Darkness on the Edge of Town is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen (pictured), released on June 2, 1978, by Columbia Records. The album was recorded during sessions in New York City with the E Street Band from June 1977 to March 1978, after a series of legal disputes between Springsteen and his former manager Mike Appel. Darkness musically strips the Wall of Sound production of its predecessor, Born to Run, for a rawer hard rock sound emphasizing the band as a whole. The lyrics focus on ill-fortuned characters who fight back against overwhelming odds. Released three years after Born to Run, Darkness did not sell as well but reached number five in the United States. Critics initially praised the album's music and performances but were divided on the lyrical content. In recent decades, Darkness has attracted acclaim as one of Springsteen's best works and has appeared on lists of the greatest albums of all time.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darkness_on_the_Edge_of_Town

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1866:

At the age of 18, Vinnie Ream became the youngest artist and first woman to receive a commission from the United States government for a statue—that of Abraham Lincoln currently in the U.S. Capitol rotunda. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinnie_Ream

1911:

The Australasian Antarctic Expedition began with the departure of SY Aurora from London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australasian_Antarctic_Expedition

1939:

During the excavation of a 7th-century ship burial at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, England, archaeologists discovered a helmet that is widely associated with King Rædwald of East Anglia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A6dwald_of_East_Anglia

2005:

The Provisional Irish Republican Army announced the formal end of its armed campaign to overthrow British rule in Northern Ireland and create a united Ireland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Irish_Republican_Army

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

san fairy ann: (Australia, New Zealand, UK, military slang, humorous, obsolete) It doesn't matter. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/san_fairy_ann

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Rocking on a lazy billow With roaming eyes, Cushioned on a dreamy pillow, Thou art now wise. Wake the power within thee slumbering, Trim the plot that's in thy keeping, Thou wilt bless the task when reaping Sweet labour's prize.   --John Stuart Blackie https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Stuart_Blackie