Amazon.com essential recording
The pain of a protracted legal battle with his former manager and the release of being allowed to record again after a three-year layoff are equally apparent from the piercing hard rock and harsh lyrical content of
Darkness on the Edge of Town. Betrayal and hard work that comes to naught are the primary subjects on his mind here, evidenced by songs such as "Adam Raised a Cain," "Factory," and "Streets of Fire." Elsewhere, there are signs of hope or at least the possibility of outrunning your problems ("Racing in the Street," "The Promised Land," "Prove It All Night"). But mostly, these are songs about exorcising some serious demons, and from the sound of things, Springsteen's loud, lonesome howl and blistering guitar work went a long way toward making him whole again. This is angry art, made by someone pushed to his absolute limit and more than ready to push back.
--Daniel Durchholz
From Amazon.co.uk
The Roy Orbison drama, the Wall of Sound and the soul energy of
Born to Run are still present here but there's a darkness now, too, and it's more than around the edges. The stories have more at risk, for one thing, a definite sense of the pain that can accompany the hardest choices. These real-world consequences are felt most strikingly in Bruce Springsteen's newly prominent guitar--his solos are ugly and twisted but he sounds all the stronger for it. Recorded for everyone who has "a notion ... it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive",
Darkness on the Edge of Town might just be Springsteen's greatest achievement.
--David Cantwell