• Track Listing

Perhaps the pivotal moment of his career, "The River" was the 1980 double album that saw Springsteen reach the pinnacle of his craft as a songwriter and storyteller. Bruce’s #5 hit "Hungry Heart" sent "The River" roaring to #1 (like "Born to Run," it stayed on the charts for more than two years). Stomping rock ’n’ roll sits alongside sad ballads as his stirring tales come to life in one fantastic song after another: the #20 hit "Fade Away" plus "Cadillac Ranch," "Independence Day," "Sherry Darling," "The Ties That Bind," "Point Blank," "Two Hearts," "Out in the Street," and more. Both editions here start with the complete double album, then bring us the first official release of "The River: The Single Album," the 10-track LP Bruce recorded before deciding to expand to a double LP (it includes "Cindy," "Loose End," and "Be True," none of which ended up on the double album). The fourth CD is a 22-track outtakes collection including 11 *unreleased songs* (manna from heaven for fans). Bruce reflects on the tumultuous period he went through to create "The River" in the documentary "The Ties That Bind," which features solo acoustic performances and period concert footage. The other video component on the DVDs/Blu-Rays is "The River Tour, Tempe 1980," a new film that derives from a four-camera shoot professionally filmed in 1980. Recorded in multi-track audio, that November 5, 1980 concert at Arizona State University packs 24 songs into a very intense two hours and 40 minutes: "Born to Run," "Prove It All Night," "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," "Thunder Road," "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)," "Jungleland," "Hungry Heart," "Badlands," and more. You’ll also see 20 minutes of rehearsal footage from September 1980: "Ramrod," "Cadillac Ranch," "Fire," "Crush on You," and "Sherry Darling." The packaging is as epic and satisfying as a Springsteen concert: a 10" x 12" box with a 148-page hardcover coffee-table book containing 200 live and studio photos—most never seen before—plus Bruce’s notebook pages, images and outtakes from original album packages, lots of memorabilia, the original 1980 "Rolling Stone" album review, a new essay and more! Columbia.