Springsteen’s new ‘River’

Bruce Springsteen enthusiasts will be able to explore his 1980 double album, “The River,” in greater depth than ever soon with the release of a new four-CD/three-DVD (or two Blu-ray discs) set “The Ties That Bind: The River Collection” due Dec. 4.

Taking a similar approach to that of the 2010 box set “The Promise,” which culled outtakes, alternate takes, rejected songs and other material related to 1978’s “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “The Ties That Bind” will include “a wealth of unreleased, unheard music, long-rumored but never-seen-before concert footage from 1980, and a new documentary about ‘The River.’ ”

Two CDs include the original double album, a third CD features the single-disc version of “The River” that Springsteen first considered releasing as the follow-up to “Darkness,” but then rejected. A fourth CD includes the outtakes and other extras. In all, the CDs contain 52 tracks.

It also comes with a 148-page 10-inch-by-12-inch book with photos from the sessions, and a new essay by writer Mikal Gilmore.