Darkness on the Edge of Town

Not a Bruce fan generally - but a few more interesting songs on here. Otherwise generally bland but inoffensive, superb arrangements and instrumentation and a satisfying production but turned off generally by the direction of the songs (with a few exceptions.) This kind of dad-rock for the arena with a sprinkle of open-road country needs to exist, but is just not for me.

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.

Great record. Even though Bruce became a USA hating liberal d-bag his music is iconic.

Great. The promised land song starred

Not my favourite of his but I still love The Boss

Meh.

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.

Listened to this while playing The Loop. I lost...again. I enjoyed this album a fair amount. I was not familiar with any of the songs, and this album honestly isn't something that will stick with me for a long time...but still not bad.

meh 3

Kinda boring. I don’t get Springsteen

Badlands

This might be Springsteen's most consistent work with every song on here being good or better.

# Album Name: Darkness on the Edge of Town # Artist: The Boss # Rating: 5/5 # Comments: Im not usually a fan of the boss but i enjoyed this album. Lots of solid tracks. Not too OTT. Just good tunes. Solid 4 for a first listen. When i came back to it, this one grew into a 5. Great album from the boss. # Top Tunes: Adam raised a cain / something in the night / candys room / streets of fire / prove it all night # Would I listen to it again? Yes

Welp, I guess I like Bruce Springsteen? Mildly surprised. Favorites: Promised Land, Streets Of Fire, Prove It All Night.

Favorite tracks: Badlands, Streets of Fire, Prove It All Night, Darkness on the Edge of Town. This is the third Springsteen album I've gotten so far, and to be honest I might be inflating this rating because I think I under-rated the previous two. I enjoy most of the songs here, but the ones I like, I *really* like. Guys, I think I like The Boss. 4 stars.

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.

Dark, interesting Probably could be a 5/5 if I gave it enough listens, but on first pass a solid 4

Fantastisk inledning, och jag (åter)upptäckte många låtar som exempelvis titellåten. Den har dock några lite sega låtar och är lite för tungfotad och bredbent i jämförelse med Springsteens bästa skivor.

Det här är nästan den bästa BS. Inte hört typ nån låt tidigare. Men det är fan grymt. Lite mindre classic BS. Kul!

Måste erkänna att jag inte lyssnat på hela denna skiva tidigare, trots att jag är en sucker för Bruce. Utöver de låtar jag redan kände till så får man konstatera att den är för jävla bra faktiskt. Vägde lite mellan fyra och fem men landar i en rejält stark fyra.

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.

Pretty nice music with some sounding a little bit like Meatloaf.

I've never understood why this fuss is being made about Bruce Springsteen. His music isn't bad. But I find it a bit boring. I also don't like Bruce's voice. I wasn't particularly interested in the album. It's very easy for me to imagine a life without having heard this album. 3/5

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.

Boooriiiing

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

Adam Raised A Can and Something In The Night are great songs. Rest ok 3/5

He ain't the boss of me. "Prove it all night" is pretty cool, and when the sax pops in on "The Promised Land" it's great. Big songs that aren't my sort of big. You won't see me re-enacting scenes from "Blinded by the Light". Sorry Brooooooce. Highlight: The Promised Land.

Pretty good stuff. I liked it.

if hes the boss i quit

Feel I'd need to give it a few more listens to tell these songs apart, sorry Bruce

Liked this more than I thought I would, great piano and drums, makes you feel very nostalgic

🤘

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.

Easily forgettable

I prefer Bruce on the Tacky Souvenirs of Post Revolutionary America and I argue that record should be on 1001 Albums Before you Die over this album which is token Boss. Tacky Souvenirs of Post Revolutionary America takes Born in the USA; I am certain that turd is also on this list, and uses the music with terrible singling and keyboard effects over the actual recording and it is infinitely superior to anything Bruce has done outside of Nebraska. Bruce is T Top rock to its core, you need a Camaro or a Trans-Am to really enjoy this cheesy commercial trash. The sad reality is Bruce has one good record, Nebraska; the rest of the catalog is grossly overrated to include this overrated record. I could have died without this one. The man who sang about rich and poor felt he was too much of a king for a DUI in a National Park, The Boss is the The Butthole at this point. I knew he would make it, he is a commercial music god, but this record is not essential. Not even close to essential, its kinda poop. Here are some much better albums that are not considered 1001 Before you Die from 1978: - Blondie Parallel Lines 4.5 out of 5 - The Cars - Self Titled - The Rolling Stones - Some Girls - Wire - Chairs Missing - Bob Seger - Stranger in Town - Patti Smith - Easter The reality is simple, this is a commercially successful from '78 and in '85 was on the charts for 15 weeks. Its commercial pop music, nothing too special honestly and its on the list because you just cant leave out The Butthole Bruce Springsteen.

Это было приятно

Another win for socks in sandals (and grilling burgers). Favorite track: Streets on Fire

8/10

Easy listening, not lifechanging. Standout Tracks: - Badlands - Candy's Room

This album stated and after 10 tracks it was over without really noticing. Yes, I was doing other things in the same time but still this didn't catch my attention basically at all.

Bruce falls into the background music category on my list, which is why I don’t have much to say about this album.

Never been a big fan of Bruce's, his singing is a bit mumbling and music is very dependant on lyrics, which are another thing I don't really emphasize too much. I don't really get why this is so revered and held in high regard. I find it quite a boring of an album.

8++

Very good album some bangers and some nice ballads as well. Classic Bruce

I can see how people can love this but going into this I knew I wasn't a Springsteen fan and this just reinforces that for me. It's very booming, slow, stadium music that is good at what it is but what it is isn't for me.

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

The boss in his early years shows his talent with epic rock songs and lyrics.

3 stars

Guess I'm a bigger Bruce Springsteen fan than I thought. This album is really cool

Good stuff. All solid songs. Some great ones.

not quite my tempo

Bangerrrrrrrrr

Great album, but Bruce Springteen is too american for me

Solid album

I didn’t expect to like any of this, but this was pretty good. Not too much of anything. Really balanced and authentic. Definitive Bruce.

Answering a question no one was really asking: what if Meatloaf was handsome? I kind of want to like the guy but this is too earnest for me.

A good 15 years since I heard this, and half of it felt new to me so perhaps I didnt listen to it very well or as much as i thought! Either way, Ive overlooked this in the past as it’s really very good. Aye it can at times drift into samey category, but luckily Springsteen does this very well. Streets of Fire, Badlands, Adam Raised a Cain my top 3, but it’s all pretty spot on. He knows what he’s doing and he does it well

Haven't listened to much Bruce either, a bit like Dylan I think the good songs are a genre in their own right, copied by loads of stuff I like, and the other songs are a bit bland and look bad compared to the others. More good than bad here I'd say. Darkness on the edge of town was probably the best, doesn't look like this album has that many hits? I feel Japandroids really lean in to Springsteen on occasions so I'm thankful for that. 3.5.

Badlands, and Adam Raised a Cain, were decent enough, but it really all feels like proto-Born in the USA. His next album, The River, is excellent, and I'm also a big fan of Wrecking Ball (2012), but this one was seemingly a step on the way to the impact of Born in the USA.

The middlest of middle of the road from Bruce here. Didn't grab me at all like born in the USA did, might just be bad timing as on the face of it it, it is fairly similar, both in sound and themes. Not bad at all though and I enjoyed the final couple of tracks the best; prove it all night and darkness on the edge of town. The whole racing cars thing doesn't resonate with me At least 3.5

2.5/5

Liked it start to finish.

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.

What a cool, ominous title for an album. Tye title track was my favorite, and the rest of the album was fine.

3.7/5 i am pleasantly surprised by this, i’ve never listened to anything bruce other than hearing some hits on the radio. i don’t think i recognised a single song on this album except maybe “the promised land”. it felt slightly familiar but i have no clue. it’s a good album, great in places, i enjoyed it a lot! honourable mention to “racing in the street” - a very, very beautiful song!

Good songwriting but I'm not too fond of the album for a reason that's hard to pinpoint. I quite like his voice but the songs get a bit boring-rocky and I'm not a huge fan of the instrumentation even thought this makes it "the" Springsteen sound (the sax, bells etc.). The Springsteen album I like most is Nebraska, which makes me not a real Springsteen fan I suppose. Still a 3 (could have been a 4 if I enjoyed it more). Just an album I won't put on but I won't zap away from it either.

The boss. Was surprised by this one . I liked it more than I thought I would

Classic Springsteen sort of stuff

So, this strikes me as harder than Born to Run, but the songs just… aren’t as good? There isn’t anything groundbreaking here. The topics are basically standard BS-fare. Which is fine, but not outstanding.

sorry but I kind of hate this? I don't know why. his voice is bad and the songs are lifeless. it got a little better. I liked "Factory" and "Prove It All Night"

alright

Man, this is so familiar, like (insert worn simile here). It’s so easy and well worn and…predictable and…kinda boring. Other than Clemmon’s sax playing, this could be anyone from 1970-2025. Maybe Springsteen been so influential that there’s too much of his progeny between here and there but the effect of his success is also his downfall - we’ve all heard all of this too many times to find it anything more than nostalgia. And, while I love me a good sniff around the 70s, I’m looking onwards and upwards for new sounds so…it’s out to the dark edge of town with 70s Bruce.

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.

all sounded the same. nothing in comparison to his usa album, but good background music

Not any better than I remember.

"poor man wanna be rich/rich man wanna be king." If that don't just sum it up? I have maybe 5-6 songs from Bruce that I love (I've always been more of a Zevon guy*). None of these rose to that level, but they're all, y'know, they're all good! They're all Bruce. * That said, Springsteen's cover of Zevons "My Ride's Here" is up there for the best either of them sound to me.

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.

Badlands is a peppy iconically voiced banger 4/5. Prove It All Night is good if a bit samey. The slower tunes are ok. His voice is peak Springsteen. Overall 3.5/5

Never got this dude, his music does nothing for me.

Bruuuuuuce!

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.

Not for me

Bruce’s golden era

Eh, a lil too Elton john for me

Not as good as Nebraska but it’s nice

I have such mixed feelings about the Boss. Listening to Badlands right now and I'm annoyed. But I also see Adam Raised a Cain and Candy's Room are on this album, which are such great songs. This album so very much wasn't for me. I reached my daily recommended value of bombast midway through the first song. I ended up skipping around the second half and didn't find any reason to stop. I didn't even like Candy's Room as much as I remember.

It got better the longer I listened, but there is something about Bruce that doesn’t do it for me, but I can’t put ly finger on it. I know he is an excellent songwriter, so maybe it’s his vocal style, but that seems odd since I don’t usually mind non traditional voices.

Really good album - production is kinda weird in spots, but it doesn't really take away from the overall presentation. I know Springsteen isn't everyone's thing, but I'd say this might be his best full band album. All the good stuff distilled down into a peak songwriting/music experience. Fun fact - Bob Dylan ape'd Springsteen's style on the Traveling Wilbury's song "Tweeter and the Monkey Man." (well worth checking out, even if you don't like Bruce - it seems like a tribute, but it could very well be a take down depending on what you think of Darkness in general.)

I liked this one, not my favorite jazz album but I will probably add this into my jazz rotation (such as it is).

Det var da udmærket. Det er klart musik til gamle mennesker. Måske kan en stadion koncert åbne musikken ordentligt op for mig... Det ser vi til når jeg en dag er gammel nok....

Heartland Rock eller Rust Belt Country. Kartoffel - Kartoffel. Selv om man ikke blive slået i hovedet af en saxofon på det her album, så er det bare alt for meget E Street Band lyd. Særligt keyboarded er ulideligt

To be honest I only got halfway through this one. Good but not for me.

For a long time I have tried really hard to like Bruce Springsteen's music, but it just have never clicked for me. I have tried to figure out what it is. Other than I feel like he mumbles when he sings I'm not sure. He is a very talented guy and the E Street Band is great. I have heard they were amazing to listen to live. Steven Van Zandt was Silvio in the Sopranos! What more do they need? Some consider this album to be one of his best, but I still don't get it. I tried.

It's pretty good. Probably nothing I'd come back to, but I don't think it's a bad album. I don't think it's his best work, but still. They did all begin to blend together in the end though...

i’m gonna lie, this is fire

Pre-listening thoughts: you know that version of Santa Claus is Coming to Town that Bruce Springsteen sang and there’s only a crappy live recording of it where he sounds like he’s just kind of bumbling through it musically in a gravely register of his voice? That is how all of Bruce Springsteen’s songs sound to me. Sorry. He ain’t my boss Post/during listening thoughts: can he PLEASE enunciate???? I cannot understand like 50% of his lyrics (which are supposed to be his strong suit) bc of his singing style. He sounds like when theater kids do impersonations of drunk people despite them never having been drunk before. Like just slurring his words sloppily but his flow and tune remain intact. The instrumentation is decent. Every song is like “i grew up poor working for my daddy and I fell in love with a southern beauty and we grew old and were happy even though we were poor. Hell yeah America!”. I just don’t think Bruce Springsteen will ever be for me. 4/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no Fav tracks: Badlands Least fav tracks: Candy’s Room

A lot of fine to good songs but also some really boring uninteresting ones.

2nd song was good 2.5

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!

This massive album is solid. It is so diverse the bigness isn't a detriment.

Classic

I get so bored of Bruce. I love him in principal and the big songs are so bloody big. But oh my days, these okay albums just come one after another. I guess you needed to be there?

As far as I'm concerned, the heart of the Boss is Born in the USA album. Many Boss fans disagree, but I'll admit that I'm not as serious a fan as many. Generally, I don't have patience to listen to his album from. beginning to end. Except Born. Same with this album. I know this album was made a few years before Born, but if a song is too much like a track on Born, then it is lesser. If a song on this track is innovative and catchy in a way the ones on Born aren't then I want to add it to my playlist. But as a whole I think this album is quite good, but not as good as Born 4/5

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

Favourite track could be Badlands or Candy's Room but the piano in Something in the Night maybe just edges that one for me.

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.

Maybe I'm just not a Bruce Springsteen fan. Another decent album but doesn't stir anything in me

one of the great early Bruce albums.. not upto the calibre of Born To Run but still classic Bruce

I like the themes and the lyrics more than the music itself, but it's decent.

neanche da dire

Solito buon lavoro del Bruce, anche se non raggiunge le vette di Born in The USA

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.

Lovely. Adam Raised a Cain got me hooked. I see why he's famous and why tumblrinas go ga ga over him.

My 2nd favorite album of all time - come on

Unexpected but the first album in this project where not a single song caught my attention. No hooks, no memorable moments. The lyrics are alright but it just blends into one broody schmaltz. The instrumentation has no variation. I'm sorry, Boss.

The last in a run of truly great Bruce Springsteen albums. It was all down hill for my relationship with his music after this one. I loved this album as a kid and I still rate it now. Perhaps not as fresh and exciting as the first two, it foreshadowed some of the bombastic tone his later albums adopted. Worth 4./5 of anyone's money.

Not my boss.

Wait a damn minute…

Sounds like Born to Run but not as many good songs. Also he looks 10 years younger in this album cover than Born to Run even though this was released 3 years later. Low 4.

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

6/10 - It sounds like a Springsteen album. Springsteen is just so alright. I liked badlands but the rest of it was not that good.

It was good. Feel like Springsteen just doesn’t take enough risks for me to really get into it. It all kinda sounds the same

Pretty good, 8/10. Good singer songwriter Bruce

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).

Grabado entre Born to run y The river, con el paso del 77 por el medio, este Darkness no es un disco menor en absoluto. Desde la gloriosa apertura de Badlands te sientes como en casa. La otra cara se cierra con otra joya The Promised Land. Los cierres también son épicos, y canciones como Something in the night son eternas. Ese 78 hubo muy buena cosecha de discos: The Man Machine de Kraftwerk, debuts de Kate Bush, Pere Ubu, Magazine, , Public Image Ltd., Dire Straits, Police, The Only Ones, Devo, The Cars y Siouxsie and the Banshees, (también Chris Rea y Midnight Oil), así como discos esenciales: C´est CHic, Plastic letters y Paralell Lines, Some Girls, This year´s model, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Incantations, Équinoxe, Ambient 1: Music for Airports, All mod cons, Some girls, One Nation Under A Groove, Outlandos d´amour los directos de Cheap Trick, Thin Lizzy, Bob Marley, AC-DC y The last waltz, e incluso Grease.

跟beatles好像好像好像 好爽

It’s ok. But it’s overproduced and bombastic.

Sound like Bruce Springsteen and so do his other albums, so why do we need to have him on here a million times?

Always anthemic and representing the heart & soul of America, the Boss set out for exactly that here. There's a decent mix of louder rock and softer, ballad-y rock here, all consisting of various stories of the usual "small town" personas that Springsteen loves to tell. A bit more somber than the other albums of his that I've heard. Never the greatest vocalist, Springsteen and his E Street Band still capture the mood appropriately with their musical direction nonetheless. The album is a bit up and down early on, but I think it finishes strong with the last three tracks specifically, starting with the powerful "Streets of Fire". Bruce was already a mainstay at this point, but this album signaled what was to come with his music for the next decade or so. Primarily from a songwriting standpoint. I'm not sure how to rate this, as I don't consider it as strong as "Born In The U.S.A." which would release later. The last few tracks aren't enough to carry an album, I fear.

Average

Fine. Kind of meh for me. I do like some of Bruce’s other albums, but this one didn’t do it for me.

I’m kind of take it or leave it with the Boss, and this one is more on the leave side. Nothing wrong with it, but just didn’t grab me.

I’m realizing the major flaw of this list is that it over represents well known artists. The fuck is this doing here? Trying to figure out how to rationalize putting as many Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, and Elvis Costello albums as you can on here doesn’t seem like the way to go about making this list. Anyway, I’m sure Bruce doesn’t have more than two or three 2 star albums and there’s no way this is one of them. So, here’s a 3 for it. Congratu-fucking-laciouns.

Really makes you feel like you’ve lost your job at the auto plant in New Jersey in 1974

Don't love it, don't hate it.

Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town To be honest, only thing I ever heard of him was on the song "Born in the U.S.A.", which I wasn't really a fan of, so when I saw this album at first, I expected that it would sound similar to it, and it kinda did, but in a good way. What I really like about this is how grandious it feels when listening to this album, it makes your spirit and soul go dancing while grooving into this. There are some chill moments sure, but the rock elements are what define this album from any other rock album made in there. No wonder why he's a known artist, he for sure is one, because this album is great! 1.- Badlands = 8/10 2.- Adam Raised a Cain = 9/10 3.- Something in the Night = 9/10 4.- Candy's Room = 8/10 5.- Racing in the Street = 9/10 6.- The Promised Land = 8/10 7.- Factory = 7/10 8.- Streets of Fire = 9/10 9.- Prove It All Night = 10/10 10.- Darkness on the Edge of Town = 9/10 FINAL SCORE = 8.6/10

3.5

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.

I'm just not a Springsteen fan. This feels like your parents' love jams. I haven't found a song that wasn't Philadelphia that I liked. 2* He's extra talkey/mumbley in this one.

Not a 4 but not a 3. I’ll round up because he has a great nickname and represents blue collar ‘Merica. Some great piano makes me feel happy.

Loved

I've long struggled to articulate my issues with Springsteen. There's something decent there but I've never got on with the constipated vocals and sax. But I've just realised the biggest issue is the character. Just like Arthur Miller, his tragic hero is the downtrodden American working man who is flawed. I can't look past the flaws so I can't empathise with the character. Also, rock music that doesn't rock.

Bruce had never been my favorite, but I’ve always understood his place in rock history. Just not sure why this album made the list. It’s just ok. Without Prove It All Night, I’m guessing it wouldn’t have made it. 3. Barely.

I'm bored out of my mind.

3.3 stars rounded down. Early Boss is still a good boss. “Badlands” is a great song. The title track is the other standout. The rest is decent but not that memorable.

Too many ballads. Needs some diversity, Bruce! Fav Track: N/A

Boring. I don't mind Springsteen's voice or his songwriting, but overall this does nothing for me. Boring.

album at the edge of 3

bruuuuuuuuuuuceeee

Hann hljómar smá eins og Cher í fyrsta laginu hahahhahah Racing in the street er geggjað úlala Ekki eins gott og born in the USA

The boss just ain't for me. 2/5

Enjoyed

I'll add it to my tidal library and give it a few more listens at some point, but for now it's getting four stars.

Eh

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

I liked it. I feel like this may be one of those albums that gets better if you listen to it more. For that reason I might return to it at some point in the future Standouts Racing in the Street 4/5

decent!

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

Very surprised by how much this was good. This band single handedly keeping the glockenspiel cool

Enjoyed

I love Bruce Springsteen but I would never consider myself a fan, ya know?

Solid Bruce. Sounded exactly as I expected.

Didn’t get all the way through

A couple of all-timers. The rest are alright. There’s a baseline quality to early Springsteen, but because he’s made things I know I love without reservation, I have to score this accordingly.

Chuis pas un gros fan du Bruce, mais je dois avouer que cet album était du genre plutôt BANGER, du rock américain honnête et sans artifices qui laisse toute la place au boss qui nous a composé pleins de bonnes tites tounes

Solides Rock Album von Bruce mit guten Songs wie „Badlands“ und „The Promise Land“. Gerne mal wiederholen, aber kein Grniestreich.

Some really good songs on this album, I'm not entirely sure why this doesn't grab me.

7.5 Springsteens out of 10 I knew of one of these songs before listening - promised land - and had heard a few when being around my dad. There’s definitely a nostalgia to this album, maybe it’s because of my dad that I feel it, but there’s something very sweet and atmospheric about the way Bruce describes his home town. I could feel the evening summer air in ‘Racing in the street’. The Boss’ voice is gorgeous and at 2:35, this small phrase really pulls at my heart strings. This album reminds be of the first time (and many times after that) that I listened to Green Day’s American Idiot. I wonder if my dad felt the same way about this album that I did listening to some of my favourite artists and concept albums. There’s definitely a story in this album, and I can’t wait to listen to it many more times.

There are two Bruce Springsteen's. Bruce Springsteen on an album, and Bruce Springsteen live. I've never seemed to enjoy albums of Bruce that much, but take me to a concert, and that dude's got all of my attention for the 3 and 1/2 hours that he plays every night.

A very straightforward and generally uninteresting rock/pop album of the time. At its best when Bruce is singing passionately. At its worst when the repetitive portions come in. It felt exceeding long. 2.5/5 -> 3/5

I don’t know with Bruce. I recognise he is good at what he does and that it has appeal. It just leaves me a bit cold. Did grow on me over two listens though. Funny how that works

entertaining but not my favorite, Bruce is overrated

Strong album, but not near his best, which is world class

I wanted so badly to love this. I like the idea of Springsteen. I love "Born to Run." I love the fact that he has Max Weinberg as his drummer and for the longest time had Clarence Clemons as his saxophonist. I love the fact that there's a sax in his band at all. I love so much about the idea of Springsteen. But this was boring, and that sucks because it didn't need to be. There are bright spots, to be sure. But one cardinal sin for me has always been that if you're going to put out a song longer than four minutes, it had better not be a slow ballad. Because that gets so boring and feels so much longer than it actually is. And Bruce does this multiple times on this album and I just can't get there with him. I might've been able to had he been a little more intelligible. People complain about mumble rap today. they complain about singers who are impossible to understand. I've never heard anyone level that accusation at Springsteen before, but they should. There are so many songs on this album that I just can't understand a word he's saying. They're pretty, they're interesting in their own way, but I just cannot understand him for the life of me. It was funny at first, but after a while I just found it annoying. It's a shame this didn't hit harder for me. The Boss is such an icon, and his musicianship and showmanship are unquestionable. But I just didn't really find myself caring about this album. Bummer. I loved the more upbeat, rock stuff (see below), but on the whole, this was a snooze. Two stars. Standout Tracks: Adam Raised a Cain, Candy's Room, The Promised Land, Prove it All Night

81/100. Not his best work but a very good album

Favorite Track: Adam Raised a Cain

This artist is so very average, and I don't get why there is such a die hard following, but more power to you Bruce, just never gonna get it for my ears.

Very dramatic. There were a few songs I enjoyed, but mostly it was just ok.

3.5/5

vet du vad?? fett bra. Älskar Bruce <3 kärlek till gaten som aldrig haft ett riktigt jobb men ändå skriver jättebra om arbetarklassen. Oj vad det är trevligt med kombinationen elgitarr och sax

The Boss! Very familiar with this one. Darkness, in my opinion, is Bruce’s last GREAT album. The three preceding albums seem to concentrate more on musical composition, and this is the last album to do so. I feel that, after this album, Springsteen fell into a comfortable groove musically. Lyrically, he moves away from the Jersey shore themes but continues to paint detailed portraits of troubled characters striving for something better. Love this album.

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

Bruce is a great song writer that’s about it.

Muss man mögen.

Look, if I wanted a "tough" guy from New Jersey to sing about Cain, it's gonna be Danzig NOT Springsteen. Can't handle this mediocre "i'm just a hard workin' guy" shtick. Favorite song: Prove It All Night - kinda has a power pop sound to it Least favorite: the rest, but especially Something in the Night

Talk about the Brucey bonus!

Meh

Badlands is on here, which is a Bruce banger, but the rest is eh

Edgy.

Masculinity at its finest.

Forgettable

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.

Sorry but I don't really get it. The bombastic 80s Springsteen somewhat ok, patriotic and singalongable but this too-cool-for-school, drawling unremarkable Springsteen with odd saxophone interludes, I just got nothing from it in two listens and couldn't hack a third.

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

May be a perfect album.

Spruce, uh.. let me see here.. Spruce Bingstein

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.

First half was pretty groovy

Average

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.

Boss of my heart

The good old Bruce

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.

Springsteen is one of those guys that I get why people like but I can't relate at all. I grew up very America-adjacent and this type of music never really meshed with me because I never experienced any of the kind of stuff he talks about either directly or through my parents. And that's before you get to his voice and singing which I don't like in the first place. The execution of all these songs is fine; the only thing really performed badly is the ending of "Something In The Night" and it's entirely Bruce being unable to hit the right notes. I could do without the saloon style piano and sustained off key notes overall. Musically Springsteen has his own style that includes those things and still has countless imitators, I just don't really enjoy it or find it that interesting. As far as "pretend working class dude that is insanely from Jersey" goes I'll take Bon Jovi over this.

I don't really have anything to add her. Darkness on the Edge of Town is a cool album title. I've never heard these songs and think they are slightly better than the few Springsteen singles I've heard in the past. It's fine. I bet there are geriatrics at these concerts still dancing in their seats.

I would rather listen to white light

If there was a competition for self-pity, Springsteen would have won with Darkness on the Edge of Town. Oh, Bruce, please tell us more about how hard it is being rich and successful while pretending to “relate” to the common man. Each song is him aggressively reminding you that he’s just a tortured soul from New Jersey who never asked for this fame. The music? As repetitive as his whining. By the end, I felt like I’d been chained to a broken-down factory machine with Bruce moaning in my ear about “American Dreams.” No thanks.

Really good album, maybe more like a 4.5 or 5, although it wasn't 100% my type of of music, if that makes sense? Don't care to make track reviews😂😂😂😂

IT'S TIME FOR TRACK REVIEWS MY FAVOURITE SEGMENT: 1. Badlands - simply fire / 2. Adam Raised a Cain - It's a very good song. I don't think that it gets too preachy, but rather is an effective Biblical allegory for the message he was trying to tell / 3. Something in the Night - gate of steiner sounding ahh song. Good! / 4. Candy's Room - Usually not the biggest fan of personalized anecdotes like this, but this song is too good to pass up on for that reason / 5. Racing in the Street - Tad too long, not my favourite, not bad either, probably a pass tho / 6. The Promised Land - that sax goes ridiculous. Chat is this walk of life BUT GOOD??? AIJOSDFOADOF / 7. Factory - Not bad, not for me / 8-10. Good! / This album occasionally uses dissonant sounds, but they don't overstay their welcome and add to the songs. Sometimes the songs will go quiet. It's unexpected but works super well. This album was gaseous. Even the lesser good songs were fine. Listened to this twice since I didn't pay too much attention the first listen. It was too fire though so I had to do it justice. 4/5 maybe even a 4.5 but who can tell. Great album, anticipating more Springsteen.

Okay brucie ill give you this

Favorite: The Promised Land

It's Springsteen, rotational

It's ok

Hadn't heard this album before, not my favorite from ol Bruce, but I still quite liked it

Great start to finish

I’m biased but bangers front to back

This album made me fire off my hot take of not really liking Bruce Springsteen. I understand my minority take but most of the time I can’t really understand what he’s singing. Overall though, listenable album but outside the singles, I find the music repetitive

Liked it well enough, but beginning to realize that Bruce Springsteen’s reputation precedes him. His appeal relies heavily on in-group lore and shared fandom

I just don't like Bruce Springsteen. That's my personal taste. This album is well-made and everything, but I just don't like Springsteen.

im tired of Bruce Springsteen. 2/10

Know his name, obviously, but never listened to him He sings a bit like he’s drunk. It’s special I like: Badlands, Something In The Night, the outro to Racing In The Street, The Promised Land 6/10 because it has great songs but suffers from good start boring finish album syndrome

It's alright. It's adequate. I hate to be rating all these albums 3 out of 5 - 4 is a bit much for an album I just kind of thought was okay, and 2 would make it out like I disliked the album. Ah well.

Harder than I remember. Not bad and nice straight jersey rock n roll.

I really liked this. I honestly haven’t heard a lot of Springsteen outside of the hits. I think, to me, the hits are actually a deterrent for me liking him more!

i just cant get into the specific brand of groove that seems to have been popular in this era of music. its slow and trudging (qualities that work really well with heavy music), but it is ultimately uninteresting when utilised for almost every track on a rock album. something in the night is really good however, and i will certainly be coming back to that song in the future.

Wasn’t expecting much only knowing Badlands from this album. Surprised that the rest of the albums is much better than the opening track. Will listen to again.

I've never listened to this album before, but it's another instance of me simply liking Bruce Springsteen as an American icon more than I actually like his music.

01) Badlands - 7,5 02) Adam Raised a Cain - 7,5 03) Something in the Night - 7,5 04) Candy's Room - 7,5 05) Racing in the Street - 7,5 06) The Promised Land - 7,5 07) Factory - 7,5 08) Streets of Fire - 7,5 09) Prove It All Night - 8,0 10) Darkness on the Edge of Town - 7,5 TOTAL: 7,55 (76/100) Current ranking: 164/333

Fire

Bruce seems a bit more aggressive/angry here. Nothing more really stuck out for me.

So I’ve learned that I like the Bruce Springsteen Sound. I’ll be happy to get any of these songs on a shuffle, but there wasn’t anything about the album as a whole to elevate it.

Was okay

It was alright. I see why people like him, just not a huge fan of his voice.

Just good old rock and roll. A nice listen when you're listening to it but not altogether memorable or no stand-outs that got stuck in my head.

Another fine album from Springsteen. Not my favorite of his discography, but a good listen nonetheless.

I’ve always thought Bruce Springsteen, for me, was just OK. So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that, for me, this album was just OK. For whatever reason the song that landed for me emotionally was “Racing in the Street.”

I hate to say it, but I’ve never really connected with this album, and that’s coming from someone who considers himself a Bruce Springsteen fan. I enjoy “Badlands,” “The Promised Land,” and the title track quite a lot, but the rest of the songs do very little for me.

6.5/10. It has a lot of great tunes on it, but it wasn't that intriguing for me, personally. :)

Strong album. Adam Raised a Cain is my favorite track off the album.

It was fine, I've never really got into The Boss and this hasn't made any difference.

adam raised a cain song title of all time

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.

Didn't know as many songs as i did with Born to run. Didn't hit quite as hard a Nebraska. Still a good listen.

I've mentioned before that I'm not the biggest Springsteen fan. But I'm finding that, at least the albums chosen for this list, are pretty darn good. This isn't as good to me as Nebraska, but it's not bad at all and I'd listen to it again.

MIDDDD

Didn't realise it was possible to simultaneously mumble and be flat. Springsteen has proved me wrong.

I always really want to love Springsteen, but I'm often underwhelmed by him. Lyrically very good, musically fine, it just doesn't click for me though.

Not for me

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

Meh

This was fine. It just seemed to be missing something. I've never really been able to get into Bruce Springsteen.

Hated it

Meh, OK. I don't 'get' Bruce Springsteen. Did someone check on Bruce during Something In The Night? I think he stubbed his toe.

If you told me that comedian Bobcat Goldthwait also had a music career and then played "Streets of Fire," I very well might have bought it. I did warm up to this album a little bit after a few plays. REVISION: Well, I think I shorted this one in my initial rating; it kept growing on me. I'm editing my rating from a 3 to a 4.

Two stars

It’s always a good day when you listen to the entirety of a Bruce Springsteen album. And this one is no exception. I loved this album; while I was listening to it, I felt as if I already knew the songs. Every song has a familiar sound, and half of them ended up in my Favourites playlist. 4.3/5, amazing work once again by The Boss.

Ég þekki öll helstu lögin hans en man að þegar bróðir minn fór á tónleika með honum hugsaði ég að ég þekkti hann ekki nógu vel og það er alveg rétt Þekkti ekkert af lögunum á þessari plötu en hún var mjög fín. Ég þarf bara að hluata á hann oftar. Hún er í 3.5 þannig að ég toga hana smá upp

I thought this was a joke. I don’t understand why people like this. I have heard maybe 2 of his songs on the radio, and I can name only one of them. Think this is for 60 year old women.

More bleak and moody than his previous albums but still a belter. Needs a good listening to but worth it.

This is fine. Nothing too "wow" 3/5

Really cant stand Bruce Springsteen. Same category as ELO

I can't really find anything for me here. I respect the single theme of the album and probably the calmest song about streetracing.

It was alright. Just didn't feel like there were any notable songs or something I'd like to listen to again very much

It’s growing on me. I’m the kind of listener who doesn’t hear the lyrics right away, but I know I’ll appreciate this album more when I’ve really heard them. My score might be a little bit harsh.

Not a fan

Awful tripe.

Too generic. I never found anything interesting about Bruce Springsteen. It's just too "american" for me I guess.

Springsteen at his best on this album. Best lyrics.

I tried to listen to it but couldn't.

meh

No es el disco que más me ha interesado de Bruce Springsteen, está Badlands y ninguna de las otras canciones me ha parecido destacable, supongo que no es para mí.

It's a nice Bruce album, but not one of his best.

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.

There's a reason why he's nicknamed "The Boss" and not "The Deadbeat Employee". This album slaps.

Perhaps I was too harsh on Born in the USA...

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.

The Boss, baby. Never fails

4.75

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

Never heard this album, but I know “badlands”. This is ok, but nothing exciting. I dig promised land. I knew that. I’m enjoying factory.

heard the 1st song and was like yeah finally something abit more upbeat. pretty much took a direct train to shite town after that.

🤮 boring sludge

Not the Bruce I expected, a bit lower in energy

I mean, cannot really complain about anything specific. Not my jam but I don't hate it either

13/9/24 Don't understand the Springsteen hype.

This is #day36 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... it's a sullen September morning in Lviv, I'm listening to a full Bruce Springsteen album for the first time. Until today, I've only heard "Born In The U.S.A." (a single song), and never an entire album. Knowing, however, that this is heartland rock, I viewed it as a musical reflection of personal places and memories: home, childhood, and beloved people... themes that I relate to. This perspective deepened my appreciation for the music, I guess. What struck me was Springsteen's vocal delivery. It varies from mumbling to singing to screaming, which is a rather unpredictable versatility, whether due to production choices or Springsteen's style, we'll see (I believe this isn't his only album on the list). I found the backing band, especially the keys, the sax, and the drum and bass sections, particularly enjoyable. I also started to understand where The Killers might draw their influences. On the other can't, I couldn't help labeling this as a case in point of "dad rock," mainly due to the release date, stylistic elements, and the "working-class" leitmotif. But, overall, it was a nice discovery. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day37.

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

Really good album. Will listen again.

Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood at the time of listening, or perhaps some may feel I'm just not giving this album much of a chance. But I have never particularly understood the musical appeal of Bruce Springsteen. I mean I do to some degree, but I don't understand how he has transcended to the legacy level he is at today. I thought this album might turn my opinions around when I was forced to actually listen to a full LP, but it didn't. Almost nothing clicked with me here. The lyrics were... fine? They flow well enough and are fairly uplifting. But the instrumentation is still that quintessential heartland rock Bruce Springsteen sound that just doesn't interest me whatsoever. Sure - it's got nice melodies, efficient musicianship, and slick production. But 'Darkness On The Edge Of Town' is very much a product of that late 70's/early 80's radio rotation. Hell, you can even say it's very much a product of every rock radio station today - as the hosts rev up a Springsteen track for the drive home from the office. Thank god we can load up streaming services in our cars nowadays. Springsteen was influential for his lyrics and how he was able to relate to the "everyman" and their struggles, which I can totally respect; and it's all over this LP. But musically I always found him and his band to be very bog standard, bringing nothing truly unique to the table. I thought about giving this album a 1/5. However, I'll admit it isn't egregiously bad or anything; so it gets bumped to a 2/5. I'm just simply not a fan of the sound the "Boss" goes for. Heartland rock just isn't my jam.

Deep touching real music

hade en skippat racing in the street som inte bara är en seg låt, den är också töntig som fan, så hade det blivit en femma. då hade albumet blivit extremt tight. resten är kanon. stark fyra

Badlands is a fantastic song. I'm quite the fan of Springsteen, and I see this album is widely declared to be among his best work, but this isn't his strongest album in my opinion. I prefer the wall of sound opposed to the more raw-style production.