Bruce Springsteen to Release Previously Unheard ‘Electric Nebraska‘ as Part of New Box Set
Bruce Springsteen fans are poised to hear a lost chapter in the artist’s discography: an electric reimagining of his seminal 1982 album Nebraska. The previously rumored sessions,dubbed Electric Nebraska,will be included in a forthcoming box set,offering a stark contrast to the stark,solo acoustic arrangements that defined the original release.
For decades, the existence of Electric Nebraska was the subject of speculation, fueled by accounts from those involved in the original recording process. Springsteen himself initially denied the project’s completion, then later confirmed its existence, stating that while not a full album, a considerable body of electric recordings from the Nebraska period had been archived.The release offers a rare glimpse into Springsteen’s creative process and a potential alternate trajectory for one of his most critically acclaimed works.
Drummer max Weinberg recounted to a podcast last year how the initial nebraska recordings were very much in the E Street Band’s style. Jon Landau, Springsteen’s manager, suggested Weinberg listen to Bob Dylan’s John Wesley Harding during the writing process, noting Springsteen was leaning in that direction.Weinberg also revealed that alongside the stripped-down versions ultimately released, ther were also “rock versions of [some of] the Nebraska material.”
Springsteen’s evolving recollection of the project came to light earlier this year in an interview with Rolling Stone.He initially told the publication the Electric Nebraska sessions “didn’t exist,” but later corrected himself via text message, confirming, “Just wanted to give you a heads up. I checked our vault and there IS an electric Nebraska record, though it does not have the full album of songs.”
The story of Nebraska and its electric counterpart is currently being portrayed in the cinematic release Deliver Me from Nowhere, starring Jeremy Allen White as Springsteen and Jeremy Strong as Landau. White recently told the Associated Press that Springsteen “was drawing inspiration from all these places but he didn’t really know what he was doing for a while with this record…He didn’t know if it was going to be a record.”
Details regarding the box set’s release date and full contents have not yet been announced. However, the inclusion of Electric Nebraska promises a significant addition to Springsteen’s catalog and a compelling exploration of a pivotal moment in his career.