Darkness On The Edge Of Town
by Bruce Springsteen

A pretty much perfect album. Springsteens greatest album and one of the greatest albums of all time. A masterpiece by a master craftsman

I can’t put my figure on precisely why this is my favourite album of all time. Maybe it’s got something to do with the fact that it has four 100/100 tracks on it, Adam Raised A Cain, Candy’s Room, Racing In The Street & Factory.

Maybe it’s because it flows seamlessly from one fabulous track to another. It’s not that there’s no filler here, it’s that there’s not even an average track on the album. Every, and I mean every, track is at least a 90/100.

How do you follow up your breakthrough album? Born To Run has been described as a “Wall Of Sound” album, and although I think that it’s a great album, it’s way too over produced for my liking. DOTEOT is leaner. Some say angrier. Not sure about that but it’s certainly more, lyrically anyway, in your face. There’s something of the punk sensibility to the album with it’s raw energy

I think that I warm to the characters depicted so eloquently by Springsteen on the album, their struggles and their fights.
It feels real to me. What I think sounds like, The real New Jersey but, not coming from there, I might be way off the mark.

So many songs were written for the album that didn’t fit the albums narrative that Springsteen famously “gave them away” to other artists
• "Hearts of Stone" & "Talk to Me" to Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes;
• "Because the Night" to Patti Smith;
• "Fire" to Robert Gordon;
• "Rendezvous" to Greg Kihn;
• "Don't Look Back" to the Knack;
• "This Little Girl" to Gary U.S. Bonds

You have more guitar solos and less sax (although it’s still there) than on his previous albums, which I prefer.

Springsteen's Church - envision the entrance as the music swells on Darkness -

From HoldenM 05/24/2023 20:27 | #297203

A step down from Born to Run, but most albums would be.

This might be Springsteen's most consistent work with every song on here being good or better. The only thing it lacks is the real outstanding tracks that Born To Run or Born In The USA have. Despite this, I would much rather stick this record on rather than the hugely inconsistent Born In The USA. This is because the music on here captures the style of Springsteen beautifully and this makes it an instant classic. The peak of the album for me is Streets Of Fire. The guitar work on there is simply amazing and Springsteen's vocal performance feels so raw and powerful making it such a passionate track. The instrumentals throughout the whole album are pretty fantastic as well with the E Street Band giving one of their greatest ever performances. The music just feels so full of life and character on here making the music easy to love. Overall, this is an elite level album that is just missing a few outstanding songs that would put it right up near the greatest of all time.

Perfection

I actually prefer this album over Born To Run, its predecessor had better singles but this one is consistently great. Also Badlands and Racing In The Street are definitely in his top 5 songs in my opinion. This album has its own magic and atmosphere that is just so unique.

This album has a track score of 96 and is placed in my top albums chart no. 2. My rating for this album is 100

Excellent album as always.

A fine record, dark and raging, compared to the nostalgia and summer spirit of Born to Run. It takes a page from Woody Guthrie, but instead of the Dust Bowl it's the streets of urban New Jeesey. In this heart-wrenching set of songs, the listener is flooded with emotions. It's as authentic as anything. Essential.


A Side: Factory
B Side: Racing in the Street

My first time listening to this album.

I’ve never been much into Springsteen. The musical style of this album, with the saxophone and stripped down instrumentation, gives me an image of a rock and roll band from the late 1950s or early 1960s. I don’t know if that’s what Bruce is going for but that’s my image.

And then clearly Springsteen is known as a lyricist (partly driven by the fact that his mumbling and not quite pitch perfect vocals aren’t the main attraction), but these lyrics don’t really line up with my own experiences so I’m left scratching my head.

In all, I kind of get it but not really. It’s a feeling of nostalgia that doesn’t mean anything to me, specifically.

None of the songs stood out in this first listen.