Highway Patrolman

The lesser known fifth and final leg of the Joad tour comes into fresh view with Nice, France 1997. After 18 months on the road, Springsteen's solo acoustic performances were honed to a sharp edge, contrasted throughout with humor and soul. Nice 1997 offers nine songs from restless heart of Joad, plus captivating readings of "Darkness On The Edge Of Town," "Murder Incorporated," "It's The Little Things That Count," "Highway Patrolman," "Long Time Comin'," "Saint In The City," "Growin' Up" and the tour premiere of "You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)."

The legendary ten-show, August ’84 stand at Brendan Byrne Arena culminates in special performances with the Miami Horns and Stevie Van Zandt, particularly the pitch-perfect cover of Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away.” Stevie also duets on “Two Hearts”, while the Horns enliven “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” “Detroit Medley” and “Twist and Shout - Do You Love Me?” With “Cover Me,” “Darlington County,” “I’m Goin’ Down,” “Spirit in the Night,” “Darkness” and more, 8/20/84 is Peak Born in the U.S.A. Tour.

Although it went virtually unnoticed upon its initial release in 1983, this intriguing record momentarily put a halt to Johnny Cash's precipitous artistic decline and kept the promise of his resurgence alive. Recorded in Los Angeles with session men including Marty Stuart, Norton Buffalo, Jo-El Sonnier, and producer Brian Ahern, Johnny 99 focuses on the work of younger songwriters–Bruce Springsteen, Paul Kennerley, Guy Clark–and might be the lone oasis in an otherwise barren decade.

Today, Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings released Bruce Springsteen: The Album Collection Vol. 1 1973-1984, a boxed set comprised of remastered editions of the first seven albums recorded and released by Bruce Springsteen for Columbia Records between 1973 and 1984.

Bruce Springsteen live at 1997-05-18 Palais des Congrès Acropolis, Nice, France.

Recorded on four-track cassette in his New Jersey bedroom, "Nebraska" has proved one of Springsteen’s most enduring works, a raw, haunted acoustic record populated by lost souls searching not for salvation through music but simply a reason to believe. His sixth record, Springsteen appeared by himself without the E Street Band backing him up. He later recording with the band, but ultimately chose to put out the demos for a more natural sound.

As measured by cultural impact and mass popularity, Bruce Springsteen’s 1984-85 World Tour was the apex. Considering its stunning scale, playing multi-night stadium stands, it’s easy to forget that 1984 was a rebirth of sorts, the start of a new era as much as a continuation of what came before it. On the biggest tour of his career, Springsteen was rebuilding the engine while the plane was flying.

Nebraska, the massively influential 1982 album from Bruce Springsteen, is the VMP Essentials Record of the Month for October 2022. Celebrating the record's 40th anniversary, our edition is half-speed mastered by Barry Grint at Alchemy Mastering at AIR and pressed on exclusive Black Smoke vinyl, with an art print by Justin A. McHugh.