Darkness on the Edge of Town

Save 4 years of college in Upstate New York, I’ve lived my entire life in New Jersey. Despite what the internet and television will have you believe, it’s an amazing place to live. Here in Central Jersey, I can be in New York City in an hour, Philadelphia in just a little over an hour. I can take a day trip to the beach on short notice or spend the afternoon hiking the Appalachian trail. The food here is amazing and diverse. Within a half an hour, I can eat great food from just about every continent on earth. Our pizzerias, delis and diners are easily among the best in the entire country, don’t listen to what New Yorkers say. I’ve travelled all over the country over the last decade for work: California, Chicago, Washington state, Texas, Colorado, the South, the Midwest, the Southwest…all over. I’ve yet to find a place that offers as much as New Jersey does, or, at least, one that offers as much within such a close proximity. Yes, it’s expensive to live in and the traffic sucks, but it’s home. Like a pork roll, egg and cheese on a hard roll (with salt, pepper, ketchup) or Zeppole’s on the boardwalk, Bruce Springsteen is ingrained in my cultural DNA. I remember being a small child, not more than 4 or 5, Born in the USA playing on the radio, singing it out on the back porch while my parents and their friends grilled up burgers and dogs for the 4th of July. This is life in NJ. Even if you don’t listen to Bruce, you fucking know Bruce. It’s inescapable. You go to Asbury Park for shows at the Stony Pony, you travel up and down routes 1 & 9…the places he performed at, the places and people he sings about: they are places and people you are all too familiar with. Honestly, I’ve never considered myself a Springsteen fan at all. In my 41 years, I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and put on a Springsteen record and I definitely don’t own any. Darkness on the Edge of Town, until today, was no exception. Sometimes we take our backgrounds for granted. Traditions have a way of becoming mechanical: you celebrate holidays a certain way because that’s just what your family has always done. You don’t dig into the reasons why you have a certain meal for Christmas Eve, because it’s second nature, it’s just what you do. That’s my relationship with Bruce Springsteen. He looms so large in the place I am from that he’s almost an omnipresence, so I never really looked into the “why”, I just accepted it and honestly didn’t think about it too much…The sky is blue, grass is green, New Jersey is Springsteen Country. (I had no intention in penning a love letter to my state when I put this record on today, but that’s where we’re at. Just roll with me on this one, thanks.) Digging into Darkness on the Edge of Town, I’m instantly comforted. This is like home cooking; comfort food for my disaffected working class soul. Believe me, typing that out is just as corny to me as it is to you, dear reader. I can’t help that it’s the truth. Springsteen is on a tear on this record: aggressive, urgent, introspective, blunt and often flat-out beautiful. I could listen to “Badlands”, “Something in the Night” or “Prove It All Night” a hundred more times today and probably not be sick of them. This record rocks hard. That Bruce is, in many ways, the face of New Jersey makes total sense to me. He is a fitting encapsulation of this state’s underdog spirit. I may not have wanted to admit that for many years, but Darkness on the Edge of Town is resonating with me on such a guttural level that I’m not sure I can accurately describe it in any other way. It just feels so right. Maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe it’s me finally embracing my place as a fully fledged New Jerseyan….I don’t know, but it’s a fucking great record and I should have become familiar with it a long time ago. My bad, Boss.

A mediocre selection of working-class mumbles periodically broken up by unimpressive guitar solos and unnecessary saxophone solos.

Whenever I get asked what is something most people love and you don’t I say Bruce Springsteen. I’m tired of having to say this, please randomly give us something else

If the music was accompanied by someone who can sing, the album would actually be really good.

They don’t call him the boss for nothing

Good music but I can really only handle Bruce's voice in small doses.

Where's the option for 7 stars?

Excellent, epic and emotional. Better than Born to Run for me and my first 5* review. There's just something about The Boss that just taps into the working man mindset. Melancholy at times, hopeful and uplifting at others, he just gets what it is to be alive.

A haiku: Have you heard this one Characters love cars and girls Always hate their town

Snorefest. I really don't get Springsteen.

I had some familiarity with this album already, but gave it a thorough listen (ok several) and really liked it. Darker than his previous albums, but so good. Adam Raised a Cain and Racing in the Streets are two that I hadn’t paid attention to that I especially liked in addition to the already known singles such as Prove it all Night, Badlands and Darkness. 5

The album picks up from where Born to Run left off with the rousing 'Badlands', but listen closer and you will notice that Bruce's lyrics crackle with biblical imagery and religious fervour, this is repeated throughout on the likes of 'Adam raised a Cain' , 'Promised Land' and 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' . Has the Boss found God? Where Dylan was just entering his Fire and Brimstone phase with Slow Train Coming, which acts as a rallying cry for pious action in the material world (and turned off a large proportion of his Liberal base), Springsteen's spiritual focus is an introspective and personal crusade for self actualisation; the song becomes the sacrament, and what magnificent songs. It was also around this time when Van Morrison accused Springsteen (amongst others) of ripping him off and you can certainly hear his influence in the slower piano led numbers like 'Racing in the Street' and 'Something in the Night' which are meditative, hypnotic and transcendent. I told you he had found God.

How many times have the Killers listened to this album weeping enviously

70s Springsteen is best Springsteen

Funny that as I get older I appreciate Bruce more. While the power of his passion cascades from song to song, his music just never seems to capture my imagination. It's good, but just not great to my ears.

It’s alright. Probably the most Springsteeny album to ever have Sprungsteen.

"Candy's Room" is fast-paced and fun, not super into the power ballads, but liked "Streets of Fire". Not the most exciting album.

Masculinity at its finest.

Raw and gritty. This album produced Bruce's best work, because he was locked in a legal battle for ownership of his work and he couldn't put out any new music until it was settled. This meant he worked. And worked…and worked. This album has my favorite Bruce song - Something in the Night, it's such a beautiful song. Add to it Candy's Room and Racing in the Street as some of the lesser known songs to the biggies like Badlands, The Promised Land, Prove it All Night and Darkness make this a full five-star album.

Controversial opinion. This is his best work. His best, angriest and most solid batch of songs put together in the perfect order. I don't think hes ever topped this. It’s darker than what came before it and a reminder that life will beat the shit out of you and leave you broken. A story as old as time and no one tells it better than Bruce. 5/5

Like a drunk uncle singing karaoke. Would not choose to listen to this again

Excellent album. Probably more of a 4.5 for me but I’ll round up in honor of all the Bruce heads in this group.

Classic and perfect.

Fucking hell this is awesome

Sometimes when I hear an album for the first time, I'll absolutely love it. Sometimes I'll absolutely hate it. But it's really rare that I'll feel "comfortable" with it from the word go. I think by about halfway into the first song here, it felt like I was catching up with an old mate. I've never heard this album before, I don't even think I've heard any of the songs from it. But it legit felt like I've heard it countless times. There's something really cool about that. Can't give it any less than full marks. 5/5.

15th June 2021 Have this on vinyl so cracked it out in the morning while working on civil service live. Nothing to say. 10 out of 5.

30 seconds in and I already loooove it!

This was better than I expected. Varied melodies and tempos plus good lyrics make it easy to listen. Some nice songs I hadn't heard before.

Il est absolument IMPOSSIBLE d'écouter cet album sans avoir un minimum de contexte en main. On est en 1978, soit quatre ans avant l'épisode de la guitare qui va bouleverser la vie de Springsteen. Il enregistre à cette époque Darkness on the Edge of Town dans le but d'expliquer comment il va s'y prendre pour construire son prochain album, Nebraska, qu'il compte sortir en 1982. La stratégie qu'il développe en chanson est la suivante : se faire pousser une coupe mulet pendant quatre ans pour être fin prêt lors des séances studio. Il ne sait pas encore que cette décision sera le point de départ d'un immense traumatisme. Une fois Darkness enregistré, il décide d'organiser une séance photo et fait venir un professionnel. Ce dernier lui demande de s'adosser au mur et d'ouvrir son blouson noir. Bruce est très aimable et courtois, mais vous allez voir que ça ne va pas durer bien longtemps. Le photographe lui annonce qu'il va bientôt appuyer sur le bouton de son appareil quand soudain, au moment de prendre le cliché, un « zwip » se fait entendre. « Qu'est-ce que c'est ? » demande alors le photographe avant d'apercevoir le sexe de Springsteen sortir de sa braguette. « Tu reconnais pas le petit Jésus, ma couillasse ? » répond le chanteur en agitant son bazar. Horrifié, son interlocuteur quittera la séance sans attendre. Bruce Springsteen sélectionnera tout de même la photo en question pour en faire la couverture de l'album mais son équipe et lui-même prendront soin de rendre invisible la partie de l'image située en dessous de la ceinture.

Je vais vous raconter dans ce review l'histoire saugrenue derrière la couverture de cet album. Tout d'abord, il est bon de replacer le contexte, et de rappeler que cet album a été enregistré AVANT l'épisode de la guitare. A cette époque, Bruce n'avait donc pas encore engagé sa tentative de reconversion, et jouissait d'une beaufitude des plus totales. Nous sommes le 12 mars 1978, quand Bruce a rendez-vous avec un photographe réputé, professionnel de la couverture d'album. Ce dernier demande à Bruce de poser devant une fenêtre, volets fermés, afin d'accentuer le noir de la veste portée par Bruce. Il conseille également à Bruce de prendre un regard sérieux, presque séducteur, afin d'ajouter à la gravitude du cliché. Au moment où le doigt du photographe rentre en contact avec la détente de l'appareil photo, l'impensable se produit: Bruce dégrafe son pentalon, laissant apparaître son appareil génital. "Mais qu'est ce que tu fais Bruce ?!" s'exclama le photographe, stupéfait. "Bah c'est mes boules, mes grosses couillasses" rétorqua Bruce, avant de partir dans un rire gras. Le photographe étant choqué, et le cliché malgré tout plutôt réussi, il fut décider de rogner la photo, afin de ne laisser apercevoir que le haut du corps de Bruce en guise de couverture d'album.

I work, and work, and trucks, and work. My daddy worked and worked, and I'm tired, baby, trucks.

Am I done with him yet? Am I done? What is this now, like 5 albums...? They're all shit. All of them. I do understand why people like him. I'm sure they can tune into his dad-rock, gentle fist-pump slice of Americana. For me, it makes my whole body slump in boredom. I seriously don't like his voice. It sounds like he's smoked way, waaaay too much weed and he's trying to drag himself off the floor and sing at the same time. The music, everything, it's just mediocre across the board. The most consistently 2/5 artist of all time.

I don’t get why Bruce is so celebrated. Mostly sounds like mush mouth drunk karaoke.

His voice does nothing for me, just don’t enjoy his works. They feel like a slog to get through.

The only boss i really listen to. What a record. Still have no idea what he's singing about. But maybe that's the point?

Fantastic album. I always struggled to get into Springsteen but this album did it for me. I'll definitely be relistening to this

Count them. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Five Stars of Course.

Badlands, Racing in the Street, and Candy's Room make this a five star classic.

CLASSIC

I recently watched a movie called “Blinded by the Light”, it made me appreciate the Boss in a way I never had before, and got me to listen to this album twice.

Si a un tipo le dicen El Jefe, y tras escucharlo, entiendes perfecto por qué le dicen El Jefe y además a partir de ese momento, tú te refieres a él como El Jefe, pues chingao, el tipo es EL JEFE.

Bruce Springsteen's album output in the 70's features an amazing run of great records starting with, "The Wild, The Innocent...", "Born to Run" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town". For many, Born To Run is the classic album, while I would consider Darkness, the quintessential Bruce record with sound that was rawer, starker and lower-key than Born to Run, but just as powerful, with excellent contributions from the E-Street band. In some ways, it feels like the sequel with continued stories from characters in Springsteen's universe, but expands and feels like the writing is more mature. All the songs are winners, and consistent, though none of the songs were huge hits, this might be his best album overall.

It’s Springsteen at his most Springsteen-esque (there are songs about cars! And factories! And the chorus of The Promised Land sounds like someone doing a Springsteen impression!), so it’s unlikely to convert a non-believer. I’m fully on board with the Boss though, so it’s five stars from me.

Geggjuð plata. Galið sound frá upphafi til enda. Mjög þroskaður ungur Boss að skrifa um það sem hann þekkir. Vanmetin þessi.

Elsku besti Brúsi. Mín uppáhalds plata með honum. Ekki veikur hlekkur á plötunni og allar hans bestu hliðar njóta sín. Meira að segja smá áhrif frá pönkinu. Bandið eins og vel smurð vél í Chevy 69. Textarnir setja svo auðvitað kremið á kökuna. Þvílíkur sögumaður og orðsins snillingur. She sits on the porch of her daddy's house But all her pretty dreams are torn She stares off alone into the night With the eyes of one who hates for just being born Verður ekki meira hjartanístandi.

My wife bought this record for me before we got our turntable. It was just the motivation I needed to start my vinyl habit. If she knew then what she knows now… Excellent from start to finish with some of The Boss’s best (title track, Badlands, Prove It All Night). I personally think he’s got some albums that are just a tad better than this one, but it’s still excellent.

This is Bruce Springsteen’s best album as far as I’m concerned. Bruce is at his best when his classic Americana rock keeps the corniness at a minimum, a couple moments on Darkness on the Edge of Town but Bruce and The E Street Band rock so hard on this release. I’m totally fine with the odd sax solo, I just believe it should be used sparingly over the course of an album and they found a good balance on Darkness where they favour the guitar more and that decision pays off huge here. Adam Raised a Cain, Streets of Fire and Prove it All Night show off Bruce at his shreddiest and it’s great. 5 stars

The Boss. Top 5 Springsteen album. Dark yet positive. A collection of songs that made me think alls not quite right at the moment but could be.

8++

it’s literally Bruce

Six out of five stars. Bruce Springsteen's best work ever. The E Street Band are at their peak. I cannot praise this album enough. It helped me through some dark spots in my life. It also holds a special place because it was the album they were touring on the first time I ever saw them. Pure, raw rock and roll at its best. Badlands and Adam Raised a Cain are the standouts. The perfect follow-up to Born To Run. A road map to adulthood.

Maybe my favourite Springsteen album. The first three tracks and Promised Land are among my favourite of his songs. One of the best concerts I have been to was in London when he played the album in its entirety- allowed me to see hear the album with fresh ears. A solid 5.

I definitely understand why people consider this album one of Springsteen’s best. It is filled with great songs, and ends on such a strong note. I find a lot of albums start strong but then lose steam near the end, but this one saves some of its best songs for last. Everything from “The Promised Land” and after is top notch. “Badlands” is a great way to start the album as well. Just good, solid music from one of the best.

This side of Bruce Springsteen's music is praised and recognized less than it deserves. Unlike his more popular songs, this album is heartbreaking but also does not give this overwhelming and almost unrealistic feeling of joy and freedom.

Bruce’s golden era

Had the privilege to see Bruce three times during the 1978 tour supporting this album. Had never Hearn ANY of his music before but was a total believer afterwards. His lyrics have the ability to relate to men and women, an extremely rare talent in the music industry. And great tunes! Not one throwaway song. All of them are still inspiring to me, almost 50 years later. Love you Bruce, miss you Clarence!

Classic

Solid album, Springsteen in the early days. Nice to hear some of these songs in their original context of the album and not just a greatest hits compilation

Bruce Springsteen didn't click for me for a long time. One day I heard Born to Run (the song) with new ears. I don't know what changed, but that song made me feel like I could fly. I now love that album and Born In The U.S.A., but hadn't gotten around to the rest of his albums yet. His songwriting on this album is so, so good. Each song is like a vignette, and they show us stories of characters who dream of escaping the oppressing monotony of the lives they have to lead to get by. These songs express determination to find light, even while acknowledging the inevitable darkness that must coexist with it. You can't change the circumstances you were born into, but you can try to adopt a life-is-what-you-make-it mindset. I'm rambling, but I am gobsmacked by how good these songs are. Some of my favorites after one listen are Adam Raised a Cain, Candy's Room, Racing in the Street, The Promised Land, Streets of Fire, the title track, and, well, all of them lol.

neanche da dire

The most infamous assignment of junior year at my high school was the spring term research paper for history class. I wrote mine about Bruce Springsteen, the man who raised me, musically. Ideally, I would locate the paper and quote from it directly, as I recall Darkness being a focal point in my incisive portrait of the dark side of the American dream. Should my mother unearth a copy, I will present excerpts at the 250th album milestone party. Anyway: in Darkness, the themes of Born to Run persist, as deflated promises. We’re still running—not from the banality of life in our hometown, but prolonged introspection. I’m unhappy, my girl is unhappy—thankfully, there are still cars, and racing, and the ghosts of our ambitions to keep us company in our heads. Heady stuff. Oh, and the album rocks: sax on Badlands and Prove It All Night, harmonica on Promised Land. Bruce going toe to toe with the electric guitar in Streets of Fire. His voice is low, low as in m e l l o w. We’re several years still from Tunnel of Love and the advent of his current (still wonderful, but different) gravelly sound.

My 2nd favorite album of all time - come on

I really like this album also I have a coaster of this album cover

Never really got Springsteen although my partner loves him. And then a couple of years ago I committed to listening to every one of his albums in order. And surprised myself how much I liked - hence I finished the project. And now we're both going to see him live next May. Obviously one of his best, I even enjoyed Adam Raised a Cain a little bit on this listening. Candy's Room and Badlands are obviously highly accessible standouts, but the real stars are the more low key stuff like Something in the Night and Racing in the Street (even though I cannot unhear the Big Breakfast theme within it - oh and Crocodile Rock at the end there).

It took me a long time to understand Bruce Springsteen. Once you do though...you know you're struggling...butnyou also know there's still life and fun and meaning in the struggle.

Loved

Have probably listened to this a few hundred times prior today. A great album from one of my favorite artists.

I tend to like Springsteen's slightly more soulful/ballady songs over the rockier stuff, so this album suited me down to the ground, great to listen to the whole way through

Hell yeah, I loved this! I would definitely come back to this again and am keeping it on my phone.

Springsteen in his prime is 5 stars or A+ for me.

Edgy.

Really great album with some hits and some really good non-hit songs. Realistically most Springsteen is going to be a 5 for me but this one definitely earned it.

top tier memory - dancing to "the promised land" with my dad at my wedding

May be a perfect album.

I believe this is the peak of masculinity

Really strong argument for Bruce’s best album. I think it is a really succinct encapsulation of Bruce’s whole thing. His politics are on full display and the songs are catchy and impassioned. I will always be a Nebraska lover first and foremost but as far as his rock albums go, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Bruce Springstein is one of my dad's favorite artists and thus I have a nostalgic appreciation for Bruce's sound. His voice, his straightforward rock instrumentals, and his knack for writing anthems and ballads make him easy to understand and relate to. This album is great. It's got an edge to it and it has a side to Springstein that isn't represented by the hits. I wasn't very familiar with any of these songs going in, and I think the best songs on here aren't hits. They are good tracks but they don't have the immediacy that Born to run or glory days has. My favorite tracks are Adam raised a Cain, Promised Land, Streets of Fire, and Prove it all night. On my quest to become my dad, I think having an appreciation for Springstein is essential. Even if I don't listen to it on a pandora station with ads.

I’m biased but bangers front to back

Some days this my favorite Bruce album, it touches all the aspects of his music without going over the top like he did on Born in the USA. Great stuff.

I’ve never thought of my self as a Bruce “fan” but I think I’m becoming one. The storytelling is rich and feels authentic and lived. The band energy is dynamic (more piano than I remember) and cohesive. This is just a fantastic record that holds up to close listening.

My favorite Springsteen album. I think Springsteen is a good (if repetitive) singer-songwriter who has trouble balancing that with his bombastic showman persona, but he strikes the balance as well as he ever does here. The performances are strong, the arrangements clean, and Bruce’s gravelly roar of a voice is at its most effective. Most critically, lots of great songs. Best song: Adam Raised a Cain

Geweldig album! Eén van z'n beste. Zonder al te veel synths, love it. Bruceke uit de 70s > Bruceke uit de 80s 4.7

En la película Pretty Woman aparece una versión de Racing in the Street, sólo en piano.

La cronología de los primeros lanzamientos de Bruce Springsteen posicionan a este como el disco "más oscuro" de su trilogía original (antes de que decidiera grabar "Nebraska", por su puesto). Más crudo, con un sonido más agresivo y menos esperanzador, "Darkness in the Edge of Town" es el Yang del Yin que es "Born To Run". Con composiciones increíbles y letras simples, escritas como crónicas de la clase trabajadora americana, el "Boss" nos deja claro por qué es y seguirá siendo uno de los compositores más importantes de Norteamérica. Sumamente recomendable. Por favor, escuchelo.

4.75

What was this about then. Every song just slapped? How did mr Springsteen do this

Very good album, as usual, coming from "The Boss" ;-)

Deep touching real music

Really enjoyed. Excellent. New favourite.

Gets better with age

Необычный для меня рок. Смесь рок-музыки и блюза, но блюз где-то фоном играет, а вокал придаёт большой бодрости композициям.

Badlands

I used to not care for Bruce much. All I’d heard were the big hits and it always felt like it was too repetitive and droning, but two things changed my mind. First, I saw his Western Skies documentary and realized he was a thoughtful dude with a lot of soul and not the mindless patriotic wanker I thought he was. Second, I heard the song Racing in the Street from this album, which might be one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. From then on, I’ve been appreciating Bruce more and more. And I’m loving everything about this album. The guitar solos, the keys, the harmonica, the saxophone, and especially the lyrics. These are lyrics I don’t think I would’ve appreciated much when I was younger, but as life goes on, those themes of love, loss, redemption, and regret start to hit a little differently. Like on Something in the Night - there’s just something about the idea of getting in a car and running the road out, chasing something in the night, that has a little more depth the older you get. I think this is the kind of album you need to listen to twice. Once on some big speakers so you can just rock out and enjoy what’s going at the musical level. Then again on a good pair of headphones so you can really catch the lyrics and appreciate the intimacy of some of the quieter and more poignant moments. Not a perfect album (there are some misses), but definitely 5 stars. 5/5 Highlights: Adam Raised a Cain Something in the Night Racing in the Street The Promised Land Darkness on the Edge of Town

Perfect record

I had Bruce all kinds of F’d up. My bad Mr. Boss, I wasn’t familiar with your game.

Instantly recognizable as William Orbit. Great listen!

not my fave springsteen, but it IS all hits

5/5

My favorite Springsteen album. This is when I really got into Bruce. Freshman in college and this came out. From the opening notes all the way to the end, just perfection