Even if first impressions don't accord "Darkness On The Edge Of Town" (great title) the epic completeness of "Born To Run," this is still a convincing evocation of the beauty and power in Springsteen's world.

He is so important because he comes closer than anyone else to embodying in his work all the generative themes of rock 'n' roll, to fusing all its essential elements into a single potent mythology, at the same time infusing that mythology with a warmth and humanity that makes it (and him) irresistibly attractive.

His characters live out their fantasies and frustrations against the harsh and brooding backdrop of the city, desperately dreaming and forever aspiring with a spirit which envelops them in a romance and a romanticism that is all the more poignant, painful but beautiful because it is asserted against a vista of ugliness and sordidity—thus the screeches and roars...