Name: The Album Collection, Vol. 1: 1973-1984 [Box] *
Brand: Sony Legacy
SKU: 57705508
Price: 60 USD
Availability: InStock

Performer Notes

Lyricist: Bruce Springsteen.
Personnel: Bruce Springsteen (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric 12-string guitar, 6-string guitar, mandolin, harmonica, recorder, congas); Clarence "Nick" Clemons (saxophone, background vocals); David Sancious (piano, electric piano, Clavinet, organ, background vocals); Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez (drums, background vocals); Vincent "Loper" Lopez (drums); Richard Blackwell (congas, percussion).
Audio Mixers: Chuck Plotkin; Jimmy Iovine; Toby Scott; Bob Clearmountain; Charles Plotkin.
Audio Remixer: Jack Ashkinazy.
Liner Note Author: Jon Landau.
Recording information: 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, NY; Nj; The HIT Factory; The Power Station, New York, NY; The Record Plant, New York, NY.
Photographers: Amanda Flick; Frank Stefanko; Jimmy Wachtel; Eric Meola; Annie Leibovitz; Barry Goldenberg; David Kennedy ; David Gahir; Joel Bernstein.
Arranger: Bruce Springsteen.
Of all the major rock artists, Bruce Springsteen is the one whose catalog lay in a state of digital disrepair for the longest (Prince is the only conceivable rival for this title). Apart from Born to Run, which has been subjected to several anniversary reissues and audiophile releases, and Darkness on the Edge of Town, none of his first seven albums saw a sonic upgrade during the CD boom of the '80s and '90s. The Album Collection, Vol. 1 rights that longstanding wrong by offering fresh remasters of every album released between 1973's Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and 1984's Born in the U.S.A., including brand-new remasters for both Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town, presenting all seven titles as paper-sleeve mini-LPs with replicated artwork. Supervised by Bob Ludwig, the albums underwent a remastering technique called the Plangent Process and the difference between the original CDs and the 2014 editions is startling: these are filled with color and life. Naturally, the difference is especially vivid on records that have been neglected over the decades: Greetings surges with wild-eyed, open-hearted optimism, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle feels randy and robust, The River contains muscle and gravity, Born in the U.S.A. packs a wallop, and even Nebraska, a record made at home on a four-track, enjoys a clarity that doesn't sacrifice its essence. The new masters of Born to Run and Darkness are also rich but are only subtle improvements on the previous remasters; the reason to get the set is the other five records, which are finally given the treatment they deserve. Accompanying these superb remasters is a 60-page, high-gloss booklet that contains no original notes but has plenty of good press clips, photos, charts, and ads that capture Springsteen's first decade of recording. It's the icing on the cake on what's a necessary set. [The vinyl edition of The Album Collection, Vol. 1 has been mastered from 24-bit digital masters, not analog tapes.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Professional Reviews

Mojo (Publisher) (p.114) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "From GREETINGS to BITUSA, the first seven LPs boxed and intimately remastered."

Album: The Album Collection, Vol. 1: 1973-1984 [Box] *
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Blinded By the Light	More Info...
2)	Growin' Up	More Info...
3)	Mary Queen of Arkansas	More Info...
4)	Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?	More Info...
5)	Lost in the Flood	More Info...
6)	The Angel	More Info...
7)	For You	More Info...
8)	Spirit in the Night	More Info...
9)	It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City	More Info...
10)	Darkness On the Edge of Town	More Info...
11)	The River	More Info...
12)	My Hometown	More Info...

Album: The Album Collection, Vol. 1: 1973-1984 [Box] *
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Blinded By the Light	More Info...
2)	Growin' Up	More Info...
3)	Mary Queen of Arkansas	More Info...
4)	Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?	More Info...
5)	Lost in the Flood	More Info...
6)	The Angel	More Info...
7)	For You	More Info...
8)	Spirit in the Night	More Info...
9)	It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City	More Info...
10)	Darkness On the Edge of Town	More Info...
11)	The River	More Info...
12)	My Hometown	More Info...