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Bruce Springsteen - Volume 16 - Hollywood Hills Garage Tapes - Unreleased Masters Volume 1Songs 1-9: Bruce Springsteen. Solo outtakes. Eight and 24-track mixes. Hollywood Hills Garage Studio,Los Angeles, California, August 1982 through April 1983.1. Don't Back Down #92. One LoveNote the bass line similar to the Human Touch B-side "30 Days Out."3. Little Girl #1 Double track vocals4. Don't Back Down #10 Alternate version with different music and double track vocals5. Sugarland #2 Rockabilly version6. Sugarland #3 Country version7. Shut Out the Light #1 Complete version with 2 extra verses8. Fugitives Dream9. Betty JeanSongs 10-14: Bruce Springsteen. Solo outtakes. 24-track mixes. Hollywood Hills Garage Studio,Los Angeles, California, January 4th, 1983.10. Bye Bye Johnny #1 Rock version11. Bye Bye Johnny #2 Slow acoustic version with crickets12. The Klansman13. Don't Back Down #11 Alternate slow version14. Seven TearsAccording to the dates listed on the tapes that provided the material for this latest edition of "The Lost Masters",Bruce Springsteen was a busy man between the months of August 1982 and April 1983.Apparently, a lot of this time was spent in his Hollywood Hills home garage studio recording a batchof newly penned songs. He was also becoming increasingly proficient at working in this setup,considering that he was playing all instruments himself and overdubbing to create the final product.The songs on this edition of the Hollywood Hills tapes attest to this and include someof the most intriguing material yet to surface in collectors circles.Some might think it a stretch to consider that these 14 songs could form the basis for,if not the entirety of, an actual album. We don't think it's a stretch.These songs all stand on their own but share a commonality of sound,structure and thematic similarity that cannot be denied. Not that it would be a concept album,mind you. Give it a listen from beginning to end and see if you don't agree that it all holds together very nicely.We'll leave it up to you to decide.The versions of "Don't Back Down" included here have very little in common with each other.#9 is similar to the takes on Volume 18 of our series, while#10 is an altogether different song musically and lyrically. Version#11, while retaining the same lyrics, utilizes an entirely new instrumental backing,much slower and atmospheric sounding. "one Love" is a wonderful tune with a killer chorusand is followed by the short but energetic rocker "Little Girl". Two more versions of the oft recorded"Sugarland" are next, the first a rockabilly version that could have done well without the annoyingsynthesiser applied to it. The next "Sugarland",however, is the cream of the crop. Bruce gives this much faster version a country hoe down feel,treating us to a new arrangement that really kicks and an energetic vocal performance repletewith whoops and yells. Not to be missed.The highlight of this collection is the complete, unedited original take of "Shut out the Light".Two verses were edited out of the released version and we present the complete take herefor the first time ever. If you thought the released version was heartbreaking, wait until you hear this."Betty Jean" (no relation to Bobby Jean) lightens things up a bit with the humorous,rocking tale of a girl who is "cute but you sure are mean",an eventual wedding and 1 S kids and the father "hates every single one".Great "diddy hop hop" chorus on that one. "Fugitive's Dream" mines "Nebraska" territory,with the tale of a man haunted by a dream of his past and walking the streets "a stranger to myself".Yet two more versions of "Bye Bye Johnny" follow, one a different rocking version and the other the infamous,slow acoustic version with the unmistakable "crickets chirping" intro and ending."The Klansman" features a dark, brooding beat that mirrors the disturbing nature of the lyrics.A nice vocal performance here and we're left wondering what possessed him to write this one.Interestingly enough, the "original" version of "Don't Back Down"employs the exact instrumental backing as "The Klansman".Last up is "Seven Tears", a short tale of what a man does after he loses his wife and childafter seven years of marriage. A beautiful instrumental and vocal performance by Bruce on this one.We're confident you will find this material as spectacular as we do.Until next time...
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