With his third album Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen finally achieved success in 1975 for which he had struggled for years. This turned out to be a disappointment, he suddenly turned out to be tied to strangulation contracts and was practically owned by his management. During this period, when he had to reclaim his freedom in court, a new Springsteen was formed. In his own words, he was no longer
… looking for wealth and fame, but rather wanted to be 'good', setting his own standards. This resulted in Darkness On The Edge Of Town, which was released in 1978. He wrote many songs for this, but he eventually made a selection that matched the theme of the hard-working and trapped loner in an angry world. In terms of sound it had to sound bare and honest. In the end, the music can be heard between the drama and bombast of Born To Run and its successor, The River (1980), which focuses more on pounding rock and primary ballads. It did not yield any hits for Springsteen, but is considered by many to be his best album. (MR)more