Music Capsule Review

The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2003)

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The Essential Bruce Springsteen | 15306__bruce_l

BRUCE RISING, AGAIN Springsteen's latest anthology provides an engaging overview of his career thus far

Credits

Release Date: Nov 04, 2003; Lead Performance: Bruce Springsteen; Genre: Rock

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By David Browne

David Browne

David Browne is EW's music critic and author of ''Dream Brother: The Lives & Music of Jeff & Tim Buckley'' (HarperCollins)

How to lure fans who already own 1995's ''Greatest Hits'' into buying another, more expansive Bruce anthology? Tag on a limited-edition bonus disc of rarities dating back to '79. Sounds cynical, but guess what? The Essential Bruce Springsteen is less bloated and more rewarding than the '98 outtakes box, ''Tracks.'' The frenetic ''Held Up Without a Gun,'' the troubled ''Missing,'' the wistful ''County Fair,'' and the Asbury Park reminiscence ''None but the Brave'' deserved rescue from the vaults. Except for a few duds (the field-holler version of ''Countin' on a Miracle''), disc 3 is as engaging a ride as any through Springsteen's '80s peaks, '90s valleys, and current rebirth.

Posted Nov 21, 2003

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