Bruce Springsteen
Darkness On The Edge Of Town

I meanwhile offer my apologies to Daniele, who had already written a review of this album, but perhaps in too concise a manner... (also because, I too believe that this is the most beautiful album in history, at least for me...) That being said, I would start talking about the most raw, dark (in terms of atmosphere) and rock album that the Boss has ever made. It should be emphasized that the album was born after conflicts with the producer and the disappointments Bruce had because of the affair. In this album, the hopes of "Born To Run" and the cheerfulness of "The River" are missing; it is a pessimistic and violent work, but the Boss sings as if the words were piercing his heart, the E Street Band plays as one, and the songs are perfect.

It starts with the drum roll of "Badlands," a song that moves with every listen, an anthem to the road and the people who populate it. Musically excellent, driving, with Max Weinberg's drums regulating our heartbeats, until it explodes into the consecutive guitar solos by Bruce and the sax by Clarence... a perfect start to a perfect album! With "Adam Raised a Cain," we are facing one of the most incredible vocal performances in rock history, the Boss is captivating in some parts, and roars his anger in others, the sound is robust and violent, Bruce seems to shout the words that burn inside him. The solo is a masterpiece, sharp and rough, perfect to replace the Boss's anguished cries. The Boss's interpretive abilities reach their highest levels, the piece penetrates us like a bullet. It's time for one of the most underrated pieces (even by Springsteen's fans), "Something in the Night," a wonderful nocturnal song to dry the acid of "Adam raised a Cain." The Boss's lament rises high, toward the night sky, he's telling us a story, that's clear... Everything flows slowly, accompanied by slow and robust drums, and then it explodes, the cry becomes a prayer until it is sucked into a final lament, voice and drums, one of the most moving points of the entire album. Follow the sweaty cries of ours sent towards "something in the night"... Not even time to recover, when Max tells us it's time to run, the drums are relentless and Bruce speaks, a love story, Candy's room goes by like a train, scraping everything, the solo is an escape from the world we don't like, everything suddenly goes dark while our heart races. And here is the heart of the album, the beginning was violent, fast, scratching. Now, it's time to wipe away the sweat from work and dream... on a road, in a Cadillac, a 6-minute journey that brings tears to your eyes, such is its intensity... The sound is light and soft, Roy's piano accompanies Bruce's dreamy voice. "Racing in the Street" is a song to savor in each of its vibrations because in its linearity, there are many nuances, and a simple tic-tic of the drums or the subdued chorus can make our hearts leap. The piano and organ close everything, slowly, letting the words slip away, the black of "Adam," the spits of "Badlands," the scratches of "Candy"... and we travel along with the keys, on the roads of our history...

The second part of the album arrives, once again energetic and powerful, all the instruments give their best, "The Promised Land" is the piece with the most hope in the album. The central part, where the piano, organ, bass, and Bruce's sighs interplay before the triple guitar-sax-harmonica solo, is one of the most successful musical moments in the entire Springsteen repertoire. "Factory" is one of those pieces that the more you listen to it, the more it seems perfect, you turn it over and over, and while you think, it’s already over. Sweet in sound, harsh in meaning, with that small organ solo that is a welcome gift to the ear. "The working life..." "Adam raised a Cain" reflects its anger even more spiritually in the eighth piece... the organ and Bruce's lament create the right tension to make "Streets of Fire" explode. The Boss's voice reaches new peaks, the "fire," seems to burn in the Boss's guts, which he spits in the words and the strings of the guitar, with an unforgettable solo. This little-mentioned, rarely played song sums up the album's poetics, low and suffocated, roaring and desperate, the cry of a man... "Prove it all night," is there to tell us that nothing is lost, you always have to give it a try... The Boss is about to say goodbye, preparing us with a musically robust, driving piece, with the guitar and sax that almost make us dance, dream, travel... "Darkness On The Edge of Town," what to say... I've never loved it so much, I think it's less beautiful than the rest, but maybe it's just because when I hear it, I know that the journey to the town's edge is ending... I must nonetheless admit that it's a worthy closure, perfect to close the curtain on all the emotions, thoughts and reflections that the album has filled our hearts and minds with.

Guys, this album is the Boss in his ideal state, those who don't know the Springsteen of the '70s, and think they can sum it all up in "Born in the USA," have missed one of the most intense and high points in rock history.