Bruce Springsteen

More than 30 years since one of the strangest periods in his career, the Boss unleashes some incredibly strong, revelatory material completely essential to his development as one of rock'n'roll's most pivotal artists. After the breakthrough of 1975's Born to Run, Springsteen ended up in legal limbo, embroiled in a nasty suit with his former manager, forbidden from releasing any new work. The deep frustration led to Springsteen's most brooding, furious record, Darkness on the Edge of Town, a romanticized exploration of working-class values and social dynamics based in alienated rage and released three years later. But, exiled as they were, Bruce and the E Street Band never stopped recording, writing constantly, honing a sound born of classic soul and R&B motifs, married with the burgeoning street-punk culture. Within its 21 songs, The Promise unearths the lost treasures of this era – completely unfamiliar, rollicking songs mixing with nascent melodies and ideas that would eventually stick out as classic Springsteen.