To coincide with today’s release of Bruce Springsteen’s second Album Collection, Sony/Legacy and Columbia Records are releasing nine rare Springsteen EPs on digital platforms.  These are part of Legacy’s ongoing vault series which sees digital release of rare music from artists in a wide variety of eras and genres.

The EPs are mostly international releases and span the years from 1987-2012.  Two were originally released in Japan.  The first, Live Collection, rounds up four concert performances, some previously on albums and some taken from B-sides.  The second EP, Roll of the Dice, has that tune from the Human Touch album.  The EP also contains a live version “Leap of Faith” and a Human Touch outtake, “30 Days Out.”

A further five EPs hail from the U.K.  The first, 1995’s Hungry Heart, melds a live version of the hit tune with a backing track from The River.  Three additional live cuts fill out the EP.  The next two EPs were released to tie in with The Ghost of Tom Joad and beyond.  Each contains one track from the album and a selection of concert performances.  The fourth EP kicks off with “Lonesome Day” from The Rising and follows with two more live songs.  The fifth EP, Live and Rare from 2003, is a wholly live affair featuring tracks recorded in the mid-1990s.

The final two EPs were originally released in the U.S.  2009’s What Love Can Do first came out for that year’s Record Store Day.  It contains the song from the Working on a Dream album and “A Night with The Jersey Devil,” released as a free download in 2008.  The final EP is also a former Record Store Day release with a pair of tracks.  “Rocky Ground” is taken from Wrecking Ball and the live version of “The Promise” comes from 2010 documentary The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story.

We’ve got the full track listings below if you would like to give any of these Springsteen EPs a try.  They’re available today from all digital service providers!

Live Collection (originally released as CBS/Sony 20AP 3326 (Japan), 1987) (iTunes / Spotify)

1. For You (Live)
2. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (Live)
3. Fire (Live)
4. Incident On 57th Street (Live)

Tracks 1-2 recorded live at The Roxy, Los Angeles, CA – 7/7/1978. Track 1 released on “Fire” U.K. single – CBS 650381 7, 1987. Track 2 released on Live/1975-85 (Columbia C3K 40558, 1986)
Track 3 recorded live at the Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA – 12/16/1978. Released on Live/1975-85 (Columbia C3K 40558, 1986)
Track 4 recorded live at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY – 12/31/1980. Released on “War” U.K. 12″ single – CBS 650193 6, 1986

Roll Of The Dice EP (originally released as Sony SRCS 6599 (Japan), 1992) (iTunes / Spotify)

1. Roll Of The Dice
2. Leap Of Faith (Live)
3. 30 Days Out

Track 1 from Human Touch (Columbia CK 53000, 1992)
Track 2 recorded live at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ – 8/6/1992

Hungry Heart EP (originally released as Columbia 662315 2 (U.K.), 1995) (iTunes / Spotify)

1. Hungry Heart (Berlin ’95 Version)
2. Streets Of Philadelphia (Live)
3. Thunder Road (Live)
4. Murder Incorporated (Live)

Vocals to Track 1 recorded live at Cafe Eckstein, Berlin, Germany – 7/9/1995. Backing track from The River (Columbia PC2 36854, 1980)
Tracks 2-4 recorded live at Sony Music Studios, New York, NY – 4/5/1995

The Ghost Of Tom Joad EP (originally released as Columbia 662949 2 (U.K.), 1995) (iTunes / Spotify)

1. The Ghost Of Tom Joad
2. Straight Time (Live)
3. Sinaloa Cowboys (Live)

Track 1 from The Ghost Of Tom Joad (Columbia CK 67484, 1995)
Tracks 2-3 recorded live at the Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA – 12/9/1995

Missing EP (originally released as Columbia 663508 2 (U.K.), 1996) (iTunes / Spotify)

1. Missing
2. Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Live)
3. Born In The U.S.A. (Live)
4. Spare Parts (Live)

Track 1 previously unreleased – recorded for the film The Crossing Guard
Tracks 2-4 recorded live on ICC SAAL 1 for Austereo MCM’s “Planet Live,” Berlin, Germany – 4/19/1996

Lonesome Day EP (originally released as Columbia 673272 2 (U.K.), 2002) (iTunes / Spotify)

1. Lonesome Day
2. Spirit In The Night (Live)
3. The Rising (Live)

Track 1 from The Rising (Columbia CK 86600, 2002)
Track 2 recorded live at Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain – 10/15/2002
Track 3 recorded live at Hayden Planetarium for the MTV Video Music Awards, New York, NY – 8/29/2002

Live and Rare EP (released as Columbia SAMPCM 12867 2 (U.K.), 2003) (iTunes / Spotify)

1. Growing Up (Live)
2. Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Live)
3. This Hard Land (Live)
4. The Big Muddy (Live)

Tracks 1 and 4 recorded live at Warner Hollywood Studios, Los Angeles, CA – 9/22/1992. Released on the In Concert/MTV Plugged video (SMV Enterprises 19V 49162, 1992) and the “Streets Of Philadelphia” U.K. CD single (Columbia 660065 2, 1994)
Tracks 2-3 recorded live at the Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA – 12/9/1995. Track 2 released on “Dead Man Walkin'” U.K. CD single (Columbia 663190 2, 1996). Track 3 released on “The Ghost Of Tom Joad” U.K. CD single (Columbia 662949 2, 1995).

What Love Can Do EP (released as Columbia 38-749532, 2009) (iTunes / Spotify)

1. What Love Can Do
2. A Night With The Jersey Devil

Track 1 from Working On a Dream (Columbia 88697 41355 2, 2009)
Track 2 originally released as free download, 2008

Rocky Ground EP (released as Columbia 88691 96704 7, 2012) (iTunes / Spotify)

1. Rocky Ground
2. The Promise (Live)

Track 1 from Wrecking Ball (Columbia 88691 94254 2, 2012)
Track 2 recorded live at The Carousel, Asbury Park, NJ – 12/7/2010. Audio taken from The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story (Columbia 88697 78230 2, 2010)