The Ties That Bind: The River Collection [Box Set]

The Ties That Bind: The River Collection, like a high-profile DVD release of the 2000s, is more about the bonus features than the main feature, but the extras lend an invaluable perspective to one of the most important works in Springsteen's catalog, and this set makes it possible to imagine the many chapters that could have been added or removed from the album while still telling the same powerful story, as well as documenting the thought and effort Springsteen put into the process.

Such is the bounty contained on The Ties That Bind that it might make you question Bruce Springsteen’s judgment even as you marvel at his ridiculous talent.

On one hand, it's an endlessly engaging artifact for music dorks interested in an education straight from the source; on the other hand, it simply overflows with some of the best, and most enjoyable rock 'n' roll of all time.

The River Collection isn’t a glimpse of what could have been--it’s raw proof that The River sessions produced too many good songs for one album (even a double album) to contain.

Ultimately it’s a reaffirmation of that original gambit and breakthrough, a renewal of vows between artist and audience, and a reminder that second acts are possible.

The music is full of teenage dreams crashing up against reality, dusting themselves off and trying to figure out the next move. If we're lucky, it's a story that never stops.

Bruce Springsteen's fifth release proved a cardinal development in his storytelling, and The Ties That Bind: The River Collection dissects it across four CDs, a 2-DVD concert from the same year in Arizona, and an hourlong documentary on a third DVD, plus over 200 coffee-table-ready photos.

It's an iconic if flawed album. But the overflow of songs presented on The Ties That Bind makes for a great argument-starter. Did Springsteen assemble the best version of The River? This boxed set provides evidence for piecing together an even better one.

For those who may think four CDs and three DVDs are too much, consider this: for an album that is all about contradictions, excess and mess, more of everything is most certainly a good thing.

What becomes apparent with them is that with The E Street Band backing him, Springsteen seemed incapable of writing a clunker. At this point they were on fire and could have turned just about anything into a grandstanding rave-up or stirring anthem, as required.

Perhaps The River could have been even better had he used a couple of the outtakes--Restless Nights and Whitetown--in place of fillers such as Sherry Darling and Crush On You. But the two biggest decisions he got absolutely right. In the end, The River was more than big enough.

The box set joy is the archive additions, their whiff of ancient wasted sweat. [Jan 2016, p.102]

The River itself feels a bit unwieldy compared to the sleek single album Springsteen originally handed in to Columbia, which features here, and while less weighty--philosophically and in size--it is actually a better listen, not least because it’s not constantly dragged down by unwieldy rockers. A further disc rounds up outtakes, which makes it apparent that Springsteen could have managed several different iterations of The River, all of which would have been as good as or better than the eventual album..

This box set may be a dizzying experience at times, but it shows a superstar-in-the-making working out where he wants to go, and contains all the excitement that promises within. [Jan 2016, p.116]

All in all, it’s a fine addition to the seemingly bottomless corpus of Springsteen’s ever-expanding oeuvre.