The Promise, by Bruce Springsteen: Disc 1

I just got "The Promise," a two-disc collection of songs that Springsteen recorded -- but did not release -- in the sessions that became "Darkness on the Edge of Town." Here are my impressions of the tracks on disc one:

Racing In The Street ('78): This is basically the same song from the album, but with a very different arrangement. There's a much more active instrumental sound going on here -- piano, violin, drums, jangly guitars -- it basically sounds like the greatest John Mellancamp song of all time. I like it a lot, and I wish Bruce had done more with the violin, but I can see why he went with the other version for "Darkness."

Gotta Get That Feeling: This is basically a slowed-down version of "Sherry Darling." Lots of Spanish-style horns, and chorus-like singing from the E Street Band. Typical lyric: "Tonight, you know there's something in the air / Tonight, we ain't got money but we don't care." On a whole, a pretty generic song.

Outside Looking In: A fast 1950's-style rocker all about a girl who's been mean to the singer. "Now you've got the pretty things you want / The sings of the angels baby they will haunt/ Those pretty eyes that they all adore / But baby not me, not anymore." I liked this song quite a bit, and I would have used it over several of the songs on "The River."

Someday (We'll Be Together): This is a slow and sad song with a very pretty but somewhat lugubrious chorus. Someone else could have taken this song and turned it into an anthem, with the whole audience singing along to the chorus and swaying back and forth, but it's too hokey to fit into anything Bruce was doing in the late 1970s, and the lyrics are too generic to make a big impression in a more stripped-down version.

One Way Street: Another slow and sad song that could have almost worked as a country song. The chorus, however, makes no sense to me: "We were walking on the wild side / running down a one way street." What does that even mean? Why does it mean they have to break up?

Because the Night: This is, of course, one of the greatest rock songs Bruce -- or anyone else -- ever wrote. It would have fit perfectly on "Darkness" or "The River" and, in fact, he made it a centerpiece of his legendary 1978 tour, so I don't know why it wasn't included. This version holds back some of the energy that the band unleashed in the live version, but it is still a remarkable song.

Wrong Side of the Street: This is yet another song about trying to persuade a girl to run away with you -- "You got the look and you own your world / But here you better check your diamonds and pearls / You're on the wrong side of the street." Bruce wrote a million of these songs, but this one is quite good; I really like the guitar solo in the middle.

The Brokenhearted: This is about what you would expect -- a slow, drifting song about a guy who did his girl wrong. "The cruel mistakes I've made, the hard price that I've paid / For the good times and the laughter / Girl I should have known for the indifference that I've shown / I'd pay forever after." It also includes more of the Spanish horns. This song is no better than OK.

Rendezvous: This song has sort of an "Out in the Streets" feel. It's about a guy who is hoping to meet up with his girl. "She'll be there tonight / If I'm down then she'll make it alright." The melody is quite good, but the lyrics are too generic to really grab the listener. Everything that's good in this song ended up in "Out in the Streets."

Candy's Boy: This is basically a slow, mournful version of the song that became "Candy's Room." It sounds a lot like many of the other slow, mournful songs that Bruce was recording at the same time. Bruce's decision to speed up this fairly bland song and turn it into "Candy's Room" was one of the best decisions he made during the "Darkness" sessions.

On the whole, I agree with all of Bruce's decisions regarding the songs on this album -- except for the one about "Because the Night." But I did enjoy listening to them, and I would listen to them again -- especially if I were in the mood for slow, mournful stuff.