Bruce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town by: Justin Pearsall Mon:01-Oct-07 Label: Sony Year: 1978 WB rating 72 out of 100

The three year gap between Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town was a long wait for fans and the artist himself.  Drawn out by legal battles, when the time came to record Springsteen had a number of tracks to choose from, his eventual selections rejecting the radio-friendly hits of the predecessor, favouring a hard sound and bleak outlook. Critics have generally praised these changes for their maturity and artistic growth, some aficionados even arguing for the record’s status as Springsteen’s crown jewel. Yet its rejection of anthems and seeming melodic disinterest makes Darkness on the Edge of Town a particularly difficult listen.

Opening with ‘Badlands’, the track closest to the highs of Born to Run, its heavy production and the thick sound of Springsteen and Steve Van Zandt’s harmonies make it an easy, but not entirely representative, introduction to the album. Even with the similarity in sound between the records, two main differences are apparent on ‘Badlands’, both existing throughout Darkness. The first is Springsteen’s lyrical pessimism, a barren outlook that more often spills into anger than offers any resolution: “Lights out tonight/Trouble in the heartland/Got a head-on collision/Smashin’ in my guts”.

The second and most pronounced change however is the harder instrumentation. Where Born to Run was characterised by classic rock piano arpeggios and the soulful sound of Clarence Clemons’ sax, Darkness prefers hard rock guitar leads and a more frill-heavy, dense rhythm from drummer Max Weinberg. These qualities, hinted at on ‘Badlands’ are elaborated on ‘Adam Raised a Cain’. The song, a hard-driving blues stomp, is musically weighty, trading the melody and rousing choruses that popularised Springsteen for a grinding rhythm.

Even when the album’s grit is restrained and he enters into ballads there are dark undertones and left-of-centre structures that challenge accessibility. On the first ballad ‘Something in the Night’, a song lacking a conventional chorus, the band wander through slow-rock territory, the intended highlight being Springsteen and Weinberg’s solo, the third verse delivered to the thud of bass drum and tom-toms: “But they caught us at the state line/And burned our cars in one last flight/And left us running burned and blind/Chasing something in the night”.

While Springsteen told Rolling Stone that "It had to be just relentless...just a barrage of that particular thing." The album’s second half is a more subdued affair, the highlight being its most melodic track, ‘The Promised Land’. Reviving his melodic gifts, Springsteen’s stirring chorus empowers the working class belief that saturates his best lyrics, the quality most recognisable in his street poetry.

For the casual Springsteen fan Darkness on the Edge of Town is not the ideal starting point. Far more than the mega successes of Born in The USA or Born to Run, Darkness requires repeat listens for its charms to become apparent. But underneath an album characterised by grit – a record that Springsteen undoubtedly knew would challenge his more fickle listeners – there is a beauty that reveals itself, shining through a moody interior. And while pundits may enjoy the challenges of the album, Springsteen seems at his best when he’s belting out choruses, plain-faced and impassioned, rather than hiding these gifts away.