Musical roads not taken are often the source of great speculation among rock fans. The prospect of so-called “lost” albums from standout artists hiding in some vault somewhere is quite the romantic notion, but, in truth, many of these albums were lost for a reason. When they do get released, the letdown is almost inevitable.

How refreshing it is then to hear The Promise, Bruce Springsteen’s two-disc compilation of material he recorded but then shelved while working on the album that would become 1978's Darkness On The Edge Of Town. Mired in a legal battle with his former manager after the breakthrough of Born To Run, Bruce had many of these songs in mind for a follow-up album that never quite came to pass.

The discs are included on this massive box set commemorating Darkness, which also includes live material on DVD (including a legendary Darkness-era concert in Houston), a documentary, and even, in the deluxe set, a reproduction of the notebook that Springsteen used to contain all of his song ideas. It’s a massive undertaking, and one no Boss fan could possibly resist.

The songs on The Promise can be broken down roughly into three groups. First, you’ve got songs that are popular in the Springsteen canon that are represented for the first time in studio versions. Some were given to others (“Because The Night” to Patti Smith, “Fire” to the Pointer Sisters); some were live staples that never found their way to a studio album (“The Promise,” “Rendezvous”).

In the next group, you’ve got songs that were reconfigured before ending up on Darkness. “Racing In The Streets” is here in slightly-altered form with a full-band treatment. “Come On (Let’s Go Tonight)” would later morph into “Factory.” And “Candy’s Boy” is a fascinating early incarnation of “Candy’s Room,” outfitted with a slower tempo, different lyrics, and a “Sweet Jane”-style groove.

That leaves the 15 or so songs that were essentially left on the cutting room floor, but as Springsteen proved with Tracks, his leftovers are another artist’s feast. The songs are by and large lighter than what would end up on the ominous Darkness album, and they mostly reflect Bruce’s love of '50s and '60s-era rock and soul. Like Dylan using old folk songs as jumping-off points for his own material, here we’ve got the E Street Band paying homage to their forbears without ever forsaking their inimitable swagger.

“Gotta Get That Feeling” and “The Little Things (My Baby Does)” are full of Spectorian flourishes (cue the castanets!) and Brill Building songwriting cleverness. "Outside Looking In” repurposes the rumbling beat of Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue,” and “Wrong Side Of The Street” is a pretty direct descendant of the classic soul ballad “Dark Side Of The Street.” My favorite of these is the sweet, Beach Boys-flavored “Someday (We’ll Be Together).”

That last song is embellished by lovely backing vocals that sound more like the E Street Band of Working On A Dream than Darkness, and, yes, Bruce has clearly added some freshly-recorded touches here and there to finish off songs that might not have been complete in their archival form. I suppose there are some purists who could quibble with this, but life’s too short, man.

I’d rather have recordings that sync up with what the artist ultimately had in mind than any fragmentary songs. Besides, it can be fun to try and pinpoint if it’s Bruce’s vocals circa ’77 or ’10. You’ll find there’s not much difference between the two.

While those musical tributes to past heroes are undeniable fun, the songs where Springsteen follows his own muse are ultimately the best that The Promise has to offer. “Breakaway” is a stark ballad about the lengths that people will go to escape the shackles of their daily lives, desperate maneuvers that lead to very dark places. “The Way” is a song of almost desperate devotion, Bruce singing with controlled intensity.

Contrasting those somber tracks is the hilarious “Aint Good Enough,” as Bruce and the gang chortle their way (and name-drop Jimmy Iovine) through his lament about an impossible-to-please girl.

Bruce has spoken in interviews about how he knew a lot of these songs might have better-suited for the radio than those that made the cut for Darkness. Ultimately, in terms of his career longevity and his musical reputation, Darkness was indeed the wiser choice.

Of the songs included on these two discs, I would argue that only “The Promise” itself, a majestic dirge about the disillusionment dwelling in the aftermath of broken dreams, really would have fit well with the 10 classics that made the album.

That does not in any way mitigate the treasures to be found here. The Promise is part musical history lesson from the E Street Band, part Springsteen’s seemingly inexhaustible quest for the precise musical career path, yet it’s never less than exhilarating. It may have been the rood not taken, but it still never strays from Bruce’s brilliance.

“Someday (We’ll Be Together)”

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"Breakaway"

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"The Promise"

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