Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska
Super Deluxe Edition (CD / Blu-ray) Review
In this unboxing and review, I’m looking at the Super Deluxe Edition of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 masterpiece Nebraska, specifically the CD / Blu-ray edition. It’s a set that approaches this album from every possible angle, and for anyone who holds Nebraska close to their heart, this release feels genuinely special.
Inside the Box
This is a hybrid-sized package – not quite a traditional CD box, but beautifully put together. As always, I’ve saved the hype sticker and placed it safely inside (because that’s what we do), and it promises a lot:
4 CDs + 1 Blu-ray
15 previously unreleased tracks
Solo Nebraska outtakes
The legendary Electric Nebraska Sessions with the E Street Band
2025 remaster of the original album
A brand-new film of Bruce performing all 10 songs
The discs themselves carry the classic Columbia label design, immediately grounding the set in Springsteen’s legacy. Everything feels considered, respectful, and built to last.
The Booklet
The accompanying booklet is a highlight in its own right. You’ll find:
Handwritten lyrics
Period photographs of Bruce and the surrounding locations
Atmospheric imagery that mirrors the stark, bleak tone of the album
Full lyrics for every version of the songs – original, outtakes, and electric sessions
It’s a deep dive into Nebraska as a living, evolving work, rather than a static album frozen in time.
I’ll be honest: Nebraska was the album that truly made me a Bruce Springsteen fan.
I owned Born to Run, I’d dipped into other albums, but it was Nebraska that resonated. The tonality of Bruce’s voice, the sparse instrumentation, the bleak cover image, the stark storytelling – it all connected in a way that felt deeply human. It still does.
I even went as far as picking up a Japanese CD edition years ago, just because this album mattered that much to me.
And I know I’m not alone. Within the Now Spinning Magazine community, Nebraska is often cited as the one Bruce Springsteen album that even non-fans respect – and sometimes love.
The Outtakes
Yes, the album is beautifully remastered – it sounds fantastic – but let’s be honest: the real reason many of us are here is for the outtakes.
One of the biggest surprises?
“Born in the U.S.A.”
Hearing it in this early form is fascinating. The arrangement is completely different, and it gives you a front-row seat to Bruce’s creative process. Songs like Downbound Train, Child Bride, and Losing Kind feel like sketches and thoughts-in-motion, yet they’re fully formed enough to stand on their own.
There’s also a sense of Bruce experimenting rhythmically and stylistically – single-guitar, heavily reverbed R&B-inflected playing that hints at directions he would later take much further.
Electric Nebraska: A Different Perspective
The Electric Nebraska sessions with the E Street Band are utterly compelling.
For me, two tracks stand out immediately:
Nebraska
Atlantic City
Atlantic City, in particular, thrives in this setting. One thing I noticed is how much easier it was to follow the lyrics with the full band behind Bruce. The additional instrumentation seems to carry the weight of the words, giving them extra clarity and drive.
Tracks like Mansion on the Hill, Johnny 99, Open All Night, and Born in the U.S.A. offer fascinating alternate realities – glimpses of what Nebraska could have been, without ever diminishing what it ultimately became.
The Blu-ray: Bruce, Alone, In Your Living Room
For many people, the Blu-ray alone would justify the price of this set.
Filmed in stunning monochrome, Bruce sits with his guitar and performs Nebraska in full, in album order, in 2025. No distractions. No spectacle. Just Bruce, a microphone, and these songs.
It’s intimate, powerful, and quietly spellbinding. It genuinely feels like Bruce is performing in your living room – and for fans of this album, that’s incredibly moving.
The Definitive Nebraska
This Super Deluxe Edition presents Nebraska from every possible angle:
The original album, newly remastered
The solo outtakes
The Electric Nebraska sessions
A modern, intimate performance captured on Blu-ray
It’s not just a box set – it’s a complete portrait of one of Bruce Springsteen’s most important works.
From what I understand, this release is already becoming scarce. Much like the album cover itself, it feels like it’s drifting into the rear-view mirror. If Nebraska matters to you, I wouldn’t hang around.
This is an essential release. Thoughtful, respectful, emotionally powerful, and beautifully curated.
If you love Nebraska, this set isn’t optional – it’s vital.
ORDER THE NEBRASKA BOX SET HERE
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
