Bruce Springsteen is opening the vaults up again to shed some light on one of his most beloved albums. On Thursday morning (Sept. 4) The Boss announced the upcoming release of Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition, a five-disc set that will feature many never-before-heard and previously undiscovered recordings from the rocker’s sixth album, a lo-fi gem he recorded on a four-track recorder in a bedroom of his New Jersey home.
Due out on Oct. 17 from Sony Music, the expanded edition will feature the legendary “Electric Nebraska” session — featuring E Street Band members features bassist Garry Tallent, drummer Max Weinberg, keyboardist Danny Federici, pianist Roy Bittan and guitarist Stevie Van Zandt — which features solo rarities, tracks from a one-off 1982 solo session and a previously unreleased, stripped-down version of the rock anthem “Born in the U.S.A.”
“We threw out the keyboards and played basically as a three-piece,” Springsteen said in a statement about the gritty late April 1982 trio recording of “Born in the U.S.A.,” the booming rock track originally written alongside Nebraska and then held back for inclusion on the multi-platinum 1984 album of the same name. “It was kinda like punk rockabilly. We were trying to bring Nebraska into the electric world.”
In addition to the electric outtakes disc with unheard Springsteen solo rarities from the original Nebraska home recordings (“Losin’ Kind,” “Child Bride,” “Downbound Train”), the 1982 solo one-off session tracks (“Gun In Every Home,” “On the Prowl”) and the “Electric” session, the collection will feature a present-day performance film of the Nebraska album, played in sequence for the first time ever at New Jersey’s Count Basie Theatre.
Because Springsteen didn’t tour behind Nebraska, and he said that revisiting it 40 years later was a special moment for him. “I think in playing these songs again to be filmed, their weight impressed upon me,” said Springsteen. “I’ve written a lot of other narrative records, but there’s just something about that batch of songs on Nebraska that holds some sort of magic.”
The set will also tack on a 2025 remaster of the original album and a Blu-Ray disc of the Count Basie Nebraska live performance.
The reissue hits shelves one week before the upcoming biopic about that album’s recording, the Jeremy Allen White-starring Deliver Me From Nowhere, hits screens on Oct. 24.
The Nebraska set is slated to drop just five months after Springsteen emptied out his vaults for the sprawling Tracks II: The Lost Albums box set featuring seven previously unheard full-length records.
Listen to the “Electric Nebraska” version of “Born in the U.S.A.” and see the Expanded Edition’s full track list below.
Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition Tracklist
Disc 1: Nebraska Outtakes
1. “Born in the U.S.A.”
2. “Losin’ Kind”
3. “Downbound Train”
4. “Child Bride”
5. “Pink Cadillac”
6. “The Big Payback”
7. “Working on the Highway”
8. “On the Prowl”
9. “Gun in Every Home”
Disc 2: Electric Nebraska
1. “Nebraska”
2. “Atlantic City”
3. “Mansion on the Hill”
4. “Johnny 99”
5. “Downbound Train”
6. “Open All Night”
7. “Born in the U.S.A.”
8. “Reason to Believe”
Disc 3: Nebraska (Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ)
1. “Nebraska”
2. “Atlantic City”
3. “Mansion on the Hill”
4. “Johnny 99”
5. “Highway Patrolman”
6. “State Trooper”
7. “Used Cars”
8. “Open All Night”
9. “My Father’s House”
10. “Reason To Believe”
Disc 4: 2025 Remaster
1. “Nebraska”
2. “Atlantic City”
3. “Mansion on the Hill”
4. “Johnny 99”
5. “Highway Patrolman”
6. “State Trooper”
7. “Used Cars”
8. “Open All Night”
9. “My Father’s House”
10. “Reason To Believe”
Disc 5 (Blu-Ray): Nebraska (Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ)
1. “Nebraska”
2. “Atlantic City”
3. “Mansion on the Hill”
4. “Johnny 99”
5. “Highway Patrolman”
6. “State Trooper”
7. “Used Cars”
8. “Open All Night”
9. “My Father’s House”
10. “Reason To Believe”