The Promise

[bobfrombob]

STATEMENT ABOUT "THE PROMISE: THE MAKING OF DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN"

Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau Management, and Columbia Records are working on completing a new package related to 'Darkness on the Edge of Town,' which will include the new Thom Zimny film "The Promise: The Making of Darkness On The Edge Of Town." Further details will be announced when they are finalized.

 

"The Promise: The Making of Darkness On The Edge Of Town" will premier September 14 at the Toronto International Film Festival. Springsteen will visit Toronto for a discussion with actor Edward Norton about the film.

 

http://brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html

[LouisvilleGreg]

STATEMENT ABOUT "THE PROMISE: THE MAKING OF DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN"

Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau Management, and Columbia Records are working on completing a new package related to 'Darkness on the Edge of Town,' which will include the new Thom Zimny film "The Promise: The Making of Darkness On The Edge Of Town." Further details will be announced when they are finalized.

 

"The Promise: The Making of Darkness On The Edge Of Town" will premier September 14 at the Toronto International Film Festival. Springsteen will visit Toronto for a discussion with actor Edward Norton about the film.

 

http://brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html

 

looks like somebody beat me to the punch. been looking forward to this for a long time. the in studio recording and rehearsel footage sounds incredible. hopefully tracks 2 is next after this is released.

[Vacant Horizon]

Tracks 2! that sounds very interesting. love darkness, so this is gonna be great. it'll be interesting to see what bruce does in the next two years as the last decade was nonstop. i'm betting a solo album or maybe another tour.

[mpolak21]

The Born on the Run doc on that re-issue was pretty good, will check this out.

 

--Mike

[LouisvilleGreg]

I think that Bruce will likely exercise all of his options in the next few years. I think there'll be another Devils and Dust type record, I think there is unfinished work with the Seeger Sessions band, and no one has said anything about the E Street Band calling it a day. The big question mark is Clarence's health. He's 7 or 8 years older than the rest of the band and I don't know how many more marathon shows he has in him. He, to me is the one completely and totally irreplaceable member of the band. As for Tracks 2 and other archives, there's loads and loads of it, some quite good to great. Electric Nebraska was even confirmed recently, so that could be a hell of a 30 year box set in a couple of years. Just bring it all on already.

[Analogman]

I found this by way of Expecting Rain:

 

Details Revealed About New Springsteen Documentary

 

Darkness at the Edge of Town' film features unseen studio footage band interviews

 

The forthcoming Bruce Springsteen documentary The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town opens with spare but powerful imagery: black and white footage of a young Springsteen working in the studio on his landmark 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town. The film will air on HBO in October — about the time Springsteen plans to release a deluxe edition of the disc — and screen as part of the prestigious Gala section of the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14th.

 

Rolling Stone recently spoke to Thom Powers, the Toronto festival's documentary programmer. "Lots of rock & roll movies are about something [besides artistry] — substance abuse, ego problems or the glamour of being a rock star," Powers explains. "What's missing from those films is an emphasis on what makes us interested in this artist, their creative process. The strength of this movie is that is just concentrates on the making of just one album. There's not even much concert footage." (It's been widely reported that Edward Norton will interview Springsteen at the Toronto Film Festival. Powers, however, can't yet comment on that.)

 

The doc combines the studio footage — previously unknown to fans — with present-day interviews with main members of the band, including Danny Federici before he passed away. (Patti Smith is also interviewed in the movie, discussing how she co-wrote "Because the Night" with Springsteen.) "What really struck me about these interviews is the vivid sense of recall that they have," says Powers. "You don't get the feeling that these are the same old stories they've polished up for the press all the time — especially with Springsteen. He gave long interviews for the film and just about everything he says is really interesting."

 

Powers points out a special bonus for fans of the music: a trove of original studio recordings. "In the video footage there are scenes of Bruce Springsteen and Steve Van Zandt improvising songs you've never heard before," he says. "Making use of the audio tracks you really get a sense of how those songs came together."

 

The black and white footage must be the same as we saw in the Born To Run dvd, that is, studio monitor footage. That will be cool to see again.

[bobfrombob]

Columbia Records To Release Bruce Springsteen's 'The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story' Nov. 16

 

Box Set Includes 3CD/3DVD Package Of Remastered Album, Never-Before-Seen Studio & Live Footage, 80-Page Notebook, 21 Previously-Unreleased Songs, And An Extraordinary Documentary Film That Will Debut At The Toronto Film Festival Sept. 14 And On HBO Oct 7

 

Package Features Nearly Six Hours Of Footage, Including Classic 1978 Houston Performance, And More Than Two Hours Of Audio

 

Columbia To Simultaneously Release 'The Promise' Double CD Complete Songs From Darkness On The Edge Of Town's Lost Sessions

 

 

Columbia Records will release Bruce Springsteen's 'The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story' on Nov 16. The Deluxe Package comprises over six hours of film and more than two hours of audio across 3 CDs and 3 DVDs. 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. 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. 'The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story' will additionally be released as a 3CD/3 Blu Ray disc set.

 

The set will be available as 'The Promise,' an 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 previously unheard song "Save My Love" and an excerpt from the documentary are now streaming at http://www.BruceSpringsteen.net.

 

The Deluxe Package includes 'Darkness on the Edge of Town,' digitally remastered for the first time.

 

CD 1: REMASTERED 'DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN'

1. Badlands

2. Adam Raised A Cain

3. Something In The Night

4. Candy’s Room

5. Racing In The Street

6. The Promised Land

7. Factory

8. Streets Of Fire

9. Prove It All Night

10. Darkness On The Edge Of Town

 

"'Darkness' was my 'samurai' record," Springsteen writes, "stripped to theframe 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 Brokenhearted," the utterly haunting "Breakaway," and the 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."

 

CD 2: THE PROMISE (DISC 1)

1. Racing In The Street ('78)

2. Gotta Get That Feeling

3. Outside Looking In

4. Someday (We'll Be Together)

5. One Way Street

6. Because The Night

7. Wrong Side Of The Street

8. The Brokenhearted

9. Rendezvous

10. Candy's Boy

 

CD 3: THE PROMISE (DISC 2)

1. Save My Love

2. Ain't Good Enough For You

3. Fire

4. Spanish Eyes

5. It's A Shame

6. Come On (Let's Go Tonight)

7. Talk To Me

8. The Little Things (My Baby Does)

9. Breakaway

10. The Promise

11. City Of Night

 

The Deluxe Package also features "The Promise: The Making of 'Darkness on the Edge of Town,'" a documentary directed by Grammy- and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Thom Zimny. The ninety-minute film combines 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. Advanced word on the documentary is so strong that it was invited to debut at the prestigious Toronto Film Festival on September 14 and will make its television debut on HBO on October 7.

 

DVD 1: "THE PROMISE: THE MAKING OF 'DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN'"

 

In addition, 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.

 

DVD 2: DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN (PARAMOUNT THEATER, ASBURY PARK, NJ,

2009)

1. Badlands

2. Adam Raised A Cain

3. Something In The Night

4. Candy's Room

5. Racing In The Street

6. The Promised Land

7. Factory

8. Streets Of Fire

9. Prove It All Night

10. Darkness On The Edge Of Town

 

THRILL HILL VAULT (1976-1978)

1. Save My Love (Holmdel, NJ 76)

2. Candy's Boy (Holmdel, NJ 76)

3. Something In The Night (Red Bank, NJ 76)

4. Don’t Look Back (NYC 78)

5. Ain't Good Enough For You (NYC 78)

6. The Promise (NYC 78)

7. Candy's Room Demo (NYC 78)

8. Badlands (Phoenix 78)

9. 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

1. Badlands

2. Streets Of Fire

3. It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City

4. Darkness On The Edge Of Town

5. Spirit In The Night

6. Independence Day

7. The Promised Land

8. Prove It All Night

9. 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

 

http://brucespringsteen.net

 

http://shorefire.com

[suites]

YES YES and YES.

 

This looks more than awesome.

 

Thanks Bruce

[remphish1]

Looks sweet! Wonder what the price tag for the 3cd/dvd set will be?

[bobfrombob]

This presale is blocked here at work so you can look yourself but I'm hearing $115, which includes a t shirt. I'm also hearing there are vinyl versions of the audio stuff.

[Analogman]

That's nuts. The Born To Run box set was 40 bucks.

[suites]

yes but this is much more extensive...I agree it is a lot...but still no as much as Neil Young...I have to sell my car to get the NY

[LouisvilleGreg]

this is gonna be excellent. Backstreets.com has a thorough breakdown as well as a link to a video excerpt from the documentary. There is a great piece on there with Bruce and Stevie running through a very early "Sherry Darling" on piano. This can't come out soon enough for me.

[dbf65]

That's nuts. The Born To Run box set was 40 bucks.

 

while more expensive than the BTR set, its a much fuller offering. you can get the full 6 disc package (which as you saw includes amongst other things, a full new double album of unreleased and "real" songs as well as a full video of a Houston Darkness tour show that did not previously circulate) for about $96 bucks here.

 

or you can even just buy the new double album, "The Promise" for about $17 bucks here

 

so you have a couple of options. at the risk of hyperbole, its the best repackage of a remastered album by anyone that I can think of. period.

[Analogman]

I don't know about that. As someone told me a long time ago, what we are really paying for is the box.

[dbf65]

I don't know about that. As someone told me a long time ago, what we are really paying for is the box.

 

my point is that the unreleased tracks are not junk filler to round out extra discs, nor are the videos stuff that collectors have had for years even if in degraded quality. there is also a full playing of Darkness by the current E Street lineup without an audience that will give us dynamic versions of how the songs have evolved over the past 30+ years without the intrusion of audience. Very cool approach if you ask me.

 

As for it being the best remaster package, I'm willing to hear of others but not sure I can be convinced. And yes, I say this without having the Darkness set in my hands yet. But it looks promising. No pun intended.

[Analogman]

I have always found Bruce's box set packaging a bit thin (Tracks, for example). I understand how much stuff there is there.

 

Let's just hope they did something about the sound that will make it better.

 

I just have a hard time spending that sort of money on cds these days. That is the reason I don't own any of the Beatles box sets, or the Neil Young deal.

[LouisvilleGreg]

Heard one of the songs on brucespringsteen. net and it sounds like a vintage track with redone vocals. Bruce has done this before with good results, but not so sure about this one.

Check out this snippet from the documentary though, some great footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVv5EvyN-eM

[Vacant Horizon]

that video is so badass...i'm speechless. i live for this shit! cannot wait for this. prolly gonna have to buy the whole damn thing!

 

playing sherry once! crazy!!!

[Analogman]

Heard one of the songs on brucespringsteen. net and it sounds like a vintage track with redone vocals. Bruce has done this before with good results, but not so sure about this one.

 

I had a feeling the vocals were new. I don't care for such things myself.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

I had a feeling the vocals were new. I don't care for such things myself.

 

My theory is he re-recorded the vocals because most of the outtakes featured roughed in vocals. If the version of Because the Night that has been circulating for the last 15 or so years is indicative of what he had to work with, it is reasonable and defensible.

[LouisvilleGreg]

This thread made me rewatch the Born To Run documentary from 30th Anniversary box set last night and it is quite good. They literally worked on the title track for six months and there are probably a 100 completed versions that they tinkered with. I love the interviews with David Sancious and Ernest Boom Carter who both play on BTR, but quit before they got around to any other songs. Boom Carter says that everytime he's in a store and BTR comes on he wants to go jump into traffic. He must've signed off for a one-time payment. I'd hate to venture how much money could've been made off of the royalties from that one song alone over the decades. Max says that Carter plays a very jazzy drum part in the song that he has never been able to figure out after all if these years, so he just dropped it altogether when they play it live.

 

It's incredible that Max, Roy and Steve all came into the fold during the recording of the album, and that Bruce, Garry and Clarence are the only three original members left today. We cetainly think of the band as a family, but it was really several years in, before this started to take shape.

 

As for the Darkness box, I can understand the neccesity for vocal tracks to be re-worked. If there are actually 70 songs from those sessions, I imagine many had unfinished vocals, rough lyrics, rough takes, etc. The song, The Promise was done that away, and it's a devastating vocal that works very well with Bruce's voice in latter years. I will probably end up buying both the cd/dvd set, and the 4-LP set as well. Wilco and Bruce are just about the two artists that I'm the most of a completist with. I own every Bruce album on vinyl and cd, same for Wilco.

[Analogman]

My theory is he re-recorded the vocals because most of the outtakes featured roughed in vocals. If the version of Because the Night that has been circulating for the last 15 or so years is indicative of what he had to work with, it is reasonable and defensible.

 

I understand that, but it sounds funny.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

There is so much good stuff out there that is professionally recorded and shot.

 

I was listening to the Christic Institute shows yesterday. Absolutely breathtaking.

 

I wonder what Bruce's career would have been like if he had a manager who actually challenged him and pushed him to challenge himself instead of a worshiper.

[LouisvilleGreg]

Not to get too far ahead, but I wonder how many more of these album retrospective box sets Bruce has on his radar. I assume that Nebraska is a no brainer with the electric sessions, etc. And there are reportedly as many as 75-100 songs from The River era, so that's a possibility, as is BITUSA, but that's gotta be it right? When and if we ever get a Tracks 2 I would think it would focus more on the early 70's, possibly even pre E Street days and more from the lost days from the late 80's-reunion in the late 90's.