Chapter & Verse

by Bruce Springsteen

Overview

Designed as a companion to Bruce Springsteen's 2016 memoir Born to Run, Chapter & Verse provides something of an aural autobiography, tracing Springsteen's development from a Jersey garage rocker into one of the great American songwriters. Springsteen compiled the 18-track disc himself, intending his selection to mirror the themes in his book, so he balances epics with intimate miniatures since both kinds of songs can capture his quests for deliverance and escape. He alternates his well-known anthems ("Born to Run," "Badlands," "Born in the USA"), with a few other popular singles ("Brilliant Disguise," "The Rising") and a host of deep cuts, all of which tend to downplay both his romantic and hard-rocking sides. Those aspects of Springsteen's musical personality are reserved for the opening act of Chapter & Verse, a five-song stretch of unreleased recordings that capture his early days. First up are two songs by the Castiles, his '60s garage band. On "Baby I," the Castiles fuse the Byrds and the Yardbirds, creating a great bit of unholy noise, and they also slam through Bo Diddley's "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover." This is a rough preamble to Springsteen's career -- the basic grammar that fueled the E-Street Band -- but Steel Mill's post-hippie 1970 hard rocker "He's Guilty (The Judge Song)" shows the first sign of how Springsteen could fill arenas. Rambling and ragged, the Bruce Springsteen Band's 1972 "Ballad of Jesse James" provides a transition from this sound to the kind of winding lyricism of "Henry Boy," a solo 1972 side that fits right alongside the 1972 version of "Growin' Up" from Tracks." These two songs feel like the foundation for the gorgeous "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," the 1973 song where Springsteen's talents come into full flower. On Chapter & Verse, "4th of July, Asbury Park" is positioned between "Growing Up" and "Born to Run," the fulcrum between the early years and the maturation, and that helps fuel the story Springsteen wants to tell with this album: he's not only illuminating the themes from his memoir, but illustrating how he grew as an artist. That he's able to tell that tale within the course of an 80-minute compilation is remarkable. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/23/2016
Label:	Columbia
UPC:	0889853582020

Tracks

1. Baby I
2. You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover
3. He's Guilty (The Judge Song)
4. The Ballad of Jesse James
5. Henry Boy
6. Growin' Up
7. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
8. Born to Run
9. Badlands
10. The River
11. My Father's House
12. Born in the U.S.A.
13. Brilliant Disguise
14. Living Proof
15. The Ghost of Tom Joad
16. The Rising
17. Long Time Comin'
18. Wrecking Ball

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bruce Springsteen   Primary Artist,Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica,Keyboards
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band   Primary Artist
Steel Mill   Primary Artist
The Castiles   Primary Artist
Danny Federici   Organ,Piano,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Soozie Tyrell   Violin,Vocals (Background)
Ross Petersen   Vocals (Background)
Vini Lopez   Drums
Curt Ramm   Trumpet
Steve Jordan   Drums
Rob Lebret   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Bob Alfano   Organ
Curt Fluhr   Bass
George Theiss   Bass,Guitar,Vocals
Paul Popkin   Vocals,Maracas,Tambourine
Vinnie Manniello   Drums
Vinnie Roslin   Bass,Vocals (Background)
Garry Tallent   Bass
Suki Lahav   Vocals (Background)
David Sancious   Organ,Piano,Keyboards
Ron Aniello   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Roy Bittan   Piano,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Max Weinberg   Drums,Percussion
Nils Lofgren   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Brendan O'Brien   Bass
Gary Mallaber   Drums
Patti Scialfa   Vocals (Background)
Steven Van Zandt   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Clarence Clemons   Saxophone,Percussion

Technical Credits

Willie Dixon   Composer
Dave Collins   Mastering
Ross Petersen   Engineer
Eric Meola   Photography
Peter Cunningham   Photography
David Gahr   Photography
Frank Stefanko   Cover Photo
Art Maillet   Photography
Michelle Holme   Art Direction
Stanley Tonkel   Engineer
Roz Levin   Photography
Rob Lebret   Engineer
Jo Lopez   Photography
Mike Batlan   Engineer
Edward Gallucci   Photography
George Theiss   Composer
Nick Dadia   Engineer
Greg Calbi   Mastering
Phil Giambalvo   Engineer
Bob Clearmountain   Mixing
Bob Ludwig   Mastering,Remastering
Ken Perry   Mastering
Jack Ashkinazy   Mastering
Chuck Plotkin   Mixing,Producer
Dennis King   Mastering
Jon Landau   Producer
Ron Aniello   Loop,Engineer,Producer
Jim Cretecos   Producer
Mike Reese   Mastering
Roy Bittan   Additional Production
Louis Lahav   Mixing,Engineer
Jimmy Iovine   Mixing,Engineer
Danny Clinch   Photography
Joel Bernstein   Photography
Mike Appel   Producer
Brendan O'Brien   Mixing,Producer
Bruce Springsteen   Composer,Producer,Instrumentation
Anton Corbijn   Photography
Toby Scott   Mixing,Engineer,Project Supervisor
Steven Van Zandt   Producer
John Hammond   Producer
Neil Dorfsman   Engineer
Harvey Goldberg   Engineer