biggest find for me today is this Nebraska-esque version of Thunder Road mentioned in the Pitchfork review:
3 Likes
Iām quite enjoying Electric Nebraska. Not a patch on the original album of course, but itās good fun. I think Iād always expected it to be some over-egged production with those horrible River-era keyboards, so it was nice to discover it was just three of them hammering it out and having a laugh.
1 Like
Pretty cool and weird how different something so familiar sounds.
Sounds like if someone was just given the lyrics and asked to do a version having never heard the original before.
2 Likes
Another botched distribution meaning itās impossible to physically buy this anywhere
1 Like
Yeah my LP set from Resident is delayed at least until next week.
My CD set just arrived. The fact that the proper Nebraska album is disc 4 of the set rather than disc 1 is irking me more than it should.
2 Likes
I think itās supposed to be a narrative that builds to the definitive version, I agree though itās annoying!
The Electric Nebraska disc is an interesting insight into a failed experiment. Thereās a couple of takes where it really feels like he knows itās not working. Johnny 99 just doesnāt work. Downbound Train is unhinged sounding though!
2 Likes
100% agreed. To the extent Iāve just ripped it as an MP3 album IN THE CORRECT ORDER.
Also, the CD set is excellent quality. Really impressive hardback book-type thing. I was expecting it to be pretty cheap after the fortune they were charging for the āpremiumā Tracks 2 box.
2 Likes
Arrived in my shop about 2pm today - itās out there!
1 Like
Panicked after getting responses from a couple of indies today and then seeing ānot availableā / ānotify me when back in stockā etc on literally every website I checked, so ended up placing an order with EMP, who Iāve never used before. Fingers crossedā¦ā¦
Enjoying this release a lot. Helps that I had zero expectations of Electric Nebraska being better than the original, or even all that good at all. But it feels like an alternative history release and is intriguing on that basis. Itās the inverse but essentially the same experience of an artist releasing a special edition of an old album you know back to front with a bonus disc of demos: fascinating, but not something youād listen to often.
The other discs offer a lot though, not least being the totally bonkers versions of Downbound Train. But also some certified gems such as Gun in Every Town.
Whatās interesting is that I hear the intended āpolished for releaseā versions of demos and prefer the demos (original Nebraska) but then I hear demos of subsequently polished and released songs (Pink Cadillac, Working on the Highway, Downbound Train) and find I prefer the ones that came out in the 80ās. So is it dependent on the song itself, and therefore Bruceās judgement was impeccable, or is it just a case that you always prefer the version you heard first?
4 Likes
His voice is superb on it, particularly on āMy Fatherās Houseā.
1 Like
I do find it interesting how he seems to have an approach sometimes (probably particularly in that 75-85 decade) of just laying down a song in an initial state, often a fairly routine-sounding downbeat acoustic or rollicking bar blues version, then working it up into something completely different for release. Not just added production and a few changes to lyrics or a new section added.
I feel like most acts would have the initial demo and final version being substantially the same song, but Springsteenās are often completely unrecognisable other than the lyrics. Not sure I can think of anyone else who does that, certainly not with as many examples.
2 Likes
Radiohead (in terms of there being examples on the OKC tapes) maybe? I imagine there are other bands/artists, but itās just not generally as well documented.
Open All Night electric 
Signed up for a Nugs subscription so I could listen to some live shows. The seventies and eighties concerts are incredible, the energy is astonishing.
Have fallen in love with āOut In The Streetā after listening to a few of them. Itās like Springsteen trying to write an Elvis Costello song and it works so well.
This Post Paid For By PROF$.
1 Like
I was thinking this just the other week!
I always thought he was having a go at writing a big Motown/Stax banger, as we know he loves āDancing in the Streetā. Youāre right though, the time it came out, EC would have been big.
I love it as well, such a positive party song.