good stuff
this is a great album for what it is and it is a career spanning compilation and as such is meant to include the finest tracks and is meant to give a sampler of an artist work which it does exceptionally well. no it doesn't have all his best tracks and yes everybody has their little probelems,but for those uniniated or just starting out with a minimal springsteen collection its a great starter i guarantee you'll come back too time and again. its just plain great music

FINALLY! It's about time for a career-spanner for Bruce!
I bought 'Greatest Hits' when it came out. And I was REALLY disappointed. Why did it start with 'Born To Run'? Where were his early classic albums like 'Greetings From Asbury Park'? Those questions I never could answer. But this set makes up for the below average single disc.

And, unlike the mediocre single disc, THIS IS A CAREER SPANNING RETROSPECTIVE!!! It's about time Bruce release a collection like this! It's simply amazing. It spans 1970-2002, his best period, and other than the omission of the huge radio hit 'Pink Cadillac' and the great album cut 'Ain't Got You,' this set is flawless.

'Blinded By The Light,' 'Born In The USA,' 'Rosalita,' 'Born To Run,' 'Jungleland,' 'Thunder Road,' 'The Rising,' and 'Atlantic City' all appear on this great 2 (limited editions 3) CD set.

This is an awesome Bruce set and it remains the best on the market. A must have for a new or casual Bruce fan. And, Columbia remastered the songs, so the sound quality is awesome!

Highly recommended. ENJOY!!!

Great collection
This is the ultimate collection of songs from Springsteen. Takes you from his early roots to his newer material. 3rd disk is some obscure songs from his duet and blues ventures, very good. Couple this with his new release 'Magic', and you are set. Just saw Bruce in concert in Indy, and playing this collection now revisits that night, which was special seeing Danny with a surprise 3 song performance that turned out to be his last. Highly recommend!

The Essential Bruce Springsteen
The two disks of actual greatest hits are the reason to buy this set. They trace Bruce from the days when he was more of a songwriter for others (Manfred Mann "For You" and "Blinded by the Light") to his first major hit "Born To Run" where you get the unpolished Bruce, to "Darkness on the Edge of Town" where you get the same gravelly voice but with a certain fluidity to the songs, up though "Born in the USA" and "Human Touch" after which his career begins to fade and he rests on his earlier laurels. Disk three is one of those typical "bonus" disks that make you realize there is nothing special about any of these songs other than you now know why they were left off the original releases.

But Bruce has been an influence for thirty plus years, and in his heyday he could capture the essence of small-town and blue collar America akin to Don Henley, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, and John Prine. His songs resonate with casual listeners but moreso with those who actually read the lyrics. When you read the lyrics, you see a side of Bruce that recognizes personal struggles with daily issues: war, divorce, job loss, and religion to name a few. No one person can put all of life's struggles into verse, but Bruce does a pretty good job of raising the bar for others to follow.

A Great Overview
I am neither a hardcore fan nor a casual listener. I like a lot of artists in the singer-songwriter vein. Having said that, I find Springsteen's music more exciting, emotional and poignant than most artists. I gave the CD package 5 stars because of the quality of the
artistry AND I feel it represents his career well.

Hardcore fans might disagree that it leaves out a lot of good songs.
I agree. His albums tended to have more than a few great songs which
sound out of context on a compilation. However, it would seem that this CD package might be aimed at those who, like myself, did not buy every Springsteen release through the years, but, perhaps, had one or more of his truly great albums such as Born to Run, Darkness or The Wild...

His carreer has been a long one. During that time (1973 to the present) his style, focus and sound have gone through changes and then sometimes they fall back to earlier days. My point here is that a package such as this will do a great service for those who want to become familar with Springsteen material outside of his more well-known releases without (or perhaps, before) purchasing his other releases.

Another plus for all fans (especially newbies) is that the track order is chronological, making it easy to see where he was coming from and where he has gone.

The first two CD's are all from his previously released albums. The third CD is a bonus. It collects out-takes, B-sides and live cuts.
Most of it sounds just as good as the first two CD's and its fun to listen to.