Reviews (page 6 of 13)
One of his top 3 best albums
Very brucie
Unironically, this might be my favorite Springsteen album
Okay nothing special
His old stuff I hadn’t heard, not bad
Not sure if I love or hate Bruce sometimes. I can tell you that today I didn't particularly enjoy listening to this.
Early Bruce. Gritty and Les’s polished than more popular work, but good to hear his roots
Dark-ish, but the fun kind of dark.
Just not a springsteen guy.
It's okay. I've never understood the hype around Bruce Springsteen but for those who enjoy him this still follows his style.
Good but softer than I thought
Fine
GET IN MY EARS YOU BEAUTIFUL BASTARD
Don't know what to say about this one. Don't know what I was supposed to get out of it. Nothing caught my attention. The whole thing was very well produced but had no interesting ideas and was overall pretty underwhelming. I thought his previous album with its more prominent Wall of Sound production worked quite a bit better. 5/10
álbum muito bom, o solos de guitarra são insanos.
Previously, i'd barely heard any of Bruce Springsteen's songs, besides the most famous ones. I struggle to appreciate Bruce Springsteen's songs. This album, even more. There is nothing wrong with any of the songs, I am struggling with coming with any meaningful critique, but I am still not enjoying it. I am just not feeling anything when listening to it.
My favorite thing about Bruce Springsteen is his love for Elvis. Absolute fanboy. It's a treat to hear his infectious joy in Netflix Elvis documentaries. I don't care for Springsteen's music though.
This album was pretty good, I enjoyed listening to some of the songs, the instrumentation was very nice, at some points have more complexity than other songs of its time, not much else to say, a decent 8/10.
Perushyvää menevää musaa
wait so i literally didn’t know he had good songs all i knew was born in the usa LOL. oh and also dancing in the dark. loved adam raised a cain and wanna listen again and tbh to more of his discography but was p distracted today but this te changed my opinion on his music
Yeah because I'm not a fan I was a little impressed
Ten songs of his voice was a bit too much for me.
Tedious and boring. Every song sounds the same, an endless rhythmic mumbling. Springsteen has some great hits but this album is not his best work. This one is for serious fans of The Boss.
this rocked
niet veel op aan te merken.. maar om een of andere reden ben ik geen fan van The Boss
70
Springsteen has such a distinct masculinity while still being sincere and poetic, similar to the great country artists I love. His sound is not that interesting to me, and I wasn’t compelled to pay super close attention to this album.
Better than his later stuff, but i tend to say that about a lot of artists. Didn’t mind it at all.
I like Bruce Springsteen. And this is pretty classic Bruce Springsteen. He springsteens all over the place on this album. My man locked into a springstheme of the challenges of being young in a small town and he just went hard with it. I like the variety of instruments: hell yeah, give me more glockenspiel.
Not my thing, sounds really great though and Adam Raised a Cain is pretty sick
Springsteen again. I think in terms of "shut your mind off and enjoy the music" it's ok. E Street Band is still awesome and i'm still not sold on Bruce. Can't understand him at all, and he's either mumbling or screaming and it just doesn't do it for me. He still just seems fake to me. Like he was intentionally writing songs with the purpose of resonating with "working class people" when he's never been anything of the sort. Pandering. The politician of music. Not a shocker when Born to Run was the hail mary "succeed at all costs", marketed out the wazoo album. Don't get me wrong, the music is good enough, just not a fan of Bruce's singing or his writing. BUT if I just shut my brain off and don't think how much of a blue collar poser Bruce is, it's enjoyable. Maybe i'm missing something, but I've never listened to Bruce before this list and i've had the same feeling on both this album and Born to Run.
Solid album but not my favourite of his. Enjoyed the title track the most.
Enjoyed this quite a bit. First album I've heard from Bruce and there are quite some good songs on here.
This website continues to expose (then correct) my blind spots. I like to pretend I know Bruce's music. I know him as this big legacy Stadium rock icon. This album is changing that. The early hallmarks are all there. The xylophone which I love. Every song is a bop but it really takes off in the 2nd half. Streets of Fire is great! But don't think I'll be reaching for this one again.
A little mush mouthed.
The Boss ain't all that, but not a bad album.
Nice
5/5. Dang, Bruce kills it again. Every time I listen to this album, it grows on me more and more and although it is not as good as Born To Run, it is still Bruce at his best. A concept album about the underdogs that don't win, similar to BtR but somehow more depressing. The lyrics are more grounded yet still exist within the fantastical world of his own creation, riding that line perfectly. I didn't think I'd give this a 5 when I first started the album but I can't think of a bad song on here. Another banger from The Boss. Best Song: Adam Raised A Cain, Darkness On The Edge Of Town, Badlands, Racing In The Street
I love the raw production. The guitar tone is sensational. Adam Raised A Cain might be my favourite Springsteen song. Some of it is a little too passionate, though that seems harsh. This is a very, very good album.
Early Boss is just perfect.
Rating just the album, not the jerk he has become. That would lower it to a zero.
Good but not as much as "born to run" or "Nebraska"
Very good Bruce Springsteen album. Lots of Americana. Born in the USA is better though.
Now this is boomer rock
I love this album. Its terrific.
Good badlands was the best on the album, Not a daily listen, better than the first however
Bon vibe
Pas ultra mauvais, mais ça devient répétitif rapidement - c'est du Bruce Springsteen. La vibe est bizzare; kétaine mais genre un peu down.
Pas mauvais mais sans plus.
2 star so far. Thought the Boss was supposed to sing
nice
I'm not really a Springsteen enjoyer. The back half of this album has some quality.
Very mid, nothing much of interest.
This definitely does not do it for me, I'm surprised. The music is too repetitive and too loud. 3 Heard before? Some Owned: Yes 12/1001, 12/51 (23%) Will I get? No
2.9
It was not really noteworthy but it was comfortable to listen to
8.2/10
It's unmistakably a Bruce Springsteen album. 10 very typical Bruce Springsteen songs, some more famous than the others. The ballads and stories told here are pretty appealing, but I just don't really care much for Bruce Springsteen. I can't find any real fault in it, it's a perfect and well rock album by any objective measure. But Bruce was never really my thing and I doubt it will really be.
Det var egentligt et udmærket album.
****** BRUCE!!! One of my all time favourites, I like every second of it
Yeah, his voice isn’t great, and I could live forever without another sax solo, but I do love the songwriting.
I think Factory and Candy’s Room are pretty much the most obvious, out of place and heavy handed and my least favorite on the album. Love the bombast of Streets of Fire, and the elusiveness of Darkness on The Edge of Town. Racing in The Streets is a great display of how the spirit of early rock and roll is misleading and can be pathetic. I think it’s all on display here in his most accessible and balanced work between cynicism and optimism
His fourth album. Rock. Mumbley Joe mumbles to us something about living, loving, working and fucking can all get a bit rough. At least I think that's what he said before he went back to Mumbleton, N.Y. A bit dull and those vocals... yikes !
Love it, have loved it for a loooong time.
A good listen (—and, somehow, not what I was expecting.) Also have a few tracks saved for the future off this one, as well.
LOVE
The same opinion I have for nearly all of his albums: great writing but insufferable vocals.
Välspelat och välskrivet, men det är något med framförandet som inte går hem hos mig riktigt (sångstilen?)
Vem trodde att jag skulle vara här? Men asså han har nåt den här killen ändå.
Han kan sjunga den mannen
Låter riktigt bra musikaliskt, 4/5. Lyfter de hyllade texterna det ytterligare? Inte för mig, lyssnade ej så noga.
Absoluter Banger!
I remember seeing this in Jameswsy when I was a kid. Due to my proximity to Philly, I guess I know most of these songs from the radio. A classic, but not my thing.
1. Badlands - 6 I can never full understand what Bruce Springsteen is singing. His voice is okay but it's just never fully comprehensible and that detracts from every song that suffers from this problem. Badlands is one of those songs. 2. Adam Raised a Cain - 4 Same issue as Badlands but instrumentally better. Having said that the chorus is just "Adam raised a cain" over and over again. It's rather uninspiring and leaves a lot of need for the verses to be excellent. You can't understand them though and so the song suffers from that. The guitar riffs that fill the track are superb however. 3. Something in the Night - 7 A better and more comprehensible song. The tone/pace change in the middle is well executed and the sound around that softer part is very good. Lot to like about this track. 4. Candy's Room - 3 Lyrically the start is awful and then you just can't make out what the second half of the song is about at all. Really unpleasant track. 5. Racing in the Street - 4 Instrumentally good but lyrically all over the place. Makes the first half of the track very much a snooze. 6. The Promised Land - 7 The middle part of the track without the vocals is brilliant. Harmonica is an excellent leading instrument throughout that part which leads into a solid bridge. 7. Factory - 3 Monotonous song. Very dreary and too straight forward. Not anything overly fantastic. 8. Streets of Fire - 5 Vocally it sounds awful and you can't make out almost anything before the chorus/guitar solo. It is an incredible sound on the guitar that makes up for that partially. 9. Prove It All Night - 6 Standard decent sounding track. You can actually understand Springsteen on this track but it's not anything super fantastic instrumentally until you get to a rather solid sax solo that transitions wonderfully over to guitar. 10. Darkness of the Edge of Town - 7 The best track on the album. Second verse is very enjoyable as well. Instrumentally there's a lot to like here from the boisterous drums to the supporting piano all working together in excellent harmony. Average Rating: 5.20 Adjusted to 5-Point Scale: 2.60 Rounded Up: 3 Stars
Bruce sucks
Would give a 3 and a half if I could. Some really really strong songs but a couple ones that lose the extremely strong momentum. This album makes you see a beauty in the grime of Americana
Badlands is a fantastic opening song, and has always been one of my faves. However, maybe my view is colored by having to listen to the Bruce Springsteen Greatest Hits CD my dad played over and over again in the car growing up, but the other songs didn’t click with me on this listen. They’re good songs and the messages are powerful, but nothing hit me like a ton of bricks the way Born to Run did.
Bruce Springsteen, _Darkness on the Edge of Town_ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ There's what seems like a lot of The River here, and some seeds of Nebraska. It ain't bad. Music for cleaning your house, imo.
1. badlandz - 1.5 2. cain - 1 3. night - 1.5 4. candy - 1 5. Street - 1.5 6. land - 1.5 7. Factory - 1 8. Fire - 1.5 9. Prove - 1.5 10. Town - 1.5
Meh
Aight
Guitar driven American dystopia nostalgia anthems.
Pretty decent dad rock, but it doesn't do much for me.
A couple of good songs but not much more. A little more downbeat that what I was expecting. Not bad but not great either.
Springsteen's songwriting is sharper than ever, although the music here lacked the "Boss energy" that elevated some of his other albums.
Chatinho chatinho
Much better vibes than Born in the USA; it seems the introduction to a vast swathes of America (well, New Jersey) and novel experience. Surely something to return to again and again. A very strong four, escaping five because I'm me - there's only so much you can do without some truly exciting sonic titillation (saxophones don't count) and just some great songwriting.
yeah it's a springsteen Abum
Rock dynamique, j'aime beaucoup les instrus, y'a de la variété dans les rythmes, autant j'aime pas tout de Bruce mais cet album était vraiment top et entraînant. Chansons préférées : Badlands, Candy's room
Je ne connaissais pas bien, je pense que j’avais une idée préconçue : Je suis agréablement surprise. J’ai eu peur que ça me gonfle vite mais finalement l’instru est vraiment chouette, et sa voix se marie bien avec le reste ! J’aime beaucoup les inspirations irlandaises (qui sont intimement liées à ses origines j’imagine) J’en connaissais une de cet album (« adam raised a can ») Ça fait très album qu’on écoute sur la route des vacances Conclusion : Top, j’écouterai davantage à l’avenir
Quelques chansons sympa! J'ai plutôt bien aimé 3/5
First few tracks are a little iffy but it picks up on the second half.
Yeah, look, it's not a bad album but I would have no issues if I never heard it ever again. It's fine, I just don't really get the Springsteen thing.
Lots of Billy Joel vibes
Never been a huge Boss fan, but I had never heard this album! I was pleasantly surprised.
Solid album. Typical Springsteen.
ja ka klassich springsteen halt
Surprisingly fun but Bruce is hard to hear what he is saying
This was wonderful. I listened to it twice. Five stars.
Live off the floor -- there's no ProTools bullshit in this. This is just a band playing some songs (often a lot of damn times; The Boss is a perfectionist). Springsteen has a particular sound. It's straightforward and it's unapologetic, so I expect this is a take-it-or-leave-it album for a lot of folks. The risk of live-off-the-floor recording is bleed between instruments (and inconsistent meter, but who the fuck cares about that?) but it doesn't seem onerous on this one. The drums are punchy, the guitars sound distinct, the organ hums along, the bass is round and sweet and driving, the horns cut and then recede to a supporting role. Vocals are just the right amount of raw for Bruce. Anyway, good album. If you're here, you'll probably like at least some of it.
Probably the best BS album
Great album!
Bruce is pretty solid. This album not as good as Born In, but still has some decent tracks. Seems a little mellow. 3.5 gonna go down.
Springsteen is still pretty new to me, and it surprises me how unique his style can be among his contemporaries.
Bruce Springsteen is musical pizza. 90% of the time it's fine. Nothing objectionable, nothing exciting, gets the job done. 5% of the time it's painfully bad (see, e.g., Bruce's vocal on Something in the Night), and 5% of the time it's really, really good. An exciting experience that you tell all your friends about. To all those who sing the praises of the music itself (here's looking at you New Jersey), I think that opinion tells far more about the people singing the praises than the singer himself. The theme is blue collar worker. And that's it. It's stereotypically me-and-my-whole-family-work-hard-don't-like-change-and-won't-address-the-reasons-everything-pisses-us-off (look, it's like a 90% male audience we're talking about here). This album specifically (and apparently Bruce gets 5 on the list) has none of his big hits, was not terribly influential, and is virtually identical to all of his others musically. 2
This album wasn't on my radar and I appreciated the chance to give it a listen. It didn't instantly grab me, but it was enjoyable. The themes and sound are pretty much exactly what I expect from Springsteen after I grew up listening to Born in the USA, which my dad had on vinyl.
Bruuuuuce
Tough call here, not a huge Bruce fan but this was OK
The Boss! His music is really good, but then he sings and it can bring it down sometimes, and that happens here. He is the Boss though, so it’s pretty damn good.
Dit klinkt een stuk meer als wat ik verwacht bij De Baas, in vergelijking met dat Nebraska album. Het staccato aangeslagen pianootje, de porno saxofoon die af en toe even fanatiek snerpend de aandacht op mag eisen, ome Broes zelf die gutsend van het zweet in de studio staat te stuiptrekken terwijl 'ie de boel inzingt in z'n lederen jekker, de iets te perfect afgemeten gitaarsolo's. Ik vind dit wel echt een beetje prototype dikke oude witte mannenmuziek en ik kan hier persoonlijk niet zo van genieten als van het debuut album van Rage Against The Machine of Californication, om maar even wat 5 sterrenratings van me te noemen, maar dat is denk ik ook een beetje m'n leeftijd. Ik ben hier niet mee opgegroeid. Een wat eerlijkere vergelijking is denk ik Brothers in Arms van Dire Straights. Die vind ik nog wel een tandje gaver dan dit en ook daar ben ik niet mee opgegroeid. Ik neig er daarom naar om dit 4 sterren te geven. Ik slaap er even een nachtje over.
Bomb.com minus one song… Lots a bangers on here
My fav Springsteen album, I revisit it often. Born to Run was about growing up and breaking free. Darkness is about coming face to face with your decisions when your life didn't turn out the way you thought it would and finding peace there or fighting to change it. Adam has extra meaning for me now that I have a son. May his sins be his own. Racing in the street is possibly Bruce's greatest song(besides Thunder Road). "She stares off alone into the night with the eyes of one who hates for just being born" Badlands and darkness always resonate. There isn't a weak track on this album. "And when the promise was broken, I cashed in a few of my dreams"
All pretty enjoyable to listen to, but "Prove It Through the Night" and the title track kick ass. Wonderful ending. 3.75
Bruce Springsteen is someone I’ve known about my whole life, but I never really paid much attention to him. This was the first album of his I’ve listened to from start to finish, and it was pretty solid heartland rock focused on the struggles of the working class. The piano stood out the most to me. It’s definitely one of the driving instruments. The album has a good mix of heavier tracks and solid ballads.
Listened Before? N A really good album. I preferred "Born to Run" but I dug this one too. Some of the songs drag a bit, and there's not as much radio friendly stuff. Great title, too. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Racing in the Street
I liked the sound but a little too easy listening for me.
If you asked me 20 years ago, I would have liked this album. If you ask me now, I don’t think I like Bruce Springsteen anymore.
had never heard a single one of these songs.... did he say KENNEDYS room??!?!?!?!?!?!??!
I wanted to like it, but I didn't :(
Only Bruce can do Bruce. One of those albums that the story behind it makes it all that much more full. Bruce can write like few others about a very specific time, place, and feel. He’s a songwriter that puts you there no matter where “there” is or if you have any connection to it. Some massive highlights that got me deep in the headphones here.
Just not my kind of music. You can't really dance to it. He not a particularly good singer. It doesn't make your head bob. There nothing awe inspiring. It's supposed to be salt of the earth, blue collar music, but I just don't relate to it. "Born in the USA" and "Hungry Heart" are about the only Springsteen songs I would be able to think of off hand, so I'm no expert.
Boooooooorrrinngggg
Hmm, this has a lot less pizzazz compared to the other Bruce Springsteen album. It still feels like he's trying to be general and not stand out too much.
Compared to born in the usa this album's sound does not suffer from the 80's production. However it does lean more into folk and country themes which make it sound more generic. I think I still prefer born in the USA.
Overall: 3/10 I tried. I really did. I wanted to finally have it click so I could experience what everyone else seems to be enjoying, but I have to be true to myself when I say that I just don't like Bruce Springsteen's music. I find the songs schmaltzy and corny and it doesn't help that he sounds like a dying horse to me. That's not to say there aren't moments of brilliance to be found. Badlands was a good way to open the album and I also really liked the outro to Racing in the Street. But these great moments are few and far between. Hopefully after listening to more of his albums I'll change my opinion, but I'd be lying if I said that I'm not dreading getting to those albums. Fav Song: Badlands
Ehhhhh he's da boss y'know???
Nahhhh
Prefer the Boss with a less rockin’ band.
Clearly, he’s a great lyricist, the piano and arrangements—particularly the atmospheric builds—elevate the otherwise fairly typical rock sound, and he encapsulated a certain all-American late midcentury kind of experience. The poetry of the dying industrial towns. I’m just not that into the music. I think “Prove it All Night” and “Darkness on the Edge of Town” are great songs, which makes this a strong 3.
Nawet spoko, 4/5! Grało pół dnia
So this is Bruce Springsteen. This is my first exposure to his music ever and I’m not disappointed. Super overly dramatic and powerful but on the point of cringe and overdone at some parts.
Ok at first, got a bit boring
Great album!
This is one of the best bruce albums. Not a ton of hits but lots of good songs.
I can see why he's so loved, but he's not my cup of tea.
Man, there’s no song in Bruce Springsteen’s catalogue quite like “Adam Raised a Cain”! What a performance! It’s a blistering blues rock song about a father and son, and how anger only breeds more anger. It’s really powerful and absolutely rocks. Lots of great tracks here with some particularly pained vocals from Bruce. He sounds hurt, but there’s some real catharsis in these songs. Listening to this album today, I appreciated the influence that soul and doo-wop have on Bruce’s music. A lot of songs here have that soul style in their DNA. Excellent album overall. 4.5
Bruce! Great record by a great songwriter. This one starts with a bang, with "Badlands". It's got the energy you love to hear at the start of a rock record, and it gets your feet moving and your ears primed for some typically solid Bruce storytelling. I go back and forth a lot with which Bruce song is my favorite, and for a long time it was "Racing in the Street". It might still be, I'm not really sure. It's so powerful and intimate. I love the story. Makes me nostalgic. If It's not my favorite Bruce song at any one specific time then it's my second favorite. I like this record overall as it feels a bit raw and has a rough edge to it, which is the quality of Bruce that i like the most. I believe this was written after some contract disputes and various management issues that he had with the production people around him, and I think some of that anger and angst comes through in the sound. I do think it's in his "A" tier and not "S" tier- as I don't find it as good as "Nebraska", "Born In The U.S.A.", and "Born To Run". It's still a classic, and an amazing record that belongs on this list; it's just not as good as those. High 4/5, like a 4.7.
Fantastic. I have always loved every cut on this album
Un chouchou d'écoute de China China + Jean Jean.
Bruce aime beaucoup le glockenspiel. J'aime la persona du badboy prolétaire qu'il incarne, ça fait un peu Streetcar named Desire. Ou Rebel without a cause. J'ai beaucoup aimé ce couplet là d'ailleurs : End of the day, factory whistle cries Men walk through these gates with death in their eyes And you just better believe, boy, somebody's gonna get hurt tonight It's the working, the working, just the working life Et Racing in the streets est bonne aussi.
Enfin Bruce! Je suis déjà un fan et voilà mon album préféré du Boss. Il a un sens incroyable du « Hook », toujours quelque chose à chanter à tue-tête dans chaque chansons. La suite des quatre premières chansons est juste parfaite. Badlands, la rockeuse Adam Raised a Cain, la balade Somethin in the Night avec sa ligne de piano delectable, le crescendo de Candy’s Room, wow! C’est pas fini! Promised Land, Prove it all night, Darkness on the Edge of town sont toutes des classiques de l’homme. Toujours aimé cet album plus « dark », moins léché que ses autres classique tel que Born to Run et Born in the USA, mais qui garde encore le E Street band complet, qui sont d’une richesse incroyable. Bref, j’ai hâte au prochain Bruce !
All good, nothing jumped out at me
p408. 1978. 4 stars. The soundtrack of late 70's, post Vietnam America in economic decline. The second half flags a bit, but this still great work. And it has the quintessential Springsteen song in "Racing In The Streets".
Klingt ziemlich pompös
7/10 BBBRRRRUUUUUCCCCEEEEEE 8-15-2025
My favorite one from this website so far. I absolutely LOVED this album. The Springsteen stuff I've listened to in the past never really spoke to me, so I generally avoided his material. But I really enjoyed the sound here and will be revisiting some of his other projects as well. Very impressive guitar work all throughout. Vocally, it's to an extent reminiscent of some of Bob Dylan's work. Racing in the Street is gorgeous. The least enjoyable track for me was Factory as I found it uninteresting and repetitive, but that may have been intentional considering the theme of the track lol.
eh, it was alright
Sounds more like classic Springsteen than Born In The USA. Top tracks; Badlands / Promised Land
4.5
4.5
I actually raised this up by a good half star from my traditional ratings. My usual problem with Bruce Springsteen's normally high ranked albums tend to be his ode to Spector production. Quite frankly there's really only two songs that really lean heavily into that sound on this album and they happen to be the opening tracks on each side. I do find this one a lot more engaging and grittier than its immediate predecessor and subsequent album. In fact "Adam raised A Cane" sounds almost down right mean . "Streets of Fire" another one that really caught my ear this time. Though *Born in the USA* landed about where my traditional rating for that album, I'll be interested to see where *Born to Run* lands this time around. *Nebraska* has been my traditional favorite album of his, and *The Rising* being my #2. Though I don't see this rising above *Nebraska* in my ears, it might rival *The Rising* which I also have at a mid four and a half 9.6 ★★★★½
"Adam Raised a Cain" is my favourite Springsteen song. Great album! 4.5 stars
I'm a big fan of this album, and I think it occupies a unique space in Springsteen's discography. It's notably more stripped down than it's predecessors and Bruce gets a little grittier and rocking here. He was reportedly enamored with the punk scene around this time, and while you're never going to confuse him for the Ramones, some of that angst-fueled energy finds it's way into this set of songs. "The Promised Land", "Badlands", "Racing in the Street", "Adam Raised a Cain", "Streets of Fire", and the title track are all standouts. Heartland rock at it's finest. 5 stars.
Very nice Brucie Bonus of an album for 1001. One of his best alongside Born To Run and Born To U.S.A. Badlands is great bunch of lads and Prove It All Night is Prove It Just Right. Darkness On The Edge Of 4.5.
Beautiful powerful cohesive album. Incredible riffs and triumphant lyrics.
Almost pushes into a parody of last call at the bar blue collar Bruce, but that's still a good place to be
Stimme und Mix gut.
Hell yeah. I have this on vinyl. It is my favorite Boss album. Flows back and forth from quieter melodies to loud maximalist rock. Streets of Fire is my standout track, but it’s a great listen all the way through. I love apathetic melancholy music, but I love this album and Bruce for the opposite reason; it’s the never-back-down spirit that makes it special.
3.5 stars. I’ll admit that I’ve never been the biggest Springsteen fan so I tried my best to come into this one with an open mind. I really enjoyed the instrumentation and energy this album has at times. Ultimately, Bruce’s voice just isn’t my favorite and so that impacts my overall experience every time I listen to his music. Still, I can see why people are drawn to his music and it’s a decent record. I could this growing on me over time.
A grower
I've always loved Springsteen's solo, acoustic albums - "Nebraska" is one of my favorite albums ever - but I have never really vibed with the output made with the E-Street band. It's not awful, but it doesn't click for me, either. This one is no exception. "Promise Land" and "Factory" are a couple of standouts, but this one is largely a miss for me. Three stars.
Punchy bass. Addictive percussion. What more could you want.
Yessss more Springsteen. Great album, great songs. The high-energy songs like Badlands are stadium-rocking classics, but I've really found an appreciation for the slower tracks on this one, things like Racing in the Streets.
Maybe a 4 but going 3 for now
I’m not a big Springsteen fan, and while I probably won’t revisit Darkness on the Edge of Town, I can still appreciate its gritty sincerity and well-crafted, working-class storytelling.
Good when Bruce sings normally, bad when he mumbles.
Great songwriting, just not songwriting for me
C'est terriblement gossant, mais c'est quand même très cool. C'est ce que j'ai entendu de mieux de Bruce. J'ai fumé du pot hier et j'ai regardé les étoiles filantes, I guess que je suis dans un bon mood.
3.49 étoiles. J'lui aurait donné le 0.01 qui manque si y'avait eu un peu plus d'intensité.
Just the legend of the legends of rock music! Pure rock and melody!
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted
Not super dynamic to me... predictable and a little whine-y
Dit is wat je krijgt als je Springsteen in één album wilt distilleren. Het klinkt bijna als een parodie, maar daar kan hij niet zo veel aan doen. Hoe dan ook, niet echt mijn stijl. Ik heb me erbij neergelegd dat ik niet tot de Springsteen-sekte behoor. Ik heb er ook geen hekel aan verder, dus gewoon drie sterren.
I love every song on this album except for "Factory" which has to be his worst song from the seventies.
Doesnt do it for me
Great classic American rock. I always thought of him as the working man's musician. Not a ton of musical variety but it's still good. Easy to listen to with great lyrics. I'm not a huge fan but I can see why people like this album.
Generally I find Bruvce Springsteen to be a very overrated artist. Sure he had some killer songs, but overall this 80's dad favourite has only two or three tricks up his sleeve. Up-tempo riffs, maybe a sax solo and his rusty singing voice. This album was proving me wrong, since the first half was surprisingly versatile, but in comes the second half and and all my prejudices were justified again.
5/10
21/1089 Can’t say that this is my cup of tea, his vocal style isn’t really for me and I can’t say I relate a lot to the vibe Badlands and Adam Raised a Cain really didn’t do much for me, I can’t say sort of see the appeal if this is your style i guess, it’s not “bad” necessarily Something in the Night was decent as a rocky power ballad, his voice suited the sound for me in that song the rest of the album just kind of went by. I appreciate the artistry but it’s dated in the wrong way for me fave: Something In The Night i guess least fave: Adam Raised a Cain 1 star or 35/100
Very good album by The Boss. At times it sounds like Born to Run 2, other times it sounds more intimate. I do love the huge sounding guitar/keys combinations, and no other Hearland Rock act does it like Springsteen. Key tracks: Badlands Prove It All Night Darkness on the Edge of Town
life in middle america sounds very dull
This album started out each side with a great song and then kind of petered out a little, there was also some random saxophone which was actually kind of funny to me cause it appeared out of nowhere for like 2 songs as a solo and never used again. A pretty good album though, a lot if it was kind of the same thing though with piano led songs bursting out into the classic 4/4 time signature drums, I wasn’t a fan of the long ballad ones (something in the night and racing in the street), they were kind of boring and bloated. There was also surprisingly a lack of guitar on this album but i guess this was more piano focussed with the random saxophone which and the harmonica at some points, the guitar solos that were here though were decent. Favourites: Badlands, Candy’s room, the promised land and factory. Overall, 7/10.
Loved it. Something in the night is a top 5 bruce song for me.
I guess a higher three but still not a huge Springsteen fan
Bruce Springsteen
We had Born to Run recently, and there’s something about the songwriting, production, and the majestic-sounding band, especially the keys and brass, that really make it stand out as a great record. This one just doesn’t work the same magic - in fact it sounds like a compilation of b-sides to my ears. It’s pretty plodding in places and he often doesn’t sound like he has the energy to get through a whole song (e.g. Something in the Night and Racing in the Street). I’m not convinced it belongs in the list - I’m either really missing something or it’s an admin error.
Off the cuff remark: it's that Springsteen thing again. I like it but just can't get wildly excited about it. Standout track: title track is a goodie Revisit?: probably
I dont really have much to say. A man was singing. It was ok.
I really like Bruce Springsteen. But this has never been one of my favourites. Still ok. But not more.
I think I’m starting to “get” Springsteen even if I’ll never be one of his superfans. 3.5/5
Bruce Springsteen is a one trick pony, and while it isn’t a bad trick, I can’t give him higher than 3 stars because of that.
Vuelve el caballo arrepentido. Después de tanto correr y andar lejos del pago, Bruce Springsteen vuelve a casa tras tres años corriendo entre los pasillos del juzgado para ganarle la carrera legal a su exmánager Mike Appel. Entre los recesos, Springsteen seguía creciendo y escribiendo, rodeado de abogados tan serios que lo obligaron a fake it till you make it en su desfachatada madurez… hasta que la consiguió en Darkness on the Edge of Town. El caballo que nació para correr vuelve a casa rezagado, entendiendo que ya no está para esos trotes. Ahora le toca ser el pilar de su hogar, ser realista y caer en la cuenta de que Adam Raised a Cain. En Atlantic y Record Plant, Nueva York, los muchachos se dan cuenta de que están lo suficientemente grandes como para no valorar las cosas. En las sesiones de estudio con la E Street Band y Bruce se construye una relación sólida, madura. Cohesionada. La tensión de los problemas de adultos se siente: ya no hay brillo inocentón ni desparpajo juvenil. Las letras ya no corren libres; ahora se sientan en un comedor, a medianoche, a resignarse en silencio por no saber cómo resolver las deudas de la vida. Se centran en la desolada clase trabajadora, en los sueños que quedan archivados en las finanzas del deber ser y en las espaldas que se erigen rectas frente al derrotero cotidiano. Ahora se valora la compañía más que las locuras. Ahora importa saber de dónde venimos para no repetir patrones, más que ser unos irreverentes que se creen invencibles. Ahora tenemos gente de la cual hacernos cargo y suspiros de tranquilidad que se resignifican en medio de un almuerzo familiar. La tierra prometida se convierte en la que enfrentamos todos los días cuando nos levantamos de la cama. Criamos a un hijo de Caín, nos alienamos en la fábrica y, al volver, pateamos una piedrita por calles donde todo arde, pero al llegar y ver la sonrisa del amor de tu vida, el hogar se convierte en miel y los cuartos, en caramelo. En este pueblo se vive en resignación, siempre al límite de la desesperanza y la alienación. Los sueños pisoteados intentan filtrar lo que les queda de esperanza en acordes sutiles, haciendo que la voz de Bruce, en un Heartland Rock templado, tenga un regusto a lo que fuimos, pero encuentre dignidad en lo que somos. El caballo que nació para correr vuelve a casa para ser rescatado y domado para querer. Como el trabajador que regresa para escuchar el día de su señora, mientras la cálida luz de los sueños que no fueron titila en cada mirada de complicidad. Al límite del pueblo, quedan esperanzas que sobreviven dignas al paso del tiempo… y se duermen temprano, porque a la mañana siguiente hay que trabajar.
I know almost every song on here. It’s a classic.
2.2
It's good, the sound and composition is large and energetic. Writing is very folk inspired and Americana. I'm not entirely drawn to it, but I "get it".
Once again, Springsteen delivers a total nothingburger of an album. There’s absolutely nothing here musically, creatively, or lyrically. It’s completely devoid of anything interesting or attention grabbing. There’s also obviously no artistic intention here. It’s so plainly a corporate cash-grab of least-offensive-music-most-likely-to-get-listeners that it’s sickening. 1.0/5.0: Embarrassing
not sure if bruce is growing on me or if i actually liked this one slightly more than the others weve had from him but this is the most tolerable one so far. still not good but better
Leuk album, bind bruce springsteen sowieso wel leuk, maar niet echt nummers waarvan ik dacht die zijn lekker maar wel allemaal prettig. 7/10
The Boss never managed to hit the spot for me for some reason - I enjoy it in small doses, interspersed in a playlist. But this was a bit much
Growing up in New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen was completely inescapable. Even if it's not your kind of music, you can't help but know it and love it. If for no other reason than his "plight of the working man" lyrics. "Darkness on the Edge of Town" saw Springsteen expanding his reach and influence far beyond the weird curvy borders of his home state, to address the entire country and beyond. In doing so, he bring in the small influence of punk rock, slightly more country, and a huge helping of Woodie Gutherie and John Steinbeck. While this album didn't have the same commercial appeal as his previous work, it's been held up in retrospect as an important part of his discography, and a huge part of establishing himself as an enduring presence in music. These recording sessions included the incredible song "Because the Night", not included here but gifted to Patti Smith. To this day, Springsteen's message resonates to all different corners of the world. But he'll always embody the spirit of the voices of the New Jersey seaside citizens, struggling and occasionally celebrating through life.
Badlands: non ricordavo che Springsteen si mangiasse così tanto le parole. Canzone solida, ma troppo bofonchiato. Stile più country di quello che mi aspettavo e tante ballate. Abbastanza noioso con qualche bel pezzo
You know them, you love them - “Badlands”, “Prove It All Night”, and “The Promised Land”. There are other strong tracks here - “Adam Raised a Cain”, “Candy’s Room”, and the title track. Thinking about everything that’s still to come from this relatively young artist over an amazing career is mind-boggling.
Sweet
6/10 I like parts, but it's all a bit sincere and overwrought. Pretty sure I used the same word in my review of Born To Run. Thing is, I feel like I should like Bruce more, but there is some many songs you need about breaking free from a crappy town, right?
Enjoyable listen.
BEST SONGS: - Badlands - Something in the Night
As a born and raised Jersey boy, it's hard not to know about the Boss and his catalog in some form or another. It's ingrained in New Jersey culture like pork roll and summers down the shore on the boardwalk. I've known Springsteen's major hits for most of my life, but I never sat down and listened to an album from him before. This was some great blue collar Americana rock. Springsteen's singing style can definitely be divisive, but I feel like it adds to the everyman feel of the message and storytelling he puts into his lyrics.
Rock, 1978 -> 4
songs white men cry to (and me) and songs to listen to by a campfire. there’s something so deep about this album, it really spoke to me.
Terceira vez que ouço este álbum, anteriormente ouvi em jan/2021 e ago/2021, e a sensação é sempre a mesma: um disco que não empolga, sem resoluções atraentes para as melodias propostas. Os temas não decolam e não empolgam, os momentos de sax - raros - são bem bregas. Destaque para as partes de piano. Disco fraco!
One of my all time favourite albums
Absolutely horrific & boring!!!! No redeeming qualities!
This is to help the run of boring albums
Another one I weirdly have never listened to before. What a great rock album.
Some good, but I wouldn't pull up the full album for a play.
This is the best Bruce record and it isn’t close. Best guitar solo. Best drums. Racing in the Street. The worst song on here is fucking Badlands and that is saying something because it’s still better than anything on Born in the USA.
Maybe
too lazy to do a full review today but i will say it's a pretty good album but i think his vocals work better in a more upbeat setting. most slower tracks fall flat imo
Pretty good album from Mr. "The" Boss himself. It was interesting to read about all the recording woes they had trying to get the right sound when it all sounded pretty standard to me. But what do I know?
Elevator music for the most annoying people you know.
Still don’t like Springsteen
I always tell people I am not a big fan of the Boss, but then I hear Prove It All Night and Promised Land and forget that I ever said that. This album is some good Bruce, none of that Born in the USA crap.
It was a boring album. Nothing from the songs caught my attention.
Springsteen is a legend. Although I have never actually followed The Boss, I understand the appeal of the unusual mix of raw emotions, passionate lyrics, accompanied by very listenable and sometimes.big sounds. I like the Promised Land. The working man is his theme and as such I imagine that many a current Maga fan used to cheer Springsteen. Good to know he leaves them in no doubt.
..
dad rock
His worst album although my favourite BS song is on this album racing in the street. So this song and this song only I’ll give it 5 stars
Good album. Bruce Springsteen, great American with songs that I can relate to. Easy listen.
Meh. Boring
Springsteen's vocals aren't at their peak here, but the E Street Band certainly is. There's a certain muscularity to the sound on this album.
Better than Born in the USA, not as good as Born to Run. Pretty damn good.
Feiner Liedermacher-Rock, sehr gutes Songwriting. Etwas nervig ist die gesangliche Socke in Bruce Springsteens Mund.
Yes, it’s Springsteen, and while it’s not unpleasant, to be honest, it didn’t leave a strong impression on me. The album has its moments, but it feels a bit subdued compared to his other (better) work.
Really enjoyed that thx!
bog standard bruce, its fine I guess
Decent songs, well produced SBC performed, but his voice is so ridiculous that it’s hard to take it all seriously.
My girlfriend and I love the boss!
Emotion filled songs. He is The Boss for a reason.
not bad. not bad at all.
Never heard this. Good stuff.
Büro, Heidenheim, Deutschland. Ganz gut, kann kaum Meckern.
Probably my go to Bruce album. The flip side of his previous album, All the youthful exuberance and romantic dreaming of born to run stomped into the dirt at twilight by the reality of the working condition, where you cling onto the spark of hope because that's all there really is. It's stone cold rock, a rallying cry to keep on. 5 Star
I hope this isn't referring to black people. If so, this is racism at its finest.
Cool album. Couple songs I could do without. I can hear the influence Bruce has had on other artists. Reminds me of a more tame softer Tom Waits. The songs Something in the Night, Streets of Fire and Prove it All Night stand out the most. To much sax.
Easy to listen to. The Boss makes good music. I’ve never been a huge follower, but this was a fun listen. Feels like a good addition to a vinyl collection. Also - he did this in 1978?? Sheesh, nice work Bruce.
not my favorite bruce
Some good lyrics, sounded very much what I expected
I don't like this Bruce Springsteen flavor. Not for me, thanks.
If you listen closely to the background of Badlands you can hear late era Brandon Flowers literally being born. This sounds to me on a lot of songs like someone doing an intentionally bad Bruce Springsteen impression but it’s actually the boss? Wild
sure
Am I losing my ability to have feelings about music after so many hundreds of albums? Or are a lot of albums just kind of fine? I like the first two tracks, the rest are...fine!
Some of the Boss best songs on it!
I grew up with Bruce's music in the background. Cars, girls, working hard, and getting out of a small town, that's always 90% of this catalog. This is no different.
Boring.
Excellent album and caught me by surprise how much I liked it. Handful of very well known songs but not his major hits that everyone knows. Honestly, I prefer this kind of Bruce music: one that's a bit more poppy and more E Street sounding. 9/10
He’s a legend but I think I prefer his singles to an entire album. The lyrics are generally grim (not faulting that) and paint great stories. On another day it could be a 4 but no shame in a 3
Finally some Brucey. 2nd fav album. Badlands is hell of a start and the triple to finish is glorious
Not bad, just very generic to me.
sounds like Bruce, not my sound tho, 2/5
It feels like I already hears this album if his before, but it just sounds the exact same as the last one that appeared on this list.
I know this one and I know it well. It was the first Boss album I got into in 2006 when I first met my husband. It broadened my musical tastes and got me to branch out a bit more. Badlands might be one of my favourite songs of all time. I know that many people say this album is dark, gritty, raw and intense. And while I agree, I also think it's hopeful. The songs are about having hope for the future even when things are dark. Perseverance, belief in oneself, hope for a better future... this is the stuff that can keep a person moving forward. 5/5
Fantastic album with varying tempo, tones and themes. In the end just a feel good album that brings joy, also a strange one to get on the 4th of July as feels a very American album.
Better than I expected. Good sophomoric effort.
3.5
Classic Bruce. This is not an album I listened to in my youth. Unfortunately, I can't wax poetic about it. But, listening to it now, I can imagine being blown away. Full of longing, regret and aspiration, this is something else. This is pure Bruce.
I don't listen to a lot of Springsteen and this was a new album for me, but was a good listen. I didn't give it a ton of attention, but it was enjoyable. Good songwriting, unique voice, classic rock sound.
The best album from one of the best songwriters of all time. If Born to Run was his Star Wars, Darkness is his Empire Strikes Back. Dark, serious and emotional. A masterpiece.
I can’t believe I got another Springsteen album in the same week lmao. But this one might slightly edge out the last one for me! It’s less cheesy for some reason. The guitar sounds better, I can feel the emotions more. I like the songwriting even if I still don’t love his voice. He’s so free, I feel like he’s so produced now but in this album he just feels like so much more of the rockstar that older generations see him as. Which I understand so much more now! THIS Springsteen I could see calling The Boss. It’s still not exactly my cup of tea but I respect it. Something that really helped me enjoy Springsteen more is to read the lyrics while I listen. I’ve been told that what makes him so great is his songwriting ability but he doesn’t enunciate enough for me to appreciate any of it!!! So if I read the lyrics I get a lot more out of each song. And oh my god yeah he’s actually saying really beautiful things in all that noise!! I want to like Springsteen more than I actually do and that’s okay. He’s just not for me even if I can understand why other people really enjoy his music.
Five stars, no skips. I feel this shit in my soul. Darkness On The Edge Of Town is my favorite Bruce album, which makes it one of my favorite albums of all time. Sure, Born To Run is so theatrical and romantic and ambitious by comparison, but Darkness has all the themes that define Bruce to me: Daddy issues! Cars! Fatalism! Class consciousness! Existential dread! Repentance! Desperate horniness! Optimism in the face of it all? Every song on here has a lyric that you think to yourself “that is the most Bruce Springsteen-ass lyric I’ve ever heard”. He just communicates the ideas he’s trying to get across so directly, and I get why it feels melodramatic to people but screw it, he invented this aesthetic and he owns and fully fleshes it out here. Musically it’s an E Street Band album. You get the triumphant sax solos and the blues-adjacent guitar wailing and that twinkly piano, and a few borderline-dirge ballads that have these moments where the song just hangs there in a thick empty space and I find myself holding my breath. The soundtrack to driving alone on an empty highway smoking cigarettes and trying to figure out why your dad is the way he is, and if there’s any hope for you to turn out differently when you grow up. Or so I hear!
I think I begin to understand why he's considered the prototypical American Man. Not sure I agree, but I think I see what those who need external affirmation of their masculinity are attracted to.
Decent
Listened to the first 4 songs. I have already performed a lot of material in a Bruce Springsteen tribute
not the biggest on Springsteen but this is one of his best
Best Song: Prove it All Night Is Bruce Springsteen blue collar? I wish he would write more songs about it. Not bad, not as good as Nebraska.
I haven't listened to much Bruce Springsteen despite liking many of his successors (The War on Drugs, Sam Fender, ...). This was a great album and I need to listen to more.
A dull enough start to this album is massively mitigated by the very beautiful Racing in the Street. It's not until that point that the album really comes to life. The following two tracks are also great, but the vocal on Streets of Fire is dreadful. They're back on form for Prove it All Night, but it dips slightly again in the title track with the vocals I didn't like in Streets of Fire. Four star because Racing... lifts the average so high.
Now some guys they just give up living And start dying little by little, piece by piece Some guys come home from work and wash up And go racing in the street
This is a great album. I wasn’t into Springsteen so much when I was younger other than what was on the radio. Later in life, I discovered these songs, not knowing it wasn’t Nebraska album, but totally fell in love with them and it really put me in line with Springsteen finally. Listening to this album Made me relisten to Nebraska as well. Such a great body of work and a man who knows how to tell a story.
As great as Born to Run is, this is just as good.
Really solid album, I need to listen to more Bruce Springsteen. Favorite tracks were Something in the Night and Racing in the Streets. Can definitely understand why music like this was so foundational.
So much mumbling I can’t even understand it… I liked the instrumentals and the parts I could understand.
It's all good, there aren't really any bangers for me after one listen through though
This one absolutely did not work for me, which kind of shocks me because I consider Born to Run, just a few years earlier, to be an all-timer
+1 or Oli will shout at me
Even a subpar Bruce album is great.
Don’t like Bruce, pretty good though
Every Bruce Springsteen album here reminds me that I'm too young and non-American for a solid part of this list.
I actually just recently got into Bruce Springsteen, so I listened to this a while ago.
It’s got some strong ones for sure but I didn’t connect with it much. 3.5
When I started this list I would have said that "Nebraska" was Springsteen's finest album. Listening to this today makes me have second thoughts. This may be Bruce at his best as it has both incredible lyrics and gorgeous music. I look forward to when "Nebraska" appears on my list so I can compare and contrast the two. 5/5
Ingen dårlige sanger, men heller ikke mange som fristet å lytte på igjen. Svak 3’er.
I'm getting more into Springsteen as I get older, but this earlier stuff of his is not as good as his later stuff. He hadn't really figured out his sound and cadence here. There's flashes, but it's just a little too down tempo on most tracks for me.
Easy listening rock. Okay.
Not my favourite Bruce record, but still really good.
I just can't, for some reason. I tried, I really did. And it's nice enough I guess. But it's just middle-of-the-row as heck.
Respect it, but it didn't pull me in enough to justify more than a 3 star review
++: Adam Raised a Cain, Streets of Fire, Darkness on the Edge of Town +: Badlands, Racing in the Street, The Promised Land, Prove It All Night +-: Something in the Night, Candy's Room, Factory 6,0/10
Oh hell yes
I’m sorry, not memorable. I had to skip a couple snoozefests.
Pub Rock with really bad vocals. The band seem to aspiring to be like Wizzard with none of the fee, humour or sensitivity.