The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

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Diane

The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

Post by Diane »

thepromise_426.jpg
Bruce Springsteen's The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story Unveiled for Nov. 16 Release

Columbia Records has just announced Bruce Springsteen's The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story will be released on November 16.

For the first time, fans will have access to 21 never-before-heard complete songs from the "Darkness" recording sessions on 2 CD or 4 LP 180-gram vinyl sets that will be available as The Promise. "'Darkness' was my 'samurai' record," Springsteen writes, "stripped to the frame and ready to rumble. But the music that got left behind was substantial." The Promise will also include the new essay from Bruce Springsteen, lyrics to all new tracks and unseen photographs from the Darkness On The Edge of Town sessions.

Containing a wealth of previously unreleased material, The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story offers an unprecedented look into Springsteen's creative process during a defining moment in his career. In addition to the The Promise 2 CDs, the deluxe 3 CD/3 DVD and 3 CD/3 Blu-ray Disc versions include the Darkness on the Edge of Town album digitally remastered for the first time. Comprising over six hours of film and more than two hours of audio, The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story is packaged within an 80-page spiral-bound reproduction of Bruce's original notebooks documenting the recording sessions for the album, containing alternate lyrics, song ideas, recording details and personal notes.

Visit http://www.brucespringsteen.net for an exclusive sneak peek of the The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story video content as well as a first-listen of the song, "Save My Love," from The Promise, and complete details about this new release.
I have no internet at home at the mo so can't check this out properly but caught a cool early version of Sherry Darling on the dvd excerpt. I got some beer and the highway's free and I got you and baby you got me..! Anyway, new old Bruce!
Last edited by Diane on Sat Aug 28, 2010 11:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
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musicmania
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Re: The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

Post by musicmania »

Can't wait for this! Hopefully a tour will follow next summer. Need a live fix of The Boss :D
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Diane

Re: The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

Post by Diane »

Yes, I am glad he is harking back to his most creative period. It's a kind of closing of the circle, after the recent 'old and wise' output. I am right with you in your Tour hopes, Gwen:-)! Would also like to be on that highway in the photo with him.
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Re: The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

Post by Kush »

Sweet! Look forward to it. Think I'll pass on the DVD/CD package and just get the 2 CD set of unreleased songs.
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Re: The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

Post by musicmania »

Diane wrote: Would also like to be on that highway in the photo with him.
Yeah wouldn't mind being in the middle of nowhere alone with Brucie myself..... *sigh*
2009 Dublin 2010 Lissadell Katowice LV x2 2012 Ghent x2 Dublin x4 Montreal x2 Toronto x2 2013 New York x2 Brussels Dublin x2

Gwen's Leonard Cohen Journey: http://myleonardcohenjourney.wordpress.com/

"I did my best, it wasn't much"
Diane

Re: The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

Post by Diane »

57 channels and somethin' on: The docu is on the tv this week, over the pond.

Image

I rather like that 'poster'.

two different trailers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8EXbF68fwQ&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I260Fpc6R0

It'll be interesting to get more of an insight into the circumstances behind The Promise (song) that titles these new releases, and which was left off Darkness because it was too telling, and apparently expresses his feelings about his dispute with his former manager, and (maybe) his concerns that by becoming famous he was a traitor to the working class struggles he was writing about.
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Re: The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

Post by Kush »

'The River' by Barb Jungr. If she ever shows up in the mid west, I might go see her in concert. I like her live videos more than her albums, which is not to say I dont like the latter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIFW5aMYgm0
Diane

Re: The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

Post by Diane »

15 of the new tracks available online:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... =130858856
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Re: The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

Post by Kush »

Nice. I heard the entire 57 minutes on fancy headphones last night, Diane. There is the rawness of youth to this music (it is arguable exactly what I mean by that, whether the music actually is so or whether that is a preconceived notion in my head and I am saying it because it just sounds cool, but nevertheless.... it feels right :) ). Its been a pretty outstanding fall season for new songs by old and not so old favorites of mine - John Hiatt (late spring actually), johnny clegg, rudresh mahanthappa (with Bunky Green), Vijay Iyer, aaron neville (next week) and Springsteen - a "bumper crop"*. I havent actually heard many of these yet but it will be a great winter break.

* from a movie I saw recently
Diane

Re: The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

Post by Diane »

Only the coolest of headphones are fit to deliver the music to your discerning ears, Kush. I see people are complaining about The Promise being old bootleg footage dubbed over and therefore not authentic. But having listened through a couple of times and not having heard the "originals", I am enjoying it for what it is, and yes I like it! I hear at least one instant classic. It's a bit peculiar to hear old words and tunes mixed up. Blown off angels and hot rod strangers? I prefer the piano version of the title track to the full band one on the release. But let's have both. It'll take a while to get to know (and six tracks are omitted from the npr page -incl. The Way, which we found once on youtube if you recall).

John Hiatt pops up on my iTunes every once in a while. What's Johnny Clegg up to these days then? And Rudresh M has a new album does he. I haven't listened to Kinsmen for a while but still often go back to Kadri Gopalnath solo album, which is brilliant in itself imo. Currently I am listening to Robert Plant, and am stuck on John Adams' The Dharma at Big Sur, which is a masterpiece of epic proportions (and is indian-jazzish, as it happens). Happy Diwali btw, if you celebrate it, and if you don't.
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Re: The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

Post by Steven »

Hi,

Just heard all the tracks posted on the NPR site. Overall, found them enjoyable. Some were interesting, if for
nothing else, as historical record of experiments that didn't work out so well. Thanks for posting the link Diane.
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Re: The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

Post by Steven »

Hi,

Bought the two CD compilation of "The Promise." (The box set was well over $100 U.S. at the retailer I
visited. Did not buy the box set.) The material, overall, is not close to the quality that I associate with
the album "Darkness on the Edge of Town." Still glad to have made the purchase.
Diane

Re: The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

Post by Diane »

Hi Steven! Great to see you. I haven't got the cds yet (I doubt I will shell out for the whole package myself as I only tend to watch dvds once, so prefer to wait til they are on TV). Interesting that you are not very impressed. I remember thinking, from the npr previewed songs, that he sung Racing In The Street in a more 'arrogant' tone than on Darkness, which seemed less attractive. But The Brokenhearted, I thought it was marvellous, in a Roy Orbison sort of way, and I am amazed that it was kept under wraps for so long. Lyrically it's not up there with Darkness I'd agree. But that won't stop me playing it to death:-)
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bruce springsteen - darkness revisited

Post by sebmelmoth2003 »

...Alan Yentob presents this special edition of Thom Zimny's documentary in which Bruce Springsteen describes his attempts to create a sequel to one of the most popular albums of all time, sealing his legendary status in the tortured, but ultimately triumphant, process...

there's a workaround for non-UKers who want to watch iplayer videos but i'm not sure if it'd be prudent to publicly announce it [some expenditure required to implement it!].

if the bbc becomes aware of the `flaw` they'll probably block it - but i'll tell any established posters who want to ask via PM.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wmx2t

the programme may be posted to youtube or other video-sharing sites but as far as i can see it's not there yet.
Diane

Re: The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story

Post by Diane »

Thanks for that link, sebmel!! I just watched even though it's way past my bedtime. Have to write a bit now before I forget: The film essentially reveals that after the success of Born to Run, Springsteen was afraid of going on to become just a pop singer because "what I have of value is at my core". Landau said that the two potential hits written for Darkness, Because the Night and Fire, were given away/left off, because Bruce didn't want a hit - he didn't want to be represented by them. I guess that, paradoxically, after the success of Born to Run, he could afford to be that uncompromising...He said Darkness on the Edge of Town was about needing to be alive now right at this moment, about commitment to your own inner life-force - and a questioning, over and over, how you can honour and hold onto to it. He wanted the record to have "an apocalyptic grandeur". He succeeded! What a man.

Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop
I'll be on that hill with everything I got...
I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost
For wanting things that can only be found
In the darkness on the edge of town


Let's be on that hill with everything we got. Thanks again for the link!

edit: He also said Darkness was about how we live with our "sins".

For all the shut down strangers and hot rod angels
Rumbling through this promised land
Tonight my baby and me we're gonna ride to the sea
And wash these sins off our hands


It all reminds me a little of a turbo-charged Song of Bernadette...

Steven, I still don't have The Promise album (but only because I suspect Santa may be bringing it), but I have heard most of the tracks now, and while I like the Bruce-energy that is undoutedly there, other than the 'Orbison' one, I haven't heard anything new, that really grabs me, and I know why you are not blown away by it. Still, it's early days.. I hope you get to see the documentary. Good wishes to you:-)
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