Darkness on the Edge of Town

Darkness on the Edge of Town
"Adam Raised a Cain" redirects here. For television show episode, see List of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles episodes.
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Studio album by Bruce Springsteen
Released June 2, 1978
Recorded October 12, 1977–March 19, 1978
Record Plant Studios
(New York, New York)
Genre Rock, heartland rock, hard rock
Length 42:55
Label Columbia
Producer Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, Steven Van Zandt
Bruce Springsteen chronology
Born to Run
(1975)		 Darkness on the Edge of Town
(1978)		 The River
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4.5/5 stars[1]
Billboard (favorable)[2]
Robert Christgau (B+) [3]
Rhapsody (favorable) [4]
Rolling Stone (very favorable) [5]
Rolling Stone (classic) [6]
Rolling Stone Album Guide 5/5 stars [7]
Sounds (favorable) link
Sputnikmusic (4.5/5) [8]
Yahoo! Music (favorable) link
Zagat Survey 5/5 stars link
Wiki letter w.svg This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

Darkness on the Edge of Town is the fourth album by Bruce Springsteen, released in the late spring of 1978. The album marked the end of a three year period of forced hiatus from recording brought on by contractual obligations and legal battling with former manager Mike Appel.[9] Although the album did not produce high charting singles it nevertheless remained on the charts for 97 weeks.[9] In September 2010 a documentary film chronicling the making of Darkness was first shown at the Toronto International Film Festival. Quoting Springsteen as saying “More than rich, more than famous, more than happy – I wanted to be great”, reviewer Stephen Whitty of the Newark Star-Ledger commented: "For many fans, that long journey pulled onto the Turnpike here."[10]

Contents

History

Recovering from legal troubles and the stress of the breakthrough success of Born to Run, Springsteen released a somewhat less commercial album, Darkness on the Edge of Town.

In terms of the original LP's sequencing, Springsteen continued his "four corners" approach from Born to Run, as the songs beginning each side ("Badlands" and "The Promised Land") were martial rallying cries to overcome circumstances, while the songs ending each side ("Racing in the Street", "Darkness on the Edge of Town") were sad dirges of circumstances overcoming all hope. Unlike Born to Run, the songs were recorded by the full band all at once, frequently soon after Springsteen had written them.[11] Steven Van Zandt received a credit for production assistance for helping Springsteen tighten the arrangements from Born to Run's epic sound.[11]

This collection of songs, each of which Springsteen sang in the first person, was given unity by several recurring themes. The words “darkness” / “dark” appear in six of the tracks, while nine of them feature the “night” / “tonight”. “They” are mentioned in eight songs, with a general suggestion of nameless people who exert a negative influence. “Work” / “worked” / “working” form part of six songs, and so do the words “dream” / “dreams”. Six is also the number of songs in which Bruce and his characters are found “driving” / “racing” / “riding”, or mentioning the names of cars. There are references to “blood”, "born", "love" / "loved" in four of the tracks. In the song "Racing in the Street," Springsteen alludes to Martha & the Vandellas' Dancing in the Street with the lyric "Summer's here and the time is right for racing in the street," which is similar to the Rolling Stones similar appropration of the lyric in the song "Street Fightin' Man".

The album failed to generate any hit singles, with "Prove It All Night" barely making the Top 40 in the U.S. and follow-up "Badlands" not charting in the top 40.

At the time, Darkness claimed the number one slot on NME album of the year ranking. In 2003, the album was ranked number 151 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[12] The same year, the TV network VH1 named Darkness on the Edge of Town the 68th greatest album of all time.

The cover shot and inner sleeve photo were taken by photographer Frank Stefanko inside Stefanko's Haddonfield, New Jersey home.[13] Springsteen says, "...when I saw the picture I said, 'That's the guy in the songs.' I wanted the part of me that's still that guy to be on the cover. Frank stripped away all your celebrity and left you with your essence. That's what that record was about." http://www.kshe95.com/musicnews/Story.aspx?id=1287219

A reissue box set was released in November 2010.[14][15][16] This had initially been planned for 2008, to mark the 30th anniversary of the original album's release, but was delayed presumably due to Springsteen's numerous other 2008 projects.[17] By January 2009, Springsteen's manager, Jon Landau, was saying the project was still in the works: "When we can find six weeks to sit down and finish it I'm sure we will."[18]

A documentary entitled "The Promise: the Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town" has been produced for the box set. The documentary premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in the fall of 2010 and aired on HBO on October 7, 2010.[19]

Track listing

All songs written by Bruce Springsteen.

Side one

  1. "Badlands" – 4:01
  2. "Adam Raised a Cain" – 4:32
  3. "Something in the Night" – 5:11
  4. "Candy's Room" – 2:51
  5. "Racing in the Street" – 6:53

Side two

  1. "The Promised Land" – 4:33
  2. "Factory" – 2:17
  3. "Streets of Fire" – 4:09
  4. "Prove It All Night" – 3:56
  5. "Darkness on the Edge of Town" – 4:30

Unused material

During the Darkness sessions, Springsteen wrote or recorded many songs that he ended up not using on the album. This was to keep the album's thematic feel intact, even at the expense of not having hits on it.[20]

Some of the unused material became hits for other artists, such as "Because the Night" for Patti Smith, "Fire" for Robert Gordon and The Pointer Sisters, "Rendezvous" for Greg Kihn, "This Little Girl" for Gary U.S. Bonds, and several tracks for Southside Johnny (including much of the Asbury Jukes' Hearts of Stone album). Other songs such as "Independence Day", "Point Blank", "The Ties That Bind", and "Sherry Darling" would turn up on Springsteen's next album, The River, while still others became bootleg classics until surfacing on Springsteen's compilations Tracks, 18 Tracks and The Promise. The Promise features 21 tracks from the Darkness sessions and was released in November 2010 compilation (and also included in a box set). Some of these Darkness outtakes were performed by Springsteen in concert during his 1978 tour and later.

The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story box set

A box set reissue, entitled The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story, was released on November 16, 2010.[21] The six-disc set includes three CDs and three DVDs. This contains a remastered version of the Darkness on the Edge of Town album, a new two-CD album, The Promise containing 21 previously unreleased outtakes from the Darkness sessions, a documentary titled The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town and 2 DVDs of live performances.[22][23] The deluxe box set contains an 80 page spiral-bound reproduction of Springsteen’s original notebooks documenting the recording sessions for the album, containing alternate lyrics, song ideas, recording details and personal notes.

The box set was in production for several years, and was originally expected to be released for the 30th anniversary in 2008. On August 4, 2010 it was announced[by whom?] that Springsteen was putting the finishing touches to the box set. The documentary received its première on September 14, 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival.[24][25] The Promise album is also available separately.

Track listing

CD 1 – "Darkness On the Edge of Town" (Digitally Remastered)

  1. Badlands
  2. Adam Raised a Cain
  3. Something In the Night
  4. Candy's Room
  5. Racing in the Street
  6. The Promised Land
  7. Factory
  8. Streets of Fire
  9. Prove It All Night
  10. Darkness On the Edge of Town

CD 2 – "The Promise" (Disc 1)

  1. Racing In the Street ('78)
  2. Gotta Get That Feeling
  3. Outside Looking In
  4. Someday (We'll Be Together)
  5. One Way Street
  6. Because the Night
  7. Wrong Side of the Street
  8. The Brokenhearted
  9. Rendezvous
  10. Candy's Boy

CD 3 – "The Promise" (Disc 2)

  1. Save My Love
  2. Ain't Good Enough For You
  3. Fire
  4. Spanish Eyes
  5. It's a Shame
  6. Come On (Let's Go Tonight)
  7. Talk To Me
  8. The Little Things (My Baby Does)
  9. Breakaway
  10. The Promise
  11. City of Night
  12. The Way (hidden track)

DVD 1 – The Promise: The Making of "Darkness On the Edge of Town"
A documentary directed by Grammy- and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Thom Zimny. The ninety-minute film combines never-before-seen footage of Springsteen and the E Street Band shot between 1976 and 1978—including home rehearsals and studio sessions—with new interviews with Springsteen, E Street Band members, manager Jon Landau, former-manager Mike Appel, and others closely involved in the making of the record. An edited version of the documentary was broadcast by the BBC.

DVD 2 – "Darkness on the Edge of Town": Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park & Thrill Hill Vault: 1976–1978
An intimate and complete album performance of "Darkness on the Edge of Town" at Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ shot in 2009. Never before seen archival footage from the Thrill Hill Vault including complete song performances taken from private band rehearsals, studio sessions, and live concerts during the “Darkness” era.

  1. Badlands
  2. Adam Raised A Cain
  3. Something In The Night
  4. Candy's Room
  5. Racing In The Street
  6. The Promised Land
  7. Factory
  8. Streets Of Fire
  9. Prove It All Night
  10. Darkness On The Edge Of Town

Thrill Hill Vault (1976–1978)

  1. Save My Love (Holmdel, NJ – '76)
  2. Candy's Boy (Holmdel, NJ – '76)
  3. Something In The Night (Red Bank, NJ – '76)
  4. Don't Look Back (NYC – '78)
  5. Ain't Good Enough For You (NYC – '78)
  6. The Promise (NYC – '78)
  7. Candy's Room Demo (NYC – '78)
  8. Badlands (Phoenix – '78)
  9. The Promised Land (Phoenix – '78)
  10. Prove It All Night (Phoenix – '78)
  11. Born To Run (Phoenix – '78)
  12. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (Phoenix – '78)

DVD 3 – Houston '78 Bootleg: House Cut
Previously unreleased complete concert performance from the historic Darkness on the Edge of Town Tour.

  1. Badlands
  2. Streets Of Fire
  3. It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City
  4. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
  5. Spirit In The Night
  6. Independence Day
  7. The Promised Land
  8. Prove It All Night
  9. Racing In The Street
  10. Thunder Road
  11. Jungleland
  12. The Ties That Bind
  13. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
  14. The Fever
  15. Fire
  16. Candy's Room
  17. Because The Night
  18. Point Blank
  19. She's The One
  20. Backstreets
  21. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
  22. Born To Run
  23. Detroit Medley
  24. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
  25. You Can't Sit Down
  26. Quarter To Three

Personnel

The E Street Band

Production

Chart positions

Album

Year Chart Position
1978 U.S. Billboard Pop Albums 5
1985 U.S. Billboard 200 167
2010 U.S. Billboard 200 16

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1978 "Prove It All Night" U.S. Billboard Pop Singles 33
1978 "Badlands" U.S. Billboard Pop Singles 42

References

  1. ^ Ruhlmann, William. Darkness on the Edge of Town at Allmusic. Retrieved 8 July 2004.
  2. ^ http://www.superseventies.com/spspringsteen3.html
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Bruce Springsteen: Darkness on the Edge of Town > Consumer Guide Album". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=471. Retrieved 19 March 2006. 
  4. ^ http://www.rhapsody.com/bruce-springsteen/darkness-on-the-edge-of-town
  5. ^ Marsh, Dave (July 27, 1978). "Bruce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town > Album Review". Rolling Stone (270). Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/darkness-on-the-edge-of-town-19780727. Retrieved 17 April 2009. 
  6. ^ Edwards, Gavin (May 20, 2003). "The Rolling Stone Hall of Fame: The Greatest Albums Ever Made: Darkness on the Edge of Town". Rolling Stone (918): p. 68. Archived from the original on 7 November 2004. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/darkness-on-the-edge-of-town-20030225. Retrieved 20 March 2004.  Posted February 25, 2003.
  7. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Bruce Springsteen". In Brackett, Nathan with Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. London: Fireside. pp. 771-773. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.  Portions posted at "Bruce Springsteen > Album Guide". rollingstone.com. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/bruce-springsteen/albumguide. Retrieved 31 October 2011. 
  8. ^ Cruz, John (April 5, 2005). "Bruce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town > Emeritus Review". sputnikmusic. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=3112. Retrieved 17 April 2009. 
  9. ^ a b Clarke, Donald. "Bruce Springsteen". Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music. http://www.donaldclarkemusicbox.com/encyclopedia/detail.php?s=3209. Retrieved 26 September 2010. 
  10. ^ Whitty, Stephen (September 13, 2010). "Toronto Film Festival Day Four: Bruce Springsteen's 'Promise'". Newark Star-Ledger. http://www.nj.com/entertainment/movies/index.ssf/2010/09/toronto_film_festival_day_four_springsteens_promise.html. Retrieved 26 September 2010. 
  11. ^ a b Fricke, David (January 21, 2009). "The Band on Bruce: Their Springsteen". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20090401080648/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/25556603/the_band_on_bruce_their_springsteen?. Retrieved 7 February 2009. 
  12. ^ Levy, Joe; Steven Van Zandt (2006) [2005]. "151 | Darkness on the Edge of Town - Bruce Springsteen". Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (3rd ed.). London: Turnaround. ISBN 1932958614. OCLC 70672814. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/darkness-on-the-edge-of-town-bruce-springsteen-19691231. Retrieved 16 April 2006. 
  13. ^ Varga, George (June 12, 2005). "'Frank Stefanko' an Exhibit that the Boss is sure to like". UNION-TRIBUNE Pop Music Critic. The San Diego Union-Tribune, LLC. http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20050612-9999-1a12photog.html. Retrieved 8 September 2010. 
  14. ^ http://backstreets.com/news.html
  15. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/17386/122709
  16. ^ http://consequenceofsound.net/2010/08/05/bruce-springsteen-to-debut-the-darkness-on-the-edge-of-town-doc-at-toronto-film-festival/#comments
  17. ^ http://www.backstreets.com/newsarchive28.html
  18. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/bruce-springsteen-prepping-darkness-reissue-1003933970.story
  19. ^ Zimny, Thom (2009). "The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town". tiff.com. Thrill Hill Productions. http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/promisethemakingofda. Retrieved 8 September 2010. 
  20. ^ Darkness on the Edge of Town
  21. ^ brucespringsteen.net Darkness Box News
  22. ^ "Columbia Records to release Bruce Springsteen's 'The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story' Nov. 16". www.brucespringsteen.net. http://newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2002/0417/Front_page/003.html. Retrieved 2010-09-07. 
  23. ^ "Springsteen Announces Massive 'Darkness' Set". Rolling Stone. 2010-08-26. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/17386/195179. Retrieved 2010-09-07. 
  24. ^ "Springsteen Debuts 'Darkness' Documentary". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/17386/188546. Retrieved 2010-08-04. 
  25. ^ Friedman, Roger (September 15, 2010). "Springsteen’s Big Night in Toronto Has Lots of "Promise"". Showbiz 411. http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/09/15/springsteens-big-night-in-toronto-has-lots-of-promise. Retrieved September 15, 2010. 

External links

v · d · eBruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Bruce Springsteen · Roy Bittan · Nils Lofgren · Patti Scialfa · Garry Tallent · Steven Van Zandt · Max Weinberg
Soozie Tyrell · Charles Giordano

Former members: Ernest Carter · Clarence Clemons · Danny Federici · Suki Lahav · Vini Lopez · David Sancious
Studio albums

Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973) · The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973) · Born to Run (1975) · Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) · The River (1980) · Nebraska (1982) · Born in the U.S.A. (1984) · Tunnel of Love (1987) · Human Touch (1992) · Lucky Town (1992) · The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995) · The Rising (2002) · Devils & Dust (2005) · We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006) · Magic (2007) · Working on a Dream (2009) · The Promise (2010)
Live albums
Live/1975–85 (1986) · Chimes of Freedom (EP) (1988) · In Concert/MTV Plugged (1993) · Live in New York City (2001) · Hammersmith Odeon London '75 (2006) · Live in Dublin (2007) · Magic Tour Highlights (EP) (2008)
Other albums

Greatest Hits (1995) · Blood Brothers (EP) (1996) · Tracks (1998) · 18 Tracks (1999) · The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2003) · Greatest Hits (2009)
Singles
"Blinded by the Light" (1973) · "Spirit in the Night" (1973) · "Born to Run" (1975) · "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" (1976) · "Prove It All Night" (1978) · "Badlands" (1978) · "The Promised Land" (1978) · "Hungry Heart" (1980) · "Sherry Darling" (1980) · "Fade Away" (1981) · "The River" (1981) · "Cadillac Ranch" (1981) · "Point Blank" (1981) · "Atlantic City" (1982) · "Open All Night" (1982) · "Dancing in the Dark" (1984) · "Cover Me" (1984) · "Born in the U.S.A." (1984) · "I'm on Fire" (1985) · "Glory Days" (1985) · "I'm Goin' Down" (1985) · "My Hometown" (1985) · "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" (1985) · "War" (1986)  · "Fire" (1987) · "Born to Run" (live) (1988) · "Brilliant Disguise" (1987) · "Tunnel of Love" (1987) · "One Step Up" (1988) · "Tougher Than the Rest" (1988) · "Spare Parts" (1988) · "Human Touch" (1992) · "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" (1992) · "Better Days" (1992) · "Leap of Faith" (1992) · "Lucky Town" (1993) · "Streets of Philadelphia" (1994) · "Secret Garden" (1995) · "Murder Incorporated" (1995) · "Hungry Heart" (re-issue) (1995) · "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (1996) · "Secret Garden" (1997) · "Sad Eyes" (1999) · "The Rising" (2002) · "Lonesome Day" (2002) · "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" (2003) · "Devils & Dust" (2005) · "All the Way Home" (2005) · "Radio Nowhere" (2007) · "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" (2007) · "Working on a Dream" (2008) · "My Lucky Day" (2008) · "The Wrestler" (2009)
Video releases

Video Anthology / 1978–88 (1989) · In Concert/MTV Plugged (1992) · Blood Brothers (1996) · The Complete Video Anthology / 1978–2000 (2001) · Live in New York City (2001) · Live in Barcelona (2003) · VH1 Storytellers (2005) · Wings For Wheels (2005) · Hammersmith Odeon London '75 (2005) · Live in Dublin (2007) · Magic Tour Highlights (2008) · London Calling: Live in Hyde Park (2010) · The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town (2010)
Tours

Born to Run tours (1974–77) · Darkness Tour (1978) · River Tour (1980–81) · Born in the U.S.A. Tour (1984–85) · Tunnel of Love Express (1988) · Human Rights Now! (1988) · "Other Band" Tour (1992–93) · Ghost of Tom Joad Tour (1995–97) · Reunion Tour (1999–2000) · Rising Tour (2002–03) · Vote for Change (2004) · Devils & Dust Tour (2005) · Seeger Sessions Band Tour (2006) · Magic Tour (2007–08) · Working on a Dream Tour (2009)
Related articles
Discography · Mike Appel · Jon Landau · Brendan O'Brien · E Street Band · Jay Weinberg · The Max Weinberg 7 · The Sessions Band · The Miami Horns
Wikipedia book Book:Bruce Springsteen

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Darkness on the Edge of Town — Studioalbum von Bruce Springsteen The E Street Band Veröffentlichung 1978 Aufnahme Oktober 1977– März 1978 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Darkness on the Edge of Town — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Darkness on the Edge of Town Álbum de Bruce Springsteen Publicación 2 de junio de 1978 Grabación 12 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Darkness on the Edge of Town — Студийный альбом Брюс Спрингстин Дата выпуска 2 июня 1978 …   Википедия

  • Darkness On The Edge Of Town — Portail du rock Principaux courants Scènes régionales Groupes et musiciens Par instrument …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Darkness on the edge of town — Portail du rock Principaux courants Scènes régionales Groupes et musiciens Par instrument …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Darkness on the Edge of Town — Album par Bruce Springsteen Sortie 2 juin 1978 Durée 44min 57s Genre Rock Producteur Jon …   Wikipédia en Français

  • The Edge of Night — Original main title (1956–1967) Also known as Edge of Night Genre Soap opera Created by Irving Vendig …   Wikipedia

  • Darkness Tour — Tour by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Associated album Darkness on the Edge of Town Start date …   Wikipedia

  • The Promise — Kompilationsalbum von Bruce Springsteen Veröffentlichung 2010 Aufnahme 1977 1978 Label Co …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • The River (Album) — Studioalbum von Bruce Springsteen Veröffentlichung 1980 Aufnahme April 1979–August 1980 Label …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”