And here is my mix from last Christmas (2007). 17 Bruce Springsteen songs about Mary. Plus the Nebraska Demo.

Liner Notes…

Throughout his long career, Bruce Springsteen has turned to “Mary” whenever he needed a shoulder to cry on, shelter, a girl to run away with, a wife, a mother. On this CD, 17 of those songs are here for you in “Mary Christmas.”

Most of the recordings aren’t on Springsteen’s studio albums. Some are live, some are demos or alternate takes – why bore you with album cuts while there are some rare gems available?

I start off with a demo version of “Mary Queen of Arkansas” that he gave to CBS to secure his first record deal. “Bring on the Night,” an outtake from The River, is one of the best Elvis Costello songs never written by Elvis Costello. I’ve always preferred the piano version of “Thunder Road” to the album version – this one is from a 1990 acoustic show. “Stand On It” is a B-side from the “Glory Days” single.

“4th of July” doesn’t mention “Mary,” but does mention “Madame Marie.” This is my favorite recording of this song, coming from a 1975 Philadelphia show. Kind of a rocking ballad, “Car Wash,” is an outtake from Born in the USA. He played this version of “Independence Day” in 1980 in Chicago. And from the Devil & Dust tour, “Jesus was an Only Son” was recording in Asbury Park, NJ.

“Does this Bus Stop at 82nd ST?” was performed in 1973 at The Main Point in Philly. One of two album tracks on this comp is “Mary’s Place.” “Reason to Believe,” originally on Nebraska, was captured from a 1990 acoustic show. “Rockaway the Days” didn’t make the cut for Born in the USA.

“Straight Time” is off of The Rise. And speaking of “The Rising,” here’s an acoustic version from 2005 that buries the album cut. Sort of a “Thunder Road II,” this recording of “The River” was recorded in Japan in the early 90’s. “Mary Lou” was somehow left off of The River double LP. And finishing off the comp is “O Mary Don’t You Weep,” from the Sessions shows in Ireland.

And if that wasn’t enough, I’ve thrown in a disc of Springsteen’s Nebraska Demo with his original track listing and a handful of bonus cuts from the Colt’s Head living room sessions.

I hope you enjoy this compilation. And remember, the only boss you should listen to is Springsteen!

Track listing…

Disc 1 – Mary Christmas
1. Mary Queen of Arkansas
2. Bring on the Night
3. Thunder Road
4. Stand on It
5. 4th of July, Asbury Park
6. Car Wash
7. Independence Day
8. Jesus was an Only Son
9. Does this Bus Stop at 82nd ST?
10. Mary’s Place
11. Reason to Believe
12. Rockaway the Days
13. Straight Time
14. The Rising
15. The River
16. Mary Lou
17. O Mary Don’t You Weep

Disc 2 – Nebraska Demo
1. Bye Bye Johnny
2. Starkweather (Nebraska)
3. Atlantic City
4. Mansion on the Hill
5. Born in the USA
6. Johnny 99
7. Downbound Train
8. Losin’ Kind
9. State Trooper
10. Used Cars
11. Wanda (Open All Night)
12. Child Bride
13. Pink Cadillac
14. Highway Patrolman
15. Reason to Believe
16. Dream Baby (Bonus)
17. My Father’s House (Bonus)
18. Vietnam (Bonus)
19. Precious Memories (Bonus)

Click here to download it!

I’m using a file hosting service called Megaupload (new to me, I mean). If you have any problems with it, just let me know. It’s easy! Just click the link, put in the little “captcha code,” hit enter and then choose “regular download,” ignore the ads (sorry) and download it to your desktop.

It’s a zip file, so everyone in the universe should be able to open it.