On The Line Where Dreams Are Lost And Found

On 2nd June 1978, Bruce Springsteen released Darkness On The Edge Of Town, his fourth album.

Recording for the album had started on 1st June 1977, following a year-long legal dispute with his manager over ownership of his work. Hard to believe now, but Bruce had also faced a critical backlash after third album Born To Run had broken through to the mainstream from those who questioned whether Bruce and his album was deserving of the hype and the acclaim.

It took me a while to get into Bruce, I admit. When I started buying records in the 1980s, it was the period of when Born In The U.S.A. became a global smash, of that Dancing In The Dark video, with Bruce getting Courtney Cox on stage, and the humongous 5LP box set Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band/Live 75-85. 

Bruce was in his mid-30s at the time but to my teen ears and eyes. he was an old man making old man's music, and I largely dismissed it.

Thank goodness for the passage of time, maturity, broadening tastes and the capacity to reflect on and challenge youthful ignorance, prejudice and preconception.

My reintroduction to Bruce's music began in January 2024, when I started delving into Bruce's back catalogue, and Darkness On The Edge Of Town was among my first picks, also the first time that I listened to album from start to finish.

And of course, it's a fantasic album.

I've just joined in with another musical challenge on Bluesky, this time featuring albums featuring a killer opening and closing song (even if there's filler in between). It's a no-brainer that Darkness On The Edge Of Town should feature today on the 47th anniversaru of it's release.

I've found live versions of the opening and closing songs, both performed in 1978. Badlands is from a show at he Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix on 8th July 1978. Darkness On The Edge Of Town is from a concert at the Sam Houston Coliseum in - you guessed it - Houston, Texas exactly one week later. Incredible performances from Bruce and The E-Street Band.

My friend Stuart is travelling to Liverpool on Saturday to see Bruce live in concert. Fifty years later, The Boss remains a formidable presence on stage. It promises to be an unforgettable night.

Speaking of the "other" Boss, it's my Dad's birthday. He's not especially a Springsteen fan, but will at least admire that he's one of the greats, who has kept going, and writes proper songs.

Have a great day, Père K.