180-Gram Heavyweight Vinyl

What do you get when you put The Boss in a rented room with a four-track recorder, some “black bedtime stories” and an acoustic guitar? You get Nebraska, a singular record that swirls with raw tales of corrupt cops, outcasts and criminals — including mass murderer Charles Starkweather, whose 1950s killing spree in Lincoln, Nebraska, gives the album its name.

At the time, Nebraska got no airplay and didn’t sell particularly well. But it has gone on to earn its spot as an acoustic triumph. The album’s unique alchemy wouldn’t find voice again until 1995’s Ghost Of Tom Joad and Devils & Dust 10 years later. The songs for Nebraska were originally recorded as demos, with Bruce planning to lay them down with the E Street Band. After carrying the finished cassette around for weeks — and some unfruitful studio sessions with the band — he decided to release the songs as is: sparse, raw and urgent. Interestingly, some of the numbers the band worked through in March and early April 1982 went on to form the bedrock of 1984’s Born In The USA, including the title track, “Cover Me” and “Downbound Train.”

Released: 6/16/15