Darkness on the Edge of Town

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Roy Orbison drama, the Wall of Sound and the soul energy of iBorn to Run/i are still present here but there's a darkness now, too, and it's more than around the edges. The stories have more at risk, for one thing, a definite sense of the pain that can accompany the hardest choices. These real-world consequences are felt most strikingly in Bruce Springsteen's newly prominent guitar--his solos are ugly and twisted but he sounds all the stronger for it. Recorded for everyone who has "a notion ... it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive", iDarkness on the Edge of Town/i might just be Springsteen's greatest achievement. i--David Cantwell /i

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-06-20 rating:
A masterwork
The last of his three early period masterpieces (four if only The River had been a single album), Darkness has three tracks of genius - Adam Raised A Cain, Badlands and Candy's Room - and a supporting cast of seven only slightly lesser works - an extraordinary achievement when you consider that at the same time as he was writing this he was penning tracks of the quality of Because the Night, Fire and The Fever for other artists. A monumental achievement!

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review by: jornfin date: 2009-04-27 rating:
A masterpiece in its day
I have been a fan of Bruce Springsteen's for two and a half decades. At some point I owned all of his albums up to then. Eventually, though, I resold a bunch of them, this one included. br /Some of his finest songs ever are on this album, no doubt! The reason I sold it is that all the best songs are also included on the stunning 3 CD live compilation (1975 - 85). Literally all the live versions are more engaging and even the sound quality is way better. br /Racing in the Streets turns into an epic; Darkness is presented with much more power; The Pormised Land is more hopeful. br /On these early studio dates, Bruce still made an effort to sound like his great personal hero, Bob Dylan. This caused him to sing much worse than he would have been able to, and did later on. br /The sound quality is substandard, too. br /All in all, this sounds like music that was stunning in its day. But it received its finest readings much later.

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review by: date: 2009-02-23 rating:
Bruce's downbeat masterpiece
I'm not sure how intentional it is but the front and back covers of Darkness On The Edge Of Town say is all really. Unlike the smiling young man with the world at his feet who adorns the covers of previous Springsteen LPs, the Bruce greeting us on Darkness is pensive, tense and slightly weary. This is the man who had spent most of the previous two years forbidden from recording whilst a lengthy legal case against a former manager went through the courts. Just as importantly, Springsteen had also seen many of his friends and siblings' dreams of escaping a blue-collar existence die with the onset of mundane responsibilities. Whereas Born To Run was all about characters escaping their background Darkness is more about those who are left behind and will never get away. br / br /The downbeat lyrical mood is excellently reflected in the music with screeching electric guitar by the man himself often replacing the triumphant saxophone of Clarence Clemons which is more prevalent on previous Springsteen LPs. Not that Darkness is short of melody though - the often gut-wrenching songs are still memorable and it includes at least two songs which would get into my Top 10 of Springsteen tunes. The highlight of these is the lengthy world-weary Racing In The Street which cleverly paraphrases Martha Reeves The Vandellas' Dancing In the Street whilst offering a warm melody and organ-led refrain to counter the hopelessness in the words. Brilliant stuff as is the uncharacteristically upbeat Candy's Room, the song on Darkness which breaks most freely from the musical and lyrical templates of the album. br / br /Despite the overall downbeat mood, there is optimism too on The Promised Land and Prove It All Night as well as powerful anger on Streets Of Fire and the biblical father-son imagery of Adam Raised A Cain. Critics may argue that some of the others songs are a bit plodding though, with this LP, the overall mood of the album is probably greater than the sum of its parts anyway. br / br /Darkness On The Edge Of Town is not as immediate as Born To Run though its impact is just as long-lasting and its quality just as good. Springsteen's most mature work to date, it is an excellent cohesive album and essential purchase for Bruce's true fans. br / br / br /

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review by: date: 2009-01-11 rating:
Bruce's Best
Gone are the complex arrangements of Born To Run where string arrangements and multiple recordings of every instrument in the entire universe were used on every song. In their place is a genuine rock n roll sound that was easily recreatable in a live venue. The record is about, well, the darkness his characters from Born To Run found themselves in after chasing their dreams. In the Promised Land they're, again, trying to escape what's dragging them down. Whereas songs like Racing In The Streets and the title song features characters that have given up on trying to escape and are now just making a living as best as they can. br / br /This is without a doubt my favourite albumn of all time. The songs here remain staples of the live performances, including Badlands, Racing In The Street, The Promised Land, Prove It All Night, and Darknesss On The Edge Of Town. If you can, try and get a hold of the Japanese 2008 reissue which, for some reason, has a superior sound quality compared to the regular CD. For example, I hear piano riffs in the rockers, Badlands and Promised Land, that I'd never heard before.


review by: date: 2008-06-05 rating:
The best Bruce Springsteen album I own
I bought this album because I already loved the 'Badlands' and I went to the recent London Emirates Stadium gig, where he played some other tracks from this album. br / br /I own Nebraska, Born to Run, Born in the USA and the recent Magic and I love them all, but this surpasses them in my opion. A truly awesome album, every song is fantastic. br / br /

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