that might come to mind are Hello Sunshine regarding Western Stars, and Letter to You and Ghosts regarding, indeed, Letter to You. But where to leave a piece like I'll See You in My Dreams, with which Bruce always closed his Broadway set in 2021?

We will see about all this, perhaps Bruce will "yield to temptation" and represent, in a few months, his 50-year career with a collection featuring nothing less than 50 songs. But that's another story…

Until next time!