The Demo Tapes: Circa 1971–1972

Notes
Tracks 1-8: 1972 May-June - New York, NY - Pocketful Of Tunes Studio.

Track 9: 1972 July-August - Blauvelt, NY - 914 Sound Studio.

Track 10: 1972 May-June - New York, NY - Pocketful Of Tunes Studio.

Recorded around the same time as Bruce Springsteen's first album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., in June or July 1972, these ten recordings are part of what are known as the "London publishing demos." Intended to promote cover versions by other artists, they feature Springsteen alone, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar or piano. The imagery is often rich and complex, like the songs on Greetings, but the tone is generally more serious, and the melodies are rudimentary -- the released song "Mary Queen of Arkansas" would fit in perfectly. "If I Was the Priest" is the song that led A&R executive John Hammond to sign Springsteen to Columbia Records. "New York City Song" is an embryonic version of "New York City Serenade," later released on The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. None of these compositions has ever been released on a legitimate album. Sound quality is excellent.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout: T203--15622 01