18 Tracks

by Bruce Springsteen

Overview

As masterful at marketing his mystique as he is at testifying to the transformative powers of rock, Bruce Springsteen has unveiled 18 Tracks, a low-budget alternative to Tracks, the 1998 four-CD set of previously unreleased material whose running time was clearly set by a star who performs until even the audience is tired. The single-disc incarnation collects such key tunes as an unplugged "Born in the U.S.A." and the should-have-been-a-hit "Where the Bands Are." But what makes 18 Tracks essential are the three "new" songs: the reggae-flavored "Part Man, Part Monkey," the soulful "Fever," and, most of all, "The Promise," a holy grail for bootleg-collecting die-hards who cried foul when it wasn't included in the box. It's as good as they say: a haunting, plaintive song about faith, hope, and the way the music business can crush the soul of a bright-eyed boy from Jersey. The fact that it will sell copies of this album to Springsteen true believers who already shelled out the cash for the box set barely diminishes its power at all.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/13/1999
Label:	Sbme Special Mkts.
UPC:	0886977280320
catalogNumber:	772803
Rank:	33559

Tracks

1. Growin' Up
2. Seaside Bar Song
3. Rendezvous
4. Hearts of Stone
5. Where the Bands Are
6. Loose Ends
7. I Wanna Be with You
8. Born in the U.S.A.
9. My Love Will Not Let You Down
10. Lion's Den
11. Pink Cadillac
12. Janey Don't You Lose Heart
13. Sad Eyes
14. Part Man, Part Monkey
15. Trouble River
16. Brothers Under the Bridge
17. The Fever
18. The Promise

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bruce Springsteen   Primary Artist,Guitar,Piano,Vocals
Nils Lofgren   Vocals
Omar Hakim   Drums
David Sancious   Organ,Piano,Keyboards
Clarence Clemons   Percussion,Saxophone,Background Vocals
Roy Bittan   Piano,Keyboards
Danny Federici   Organ,Accordion,Glockenspiel,Keyboards
Michael Fisher   Percussion
Vini Lopez   Drums
Jeff Porcaro   Drums
Mark Pender   Trumpet
Marty Rifkin   Dobro
Garry Tallent   Bass
Soozie Tyrell   Violin
Max Weinberg   Drums
Gary Mallaber   Drums
Mario Cruz   Tenor Saxophone
Randy Jackson   Bass
Jerry Vivino   Tenor Saxophone
Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg   Trombone
Ed Manion   Baritone Saxophone
Stevie Van Zandt   Guitar
Mike Spengler   Trumpet

Technical Credits

John Hammond   Producer
Bruce Springsteen   Composer,Producer,Liner Notes
Mike Appel   Producer
Roy Bittan   Producer
Neil Dorfsman   Engineer
Jimmy Iovine   Engineer
Jon Landau   Producer
Thom Panunzio   Engineer
Chuck Plotkin   Producer
Toby Scott   Engineer
Jim Cretecos   Producer
Louis Lehav   Engineer
Phil A. Ceccola   Cover Photo
Sandra Choron   Art Direction
Phil Giambalvo   Engineer
Stevie Van Zandt   Producer
Mike Batlan   Engineer

Editorial Reviews

18 Tracks is a single-disc distillation of 1998's four-CD box set Tracks, the superb retrospective assembling unreleased material spanning the breadth of Bruce Springsteen's storied career; also featuring three previously unissued songs, this new, streamlined release is a frustration from both a critical and consumer standpoint. The issue of record company greed aside, the greatest disservice is actually to those listeners who buy the disc as a substitute for the full Tracks box; each of its 66 cuts is an invaluable addition to the Springsteen songbook, so even casual fans need the complete package to discover lost classics like "Thundercrack," "Give the Girl a Kiss," "Wages of Sin," and "The Wish" -- just 18 of these gems are simply not enough. Which means, then, that 18 Tracks is ultimately most essential for those hardcore fans who already shelled out for most of the material in question anyway; and though it's appalling to force the devoted to buy a full-length album for just three new songs, at least each is excellent, in particular longtime fan favorites "The Fever" and "The Promise" (the latter newly recorded for inclusion here).

All Music Guide - Jason Ankeny