It was a night that changed my life. Seeing Bruce Springsteen in concert for the first time is a near religious experience. Four hour marathons that leave you physically drained, barely able to make it to the parking lot. Unfortunately, it's been several years since Bruce and the E Street Band have toured. The rumors of a reunion tour by Bruce and the boys have been going around for the past two years. More rumors of a Springsteen box set have also been spread.

Now it's time to put those rumors to rest. Here's the facts. In January, Bruce is an almost guaranteed inductee into the Rock 'N Roll Hall Of Fame. Knowing the need to have a new product in the store to capitalize on this, Sony Records suggested he release a box set. They wanted it in stores before Thanksgiving to take advantage of the Christmas rush.   Surprisingly, Bruce agreed and started the monumental task of wading through hours of tapes from past recording sessions.

Always one of the most prolific artists in the business, Bruce has hundreds of songs sitting in the vaults, collecting dust. He started his recording career for Sony in early 1972. Signed to the label by John Hammond, the same guy who signed Bob Dylan, Bruce was instantly the darling of the industry. Expressive lyrics and dynamic live performances won him legions of fans across the world. Changing his style with each new album, he finally hit the motherlode in 1975 with the awesome "Born To Run." The rest is history. Bruce became one of the most important voices in rock music, a position he still holds today.

Each album represented Bruce's music of that era. It was a glimpse into the mind of a musical genius. However, by his own admission, some of his favorite songs didn't fit with the theme of the album he was making at the time. The question he always had to ask himself was what to leave in, what to leave out? Often the songs he left out were some of his very best.  Now, on Tuesday, the wait will be over. The four CD box set will include 66
songs, 56 of them have never been released before. This will be the equivalent of Bruce releasing five albums at one time. Titled "Tracks", it will chronicle his career from May of 1972 up to August of 1998.

Disc One will contain music from the early to mid '70s, when Bruce first signed to Sony Records. These songs include "Mary, Queen Of Arkansas," "Hard To Be A Saint In The City," "Growin' Up," "Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?," "Santa Ana," "Seaside Bar Song," "Zero and Blind Terry," "Linda Let Me Be The One," "Thundercrack," "Iceman," "Bring On The Night," "So Young And In Love," "Hearts Of Stone," and "Don't Look Back." All of the above songs have been heard by serious collectors, but only the first four were ever on an album. Also included on the first disc is "Give The Girl A Kiss," a song totally foreign to avid Bruce fans. Two live songs, "Rendezvous" and "Bishop Danced," are on this disc as well.

Disc Two contains music recorded for his two most popular albums, "The River" and "Born In The USA." These songs are "Restless Nights," "A Good Man Is Hard To Find," "Roulette," "Dollhouse," "Where The Bands Are," "Loose Ends," "Living On The Edge Of The World," "Wages Of Sin," "Take'em As They Come," "Be True," "Ricky Wants A Man Of Her Own," "I Wanna Be With You," "Mary Lou," "Stolen Car," "Born In The USA," "Johnny Bye Bye," and
"Shut Out The Light." Of these 17 songs, only 6 have been issued on album or "B" sides.

Disc three has songs from 1983 through 1987, which includes "Born In The USA" and "Tunnel Of Love" outtakes and "B" sides. These songs are "Cynthia," "My Love Will Not Let You Down," "This Hard Land," "Frankie," "TV Movie," "Stand On It," "Lion's Den," "Car Wash," "Rockaway The Days," "Brothers Under The Bridge ('83)," "Man At The Top," "Pink Cadillac," "Two For The Road," "Janey Don't You Lose Heart," "When You Need Me," "The Wish," "The Honeymooners," and "Lucky Man." Of these 18 songs, only "This Hard Land," "Stand On It," "Pink Cadillac," "Two For The Road," "Janey," and "Lucky Man," have been released.

The final disc contains 14 songs, covering Springsteen's career from 1990 to 1998. The songs on this disc are: "Leavin' Train," "Seven Angels," "Gave It A Name," "Sad Eyes," "My Lover Man," "Over The Rise," "When The Lights Go Out," "Loose Change," "Trouble In Paradise," "Happy," "Part Man,Part Monkey," "Goin' Cali," "Back In Your Arms," and "Brothers Under The Bridge ('95)." Of this group of songs, only "Part Man,Part Monkey" has ever been released.

This is by far the most exciting disc of the set and the one that has collectors drooling. As I have reported in the past, many of Bruce's songs have been released on "bootleg" recordings, issued without his permission. As with any box set, fans will always question the logic behind which songs are included and which ones aren't. Four of his best songs were omitted from this set and it leaves one to speculate if they will ever see the light of day. These tunes are "The Fever," an outtake from his 2nd album, "The Promise," an outtake from the "Darkness" album, "Cindy," an outtake from "The River," and "County Fair," a "Born In The USA" outtake. I have copies of these songs and trust me, they are simply incredible. Why he chose not to include them on this box set is beyond me.