Bruce Springsteen "Chapter & Verse" 1966-2012 (rec) 2016 (comp)****

In addition to a bunch of Springsteen albums on LP and CD, I used to have a Greatest Hits CD which I sometimes listened on on my car CD player. Later I swapped it for The Essential Bruce Springsteen, as it came with an extra rarities disc. The latter was re-released in 2015 in an expanded and updated edition, albeit without the rarities. With such available choices, was there any need for another Bruce Springsteen "Best Of" in 2016? Officially, Chapter and Verse was released as a companion piece to the artist's autobiography, Born to Run. Springsteen compiled the songs humself, with the book's readers in mind, meaning this isn't a straight up Greatest Hits-kind thing - although he usually does pick the most popular tune from each album. One would nevertheless guess that anyone taking the trouble to read the 500-page autobiography of a singer must be familiar with their songs, and wouldn't need a reminder in the form of a CD. Which brings us to the real selling point of this, which is the 5 early, previously unreleased, recordings - starting with a typical 1966 garage rocker in the Byrds/Yardbirds vein called "Baby I", followed by a second track by the same band (The Castiles), a wild live cover of "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" featuring loud guitar and farfisa organ. The sound quality isn't the best, but aren't garage rock and hi-fi supposedly mutually exclusive anyway? Forward to 1970, Springsteen was fronting a band called Steel Mill, which included future E-Street Band mainstays Danny Federici and Steve Van Zandt; "He's Guilty (The Judge Song)" is a hard rocker with soul tones reminiscent of Grand Funk. 1972's "The Ballad of Jesse James" (credited to The Bruce Springsteen Band) is a country/Southern rock ballad. Bruce employs a fake Southern accent here; later, he'd write many similar songs but always sing them in his normal voice. Last among the previously unheard tracks, the solo acoustic "Henry Boy" is the first one where he's immediately recognizable as himself. "Growin' Up" (1972) is another pre-fame song, but this one had been anthologized before, on 18 Tracks. From here on, we get a parade of classics including mega-rockers "Born to Run" and "Born in the U.S.A." and deep cuts like "My Father's House" (Nebraska, 1982), "Living Proof" (Lucky Town, 1992), and "Long Time Comin'" (Devils & Dust, 2005). Only one track per album is included, but that stills leaves a lot of albums unrepresented here. The CD continues with latter-day highlights "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (1995) and "The Rising" (2002), and ends with the title track from Wrecking Ball (2012), seemingly about the demolition of the old Giants stadium but, typically for Springsteen, really an ode to the struggles and resilience of working class America. If one is new to Springsteen and looking for a single volume compilation, they'd be better served by the more conventional Best of Bruce Springsteen. Chapter & Verse is a better proposition for old fans who'd like to add the 5 rare early tracks to their collection, or for anyone wishing to track the Boss' evolution from teenage rebel to elder statesman. Preferably while reading Born to Run. 

***** for Born to Run, Badlands, The River, Born in the U.S.A., Brilliant Disguise, The Ghost of Tom Joad, The Rising

**** for Baby I (The Castiles), You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover (The Castiles), He's Guilty (The Judge Song) (Steel Mill), Growin' Up, 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy), Wrecking Ball

*** for The Ballad of Jesse James (The Bruce Springsteen Band), Henry Boy, My Father's House, Living Proof, Long Time Comin'

The Dandy Warhols "Best of the Capitol Years 1995-2007" 2010(comp)****

A few days ago I saw the Dandys perform live, for the second time. What I remember most from the first (2001, at the Rodon Club in Athens Greece) is the sudden realization that I was older than the bands I'm listening to - mistaken though; apparently I'm 3 years younger than singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor, though probably older than some other band members. They do, in fact, still have a young-ish demeanor - after all, they're a rock'n'roll band; and they have the tunes and looks to support it. Their setlist was a mix of the alternative/psychedelic and sing-and-dance-along hits, the latter bundled together towards the end of the concert. Most of those came from "the Capitol Years" covered in this compilation. The band's decision to sign with a major label was a contentious point, as presented in Dig!. This music documentary examined the parallel careers of two underground bands of friends: The Dandy Warhols and Brian Jonestown Massacre; while the former go on to international success, the latter refuse to sell-out and remain a cult band with few, albeit fanatic, supporters. At least that's what we're supposed to think. Anyway, the "sellout" begins with the Dandys' first album for Capitol (and 2nd LP overall), ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down (1997). First single "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth" set the standards for the band's work, not only with its upbeat rhythm and catchy hooks, but mainly because of its ironic humor, including the trademark line "I never thought you'd be a junkie because heroin is so passée". Another upbeat, danceable, number is "Every Day Should Be a Holiday", presented here in its Tony Lash Mix). "Boys Better" opens this comp with a catchy organ riff, while "Good Morning" (still in their live playlist) is less poppy, with a darker Lou Reed-like vocal, and shoegazey mix of distorted guitars and dreamy melodies. ...Come Down was followed by Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia (2000), which contained mega-hit "Bohemian Like You". A Rolling Stones-like rocker duplicating the sneering humor of "Last Junkie", it got picked by Vodafone for their advertising campaign, turning the band into a household name. "Get off" has a feelgood vibe; could be about sex, drugs or just partying - not quite celebratory though, since "getting off" is compared to a "ball and chain". That album contained a lot of good songs, but this comp only offers three; the last one being an alternate edit of third single "Godless" - another tune sung with ennui and cool sax. For their third major label LP Welcome to the Monkeyhouse (2003) the Dandys tried to up the commercial ante, by employing Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes to produce, adding some disco/glam golddust. Once again the lead single is a ridiculously catchy tune with sneering lyrics, "We Used to Be Friends". Second single "The Last High"(presented here in a new edit) features guest vocalist Evan Dando and sounds like a more electronic Roxy Music. Two more songs from the album ("Scientist", "Plan A") are also presented in alternate versions, and exhibit that same cool synth pop vibe. What nevertheless becomes obvious is that the band is repeating themselves, and a slightly more electronic/less guitar-driven cannot disguise the fact that "The Last High" is similar to "Godless" is similar to "Good Morning" is similar to "Holding Me Up" from their next album Odditorium or Warlords of Mars (2005) . Likewise, the lead single from Oditorium is a re-write of "Bohemian Like You" (although this sounds less like the Rolling Stones, and more like The Primal Scream in their Rolling Stones-emulating phase), while "Smoke It" is a raucous Iggy Pop-like rocker. The comp ends with "This Is the Tide", the obligatory previously unreleased track that's supposed to lure in fans who already own all the band's album. It's not bad - not great either, just a return to their earlier garage rock sound. It becomes obvious that the band got tired of playing the game, trying again and again to give the record label the hits they kept demanding. So they left Capitol and founded their own indie label, Beat the World Records. Their next records wouldn't be short on catchy pop rock tunes, but they'd also indulge their more experimental, psychedelic, side. Best of the Capitol Years focuses on the band's more commercial period. It only presents one facet of the group, and they sometimes sound to be pursuing commercial acceptance too eagerly. It's fun to listen to and to sing along to, in any case.

***** for Get Off, Bohemian Like You, We Used to Be Friends

**** for Boys Better, Every Day Should Be a Holiday (Tony Lash Mix), Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth, Godless (Extended Outro), Scientist (Are Sound Version), The Last High (Edit)

*** for Good Morning, Plan A (Are Sound Version), Holding Me Up, All the Money or the Simple Life Honey, Smoke It, This Is the Tide