Promise, The RZ2690888554

“Darkness was my ‘samurai’ record,” Springsteen writes, “stripped to the frame and ready to rumble. But the music that got left behind was substantial.” For the first time, fans will have access to two discs containing a total of 21 previously-unreleased songs from the Darkness recording sessions, songs that, as Springsteen writes, “perhaps could have/should have been released after Born To Run and before the collection of songs that Darkness on the Edge of Town became.” Highlights include the extraordinary rock version of “Racing in the Street,” the never-before-released original recordings of “Because the Night,” “Fire,” and “Rendezvous,” the supreme pop opus “Someday (We’ll Be Together),” the hilarious “Ain’t Good Enough for You,” the superb soul-based vocal performance on “The Broken Hearted,” the utterly haunting “Breakaway,” and the now finally released, fully orchestrated masterpiece and title song, “The Promise.” All 21 songs have been mixed by Springsteen’s long-time collaborator, Bob Clearmountain. According to long-time manager/producer Jon Landau, “There isn’t a weak card in this deck. ‘The Promise’ is simply a great listening experience.”