All jokes aside, New Jersey is a pretty great place. While it has a lot to offer as a state, it also has a rich musical history of which many people remain unaware. Everyone knows Sinatra and The Boss, but there’s much more.
The late’ 70s were a weird time for the boss. I wasn’t there, but from what I’ve read on the internet, it seems that he was a popular musician, but was creatively weighed down by contractual obligations. Sadly, this is how many bands and musicians finally come to an end: “the record label won’t let me do what I know will work, so I’ll just pack it in. I gotta make some bread, man.”
Well, that’s what many musicians might say; not the Boss. No way, he persevered through it all and did the thing that makes musicians famous and successful: he worked and kept working. Before The River proper was released in 1980, Bruce worked on what was going to be a single disc version of The River. That version is included on the new Ties that Bind archival celebration of Bruce’s double-album epic.
So, that’s what we explore this week: the alternate universe that is the single disc version of The River: a few extra tracks, some different takes, and old chestnuts. Tune in!
