Nebraska '82 review by Dan French

Bruce Springsteen promised ‘surprises’ (plural) for his fans in 2025, and he’s certainly delivered on that promise. Not only the seven album ‘Tracks II: The Lost Albums’ and the ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’ film, but also the well thought-out package ‘Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition’. This 5-disc set is practically compiled to tell the story of his 1982 solo acoustic masterpiece ‘Nebraska’, featuring firstly a new 2025 remaster of the original album and also four bonus discs.

The nine-track ‘Nebraska Outtakes’ disc features solo acoustic demos of some familiar titles, underlining how the ‘Nebraska’ and ‘Born In The USA’ writing and recording sessions overlapped. Some of these – or similar takes - had circulated among collectors previously, with two particular exceptions: what Bruce called the ‘psycho gothic’ ‘On The Prowl’ (only known of from two live club performances in 1982) and the chilling suburban ballad ‘Gun In Every Home’ (only known before as an unreleased song title). ‘Losin’ Kind’ and ‘Child Bride’ later evolved into ‘Highway Patrolman’ and ‘Working On The Highway’ respectively. While other takes from these sessions are known to exist, and so this collection is far from complete, it’s a sensibly curated summary of the alternative demo stage for the album.

At the heart of the box are the long-awaited ‘Electric Nebraska’ performances. Starting deceptively with ‘Nebraska’, only subtly different from the known take with minimal but effective band backing to flesh it out, but things really take off dramatically after that. ‘Atlantic City’ immediately recalls the full band version known from live concerts since 1984, although with some different lyrics, and is one song here with rare backing vocals courtesy of Stevie Van Zandt. ‘Mansion On The Hill’ is significantly augmented most notably by swirling keyboards from Danny Federici. ‘Johnny 99’ is also reminiscent of the later familiar concert arrangement, now apparent as the inspiration for that approach. ‘Open All Night’ kicks off rockabilly style in the vein of the contemporary ‘From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)’, stripped down to just vocals, guitar, bass and drums. It’s all about the rhythm section here. ‘Reason To Believe’ is a fresh, straightforward workout in similar vein, different again from later live evolutions of the song. The most surprising variations come with the wildly paced, almost punk headlong rush of ‘Downbound Train’, making for a remarkable stretch to the eventual final release in 1984; and the previously unknown styling of ‘Born In The USA’. These eight tracks firmly demonstrate that there were not just two strands of music leading to the two albums in 1982 and 1984, but also a hitherto unheard third element here. While not necessarily a complete album as such, it vividly serves as a missing link between those previous records.

The final audio disc is a record of Bruce’s 2025 audience-free theatre performance of the full album in Red Bank, NJ, accompanied only by the almost invisible Charlie Giordano on keyboards and Larry Campbell on guitars. This is also included as a starkly lit (‘Broadway’ style) film on Blu-Ray. Bruce obviously felt a live (mostly) acoustic performance was needed to bring the project full circle, since as he said he had never played the album sequence in full that way, and the contrast of his voice in his seventies with his early ‘80s vocals is apparent. An instrumental version of the title track, with Bruce humming and whistling instead of singing, plays over the closing credits.

The box set is completed by an excellent, well-informed essay from music historian (and Springsteen fan) Erik Flannigan, following his contribution to the ‘Tracks II’ box and accompanying ‘Inside’ promo videos for both sets. Hopefully he will continue as a regular participant that way for future releases. The liner notes helpfully also give much-needed details like full musician credits and recording dates for each track.

For anyone who considered the original ‘Nebraska’ as an oddity apart from Bruce’s more traditional E Street Band music at the time, this welcome package smartly re-frames his acoustic gem, and gives it the attention it deserves.