Born To Run-30th Anniversary Edition

Too often remasters and anniversary sets are a cheap excuse for artists to fleece their fans and make them buy the same album for a second, third or fourth time. Well, Bruce Springsteen doesn’t roll like that, baby. The 30th Anniversary Edition of Born to Run comes with three discs: the remastered CD and two DVDs—the retrospective Wings for Wheels and a newly discovered and restored multi-camera concert film, The Hammersmith Odeon, London 1975. Wings for Wheels exhaustively documents the often difficult recording sessions that gave birth to the classic album, and is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Springsteen’s creative process. The Hammersmith Odeon depicts an exuberant and brash Springsteen and the E Street Band, fiercely determined to win over their skeptical English audience. Finally, the remaster of Born to Run itself, though not revelatory like the recent Dylan remasters, is still a noticeable improvement over the original CD release. Whether you’re a longtime fan of The Boss, or somebody looking for a place to start, this set won’t steer you wrong.