Bruce Springsteen releases fabled vintage music to coincide with upcoming biopic

Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition’ builds on his seminal 1982 album ‘Nebraska,’ though at that point in his career, he was releasing one landmark record after another. The set is available as four LPs or four CDs, both bundled with a Blu-ray of Springsteen and the E Street Band performing ‘Nebraska’ in full earlier this year. The collection also includes the original album, a disc of outtakes, and a recording of that live performance.

The centerpiece is the long-rumored ‘Electric Nebraska.’ In 1982, Springsteen and the E Street Band recorded full-band versions of the songs as a follow-up to ‘The River.’ But Springsteen ultimately preferred his stark home demos, which became the album as released. Some tracks later surfaced on ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ The full-band versions, long dubbed ‘Electric Nebraska,’ are now officially available, including a newly released take on ‘Born in the U.S.A.’

Ronald Reagan and his supporters likely would not have mistaken the ‘Electric Nebraska’ version of ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ for a patriotic anthem. The October 17 release date for ‘Nebraska ’82’ also arrives with some convenient timing. A week later, on Oct. 24, ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere,’ the Jeremy Allen White-led biopic focused on the making of ‘Nebraska,’ will hit theaters. In effect, Springsteen is promoting a film about his own life while giving longtime fans a long-awaited archival release. Longevity in music, after all, often comes with a healthy dose of business savvy.

(h/t Pitchfork)