Sony will break open this year’s Bruce Springsteen Album Collection, Vol. 2 vinyl box set and offer each remastered long-player individually, from next month.
The collection features albums released between 1987 and 1996 so that means the albums available individually are Tunnel of Love (1987), Human Touch (1992), Lucky Town (1992), MTV Plugged (1993), and The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995).
These are the new remasters of course (courtesy of Bob Ludwig and Springsteen’s longtime engineer Toby Scott ) from the original analogue tapes and they’ve again used the used the ‘Plangent Process’ playback system as part of this process.
Tunnel of Love and Human Touch are double albums and so the £18 price point is decent enough value. Sadly, the Japanese edition aside, as things stand, Sony have chosen not to issue these Springsteen remasters on CD, either as a box set or as individual releases.
All five of these vinyl remasters are released on 2 November 2018.
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Springsteen, Bruce
Tunnel of love - 2LP remaster
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Springsteen, Bruce
Lucky Town - vinyl remaster
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Springsteen, Bruce
The Ghost of Tom Joad - 2LP remaster
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Springsteen, Bruce
Human Touch - 2LP remaster
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Springsteen, Bruce
MTV Plugged - 2LP remaster
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Tunnel of Love (1987) (2 LP)
Side 1
1. Ain’t Got You
2. Tougher Than the Rest
3. All That Heaven Will Allow
Side: 2
1. Spare Parts
2. Cautious Man
3. Walk Like A Man
Side: 3
1. Tunnel of Love
2. Two Faces
3. Brilliant Disguise
Side: 4
1. One Step Up
2. When You’re Alone
3. Valentine’s Day
Human Touch (1992) (2 LP)
Side: 5
1. Human Touch
2. Soul Driver
3. 57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)
Side: 6
1. Cross My Heart
2. Gloria’s Eyes
3. With Every Wish
4. Roll of the Dice
Side: 7
1. Real World
2. All Or Nothin’ At All
3. Man’s Job
Side: 8
1. I Wish I Were Blind
2. The Long Goodbye
3. Real Man
4. Pony Boy
Lucky Town (1992) (1 LP)
Side: 9
1. Better Days
2. Lucky Town
3. Local Hero
4. If I Should Fall Behind
5. Leap Of Faith
Side: 10
1. The Big Muddy
2. Living Proof
3. Book Of Dreams
4. Souls Of The Departed
5. My Beautiful Reward
In Concert / MTV Plugged (1993) (2 LP)
Side: 11
1. Red Headed Woman
2. Better Days
3. Atlantic City
4. Darkness On the Edge of Town
Side: 12
1. Man’s Job
2. Human Touch
3. Lucky Town
Side: 13
1. I Wish I Were Blind
2. Thunder Road
3. Light of Day
Side: 14
1. If I Should Fall Behind
2. Living Proof
3. My Beautiful Reward
The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995) (1 LP)
Side: 15
1. The Ghost of Tom Joad
2. Straight Time
3. Highway 29
4. Youngstown
5. Sinaloa Cowboys
6. The Line
Side: 16
1. Balboa Park
2. Dry Lightning
3. The New Timer
4. Across The Border
5. Galveston Bay
6. My Best Was Never Good Enough
I prefer CD’s and I think the forcing of the music industry to get rid of CD’s is just wrong. I was just in my Barnes and Noble’s today and they are in the process of significantly reducing the CD floor space (from four rows to one) and greatly expanding the vinyl displays from just the back wall to most of the music floor section.
I was not happy that Volume 2 from Springsteen did not have a CD version. But thinking about it now, I am actually ok with that. For one, the albums that really needed remastering on CD were his first seven, and that was covered in Volume 1. Since the albums in Volume 2 were released during the CD age (and let’s face it, not the Boss’s best work either), why would I want to rebuy those on CD again in a different package? Volume 1 on CD was a must. A Volume 2 on CD? Not essential, and Springsteen and the record company probably made the right call.
Received my Tom Joad vinyl – sounds fine but it is only a single LP. The feature declares it’s a 2-LP set.
I’m waiting for the SDE version of Nebraska!
How can you remaster something that was already digital in the first place?
I was going to say, when will the CD remasters be released? That being said, I really don’t have a major need for these remasters. While “Tunnel of Love” is one of my 5 favorite Springsteen albums of all-time, the original CD sounds fine to me. The Springsteen remasters do not sport improved artwork (in fact, the artwork is worse – the font size for the lyrics and liner notes requires a microscope now). As for the other records, this began a period in Springsteen’s career where the albums got spotty. “Lucky Town” is a really good album (should’ve had the outtake “Happy” added to it), but 50% of the “Human Touch” songs should have been replaced by outtakes that Springsteen somehow thought were inferior at the time. It probably should’ve been a shorter record as well. “Tom Joad” was an unsuccessful attempt to recreate another “Nebraska” with modern technology, although there are some outstanding songs on it. It was too long. Records of that nature can’t be more than 40 minutes because the bare bones instrumentation and the huge amount of lyrics can only keep your attention for so long. I rarely listen to the live album, although I don’t share the cynical views that many other Boss fans do about “The Other Band.” It was something he had to do at the time. The E Street Band had run its course (for that period – Bruce even wanted to bust up the band for the “Tunnel of Love” tour because ToL was basically a solo album), and the relationships within the band were fractured.
Are any of these five albums NOT currently available on CD? Why are people insisting on redundant reissues?
If you want a boutique collectors edition the box set is still available in Japan. If you want these albums on CD just go to your website of choice.
the cd v vinyl war was won long ago by cd for me anyway.i have a top flight naim cd player but i grew up with vinyl so have listened to a vast amount of both medium and cd is by far superior.
i do not miss the static, scratches, ticks, pops and general surface noise of vinyl.
this always lets me know i am listening to a recording-cd sound has none of this -the music emanates from a silent black background and i feel like i am in the studio with the artists.
vinyl may have a nostalgic feelgood factor but as far as music goes cd speaks to me like no other
Paul….
You left in the original side numbering in the box set for the individual release.
i.e. The Ghost of Tom Joad should be side 1 and 2 and not 15 and 16.
What further muddies the water here is that when Bruce releases live recordings of his shows, via nugs.net, he releases them on CD (well CD-R to be strictly accurate) and not vinyl. Whilst I accept that vinyl would almost certainly not be a practical proposition for those particular items, he clearly has no inherent problem with CDs as a medium. Therefore, I do find his decision not to release this latest batch of official albums on CD positively perverse since he is obviously happy to do so when it suits him. For a man who prides himself on his ‘connection’ to his fans, many of whom seem to want CD versions of these latest releases, his lack of empathy on this issue is astonishing.
To use your quote “For a man who prides himself on his ‘connection’ to his fans” I assume Springsteen is aware very little can be improved with this second batch of albums, originally released in the cd-age. The first batch gained something from remastering, which is likely not applicable to these albums. The vinyl release fills a gap, a cd release doesn’t. So instead of criticizing, you could applaud him for not going for your wallet.
There’s nowt much wrong with the original CDs of these albums – it’s not as if the original CD releases contain the tinny, glassy reproduction of many of the early 80s CDs, when vinyl was first being eclipsed, they are decent audio.
I expect they will be re-boxed as a set in time, though.
I’ve ordered the Tom Joad 2-LP; nigh impossible to find at a reasonable price previously!
I have luvly original copies of ‘Tunnel…’ ‘ Human Touch’ (to my mind, a great LP) and ‘Lucky Town’ so am pausing the ‘buy’ finger on those!
Am I bad for enjoying this thread like no other ever? If so I am very sorry.
When CD’s nearly killed vinyl it drove me completely nuts. I lost track of a lot of artists simply because they stopped issuing vinyl. (Springsteen obviously not one of them). The lack of vinyl late 90’s early 00’s was truly heartbreaking.
Seeing this thread where the question is “why no CD only vinyl” is one of the most surreal experiences of my life! I bloody love it!
I get your sense of vindication in reading this thread. Your world must be upside down now, people who – like me – grew up in the cd era now worrying that there’s no cd version of a certain release. I do see the humour in that.
I do think that the status of vinyl has changed over the course of time, in that it has now become some sort of luxury or high-brow item, with elaborate packaging and higher prices and assumed better audio quality, whereas when vinyl first got ‘overthrown’ by cd’s, it was practically the only source for music (aside from cassettes). In that sense, the resurgence and glorification of vinyl nowadays is actually pretty funny.
That said, I would still much appreciate a cd version of this, Bruce…
Sony should release this boxset also on CD in Europe. This isn’t fair for Springsteen fans, that they only can get a vinyl boxset. Why do they threat CD collectors different than vinyl collectors ?
I have a question about the CD boxset that has been released in Japan. Are the albums from this boxset also available separately in Japan ?
Shame they haven’t released this on CD to be honest – I know of a few of the blokes in my family who love the Boss but don’t collect vinyl – an affordable CD version would make a great Xmas gift (like Volume 1 did!)
Great mistake
Why do we get all this vinyl
Why do they shit on the cd buyers
Paul you should make One of your great articles regarding this and send it to sony and Springsteen management
Poor day for springsteen fans
A shame, indeed. I only purchase vinyl out of necessity when something isn’t legally available on cd and I really, really want it. I have every Springsteen release on cd and have seen the guy live about 12 times, but I guess I’m sticking with my thinly sounding cd’s from the 80s & 90s for these albums. The Japan cd box is still over three times as expensive as the first box (that did get a worldwide cd release), so that’s still a no-go unless that drops in price. But thankfully, all the so-so fan hipsters can get some new shiny vinyl to show off and brag about.
Vinyl Box Set – No thanks! / CD Box Set – That I would buy!
Unbelievable, especially because there IS a CD version (in Japan). Then why not release it worldwide? What a golden opportunity for sites like Wish and AliExpress: it will probably not take too long before cheap counterfeits will pop up there (like they also did with the Beatles and Stones album boxsets…)
Was waiting for Volume 2 of the CD remasters. Still waiting for Volume 2 of the CD remasters.
More bloody vinyl! – I want them on CD.
What is the Plangent Process?
Here you go Andrew.
Its very interresting. http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-plangent-process.399347/
The CD box version is only available in Japan for now. I have volume one and 2 also now, very nicely done with mini lp sleeves, OBI and booklet. Box 2 is a bit thin on content.
Hope for a Sony rethinking about vol. 2 on CD (do you remember Yazoo’s Four Pieces/Three Pieces)?
No cd no purchase. Don’t need such big black discs.
i’ll stick to my original Tunnel of Love lp. no need to get up 3 times to play an album.
Strange…. picked up both the Human Touch 2LP and TOL 2LP from Juno Records about a month ago?
No CD box no cash from me Mr Springsteen.
Why not on CD? It’s a cruel mistake…
Has the Tunnel of Love remastered been issued on individual CD in any country at this time?
No.
Such an odd choice and not at all in keeping with Vol. 1.
Missed opportunity, I could have done with a mini replica edition of Tunnel Of Love. Of course, there might be an older version on Discogs
The Japanese vinyl replica’s from 2005 were on sale very cheap in Europe (or at least in Holland) in 2006. 17 releases from Greetings to The Rising incl. live albums and compilations. In my opinion they can’t be bettered. Best of all, Live 1975-85 was released on 5cd’s not 3, like the original 5LP’s ánd in a mini-replica box. They can all be found, not too expensive, on discogs en elsewhere.
Agreed. I have most, if not all of them. They were £6.99 in HMV!!
I think i picked up all of these at the time. We still had HMV stores in Ireland then and they had these on offer for some ridiculous price (two for €15, I think). Stupidly, I didn’t keep the OBI strips, though, which was not my brightest move. The only ones that were a bit more expensive were the Live In New York City discs and the mini boxset replicating the original 5-disc Live 75-85 vinyl release.
I think you’re confusing the 5 cassette box with the 3 CD box.
No he’s not. I have the 5CD Japanese set too…