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Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg, Clarence Clemons, Mike Appel, Jon Landau, David Sancious, Garry Tallent, Jimmy Iovine

Hard to believe that The Boss recorded his first masterpiece 30 years ago. When “Born to Run” appeared Springsteen landed the cover of both TIME and NEWSWEEK for the same week. Everyone wondered who this kid with the scruffy beard was and how he could possibly rate all the hype. Sure there was too much hype but that doesn’t make the praise any less appropriate. Yes, I know this is a CD. But this combined boxed set needs to be reviewed in a DVD column because it features two DVDs that can’t be found elsewhere. ***

The first DVD “Wings to Ride: The Making of ‘Born to Run’” is an hour and a half documentary that examines the pressures on Springsteen to create a hit record. He and his band knew that if something didn’t happen despite the critical praise and covers of his songs, Springsteen and The E Street Band’s recording career could be over. Luckily his co-producer former Rolling Stone writer Jon Landau recognized the raw talent of Springsteen just as Springsteen’s manager and co-producer of the title track Mike Appel had before. With Landau on board as co-producer of the rest of the album and his savvy connections, marketing ideas and Springsteen’s relentless touring and brilliant songs “The Boss” broke through to the next level. Including fooage of Springsteen in the studio performing the album with The E Street Band and listening to the basic tracks 30 years later, it’s a fascinating documentary. It provides a unique glimpse into the making of one of the great albums of the past 30 years. ***

"Live at the Hamersmith Odeon" was record in 1975 just after the release of "Born to Run". It was Springsteen's firt visit abroad. There's nothing avaiable of the band before their reunion so this DVD produced by Thom Zimny will be a oasis for fans of Springsteen particularly those who saw him before he broke to a much larger public after "Born in the U.S.A.". The dynamic concert features the band in top form and Springsteen manages to be charismatic and self effacing. He charms and seduces his audience as only the best showman can. "Live" is an important slice of history but, more importantly, it's a terrific concert and it's too bad that it took so long for it to come to DVD but it was worth the wait. ---

For the DVDs the image quality varies a bit as there’s quite a bit of new and archival footage incorporated into it. The newer footage looks terrific with vivid colors, sharp images and clarity. The older footage tends to be grainy and there is a color shift in some of it but that’s to be expected with footage over 30 years old and shot under low light conditions (such as the studio where he was recording “Born To Run”). The 1975 documentary looks pretty good overall despite the fact that there’s a significant amount of grain and the concert was shot under less than optimal lighting conditions. The sound is quite good as well with a 5.1 and 2.0 mix. ---

The documentary has three performances from an appearance in 1973 in Los Angeles. The concert is a complete concert performance but doesn’t include any extras. While it would have been nice to have alternate takes of tracks from “Born to Run” included on a separate CD or additional concert footage, what we have here is exceptional. ***

The packaging of the CD and 2 DVDs is a large laminated cardboard box. Inside we get a booklet with rare photos and an excerpt from Springsteen’s book SONGS. The CD for “Born to Run” comes in a replica of the original album packaging in miniature. The DVDs are packaged likewise in gatefold sleeves. There’s also a couple of paragraphs by Springsteen discussing the 1975 concert. ---

A terrific reissue for a great classic album. My only complaint is that, while I appreciate the replica of the original album packaging, it would have been nice to have a rice paper or plastic sleeve to protect the CD. The same could be said for the two DVDs included as well. Personally, I would have preferred to see all of this released in a regular DVD case with the CD as an extra. Either way, this is a terrific set and the perfect gift for a big Springsteen fan.