And what an artist to share some music with us. I'm not just talking about the music we're about to hear, but the man I'm about to welcome and introduce Randal Abrams with Randall's one song, Randal, We're doing Bruce Springsteen today. Every day is a good day in my mind to listen to Bruce Springsteen. But you picked him today? Tell us why?
Good afternoon, Thanks so much, John, I hope you're well.
Yes.
So, the reason is that today is the release of Tracks two The Lost Albums, which is a box set compilation by The Boss. The first Tracks box It was released in nineteen ninety eight, and these are unreleased songs
that he left off albums through Artie's career. The period that is being tracked now is a slightly different one to the first to the first period, and also the compilation is quite different because in the case of Tracks one, they were just you know, there'd be a song picked from the eighties and another one left off a seventies album.
But in the case of Tracks two, it's actually quite chronological for want of a better word, It's actually made up of lost albums, which include garage sessions that he did in Los Angeles in nineteen eighty three between Nebraska and Born in the USA. Streets of Philadelphia sessions. You'll know the song Streets of Philadelphia from the movie Philadelphia. It went on to win an Academy Award. But in fact, using kind of drum loops and a lot of electronic music,
he made a full album which he never released. Then there's an album called Somewhere North, which is somewhere North of Nashville, which is a country inspired album, another album called Twilight Hours, and another album called Perfect World. So there are in fact full almost he says. In some of the cases they were actually prepared as albums and
he just simply didn't release them. And in the case of the other albums, as it were on this box set, they were kind of he carefully curated the songs from a from a similar period and then put them together as a whole listening experience rather than as just separate tracks.
So, I mean, for Springsteen fans, it's an absolute treasure trove.
Is quite believable.
So out of that delievable, yeah, do you carry on?
And I think the other thing John to remember is it's it is quite expensive. So there is a compilation a two CD compilation was kind of a I won't say best of, but you know, tracks chosen from the from the nine albums. But the nine albums do come with a massive booklet, either on vinyl or on CD, which you're not going to get on the streaming services.
And obviously if you're if you're a Springsteen fan or a completist, you're going to want that book because it's going to provide a context to these recordings.
Let's hear then the song you've chosen out of this richness, which is a richness within the massive a catalog of Bruce Springsteen's remarkable work in his career. It's called County Fair.
Very when summer comes around stretch of banner across.
From main Street in town and field.
So leving in here.
Wilf carlsso to Reville.
You can see what's going about.
The soldiers field getting ready, brother caw down for confer Dear, everybody in town will be there.
So here we're going down. There be little.
Girl along blonde hair.
From when near daddy. One other stuff bears maybe down at the town he Fair. Now you'll be hanging time.
Let me get the top and that the roller coasters, hurredy drop ray. Now you wasn't he even scared with a baby?
Not the sound I'm boarded on the married Round it down with the cown he.
Be County Fair, County Fair. Everybody in town.
Have not feel lost tracks that have now been found. That's one of them. County Fair by Bruce Springsteen. We're chatting about it with Randall, Abrams Randall? Why why would songs not make it onto our albums? Would it be that at the moment they don't like them as much as they like some others in the format. Certainly in those years meant you couldn't unless you did a double album,
you know, use everything. Songs perhaps too similar to others, even if you know the difference on an album, they maybe start losing their distinctiveness.
But how do you understand this?
So a lot of things, John. Firstly, this song was released on The Essential Bruce Springsteen in two thousand and three, but of course it lacked the context of these sessions that he did in eighty three between Nebraska and Born in the USA. So a lot of things. So a lot of Born in the USA, which is a very eighty studio production with the e Street Band, actually grew out of the Nebraska sessions. Right Born in the USA, for example, was part of Nebraska, which was just recorded
with Springsteen and an acoustic guitar. But then the song kind of transitions and makes its way into this, as I say, very produced setting, and Springsteen is very methodical about how he wants to record to sound. So in fact, a lot of the tracks that ended up on Nebraska were recorded with the EA Street Band and then discarded. And I think he has that sensibility of, you know, he can all must record one song in three different contexts, and then two's the one that he's going to use.
And on the other hand, you know, he said, just because of circumstance and records that you know, were about to be released, some something else may have been sholved. It's not a case that is that it's not up to standard. It's just a case that, in terms of how much he produces, he would think twice and so and I'd rather release that. Then he starts working on another project and everything that he may have, you know, in the on the shelf, gets overtaken by a whole different part of his artistry.
Yeah, I imagine having had embarrassment of musical riches. Absolutely, absolutely, Randal Abrams, thank you sharing Randal's one song and speaking of musical riches, Randal has plenty, plenty more. He's also just got started these back with us at the same time next Friday with Randal's One Song