Oh, Bruce Springsteen.
Between 1975's Born to Run and 1978's Darkness on the Edge of Town there was The Promise. It's the collection of 21 songs that previously didn't make the cut, but you can now hear before their release with the deluxe reissue of Darkness over at NPR.
Some songs may not come as too much of a surprise, with having been released as bootlegs and b-sides in the past 40 years, but the notable influence of artists featured in The Promise shows insight into his past creative inspirations that will provide depth to your understanding of Springsteen. Will Hermes expresses examples in the article accompanying the album stream:
"There are lots of genre exercises here in which the subject is surging love/lust, and the spirit is upbeat — pretty much the polar opposite of Darkness. But Springsteen is such a great writer, the songs become more than manqués; they come off as lost classics themselves. Listen to "Outside Looking In," which rides a tom-tom rumble recalling Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue," though Springsteen delivers the verses with a punk-rock sneer."
Fifteen of the 21 tracks are up for stream until the official release on November 16. Make your Bruce discography complete!
(via NPR)