Maybe it’s because kids are too good at stealing albums these days, but It seems like 2010 is the year of the reissue. The Rolling Stones gave Exile on Main St. the deluxe-super-reissue treatment, it seems like R.E.M is reissuing albums at will, and now E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt spilled the beans and told Rolling Stone that a deluxe reissue of The Boss’ 1978 classic, Darkness on the Edge of Town, will be available just in time for the holiday season.
The new version will feature new vocal overdubs, but Van Zandt doesn’t expect the band to tamper with the songs too much.“We’ll go back and [Bruce] might finish a lyric or harmony on one or two,” he said, “but we’ll keep them intact pretty much.” The best part is the fact that the reissue could feature up to ten new, previously unheard, outtakes from one of Springsteen’s most raw albums. His engineer has been scouring the vaults in search of unheard material from the recording sessions that took place for Darkness, and Van Zandt said that in addition to the outtake on 1998’s Tracks box set, ten new outtakes have been unearthed.
No release date is set, and some fans are calling for a bonus DVD featuring concert footage from the tour supporting the album, but Van Zandt wouldn’t divulge any more details. For now fans can check out the really old video of the E Street Band performing Darkness’ title cut at the Capitol Theatre in Passic, N.J. on Sept 9, 1978 – just three months after it hit the streets (on vinyl!).
