R-O-C-K in the B-O-X

Awesome! After what feels like years, Island Records and Universal Music Enterprises have finalized a release date and track listing for On the Rural Route 7609, a career-spanning box set from John Mellencamp.

Drawing from more than 30 years of recordings, this four-disc set features 15 previously unreleased recordings, liner notes by Rolling Stone veteran Anthony DeCurtis, Mellencamp’s track-by-track annotations and 72 pages of notes and photos, all packaged in a book-style case.

Hit the jump to get all the tracks, and you can pre-order the set at Amazon (word of warning: the current price, $89.99, is somewhat steep for a four-disc set, even for as good an artist as Mellencamp). On the Rural Route is released June 15, just in time for Father’s Day.

John Mellencamp – On the Rural Route 7609 (Island/UMe)

Disc 1

1. Longest Days
2. Grandma’s Theme
3. Rural Route
4. Jackie Brown
5. Rain on the Scarecrow (Acoustic)
6. Jim Crow (with Cornell West) *
7. Jim Crow
8. Big Daddy of Them All
9. Deep Blue Heart
10. Forgiveness
11. Don’t Need This Body
12. Jenny at 16 *
13. Jack and Diane (Writing Demo) *
14. Jack and Diane

Disc 2

1. The Real Life (with Joanne Woodward) *
2. Ghost Towns Along the Highway
3. The Full Catastrophe
4. Authority Song (Writing Demo) *
5. Troubled Land
6. To Washington
7. Our Country (Alternate) *
8. Country Gentlemen
9. Freedom’s Road
10. Mr. Bellows (Remix) *
11. Rodeo Clown
12. Love and Happiness
13. Pink Houses

Disc 3

1. If I Die Sudden (Live @ the Greek Theatre, Los Angeles – 7/31/2008)
2. Someday
3. Between a Laugh and a Tear
4. Void in My Heart (Acoustic Chess Studios Version) *
5. Death Letter
6. Sugar Marie (Acoustic) *
7. Theo and Weird Henry
8. When Jesus Left Birmingham
9. L.U.V. (Remix) *
10. Thank You
11. Women Seem
12. The World Don’t Bother Me None *
13. Cherry Bomb (Writing Demo) *
14. Someday the Rains Will Fall
15. A Ride Back Home (with Karen Fairchild)

Disc 4

1. My Aeroplane
2. Colored Lights *
3. Just Like You
4. Young Without Lovers
5. To M.G. (Wherever She May Be) (Acoustic) *
6. Sweet Evening Breeze
7. What If I Came Knocking
8. County Fair
9. Peaceful World (Writing Demo) *
10. Your Life is Now
11. For the Children
12. Rural Route (Acoustic) *

Disc 1 Track 1 and 11, Disc 2 Track 5, Disc 3 Track 15 and Disc 4 Tracks 4, 8 and 11 from Life Death Love and Freedom (Hear Music, 2008)
Disc 1 Track 2, Disc 3 Track 3 from Scarecrow (Mercury, 1985)
Disc 1 Track 3, 7 and 10; Disc 2 Track 2, 9 and 11; Disc 3 Track 2 and Disc 4 Track 1 from Freedom’s Road (Universal Republic, 2007)
Disc 1 Track 4 and 8; Disc 2 Track 8; Disc 3 Track 7 from Big Daddy (Mercury, 1989)
Disc 1 Track 5 from Rough Harvest (Mercury, 1999) – original version from Scarecrow
Disc 1 Track 9, Disc 3 Track 11 and Disc 4 Track 3 from Cuttin’ Heads (Columbia, 2001)
Disc 1 Track 14 from American Fool (Riva, 1982)
Disc 2 Track 3 from Mr. Happy Go Lucky (Mercury, 1996)
Disc 2 Track 6, Disc 3 Track 5 from Trouble No More (Columbia, 2003)
Disc 2 Track 12 from Whenever We Wanted (Mercury, 1991)
Disc 2 Track 13 from Uh-Huh (Riva, 1983)
Disc 3 Track 1 from Life Death Live and Freedom (Hear Music, 2009)
Disc 3 Track 8 and Disc 4 Tracks 6-7 from Human Wheels (Mercury, 1993)
Disc 3 Track 10 from Words & Music: John Mellencamp’s Greatest Hits (Island, 2004)
Disc 3 Track 12 from the film America’s Heart and Soul (2004) – previously unavailable on CD
Disc 3 Track 14 from NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack Vol. 2 (CBS, 2009) – possibly slated for re-release on Mellencamp’s upcoming LP, No Better Than This (Hear Music, 2010)
Disc 3 Track 10 from John Mellencamp (Columbia, 1999)

* denotes previously unreleased version or recording
Original version of Disc 1 Track 6 from Life Death Love and Freedom
Original version of Disc 1 Track 13 from American Fool
Original version of Disc 2 Track 1 and Disc 3 Track 13 from The Lonesome Jubilee (Mercury, 1987)
Original version of Disc 2 Track 4 from Uh-Huh
Original version of Disc 2 Track 7 and Disc 4 Track 12 from Freedom’s Road
Original version of Disc 2 Track 10 from Mr. Happy Go Lucky
Original version of Disc 3 Track 4 from Big Daddy
Original version of Disc 3 Track 6 from John Cougar (Riva, 1979)
Original version of Disc 3 Track 9 from Dance Naked (Mercury, 1994)
Original version of Disc 4 Track 5 from Nothin’ Matters and What If It Did (Riva, 1980)
Original version of Disc 4 Track 9 from Cuttin’ Heads