Prince: The Aborted Albums from 1986

The Aborted Albums from 1986 Prince

A Brief History: In between the release of Parade in 1986 and Sign ‘O’ the Times in 1987, Prince was incredibly prolific, recording material for three different proposed albums. All were aborted, but songs from all three projects survived to see the light of day on Sign ‘O’ the Times. The Albums: Dream Factory Camille Crystal Ball These three albums are spotlighted on this page. Appearing after song titles are the songwriters in italicized parentheses, running times in brackets, and when relevant, the date the song was released as a single and its peaks on various charts. Finally, there are raised number codes indicating what album(s) the songs eventually appeared on. 1 Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987) 2 The Black Album (recorded 1987, released 1994) 3 Graffiti Bridge (soundtrack, 1990) 4 Crystal Ball (1998) 5 1999: Super Deluxe Edition (2019) 6 Sign ‘O’ the Times: Super Deluxe Edition (2020)

Dream Factory Prince

Intended Release Date: mid-1986 Recorded: 1982 to July 1986 Charted: NA Peak: NA Sales (in millions): NA Genre: R&B/funk

Tracks (April 1986 configuration) Visions 6 Dream Factory 4 Wonderful Day 6 The Ballad of Dorothy Parker 1,6 Big Tall Wall 6 And That Says What? 6 Strange Relationship 1,6 Teacher Teacher 6 Starfish and Coffee 1 A Place in Heaven 6 Sexual Suicide 4 Tracks (June 3, 1986 configuration) Visions 6 Dream Factory 4 Wonderful Day 6 The Ballad of Dorothy Parker 1,6 It 1 Strange Relationship 1,6 Teacher Teacher 6 Starfish and Coffee 1 Colors (aka “Wendy”) 6 In a Large Room with No Light 6 Nevaeh Ni Ecalp A 6 Sexual Suicide 4 Crystal Ball 6 Power Fantastic 6 Last Heart 4 Witness 4 the Prosecution 6 Movie Star 4 A Place in Heaven 6 All My Dreams 6 Tracks (July 18, 1986 configuration) Visions 6 Dream Factory 4 Train 6 The Ballad of Dorothy Parker 1,6 It 1 Strange Relationship 1,6 Slow Love (Prince and Carole Davis) 1 Starfish and Coffee 1 Colors (aka “Wendy”) 6 I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man 1,6 Sign ‘O’ the Times 1,6 Crystal Ball 6 A Place in Heaven 6 Last Heart 4 Witness 4 the Prosecution 6 Movie Star 4 The Cross 1 All My Dreams 6 The Players: Prince (vocals, all instruments) Lisa Coleman (piano, vocals) Susannah Melvoin (background vocals) Wendy Melvoin (guitar, vocals) Bobby Z (drums) Matt Fink (keyboards) Mark Brown (bass) Eric Leeds (saxophone) Sheila E. (drums, percussion, vocals) Levi Seacer, Jr. (bass) Atlanta Bliss (trumpet) Norbert Satchell (saxophone) Clare Fischer (string arrangements)

Rating: 2.137 out of 5.00 (average of 3 ratings)

About Dream Factory After the release of 1986’s Parade, Prince recorded a wealth of material. Prior to the double album release Sign ‘O’ the Times in 1987, Prince put together what could have been two more albums with Dream Factory and Camille. The former represented the last hurrah for his backing band, the Revolution, whom had worked with him since the 1999 album in 1982. On October 7, Prince fired Wendy, Lisa, Bobby Z, and Mark Brown. MM-61 Vibe magazine did a feature in March 2009 on “51 Albums That Never Were” and included Dream Factory on its list as a “coulda-been classic.” WK-1 The April Configuration He pieced together the first version, an 11-track album, in April 1986. Alternate double-album versions surfaced in June and July. Most of the songs were recorded in 1986, but versions of “Strange Relationship,” “Teacher Teacher,” and “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” date back to the summer of 1982. PV-1 The title cut was recorded in December 1985. In mid-March of 1986, Prince set to work recording in his new home studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. From then through mid-April, he recorded “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker,” “Power Fantastic,” “A Place in Heaven,” “Movie Star,” and Witness 4 the Prosecution.” PV-1 During this same time, he recorded “And That Says What?” at Washington Avenue Warehouse in Edina, Minnesota. PV-1 In mid-April, Prince recorded “Crystal Ball,” “Starfish and Coffee,” “Big Tall Wall,” and “Visions.” PV-1 The June Configuration After putting together the tentative 11-track listing for Dream Factory in late April, Prince went on recording, laying down “In a Large Room with No Light” and “It.” This led to the second configuration of the album in June. It was even mastered, but Prince didn’t consider it final. PV-1 The July Configuration In mid-June and early July, Prince recorded “Slow Love,” “The Cross,” and “Sign ‘O’ the Times.” He also reworked “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man.” The third and final track listing for Dream Factory was put out on July 18, but the project never surfaced. Releases The songs from all three configurations of Dream Factory eventually surfaced on Sign ‘O’ the Times in 1987, the archival box set Crystal Ball in 1998, or the super deluxe edition of Sign ‘O’ the Times in 2020. See individual song titles for more details. Art Work While it was long believed that no work was done on the packaging, in 2017 Susannah Melvoin showed some color pencil sketches she made in 1986 for an album cover idea. It depicted “sort of a time-warp flash surrounded by a an array of flowers and a border of little hearts.” PV-1 There’s a rainbow at the bottom of the flash and Susannah is holding open the door to the “Dream Factory.” PV Spotify Playlist Check out my Spotify playlist of all the songs featured on any of the above three configurations of Dream Factory minus those cuts featured on my playlists for Camille and Crystal Ball.

Camille Prince

Intended Release Date: January 1987 Track Listing Announced: November 5, 1986 Recorded: 1981 – October 1986 Charted: NA Peak: NA Sales (in millions): NA Genre: R&B/funk

Tracks: Song Title [time] (Writers) Rebirth of the Flesh [4:54] 6 Housequake [4:34] 1 Strange Relationship [4:04] 1 Feel U Up [6:27] 5 Shockadelica [6:12] 6 Good Love [4:55] 4 If I Was Your Girlfriend [4:47] 1 Rock Hard in a Funky Place [4:30] (Prince/Eric Leeds) 2 All songs by Prince (credited as Camille) unless noted otherwise. The Players: Prince (vocals, all instruments) Eric Leeds (saxophone) Atlanta Bliss (trumpet) Wendy Melvoin (tambourine, congas) Lisa Coleman (sitar, wooden flute, Fairlight sample) Susannah Melvoin (background vocals) Jill Jones (background vocals)

Rating: 1.304 out of 5.00 (average of 3 ratings)

About Camille: After Prince released Parade in 1986, he and his band The Revolution went to work on the potential follow-up, Dream Factory. By October, Prince had sacked the band and went to work on a new project, Camille, which was marked by his use of distorted pitched-up vocals that gave him a more androgynous sound. Prince intended to release the album under the pseudonym “Camille” and not acknowledge his identity. WK-2 While most of the songs were recorded in late 1986, “Feel U Up” dated back to 1981 and “Strange Relationship” to 1983. PV-2 Wendy and Lisa, from the Revolution, appear on the latter track but Prince buried their contributions in the mix. PV-2 Two other songs were recorded during this era, but were not planned for inclusion on the Camille album. “U Got the Look” ended up on Sign ‘O’ the Times and “Scarlet Pussy” was released as the B-side of the 1988 single “I Wish U Heaven.” WK-2 Prince compiled a track listing for the proposed album on November 5, 1986 and set for released in January 1987. It was to be proceeded by the single “Shockadelica.” PV-2 This project was also aborted, possibly because Prince’s record company wasn’t sold on the idea of releasing a Prince album without attributing it to him. WK-2 All the tracks except “Feel U Up” were then slated to appear on his next proposed project, a three-disc album called Crystal Ball. When the record company vetoed a three-disc set, he whittled it down to the two-disc Sign ‘O’ the Times, released in March 1987. Of the eight cuts from Camille, three (“Housequake,” “Strange Relationship,” “If I Was Your Girlfriend”) survived to Sign. “Shockadelica” was released as a B-Side for “If I Was Your Girlfriend.” “Good Love” emerged as a cut from the Bright Lights Big City soundtrack in 1988 and “Feel U Up” surfaced as a B-side to Prince’s 1989 single “Party Man.” “Rock Hard in a Funky Place” was slated for The Black Album, which was intended for release in late 1987, but didn’t surface until 1994. “The album cover has been described as having a stick figure with X’s for eyes. However, rather than a fully developed design this is believed to have been only in the stage of Prince drawing on the white unmarked sleeve of a test-pressing, much like the 12" to “Gett Off.” The labels of the vinyl would have been the first with the new Paisley Park design and featured the song titles in Prince’s own writing, as well as the name Camille with the C as a crescent moon. And an x instead of the dot on the i. The name Prince would not have been on the record.” PV-2 Spotify Playlist Check out my Spotify playlist for Camille minus “Rock Hard in a Funky Place” because it isn't on Spotify. “U Got the Look,” the only song from Sign ‘O’ the Times not featured on Dream Factory, Camille, or Crystal Ball, has been added instead.

Crystal Ball Prince

Intended Release Date: early 1987 Track Listing Announced: November 30, 1986 Recorded: date Charted: NA Peak: NA Sales (in millions): NA Genre: R&B/funk

Tracks: Song Title [Time] (Writers) Rebirth of the Flesh [4:54] 5 Play in the Sunshine [5:05] 1 Housequake [4:34] 1 The Ballad of Dorothy Parker [4:04] 1 It [5:10] 1 Starfish and Coffee [2:51] 1 Slow Love [4:18] 1 Hot Thing [5:39] 1 Crystal Ball [10:22] 4,6 If I Was Your Girlfriend [4:47] 1 Rock Hard in a Funky Place [4:30] (Prince/Eric Leeds) 2 The Ball [4:22] 6 Joy in Repetition [4:59] 3 Strange Relationship [4:04] 1 I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man [6:21] 1 Shockadelica [6:12] 6 Good Love [5:11] 4 Forever in My Life [3:38] 1 Sign ‘O’ the Times [4:51] 1 The Cross [4:46] 1 Adore [6:29] 1 It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night [8:59] 1 Spotify Playlist Check out my Spotify playlist for Crystal Ball minus those already on my playlists for Dream Factory and Camille. The Players: Prince (vocals, all instruments) Eric Leeds (saxophone) Atlanta Bliss (trumpet) Wendy Melvoin (tambourine, congas) Lisa Coleman (sitar, wooden flute, Fairlight sample) Susannah Melvoin (background vocals) Jill Jones (background vocals) Sheila E. (drums, background vocals)

Rating: 2.062 out of 5.00 (average of 3 ratings)

About Crystal Ball: After aborting Dream Factory and Camille, Prince prepared a three-disc collection which incorporated songs from both projects. Of the cuts from Camille, only “Feel U Up” didn’t make it to Crystal Ball. Nine songs from Dream Factory made the cut. Six more songs were brand new to this album – “Joy in Repetition,” “The Ball,” “Forever in My Life,” “It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night,” “Adore,” and “Play in the Sunshine.” Prince submitted the album to Warner Bros. in late 1986, but they rejected it, wanting it to be reduced to a double album. 15 of the 22 songs from Crystal Ball eventually ended up on Sign ‘O’ the Times alongside “U Got the Look,” which was recorded in December 1986. This included four of the six songs specifically recorded for Crystal Ball. “Joy in Repetition” was eventually released on the 1990 soundtrack for Graffiti Bridge and “The Ball” was released on the super deluxe edition of Sign ‘O’ the Times in 2020. The latter song first appeared as “Eye No” on Lovesexy in 1988 in a reworked version. It is unlikely there was any proposed artwork for the album cover as the project didn’t get to that stage when Warner Bros. declined to release Crystal Ball. PV-3 The artwork featured on this page is from the 1998 box set Crystal Ball, which features a vastly different track listing of archival material. The Songs from Dream Factory, Camille, and Crystal Ball Here’s a breakdown of individual songs featured on the three aborted albums from 1986-87. This listing does not include tracks which were later released on official studio albums, including Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987), The Black Album (1987/1994), and Graffiti Bridge (1990). Most of the tracks below appeared on the 1998 Crystal Ball box set or the 2020 super deluxe edition of Sign ‘O’ the Times. See the track listings above on this page for links to songs not on this page. Songs are listed chronologically based on when they were recorded.

All My Dreams Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 4/28/1985 and 4/30/1985 at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles Released: Sign ‘O’ the Times (super deluxe edition, 2020) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the June and July configurations of the aborted Dream Factory album.

Teacher Teacher Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 1982 in Kiowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen, MN; June 18-21, 1985 at the Complex Studios in Los Angeles Released: 1982 version: i>1999 (deluxe editon, 2019), 1985 version: Sign ‘O’ the Times (super deluxe edition, 2020) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the April and June configurations of the aborted Dream Factory album.

Sexual Suicide Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: August 10-11, 1985 at Washington Avenue Warehouse in Edina, MN Released: Crystal Ball (box set, 1998) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the April and June configurations of the aborted Dream Factory album.

Dream Factory Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 11/30/1985 and December 1985 at Washington Avenue Warehouse in Edina, MN Released: Crystal Ball (box set, 1998), Anthology: 1995-2010 (2018) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the April, June, and July configurations of the aborted Dream Factory album.

Last Heart Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 1/12/1986 at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles Released: Crystal Ball (box set, 1998) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the June and July configurations of the aborted Dream Factory album.

Wonderful Day Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: January 30-31, 1986 at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles Released: Sign ‘O’ the Times (super deluxe edition, 2020) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the April and June configurations of the aborted Dream Factory album.

Power Fantastic Prince

Writer(s): Prince, Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman Recorded: 3/19/1986 at Galpin Boulevard Home Studio in Chanhassen, MN Released: The B-Sides (1993) About the Song: Prince shares writing credit with Revolution bandmates Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman on this live-in-the-studio recording. Although this was featured on The B-Sides collection, this wasn’t actually a B-side, but an unreleased track. It was originally slated for Dream Factory in 1986, but that album was aborted.

And That Says What? Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 3/20/1986 at Galpin Boulevard Home Studio in Chanhassen, MN Released: Sign ‘O’ the Times (super deluxe edition, 2020) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the April 1986 configuration of the aborted Dream Factory album.

Big Tall Wall Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 4/18/1986 at Galpin Boulevard Home Studio in Chanhassen, MN (version 1); 7/10/1987 at Paisley Park in Chanhassen, MN (version 2) Released: Sign ‘O’ the Times (super deluxe edition, 2020) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the April 1986 configuration of the aborted Dream Factory album.

A Place in Heaven Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 3/14/1986 and 4/20/1986 at Galpin Boulevard Home Studio in Chanhassen, MN Released: Sign ‘O’ the Times (super deluxe edition, 2020) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the April, June, and July configurations of the aborted Dream Factory album.

Nevaeh Ni Ecalp A Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 4/20/1986 at Galpin Boulevard Home Studio in Chanhassen, MN Released: Sign ‘O’ the Times (super deluxe edition, 2020) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the June configuration of the aborted Dream Factory album.

Movie Star Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: March to April 1986 at Galpin Boulevard Home Studio in Chanhassen, MN Released: Crystal Ball (box set, 1998) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the June and July configurations of the aborted Dream Factory album.

In a Large Room with No Light Prince

Writer(s): Prince, Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman Recorded: May 4-5, 1986 at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles Released: Sign ‘O’ the Times (super deluxe edition, 2020) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the June configuration of the aborted Dream Factory album.

Train Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: July 7-8, 1986 at Galpin Boulevard Home Studio in Chanhassen, MN Released: Time Waits for No One (Mavis Staples, 1989), Sign ‘O’ the Times (super deluxe edition, 2020) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the July configuration of the aborted Dream Factory album.

The Ball Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 7/25/1986 at Washington Avenue Warehouse in Edina, MN Released: Sign ‘O’ the Times (super deluxe edition, 2020) About the Song: This was intended to appear on the Crystal Ball album, which was set for release in early 1987 before it was abandoned.

Witness 4 the Prosecution Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: March 14-15, 1986 and 4/15/1986 at Galpin Boulevard Home Studio in Chanhasen, MN (version 1); 10/6/1986 at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles (version 2) Released: Sign ‘O’ the Times (super deluxe edition, 2020), 8/14/2020 as a single About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the June and July configurations of the aborted Dream Factory album. The song was released as a promo single for the super deluxe edition of Sign ‘O’ the Times.

Crystal Ball Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 4/17/1986, June and August 1986 at Galpin Boulevard Home Studio in Chanhassen, MN; 8/4/1986 at Ocean Way Recording in Los Angeles Released: Crystal Ball (box set, 1998) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the June and July configurations of the aborted Dream Factory album. It was then set to appear on the Crystal Ball album, which was scheduled for an early 1987 release, but was also abandoned.

Crucial Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 9/13/1986 and 9/15/1986 at Galpin Boulevard Home Studio in Chanhassen, MN Released: Crystal Ball (box set, 1998), Anthology: 1995-2010 (2018) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the June and July configurations of the aborted Dream Factory album.

Feel U Up Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 1981, 10/26/1986 at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles Released: 8/18/1989 as the B-side of “Partyman,” The B-Sides (1993) About the Song: This song was part of the track listing for the aborted Camille album. It eventually saw release on the 2019 deluxe edition of 1999.

Good Love Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: October 30-31 and 11/1/1986 at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles Released: Bright Lights, Big City (soundtrack, 1988), Crystal Ball (box set, 1998) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the aborted Camille album.

Rebirth of the Flesh Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 10/28/1986 and 11/4/1986 at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles Released: Sign ‘O’ the Times (super deluxe edition, 2020) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the July configuration of the aborted Camille album. The song was released as a live rehearsal in 2001 but didn’t see a studio release until the 2020 release of the Sign ‘O’ the Times super deluxe edition.

Visions Prince

Writer(s): Lisa Coleman Recorded: 1986? Released: Sign ‘O’ the Times (super deluxe edition, 2020) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the April, June, and July configurations of the aborted Dream Factory album. Wendy & Lisa released “Visions” on a limited edition bonus CD with their album Eroica.

Colors (aka “Wendy”) Prince

Writer(s): Prince? Recorded: 1986? Released: Sign ‘O’ the Times (super deluxe edition, 2020) About the Song: This was originally slated to appear on the June and July configurations of the aborted Dream Factory album.

Reviews: MM Michaelangelo Matos (2004). 33 1/3: Sign ‘O’ the Times. Bloomsbury Academic: New York, NY. PV-1 PrinceVault.com: Dream Factory PV-2 PrinceVault.com: Camille PV-3 PrinceVault.com: Crystal Ball WK-1 Wikipedia: Dream Factory WK-2 Wikipedia: Camille Related DMDB Links: First posted 3/9/2021; last updated 7/28/2025.

Bon Jovi “You Give Love a Bad Name” hit #1

You Give Love a Bad Name Bon Jovi

Writer(s): Desmond Child, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora (see lyrics here) Released: July 23, 1986 First Charted: August 9, 1986 Peak: 11 BB, 11 CB, 7 GR, 7 RR, 9 AR, 14 UK, 2 CN, 32 AU, 6 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 1.2 UK, 2.04 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 468.02 video, 1052.41 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The hair band genre of the ‘80s was rooted in heavy metal from the ‘70s. Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple excelled at filling stadiums but weren’t much of a presence at top-40 radio. Kiss then used “costumes and face paint to stand out, pioneering a version of metal that was so theatrical that it practically crossed over into pantomime.” BR Then Van Halen conquered MTV with “the high-kicking flamboyant frontman David Lee Roth and the squeedling guitar virtuoso Eddie Van Halen.” BR That gave way to other MTV-friendly glam bands like Motley Crue, Ratt, Def Leppard, and Quiet Riot. It was Bon Jovi, however, “who truly turned metal into pop music.” TB Bon Jovi leaned into the hair band image, “adapting the same teased-hair look and energetic, strutting stage presence as their contemporaries.” TB “It’s hard to find fault with Bon Jovi’s mix of hard-rock guitars and singalong choruses – a winning combination that made them one of the most successful bands of the 1980s.” TB They formed in 1983 in New Jersey. After two platinum albums, they exploded with their third release, 1986’s Slippery When Wet. The #1 album was certified twelve times platinum in the U.S. and turned the band into a global sensation on the strength of #1 hits “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” as well as top-10 hit “Wanted Dead Or Alive.” Prior to “You Give Love a Bad Name,” Bon Jovi’s biggest hit was 1984’s “Runaway,” which peaked at #39. It was “the ultimate fist-pumping rock anthem.” TB It marked the group’s first time working with an outside collaborator; the group wanted someone “who coul turn out material that would bring the band a wider audience – specifically females.” FB Desmond Child had previously worked with Kiss, Billy Squier, Cher, and Bonnie Tyler, but it was his recycling of the chorus melody of Tyler’s “If You Were a Woman” as “You Give Love a Bad Name” TB gave him his first chart-topping success and put the future Songwriter Hall of Famer on the map. “The song – a howl of frustration from a guy who’s been left behind – drew on ancient stereotypies about man-eating jezebels, a particular lyrical fixation for just about every glam-metal band in America…[but] without anything resembling venom or anguish.” BR It’s an “energetic rocker than emphasized their bulldozer melodies and the shimmering brightness of their sound.” BR Jon Bon Jovi was initially resistant to the song because it “sounded too Michael Jackson.” FB “The song recalled the bubblegum pop of decades past;” BR Anyone who listened to it “once could sing along by the end.” BR Resources: BR Tom Breihan (2022). The Number Ones. Hachete Books: New York, NY. Pages 175-187. FB Fred Bronson (2007). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (4th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 653. TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 225. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 4/9/2024.

Bruce Springsteen live box set debuted at #1

Live 1975/1985 Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

Released: November 10, 1986 Recorded: October 18, 1975 to September 30, 1985 Peak: 17 US, 4 UK, 17 CN, 3 AU Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 0.1 UK, 12.3 world (includes US and UK) Genre: classic heartland rock

Tracks, Disc 1: Click on a song titled for more details. Thunder Road (recorded 10/18/75) 3 Adam Raised a Cain (recorded 7/7/78) 4 Spirit in the Night (recorded 7/7/78) 1 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) (recorded 12/31/80) 2 Paradise by the “C” (recorded 7/7/78) Fire (recorded 12/16/78) Growin’ Up (recorded 7/7/78) 1 It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City (recorded 7/7/78) 1 Backstreets (recorded 7/7/78) 3 Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (recorded 7/7/78) 2 Raise Your Hand (recorded 7/7/78) Hungry Heart (recorded 12/28/80) 5 Two Hearts (recorded 7/8/81) 5 Tracks, Disc 2: Cadillac Ranch (recorded 7/6/81) 5 You Can Look But You Better Not Touch (recorded 12/29/80) 5 Independence Day (recorded 7/6/81) 5 Badlands (recorded 11/5/80) 4 Because the Night (recorded 12/28/80) Candy’s Room (recorded 7/8/81) 4 Darkness on the Edge of Town (recorded 12/29/80) 4 Racing in the Street (recorded 7/6/81) 4 This Land Is Your Land (recorded 12/28/80) Nebraska (recorded 8/6/84) 6 Johnny 99 (recorded 8/19/85) 6 Reason to Believe (recorded 8/19/84) 6 Born in the U.S.A. (recorded 9/30/85, released 6/23/84) 7 Seeds (recorded 9/30/85) Tracks, Disc 3: The River (recorded 9/30/85, released 6/13/81) 5 War (recorded 9/30/85) Darlington County (recorded 9/30/85) 7 Working on the Highway (recorded 8/19/85) 7 The Promised Land (recorded 9/30/85, released 10/78) 4 Cover Me (recorded 9/30/85, released 6/23/84) 7 I’m on Fire (recorded 8/19/85, released 2/16/85) 7 Bobby Jean (recorded 8/21/85, charted 6/23/84) 7 My Hometown (recorded 9/30/85) 7 Born to Run (recorded 8/19/85) 3 No Surrender (recorded 8/6/84) 7 Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (recorded 8/20/84) 3 Jersey Girl (recorded 7/9/81) Footnotes above indicate the original studio album on which the song was released (if relevant). 1 Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ (1973) 2 The Wild, the Innocent, & the E Street Shuffle (1973) 3 Born to Run (1975) 4 Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) 5 The River (1980) 6 Nebraska (1982) 7 Born in the U.S.A. (1984) Total Running Time: 216:13 The Players: Bruce Springsteen (vocals, guitar, harmonica) Roy Bittan (piano, synthesizer, backing vocals) Clarence Clemons (saxophone, percussion, backing vocals) Danny Federici (organ, accordian, glockenspiel, piano, synthesizer, backing vocals) Nils Lofgren (guitar, backing vocals) Patti Scialfa (backing vocals, synthesizer) Garry Tallent (bass, backing vocals) Steve Van Zandt (guitar, backing vocals) Max Weinberg (drums)

Rating: 4.084 out of 5.00 (average of 17 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

How to Follow a Blockbuster Following up a blockbuster album can be a tricky proposition. Fans want a sequel to the album they loved; critics demand new material that reflects an artist’s growth. The ‘80s are littered with classic albums with follow-ups that weren’t as well-received. Michael Jackson’s Thriller set him up for a lifetime of releases that were big sellers that were often well received, but they were simultaneously viewed as something less. Prince chose to soldier on as if Purple Rain hadn’t sold 25 million copies worldwide, releasing Around the World in a Day less than a year later. U2 didn’t seem to know what to do after The Joshua Tree, releasing the half-live, half-studio Rattle and Hum a year later. The Police flat out gave up after Synchronicity and never released another album. The Boss chose a different tactic. Why compete with your previous work? Instead, he chose to celebrate it – and capitalize on the very quality that made him a legendary performer. “Long before he sold substantial numbers of records, Bruce Springsteen began to earn a reputation as the best live act in rock & roll. Fans had been clamoring for a live album for a long time, and with Live/1975-85 they got what they wanted, at least in terms of bulk. His concerts were marathons, and this box set, including 40 tracks and running over three and a half hours, was about the average length of a show.” AM Another studio album would inevitably have suffered by comparison to Born in the U.S.A. Still, a triple-disc live box set (five records) seemed a risky career move that would test just how deep fans’ pockets were. The move paid off brilliantly. Well Received Anticipation was so high, the album generated over 1.5 million advance orders, the largest dollar-volume pre-order in record business history at that time. WK The album debuted at #1, a feat last seen a decade earlier with Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life. It was the first five-record set to reach the top 10 and the first to sell more than a million copies. WK The album was certified for sales of 12 million; U.S. sales were actually 4 million, but the RIAA multiplies that figure by the number of discs in the collection. The only live album certified for more was Garth Brooks’ Double Live at 13 times platinum. WK “In his brief liner notes, Springsteen spoke of the emergence of the album’s ‘story’ as he reviewed live tapes, and that story seems nothing less than a history of his life, his concerns, and his career. The first cuts present the Springsteen of the early to mid-‘70s; these performances, most of them drawn from a July 1978 show at the Roxy in Los Angeles, present the romantic, hopeful, earnest Springsteen.” AM What We Get “The second section begins with his first Top Ten hit, Hungry Heart – this is the Springsteen of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, an arena rock star with working-class concerns. After an acoustic mini set given largely to material from Nebraska – songs of economic desperation and crime – comes a reshuffling of Born in the U.S.A., songs in which the artist and his characters start to fight back and rock out.” AM Surprisingly, “Dancing in the Dark,” his #2 hit from that album and highest-charting song of his career, doesn’t make the cut. He does, of course, include his most iconic song, Born to Run, the “unofficial state anthem” AM of New Jersey. Reviews were “overwhelmingly positive,” WK but some critics cited the omission of concert highlights such as “Prove It All Night,” “The Fever,” and his cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Who’ll Stop the Rain.” WK “Fans could rejoice in the seven previously unreleased songs,” AM which included a cover of Edwin Starr’s War and Fire, a song written by Springsteen and a top-ten hit for the Pointer Sisters in 1979. The Songs Here’s a breakdown of songs from the live box set that aren’t highlighted on another page.

Raise Your Hand Bruce Springsteen

Writer(s): Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd Alvertis Isbell Recorded: 7/7/1978 at Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, CA Released: Live 1975/1985 Charted: 12/10/1986 Peak: 44 AR, 30 DF Click for codes to charts. Cover of: Eddie Floyd (1967, #79 BB, 16 RB 42 UK, 74 CN) About the Song: Eddie Floyd first recorded this song in 1967 for his debut album, Knock on Wood. While it was a top-20 R&B hit, it otherwise went pretty much unnoticed. It became a live favorite for a variety of rock acts, though, including Janis Joplin, the J. Geils Band, Ike & Tina Turner, and, of course, Bruce Springsteen, who performed it for the first time back in 1976. ESS He often used the song as an encore or show closer. ESS “Even Bruce’s casual fans recognize Floyd’s importance as a musical influence–we’ve seen it evidenced in Bruce’s set lists over the years, from Floyd-penned staples like ‘634-5789’ on the Wrecking Ball Tour to memorable cameos like ‘Ninety-Nine and Half (Won’t Do)’ and ‘Knock on Wood’.” ESS A decent chunk of Live 1975/1985 was recorded at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood on July 7, 1978. In addition to “Raise Your Hand,” the box set includes live recordings from this date and venue for “Adam Raised a Cain,” “Spirit in the Night,” “Paradise by the ‘C’,” “Growin’ Up,” “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City,” “Backstreets,” and “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight).”

This Land Is Your Land Bruce Springsteen

Writer(s): Woody Guthrie Recorded: 12/28/1980 live at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York Released: Live 1975/1985 About the Song: Woody Guthrie wrote “This Land Is Your Land” in 1939 as a reaction to the “saccharinely patriotic song” ESS “God Bless America.” “It irked Guthrie to hear Berlin’s blindly syrupy song coming out of every radio a full decade into the Great Depression while all around him were migrants and homeless struggling to find work and survive.” ESS Guthrie used “This Land” to point “out where America was falling short and failing its citizens.” ESS However, “the version most of us are familiar with is the sanitized one he released in 1951,” ESS “minus its more progressive lyrics.” ESS “Even though the versions in print and on record excluded Guthrie’s sharpest lyrics, the folk music tradition kept them alive.” ESS Bruce Springsteen, for one, “always insisted on performing all the verses, starting with his first performance in 1980.” ESS He “was captivated with the beauty and poetry of Guthrie’s words, along with Guthrie’s ability to simultaneously hold his country accountable.” ESS

Seeds Bruce Springsteen

Writer(s): Bruce Springsteen Recorded: 9/30/1985 live at the Los Angeles Coliseum Released: Live 1975/1985 About the Song: This is “an original Springsteen song that Bruce has played live almost two hundred times, and yet it’s never seen an official studio release.” ESS It’s been done “in so many different arrangements…[one] can’t help but wonder if the reason Bruce never released it is that he’s never found a studio arrangement he’s comfortable memorializing.” ESS He would, however, release “Rockaway the Days”on the 1998 Tracks box set in which he paired the lyrics with completely different music. This version was recorded live at the Los Angeles Coliseum on 9/30/1985 along with “Born in the U.S.A.,” “The River,” “War,” “Darlington County,” “The Promised Land,” “Cover Me,” and “My Hometown.” The song is sung from the point of view of “an unemployed worker, lured from his home up north (probably working in the steel mills or coal mines) by the promise of plentiful and secure work in Texas. He heads south with nothing to his name other than his family, only to find that by the time he gets there, the price of oil had dropped and the jobs along with it. With no work to do and no place to go, he and his family find themselves homeless in Houston.” ESS The family sleeps in their car and the kids are sick. The narrator seethes over a passing limousine, presumably carrying an oil executive apathetic to the plight of his former workers. He just wants “to be seen and acknowledged for the economic injustice that’s been done him.” ESS

War Bruce Springsteen

Writer(s): Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong Recorded: 9/30/1985 live at the Los Angeles Coliseum Released: 11/10/1986 as a single, Live 1975/1985 (live box set, 1986) B-Side: “Merry Christmas Baby” Peak: 8 BB, 9 CB 9 GR, 12 RR, 4 AR, 18 UK, 11 CN, 38 AU, 1 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 2.5 video, 2.64 streaming About the Song: This song was originally recorded by the Temptations, but their “original 1970 recording never quite mustered the visceral power that Edwin Starr would bring to bear in his now-legendary single released just a few months later.” ESS It reached #1. As Bruce was winding down his Born in the U.S.A. tour in 1985, he “introduced a few wild cards into the tour’s last stand in Los Angeles. One of them was a cover of “War,” introduced by a prescient plea to his young fans not to blindly trust their leaders. Bruce had never shied away from anti-war sentiment, but rarely had he embraced it quite so boldly.” ESS Check out the DMDB page for more details about the original version of “War.”

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Jersey Girl Bruce Springsteen

Writer(s): Tom Waits Recorded: 7/9/1981 live at Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey Released: 7/31/1984 as the B-side of “Cover Me,” Live 1975/1985 (live box set, 1986) Cover of: Tom Waits (1980) About the Song: Tom Waits wrote this song for Kathleen Brennan, his future wife. It was released in 1980 on his Heartbreak and Vine album. Springsteen performed the song live and a recording of it was featured as the B-side of his 1984 single for “Cover Me.” The same performance was then used as the closing song for Bruce’s Live 1975/1985 box set. Because of his association with the state, people have mistakenly assumed Bruce wrote the song. ”Its lyrics absolutely reek of Bruce” ESS “because Waits’ songwriting on ‘Jersey Girl’ so closely resembles Bruce’s own style.” ESS When Bruce debuted his performance of the song, he cleaned up the lyrics a bit and added a whole new verse that “perfectly matches the tone and heart of Waits’ original.” ESS It turns out he’d originally written the words for the song “Party Lights,” which wouldn’t surface until it was released on The Ties That Bind: The River Collection box set in 2015.

Resources/References: AM AllMusic.com review by William Ruhlmann ESS EStreetShuffle.com WK Wikipedia Related DMDB Pages: First posted 2/14/2011; last updated 8/3/2025.