The River Album Bruce Springsteen Should Have Released

The River Album Bruce Springsteen Should Have Released

Feature Photo: Anthony Correia / Shutterstock.com

The River album is one of Bruce Springsteen’s most scrutinized albums. The reason is that it was his first double album loaded with many tracks that crossed multiple musical genres. Bruce Springsteen fans have been used to Springsteen releasing albums under 12 songs. It had been two years since Bruce Springsteen released  Darkness on The Edge Of Town in 1978. Bruce fans were frantic for some new Bruce Springsteen music.

The River album was not expected to be a two-record set. Bruce Springsteen delivered big time for his fans. However, many fans have argued that what was a really good album could have been a truly fantastic record if it had been slimmed down a bit. Not only was it packed with twenty songs, but there were many outtakes that were superior to the songs on the album that would later be released as b-sides. At least in our opinion.

The original intention of the record company was to release a single LP called The Ties That Bind.  That was Bruce Sprinbgsteen’s decision and that was what he delivered. The original album went all the way through the recording and mastering process. It was getting ready to be released. At the last second, Bruce Springsteen decided he was unhappy with the lack of unity of the songs on The Ties That Bind album. The result was a nine-month delay in the release of what would become the double LP River album.

We have been listening to the River album for over forty years now. We collected all the b-sides and enjoyed the outtakes from the album released on Trakcs and the River Deluxe reissue with bonus tracks. With all of that history behind us, if we were asked to release our version of the River album, here is how we would have done it…..

The River

Side One

  1. Roulette
  2. The River
  3. The Ties That Bind
  4. Caddilac Ranch
  5. Drive All Night

Side Two

  1. Be True
  2. Two Hearts
  3. The Price You Pay
  4. Where The Bands Are
  5. Hungry Heart
  6. Point Blank

We would have released “Be True,” as the first single with “Crush On You,” as the non-album track B-Side

The second single would have been “Hungry Heart” backed with “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)” as the non-album track B-Side

Our cover would have been of a nuclear power plant with a river flowing in the foreground. That was what 1979 was all about and it’s the perfect cover for the album’s two opening tracks.

We would have followed that album up a year later with another album called Jackson Cage

Jackson Cage

Side One:

  1. Jackson Cage
  2. Held Up Without A Gun
  3. I Wanna Marry You
  4. Restless Nights
  5. Sherry Darling
  6. Independence Day

Side Two:

  1. Loose Ends
  2. I’m A Rocker
  3. Fade Away
  4. Dollhouse
  5. Stolen Car
  6. Out In The Street

We would have released “Sherry Darling” as the lead single backed by the non-album track b side “Ricky Wants a Man of Her Own.”

I Wanna Marry You would have been the second single release with “Wreck on the Highway” as the non-album B-side.

The third single would have been “Out In The Street,” with “Ramrod” as the non-album B-side

Of course, this is all in good fun, and looking back at the success of The River album it is easy to see that Bruce Springsteen and Columbia Records made the correct decision in releasing the album as a two-record set. Bruce Springsteen recorded fifty songs for The River album. It had to be very difficult to pick only a dozen of them to release.

There was so much variety between the songs, that they really had no choice but to release it as a two record set that defined a sampling of rock and roll styles instead of a very focused sound and story. Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band members had paid their dues as a club band for many years. Club bands perform mostly covers. The River was a representation of their history as a club band fueled by the artistry of a master songwriter having some fun.

 

The River Album Bruce Springsteen Should Have Released article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023

Classicrockhistory.com claims ownership of all its original content and Intellectual property under United States Copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. No one person, business, or organization is allowed to re-publish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission. All photos used are either public domain Creative Commons photos or licensed officially from Shutterstock under license with ClassicRockHistory.com. All photo credits have been placed at the end of the article. Album Cover Photos are affiliate links and the property of Amazon and are stored on the Amazon server. Any theft of our content will be met with swift legal action against the infringing websites.

DMCA.com Protection Status

Add Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Ella Henderson Songs
Top 10 Ella Henderson Songs
Johnny Marr Albums
Complete List Of Johnny Marr Albums And Discography
Classic Rock Christmas Songs
Our 10 Favorite Classic Rock Christmas Songs
A Thousand Horses Albums
Complete List Of A Thousand Horses Albums And Songs
10 Classic Rock Bands Whose First Album Remains Their Best
10 Classic Rock Bands Whose First Album Remains Their Best
Christmas Vinyl Albums
Rockin’ Christmas: 5 Rock-Oriented Albums for Vinyl Lovers
Can Albums
Top 10 Can Albums
Kiss Bootlegs
KISSteria on Vinyl: Ten’ 70s-era Bootlegs for Records Collectors
Mick Jagger and Sammy Hagar
Will Sammy Hagar or Mick Jagger Be The First 100 Year Old Rockers?
Comic Con 2023
Comic Con 2023 Rocks New York City
The Misunderstanding Of The Way AI Was Used In Now And Then
The Misunderstanding Of The Way AI Was Used In Now And Then
Beatles Song Now And Then
Just Saying “New Beatles Song Released Today” Is Breathtaking
Serena Cherry of Svalbard Interview
Serena Cherry of Svalbard: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
Rabea Massaad: 10 Albums That Changed My Life
Rabea Massaad Interview: 10 Albums That Changed My Life
Tim Lefebvre Interview
Tim Lefebvre: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
Liberty DeVitto: 10 Albums That Changed My Life
Liberty DeVitto: 10 Albums That Changed My Life
Hurricane Albums
Complete List Of Hurricane Albums And Songs
John Prine Studio Al bums
Complete List Of John Prine Studio Albums And Discography
Brother Kane Albums
Complete List Of Brother Kane Albums And Songs
Fit For A King Albums
Complete List Of Fit For A King Albums And Discography
Classic Rock Bands Still Together But Overdue For A New Album
Classic Rock Bands Still Together But Overdue For A New Album
When Glam Bands Went Grunge In The 1990s
When Glam Bands Went Grunge In The 1990s
25 Most Famous Female American Singers Now!
25 Most Famous Female American Singers Now!
The Grateful Dead's Keyboard Players
A Look Back At The Grateful Dead’s Keyboard Players
The Chick Corea Elektric Band The Future Is Now' Album Review
The Chick Corea Elektric Band ‘The Future Is Now’ Album Review
In Harmony albums
A Look Back At Both ‘In Harmony’ Rock Star Children’s Albums
John Miles Rebel Albums Review
John Miles ‘Rebel’ Album Review
Aimee Mann’s Solo Debut Album "Whatever."
30 Year Look Back At Aimee Mann’s Solo Debut Album ‘Whatever’