Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Bruce Springsteen‘s 40 year career is the fact he continues to one up himself. At 60 years young, the New Jersey rocker still defines what it means to deliver a truly awe inspiring live performance. His writing chops also remain pretty stellar. Plus, when you have 40 years of history and records behind you, you can put together truly mind blowing retrospective box sets, which he has just done for his 1978 classic Darkness on the Edge of Town.
Due for release on November 16th, The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story is a six-disc set featuring remastered cuts of Darkness as well as 21 previously unreleased songs from the album’s studio sessions. One such unreleased track, “Save My Love”, can currently be streamed on the musician’s website (or below).
Also included in the set is the previously reported album documentary, The Promise: The Making of the Edge of Town. Directed by filmmaker Thom Zimny, the 90-minute film promises to combine “never-before-seen footage of Springsteen and the E Street Band shot between 1976 and 1978—including home rehearsals and studio sessions—with new interviews with Springsteen, E Street Band members, manager Jon Landau, former-manager Mike Appel, and others closely involved in the making of the record.” The film will receive its official premiere Toronto Film Festival on September 14th and will then make its television debut on HBO on October 7th. You can also watch a sneak peak of this below.
But wait, there’s more! (Shocker, right?)…
In addition to the documentary, the set features more than four hours of live concert film from the Thrill Hill Vault, including the bootleg house cut (the footage that appeared on-screen at the concert) from a 1978 Houston show, and a 2009 performance of Darkness on the Edge of Town in its entirety from Asbury Park. The special performance in Asbury Park was shot in HD without an audience and successfully recreates the stark atmosphere of the original album, according to an issued press release.
And if that weren’t enough, the media contents are packaged within an 80-page notebook containing facsimiles from Springsteen’s original notebooks from the recording sessions, which include alternate lyrics, song ideas, recording details, and personal notes in addition to a new essay by Springsteen and never-before-seen photographs.
Dude knows how to make a box set, folks.
As mentioned, the box set is due for release on November 16th via Columbia Records. Also available will be a simplified The Promise edition, which consists of only the unheard complete songs on two CDs or four LPs, along with lyrics and the new essay by Springsteen.
The complete tracklist follows:
CD 1: REMASTERED DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN
01. Badlands
02. Adam Raised A Cain
03. Something In The Night
04. Candy’s Room
05. Racing In The Street
06. The Promised Land
07. Factory
08. Streets Of Fire
09. Prove It All Night
10. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
CD 2: THE PROMISE (DISC 1)
01. Racing In The Street (’78)
02. Gotta Get That Feeling
03. Outside Looking In
04. Someday (We’ll Be Together)
05. One Way Street
06. Because The Night
07. Wrong Side Of The Street
08. The Brokenhearted
09. Rendezvous
10. Candy’s Boy
CD 3: THE PROMISE (DISC 2)
01. Save My Love
02. Ain’t Good Enough For You
03. Fire
04. Spanish Eyes
05. It’s A Shame
06. Come On (Let’s Go Tonight)
07. Talk To Me
08. The Little Things (My Baby Does)
09. Breakaway
10. The Promise
11. City Of Night
DVD 1: THE PROMISE: THE MAKING OF DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN
DVD 2: DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN (PARAMOUNT THEATER, ASBURY PARK, NJ,
2009)
01. Badlands
02. Adam Raised A Cain
03. Something In The Night
04. Candy’s Room
05. Racing In The Street
06. The Promised Land
07. Factory
08. Streets Of Fire
09. Prove It All Night
10. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
THRILL HILL VAULT (1976-1978)
01. Save My Love (Holmdel, NJ 76)
02. Candy’s Boy (Holmdel, NJ 76)
03. Something In The Night (Red Bank, NJ 76)
04. Don’t Look Back (NYC 78)
05. Ain’t Good Enough For You (NYC 78)
06. The Promise (NYC 78)
07. Candy’s Room Demo (NYC 78)
08. Badlands (Phoenix 78)
09. The Promised Land (Phoenix 78)
10. Prove It All Night (Phoenix 78)
11. Born To Run (Phoenix 78)
12. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (Phoenix 78)
DVD 3: HOUSTON ’78 BOOTLEG: HOUSE CUT
01. Badlands
02. Streets Of Fire
03. It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City
04. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
05. Spirit In The Night
06. Independence Day
07. The Promised Land
08. Prove It All Night
09. Racing In The Street
10. Thunder Road
11. Jungleland
12. The Ties That Bind
13. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
14. The Fever
15. Fire
16. Candy’s Room
17. Because The Night
18. Point Blank
19. She’s The One
20. Backstreets
21. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
22. Born To Run
23. Detroit Medley
24. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
25. You Can’t Sit Down
26. Quarter To Three