18 Tracks

iTunes Review

Boiling down the greatness of the Tracks collection into 15 cuts and three bonus tunes, 18 Tracks could be considered an alternate-reality greatest hits album. Tracks features b-sides and previously unreleased songs from Springsteen’s massive back catalog. They were left off his proper albums due not to their quality but their tone; they didn’t fit Springsteen’s vision for the album he was making. The three bonus cuts include a riveting take of “Trouble River,” the noir soul of “The Fever,” and a modern rerecording of “The Promise,” with Springsteen at the piano delivering his most infamous unreleased classic. (The original version has since been released, along with other outtakes from Darkness on the Edge of Town on The Promise.) The highlights here include an early acoustic run-through of “Growin’ Up,” an acoustic version of “Born in the U.S.A” from the Nebraska sessions, the thrilling b-sides “Pink Cadillac” and “Janey Don’t You Love Heart,” and a moody, introspective take on “Brothers Under the Bridge.”