Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia Sessions” will be released in full on “Tracks II: The Lost Albums” — a ten-song collection previously known to fans as his long-rumored “loops record.” Written on the heels of its Oscar-winning namesake, “Streets of Philadelphia Sessions” found Springsteen exploring an interest in the rhythms of mid-1990s contemporary music, and particularly West Coast hip-hop.
Initially poring over CDs of drum samples at his home in Los Angeles, Springsteen began making his own loops with engineer Toby Scott — which formed a rhythmic base he’d build on with keyboards and synthesizers. Both a revelation and departure in his home recording, Springsteen is the primary instrumentalist throughout most of “Streets of Philadelphia Sessions” — with some assists from his 1992-1993 touring band as well as Patti Scialfa, Soozie Tyrell and Lisa Lowell.
At the thematic center of “Streets of Philadelphia Sessions” is “Blind Spot,” a song which explores doubt and betrayal in relationships. “That was just the theme that I locked in on at that moment,” Springsteen explains. “I don’t really know why. Patti and I, we were having a great time in California. But sometimes if you lock into one song you like, then you follow that thread. I had ‘Blind Spot,’ and I followed that thread through the rest of the record.”
Fully completed, mixed and slated for a spring 1995 release, “Streets of Philadelphia Sessions” was ultimately put aside — as Springsteen decided to reunite with The E Street Band for the first time in seven years. “I said, ‘Well, maybe it’s time to just do something with the band, or remind the fans of the band or that part of my work life,’” he remembers. “So that’s where we went. But I always really liked ‘Streets of Philadelphia Sessions’...during the Broadway show, I thought of putting it out [as a standalone release]. I always put them away, but I don’t throw them away.”
You can pre-order “Tracks II: The Lost Albums” here, coming June 27 via Sony Music.
With the announcement of “Tracks II: The Lost Albums”, the collection’s upcoming release has been called “a treasure” (David Muir, ABC World News Tonight), “astounding” (Rolling Stone) and “too good to be true” (New York Magazine). “Almost ever since he released ‘Tracks’ in 1998, fans have clamored for this,” noted Variety, while the New York Times added that even Springsteen’s biggest fans would be “surprised at the scale of ‘Tracks II.’”
The full set was announced with the never-heard song “Rain In The River” from Springsteen’s lost album “Perfect World.” In addition to “Streets of Philadelphia Sessions” and “Perfect World,” “Tracks II” will also include Springsteen’s previously unreleased full-length albums “Faithless,” “Somewhere North of Nashville,” “Inyo,” Twilight Hours” and “LA Garage Sessions ’83.”
