Great Rock Albums of 1978: Bruce Springsteen- Darkness on the Edge of Town

Being a New Jersey boy, it would be a complete act of sacriledge if I didn’t include this 1978 offering from The Boss. This was another one of those albums I never had to buy because everyone else I knew had it. The summer of 1978 was awash with car stereos, (casette and 8track) blasting this album out of their speakers as they drove around town. Furthermore, the single “Badlands” got lots of airplay on local radio merely because it was a local artist making good.

I believe, as do many others, that “Darkness on the Edge of Town” showcases Springsteen’s working class roots. The tracks from this album have a raw, gritty appeal and the lyrics in them compliment this feeling. This is why I consider this album a good cruising album, to play when you’re driving down the main drag of your home town. I know, because that’s what happened for my friends and me back in the summer and autumn of 1978 and beyond.

Track Listing:

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

Bruce Springsteen- lead vocals, lead guitar, harmonica

Roy Britton- piano, vocals

Clarence Clemmons- saxophone, vocals

Danny Federici- organ, glockenspiel

Gary Tallent- bass

Steven Van Zandt- rythm guitar, vocals

Max Weinberg- drums

This was the first album that proved to me that you didn’t need a hit single to make a good album. The two singles from this album only just broke into the top forty charts, while the album made it all the way to number sixteen. It probably did better in New Jersey. At the time, a schoolmate of mine reckoned that Springsteen was the next Bob Dylan. I don’t know if I can agree with that, but I do know that this is a good classic album that shows why Bruce Springsteen is The Boss. If you have “Darkness on the Edge of Town” on CD, put it in your car stereo next time you go for a drive, you’ll see what I mean.

Next post: Cheap Trick- Heaven Tonight

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