So Freunde, am 8. Juni ist es soweit – und es wird der Hammer, schon mal jetzt das Sparen anfangen:
„DARKNESS BOX SEES THE LIGHT“
In 2008, the 30th anniversary of Darkness on the Edge of Town came and went without a Born to Run-style anniversary box. Fans have been crying, waiting, and hoping since then… but the wait is almost over. In early June, the 32nd anniversary of the release of the original album, we’ll see the release of Darkness on the Edge of Town: Special Anniversary Edition.
Or should we say Editions? Following the lead of Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and Barry Manilow, Springsteen and Sony are releasing the Darkness box in several configurations. The basic set echoes the format of the 6×12 Born to Run box:
Disc 1: remastered Darkness on the Edge of Town CD
Disc 2: DVD documentary, Straight Into Darkness, on the making of the album, including interviews with band members, staff of the Record Plant, and cover photographer Frank Stefanko
Discs 3-4: DVD of the August 15, 1978 show at Largo, Maryland (22
songs, starting with „Summertime Blues“)
Not enough for you? You might want the Expanded Anniversary Edition, which also includes:
Disc 5: CD of 13 outtakes from the Darkness sessions, none of which have been previously released, including „Preacher’s Daughter,“ „Spanish Eyes,“ a studio take of „Fire,“ and a full band „The Promise“
Disc 6: Darkness Bloopers DVD, two hours of mistakes committed during the 1978 tour. Wait until you see Roy start „Streets of Fire“ instead of „Fire.“ Watch Bruce switch the second and third verses of „Rosalita.“ Includes bonus mistakes from when the band played the album in full for the first time at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank.
But wait, there’s more. Much more. In the Special Radio Broadcasts Edition, you also get full performances of four FM simulcasts from the 1978 tour:
Discs 7-9: Los Angeles (the famous July 7 Roxy show; kicks off with „Rave On,“ includes an impromptu „Heartbreak Hotel“)
Discs 10-12: Passaic (September 19, 1978; widely bootlegged as Piece de Resistance, features a wild „Kitty’s Back“)
Discs 13-15: Atlanta (September 30 show, with „Night Train“)
Discs 16-18: San Francisco (you may know this December 15 Winterland show, with an outstanding „Fever,“ as Live in the Promised Land)
Each three-disc show is housed in gatefold digipacks with pull-out replicas of ticket stubs, advertisements for the shows, backstage passes, and hand-written setlists. The Passaic packaging also includes a map of the New Jersey Turnpike.
Still got room on your shelf? Try the Special Radio Broadcasts Video Edition.
Discs 19-20: DVDs of the Los Angeles show
Discs 21-22: DVDs of the Passaic show
Discs 23-24: DVDs of the Atlanta show
Discs 25-26: DVDs of the San Francisco show
All the DVDs in this edition were supervised by Martin Scorsese, Brian
DePalma, Jonathan Demme, and John Sayles.
You’ve waited a long time, so you want more. You can get more in the Special Documentary Edition:
Disc 27: DVD documentary, The Making of Straight into Darkness, on the making of the documentary about the making of Darkness.
Disc 28: a blank DVD, included to balance the package and keep it from
falling over
There’s also a Special Complete Edition:
Discs 29-176: complete session takes from the many months in the studio the E Street Band took to make Darkness. Highlights include a CD with 43 different versions of „Candy’s Room“ (including aborted takes!), Springsteen and Landau talking for 56 minutes about the sequencing of Side Two of the original LP (you’ll never hear the space between „Factory“ and „Streets of Fire“ the same way again), and a bonus disc in which band members give roadies orders for the deli around the corner from the Record Plant. You’ve never heard an order for a roast beef sandwich until you’ve heard one from The Big Man.
And finally, there’s the Special Complete Edition, Delivered: no new music or footage that isn’t in the 176-disc edition, but the Delivered edition is just what the title promises: Jon Landau delivers the set to your house personally. (You get to keep the hand truck!) He also delivers Dave Marsh, who sits with you as you make your way through the box set and comments throughout. It is the ultimate fan experience, like having a Sirius studio in your own home.
176 Scheiben – mein lieber Scholli! 
YIPPIE!!!!
--
Saffer on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/stefansaffer