I mean, those two are great, but they're the more casual fan picks.
― iatee, Monday, 30 November 2009 03:25 (3 years ago) Permalink
yeah h8ed those poll results so much
Darkness was the last of the early Bruce records that I heard, and when I did hear it I was like shit, this is the one I was looking for all this time
― it's a crazy college where you come from (some dude), Monday, 30 November 2009 03:28 (3 years ago) Permalink
According to the press via Jon Landau, Darkness is getting the special reissue treatment with a re-mastered copy of the album, live stuff and a doc on the making of the album sometime in 2010.
― OCONDOR (Pt.1), Monday, 30 November 2009 07:40 (3 years ago) Permalink
The older I get, the better this album gets. Could be any one, but today it's The Promised Land.
― ithappens, Monday, 30 November 2009 11:13 (3 years ago) Permalink
There's a dark cloud rising from the desert floorI packed my bags and I'm heading straight into the stormGonna be a twister to blow everything downThat ain't got the faith to stand its groundBlow away the dreams that tear you apartBlow away the dreams that break your heartBlow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted
― iatee, Monday, 30 November 2009 19:22 (3 years ago) Permalink
Was gonna vote for "Candy's Room," but it looks like my close second "Adam Raised A Cain" needs a boost some I'm going with that.
― tipsi power (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 30 November 2009 19:22 (3 years ago) Permalink
(dylan worthy imo xp)
― iatee, Monday, 30 November 2009 19:23 (3 years ago) Permalink
Yeah, how awesome is that? So sure of faith he knows he can head into the storm and be left standing while the twister blows all the bad shit away.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 30 November 2009 20:57 (3 years ago) Permalink
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Tuesday, 1 December 2009 00:01 (3 years ago) Permalink
something of an upset, imo
― iatee, Tuesday, 1 December 2009 00:02 (3 years ago) Permalink
Kinda surprising Badlands only got one vote. I never cared for that song either. Of all the Springsteen standards he plays at every show, that's my least favorite.
― kornrulez6969, Tuesday, 1 December 2009 00:59 (3 years ago) Permalink
yeah I thought it was gonna be racing-badlands 1 and 2.
― iatee, Tuesday, 1 December 2009 01:00 (3 years ago) Permalink
Ha, almost voted for "Streets Of Fire" instead of "Adam," aka the (slavish) Van Morrison copy instead of the (sort of) Creedence copy. This is his best album because it is all over the place but still cohesive. It's a transition album before he streamlined his sound, as has been discussed somewhere on this epic thread:"Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen -- who really enjoys this overproduced crappy glop?
― Ethel Slaughter Zachary (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 1 December 2009 01:30 (3 years ago) Permalink
I am shocked by this result but there is no wrong answer.
― Mark, Tuesday, 1 December 2009 01:32 (3 years ago) Permalink
Candy's Room has some great dynamics.
― Ethel Slaughter Zachary (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 1 December 2009 01:38 (3 years ago) Permalink
i'm pleasantly surprised that my pick won but man some really great songs got little or no votes
― it's a crazy college where you come from (some dude), Tuesday, 1 December 2009 01:48 (3 years ago) Permalink
otm. Voting on these polls tends to be lumpy instead of spunky.
― Ethel Slaughter Zachary (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 1 December 2009 01:50 (3 years ago) Permalink
True, but it is kind of hard to imagine liking either "Factory" or "Streets" best on this album, which in no way means that they are bad songs. "Streets" is my least favorite though.
― Mark, Tuesday, 1 December 2009 01:53 (3 years ago) Permalink
Candy's Room: Still a shocker.
― Mark, Monday, 22 March 2010 04:26 (3 years ago) Permalink
This looks promising!
― Euler, Thursday, 26 August 2010 17:59 (2 years ago) Permalink
thanks for the heads up, this sounds essential.
― margana (anagram), Thursday, 26 August 2010 19:36 (2 years ago) Permalink
IT'S OFFICIAL: DARKNESS FALLS, NOVEMBER 16Six-disc box set tells The Darkness on the Edge of Town StoryThe long-awaited Darkness on the Edge of Town reissue, originally expected for the 1978 album's 30th anniversary, has grown to enormous proportions for its release on November 16 as The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story. The 30th anniversary set for Born to Run comprised three discs, and it would have been reasonable to expect the same for Darkness; instead, this just-announced set doubles down, with six discs: three CDs, and three DVDs. (A 3-CD/3-BluRay edition will also be available.)
For this deluxe edition, the discs will be packaged with an 80-page notebook containing facsimiles from Springsteen's original notebooks from the recording sessions, which include alternate lyrics, song ideas, recording details, and personal notes in addition to a new essay by Springsteen and never-before-seen photographs.
So we're looking at more than six hours of film, and more than two hours of audio. Let's break it down...
CD1: Darkness on the Edge of Town Digitally remastered for the first time (and in our view, the album most in need of such treatment)
CD2 and CD3: The Promise Two discs (which will also be released separately as a 2-CD set and a 4-LP set) containing 21 previously unreleased tracks from the Darkness sessions — songs that, as Springsteen writes, "perhaps could have/should have been released after Born to Run and before the collection of songs that Darkness on the Edge of Town became." Of this material Bruce also writes, "Darkness was my 'samurai' record, stripped to the frame and ready to rumble… But the music that got left behind was substantial." All 21 songs have been mixed by Springsteen's long-time collaborator Bob Clearmountain. According to long-time manager/producer Jon Landau, "There isn't a weak card in this deck. The Promise is simply a great listening experience."
The Promise
Disc 1
Racing in the Street ('78 rock version)Gotta Get That FeelingOutside Looking InSomeday (We'll Be Together)One Way StreetBecause the Night (original studio recording)Wrong Side of the StreetThe BrokenheartedRendezvous (original studio recording)Candy's BoyThe Promise
Disc 2
Save My LoveAin't Good Enough For YouFire (original studio recording)Spanish EyesIt's a ShameCome On (Let's Go Tonight)Talk to Me (given to Southside Johnny)The Little Things (My Baby Does)BreakawayThe PromiseCity of Night
DVD1: The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town. The documentary directed by Grammy- and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Thom Zimny. The 90-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. The documentary will first screen at the prestigious Toronto Film Festival on September 14 and will make its television debut on HBO on October 7.
DVD2: A mix of E Street new and old: first the modern-day E Street Band tackles the Darkness album from start to finish (remember back in December, when Bruce and the E Streeters were doing some closed-door filming at the Paramount Theater?), then a wealth of vintage clips from the Thrill Hill Vaults document the Darkness-era band, both in-studio and live.
Darkness on the Edge of Town (Paramount Theater, Asbury Park, NJ, 2009) A performance of the album in its entirety, shot in HD without an audience and recreating the stark atmosphere of the original album.
Thrill Hill Vault, 1976-1978From studio rehearsals to live performances, clips here include brand new cuts of the Phoenix footage, re-edited by Thom Zimny.
Save My Love (Holmdel, NJ 76)Candy's Boy (Holmdel, NJ 76)Something in the Night (Red Bank, NJ 76)Don’t Look Back (NYC 78)Ain't Good Enough For You (NYC 78)The Promise (NYC 78)Candy's Room Demo (NYC 78)Badlands (Phoenix 78)The Promised Land (Phoenix 78)Prove It All Night (Phoenix 78)Born To Run (Phoenix 78)Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (Phoenix 78)
DVD3: Houston '78 Bootleg: House Cut A holy grail of sorts, this is the complete show from December 8, 1978, at the Summit in Houston, TX toward the end of the tour for Darkness on the Edge of Town. They're calling this a "bootleg house cut," as it's the footage that appeared on-screen at the concert.
BadlandsStreets of FireIt’s Hard to Be a Saint in the CityDarkness on The Edge of TownSpirit in the NightIndependence DayThe Promised LandProve It All NightRacing in the StreetThunder RoadJunglelandThe Ties That BindSanta Claus is Coming to TownThe FeverFireCandy's RoomBecause the NightPoint BlankShe's the OneBackstreetsRosalita (Come Out Tonight)Born to RunDetroit MedleyTenth Avenue Freeze-outYou Can't Sit DownQuarter to Three
― Euler, Thursday, 26 August 2010 22:10 (2 years ago) Permalink
This looks great; I don't know this Houston '78 show, & it looks a little shorter than the shows I know best from 78 (namely Winterland & the Passaic Theater), but it's a solid set list. It's not clear to me whether those studio rehearsals on the second DVD have video from those rehearsals, but if so that's pretty cool! The 2009 show sounds ok, though Bruce's voice is shot now & his singing on the original album is crucial, leaping between tenderness & a scream. I'm not sure how much of The Promise songs I have already, probably a bunch, but they're a good listen & if this has more, that's great too. I hope the mixing doesn't slay them. Ditto for the remastering on the original album.
― Euler, Thursday, 26 August 2010 22:15 (2 years ago) Permalink
yeah, the promise stuff here looks great -- but is most of it on bootlegs or Tracks?
― tylerw, Thursday, 26 August 2010 22:18 (2 years ago) Permalink
I'm not sure if the "Rendezvous" here (in its "original studio recording" form) is the same as the one on Tracks. If so, then as far as I can tell it's the only repeat with Tracks. I'm not sure about the bootleg repeats: I know the Lost Masters from that era pretty well, & so I know a few of these songs (like "One Way Street"), and "Fire" & "The Promise" are well known, but still, this may be pretty new stuff. & the sound on the boots from the era isn't great, so the mixing could help a bunch. Also, can we trust Bruce when he says the songs "perhaps could have/should have been released after Born to Run and before the collection of songs that Darkness on the Edge of Town became."? afaik not much from Born to Run until 1977 has been bootlegged, because of his contractual difficulties. But I could be wrong about that too.
― Euler, Thursday, 26 August 2010 22:27 (2 years ago) Permalink
yeah, i don't have many springsteen studio outtake bootlegs, so i'm not an expert with this stuff. what does the "rock" version of "racing in the street" sound like? seems ... wrong.
― tylerw, Thursday, 26 August 2010 22:30 (2 years ago) Permalink
yeah, that's one I've not heard. I'm not much of an expert on this either, though I recently got a disk of Born To Run studio outtakes that I liked a lot.
― Euler, Thursday, 26 August 2010 22:34 (2 years ago) Permalink
The "rock" "Racing In the Street" is fantastic. Slightly different lyrics, really powerful vocals emphasizing the desperation rather than the sadness of the slower version. There's also another slow take of "Racing In the Street" that's worth seeking out. Overall, these outtakes are pretty obscure & don't overlap those on 'Tracks.' "Come On (Let's Go Tonight)" mutated into "Factory." And I gotta say - after all these years its great to see "The Promise" come out in its original form. I decided when I first heard it (c. 1980) that it was the best thing Springsteen had ever recorded & I still think so today. If Phil Spector had ever produced Townes Van Zandt, something similar to "The Promise" may have emerged. An absolute masterpiece. There are some superb live versions dating back to c. 1976 with sparse piano accompaniment too. Verily, it is to weep.
The Houston show seems like an odd one to pick based on my experience with '78 bootlegs, but I've been a bit out of the loop for some time. There's also a video "House Cut" from Largo, MD that is absolutely skullf*#kingly amazing. Hopefully this Houston one is equally great & in pristine quality. The Thrill Hill "Rosalita" is the one that's been around forever with the girl tackling him & sticking her tongue down his throat. Of the well-known soundboard/FM broadcast bootlegs from this era, I'd say Roxy Theater LA, Cleveland Agora, & Passaic are probably the best ones, but they all kick serious ass. For my money, nobody has ever done more consistently astounding shows than Bruce Springsteen in 1977 & 1978. Simply overwhelming.
― ImprovSpirit, Friday, 27 August 2010 02:28 (2 years ago) Permalink
promise is def the best thing he's ever recorded
― iatee, Friday, 27 August 2010 02:35 (2 years ago) Permalink
Yes to the Cleveland Agora show. I must have listened to my cassette version of that 10,000 times.
But uh, is it wrong for me to say I prefer the 1999 Tracks re-recording of The Promise? The original is just too lumbering and overwrought. Love the stripped down new version, though.
― kornrulez6969, Friday, 27 August 2010 03:41 (2 years ago) Permalink
OMG! Finally.
― StanM, Friday, 27 August 2010 10:56 (2 years ago) Permalink
oooooh. now we just need that four hour River era new years eve show in pristine quality and all will be well with the world.
― reallysmoothmusic (Jamie_ATP), Friday, 27 August 2010 11:58 (2 years ago) Permalink
Nassau Night, you mean? The Crystal Cat version is already damn near perfect IMO. Great, great show though.
― margana (anagram), Friday, 27 August 2010 12:15 (2 years ago) Permalink
There's a Rattlesnake release of that show (Midnight in Nassau) that sounds somewhat better, imho, but it's incomplete and a lot of tracks fade out or are cut.
― StanM, Friday, 27 August 2010 12:28 (2 years ago) Permalink
hmm, i think i have that nassau show, but the sound is far from perfect. will have to seek out either the crystal cat or rattlesnake version.
― tylerw, Friday, 27 August 2010 14:44 (2 years ago) Permalink
but yeah, the 78 bootlegs are out of this world. i think they actually ruined a lot of bruce's studio records for me!
There's also a video "House Cut" from Largo, MD that is absolutely skullf*#kingly amazing
High school age me saw Springsteen 2 times around 1978 or so at the Capital Centre in Largo. Great shows. Enjoyed him but not quite as much once in the early '80s there, but I was underwhelmed with him when I saw him in 2006 or 2007 in New Orleans at Jazzfest. Maybe it's me that's the problem (or maybe not).
― curmudgeon, Friday, 27 August 2010 15:08 (2 years ago) Permalink
He's nowhere near as dynamic now as he was on the Darkness & River tours. The band is incredibly tight, but the arrangements are much less spacious than 'back in the day,' making the live experience far less essential than it once was.
The bootlegs took the edge off of a lot of the studio records for me too. The live versions of "Prove It All Night," for instance, made the studio cut sound timid & lifeless by comparison, to say nothing of things he didn't even release like "Because the Night" (devastating!!)& "Fire" - and covers like "Summertime Blues," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Raise Your Hand," "Run Through the Jungle," and "Rave On."
― ImprovSpirit, Friday, 27 August 2010 16:33 (2 years ago) Permalink
Dang! My olde Nassau Coliseum vinyl box set was a mediocre audience recording. I love to have a good recording of that show...
― ImprovSpirit, Friday, 27 August 2010 16:36 (2 years ago) Permalink
i have no doubt that his live act was even better in '78, but as someone who was regretfully not born in time to see that in person, i'm damned impressed with the shows he puts on these days. way more dynamic on stage than a lot of today's major-label rock bands, let alone most artists of his age.
― swvl, Friday, 27 August 2010 17:04 (2 years ago) Permalink
I agree - I'll take Springsteen at sixty over most of the young bucks out there any day of the week.
― ImprovSpirit, Friday, 27 August 2010 17:17 (2 years ago) Permalink
Interesting piece here.
And this photo of Bruce looking over album cover proofs is by (wait for it) Doug Yule:
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Friday, 27 August 2010 21:44 (2 years ago) Permalink
haha, what? the doug yule?
― tylerw, Friday, 27 August 2010 21:47 (2 years ago) Permalink
Yep! Apparently he was working at that printer's at the time, and happened to have a camera with him.
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Friday, 27 August 2010 21:57 (2 years ago) Permalink
Still the only Springsteen album I go back to these days. Box set looks interesting.
― Elvis Telecom, Friday, 27 August 2010 23:50 (2 years ago) Permalink
will be interesting to know the price... right now his official site is only letting the 3 cd + 3 dvd set be boughtin a set with a poster and tshirt with an £80 price tag....
pretty cool though that The Promise set can be bought without having to buy Darkness again
― reallysmoothmusic (Jamie_ATP), Friday, 27 August 2010 23:53 (2 years ago) Permalink
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040JHXTI/ref=s9_al_et_t?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=right-1&pf_rd_r=1ZW81YVJJAYTVVZS2085&pf_rd_t=4401&pf_rd_p=1273689702&pf_rd_i=B000AQ2ZLQ
oh okay, ouch. so i guess its gonna be about £60 even without the shirt and poster.
― reallysmoothmusic (Jamie_ATP), Friday, 27 August 2010 23:54 (2 years ago) Permalink
I always liked his primal take on Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" circa 1978. The drums aren't as loud in this video as I remember them
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 28 August 2010 01:43 (2 years ago) Permalink
I always liked "Adam Raised a Cain"---it seemed like his most raw, kinda punk-inspired vocal.
Darkness on the Edge of Town [Columbia, 1978]"Promised Land," "Badlands," and "Adam Raised a Cain" are models of how an unsophisticated genre can illuminate a mature, full-bodied philosophical insight. Lyrically and vocally, they move from casual to incantatory modes with breathtaking subtlety, jolting ordinary details into meaning. But many of the other songs remain local-color pieces, and at least two--"Something in the Night" and "Streets of Fire"--are overwrought, soggy, all but unlistenable. An important minor artist or a rather flawed and inconsistent major one. B+
Here's Christgau from his Consumer Guide at the time:
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 28 August 2010 01:53 (2 years ago) Permalink
4. "Candy's Room" 167. "Factory" 0
This makes no sense. Don't get the love for "Candy's Room" at all, it's the only one I skip.
― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Friday, 29 July 2011 19:56 (1 year ago) Permalink
Assholes OTM.
― StanM, Friday, 29 July 2011 21:36 (1 year ago) Permalink
a sadness all her own from which no man can keep candy safe
― Roberto Spiralli, Friday, 18 May 2012 18:57 (1 year ago) Permalink
a friend was all excited to tell me yesterday that brooce is "playing the prove it all night 78 arrangement this year!!!!"
― tylerw, Friday, 18 May 2012 19:16 (1 year ago) Permalink
On my vacation in Spain a few months ago, we rented a car and spent some long stretches of highways and back roads flipping through Spanish radio stations. There was your standard assortment of pop, Euro and otherwise -- Adele was ubiquitous -- and a whole lot of '80s oldies. But at one point we found kind of a classic rock station, and the 2nd or 3rd song that came on was "Racing in the Street." It made me unexpectedly happy to be cruising down a Spanish highway with that song blasting.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Saturday, 19 May 2012 16:08 (1 year ago) Permalink
"Prove It All Night" '78 arrangement is basically the only live showcase for the totally superfluous Little Steven these days.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 19 May 2012 16:13 (1 year ago) Permalink
is he the one playing lead on the intro to those versions? i always assumed it was bruce.
― tylerw, Saturday, 19 May 2012 22:37 (1 year ago) Permalink