Some out-and-out duds, but there's still more stand-out cuts on this one disc than Sting has pretentiously moaned in the past eight years. "Frankie" is a slowly-mounting love song that bursts into a transcendent Clarence Clemons saxophone solo; it's about the redemptive powers of romance, a concept that Springsteen gets too much mileage out of not fully believing in these days.

"TV Movie" and "Stand On It," a couple of rollicking rockabilly numbers, are (like most rockabilly) more-or-less the same song with different lyrics. Both are also hilarious.

"Rockaway Days" is another winner, this one about Billy, who "got out of prison, but he wasn't right." If you think that sounds like trouble, you're an excellent judge of Springsteen songs.

"Car Wash" isn't the most profound thing I've ever heard, though it rocks along nicely. It's notable mostly because (along with "My Lover Man" on disc four) it's the only time Springsteen has ever written in a female character's voice.

And finally, there's "The Wish," an unstructured but sweetly irresistible tribute to his mom. Awwwwww. Springsteen says it's the most overtly autobiographical song he's ever written.