Until the commercial release in 1995 of
GREATEST HITS (
Columbia 7464-67060-1), compilation albums of Springsteen's studio-recording works were strictly limited for promotional use only (I'm talking about those containing his material exclusively). The very first examples in both vinyl and CD formats came out from
Japan: the 1978's LP
LAST AMERICAN HERO FROM ASBURY PARK, N.J. (
CBS/SONY YAPC 95;
09/19/2015 and 01/28/2017) and the 1990's double CD
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 70's TO 80's [
sic] (better known as its subtitle
THE FUTURE OF ROCK'N ROLL;
CBS/SONY XADP 90009-10), two of the all-time greatest collectibles. The
LAST AMERICAN ... LP, now impossibly hard to find, contains 10 songs culled from his first three albums:
- SIDE 1: It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City / Blinded By The Light / Spirit In The Night / Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) / New York City Serenade
- SIDE 2: Thunder Road / Born To Run / She's The One / Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out / Jungleland
 |
| Promotion-only vinyl and CD compilation albums before the release of GREATEST HITS in 1995. All the CD titles except for the Japanese FUTURE OF ROCK'N ROLL (2CDs) appear during 1992-93 primarily to support and promote HUMAN TOUCH / LUCKY TOWN. These CDs are pressed in Canada, Japan, Sweden (two editions), and the U.K., but curiously no releases from the U.S. |
