Chapter and Verse, the audio companion to Bruce Springsteen‘s forthcoming autobiography, will be released September 23 on Columbia Records. The career-spanning compilation – including five previously unreleased tracks – will arrive four days before Simon & Schuster publishes the Born to Run book.
The announcement noted that Springsteen selected the songs on Chapter and Verse to reflect the themes and sections of his autobiography. The compilation begins with two tracks from his first band, The Castiles, featuring a teenaged Springsteen on guitar and vocals, and ends with the title track from 2012’s “Wrecking Ball.” In between are such classic rock greats as “Born To Run,” “Badlands” and “The Rising.” (See complete track listing below.) The collected songs trace Springsteen’s musical history from its earliest days, telling a story that parallels the one in the book.
Recordings from Steel Mill and The Bruce Springsteen Band feature musicians who would go on to play in The E Street Band. Solo demos of “Henry Boy” and “Growin’ Up” were cut in 1972 shortly before Springsteen began recording his debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.
The Chapter and Verse package will include lyrics and rare photos. It’s available for preorder here.
Here’s filmmaker Thom Zinny’s trailer…
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Chapter and Verse Track Listing:
1. Baby I — The Castiles (recorded May 2, 1966, at Mr. Music, Bricktown, NJ; written by Bruce Springsteen and George Theiss; previously unreleased)
2. You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover — The Castiles (recorded Sept. 16, 1967, at The Left Foot, Freehold, NJ; written by Willie Dixon; previously unreleased)
3. He’s Guilty (The Judge Song) — Steel Mill (recorded Feb. 22, 1970, at Pacific Recording Studio, San Mateo, CA; previously unreleased)
4. Ballad of Jesse James — The Bruce Springsteen Band (recorded March 14, 1972, at Challenger Eastern Surfboards, Highland, NJ; previously unreleased)
5. Henry Boy (recorded June 1972, at Mediasound Studios, New York, NY; previously unreleased)
Related: Springsteen performed a series of 4+ hour shows in August 2016
6. Growin’ Up (recorded May 3, 1972, at Columbia Records Recordings Studios, New York, NY; previously appeared on ‘Tracks’)
7. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) (1973, ‘The Wild, The Innocent & the E Street Shuffle’)
8. Born to Run (1975, ‘Born to Run’)
9. Badlands (1977, ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’)
10. The River (1980, ‘The River’)
11. My Father’s House (1982, ‘Nebraska’)
12. Born in the U.S.A. (1984, ‘Born in the U.S.A.’)
13. Brilliant Disguise (1987, ‘Tunnel of Love’)
14. Living Proof (1992, ‘Lucky Town’)
15. The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995, ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’)
16. The Rising (2002, ‘The Rising’)
17. Long Time Comin’ (2005, ‘Devils & Dust’)
18. Wrecking Ball (2012, ‘Wrecking Ball’)
