SPRINGSTEEN,BRUCE - HIGHLIGHTS FROM 18 TRACKS Price: €9.99 Format: Compact Disc Availability: Immediate Dispatch

This single-disc sampler was put together in deference to Springsteen fans unprepared to shell out the cash for the TRACKS box set. It features many of the key tracks from the box, illuminating the Boss's career beyond the official album cuts. From the infectious, good-humored "Part Man, Part Monkey" to the rock & roll anthem "Where the Bands Are" and the chilling acoustic version of "Born in the U.S.A", 18 TRACKS is Springsteen at his best. The prolific songwriter has always come up with way too much material for whatever album he was working on, and the cuts left over are never less than top-notch. Thus, 18 TRACKS (not to mention its parent box set) is no collection of cast-offs. Rather, it's an alternate, equally compelling history of the quintessential American rock & roller. As an added inducement, there are bonus tracks here that don't appear on the box, included the beloved "The Promise" and "The Fever".