During this time, the first two albums began to sell steadily, following a heavy schedule of concerts, as word got out to the public that here was something special. Springsteen wrote directly to his fans in a language which they understood. Here was a working class American, writing about his job, his car/bike, his girlfriend and his hometown. Born To Run came in 1975 and immediately put him into rock's first division. This superb album contained a wealth of lyrical frustration, anger and hope. The playing was faultless and the quality of the songs was among his best. Critics and fans loved it, and the album was a significant hit on both sides of the Atlantic. During the accompanying tour Springsteen collected rave reviews and appeared as cover feature in both Newsweek and Time. Throughout his European tour the UK press was similar in their praise and exhaustive coverage, which led to a backlash of Bruce Springsteen jokes. Springsteen's recording career was then held up for three years as he and Landau entered into litigation with Mike Appel, with whom Springsteen had struck a management deal in 1972. Other artists kept the torch burning brightly, with Manfred Mann's Earth Band releasing a sparkling version of his song "Blinded By The Light" and Patti Smith recording a definitive cover of his "Because The Night". Other artists like ex-Hollie Allan Clarke, Robert Gordon, and the Pointers Sisters recorded his material. With the lawsuits successfully completed the anti-climactic Darkness On The Edge Of Town arrived in 1978. The album reflected the problems of the past years and is a moody album, yet 15 years later it still stands as a great work. The show-stopping "Badlands" and "The Promised Land" were two of the album's masterpieces. From the moment the record was released in June, Springsteen and the band embarked on a gruelling tour which took them into 1979.
On his 30th birthday he played at the historic MUSE concert; the subsequent No Nukes album and video captured a vintage Springsteen performance of high-energy and humour. After feigning collapse onstage, he cheekily got the audience to beg for an encore having previously pointed out to them that he could not carry on like this as he is 30 years old! The audience loved the banter and together with the great Clarence Clemons, he roared into an encore of "Rosalita". The next months were spent recording the double-set The River, which received almost as much praise as Born To Run. All shades of Springsteen were shown; the album was brooding, depressing, pensive, uplifting, exciting and celebratory. In 20 songs, Springsteen covered every aspect of both his and the listener's life. It was hard to pick out any single standout tracks, but "Hungry Heart", "The River" and "Fade Away" were all released and became hit singles. The following year he toured Europe again, and helped to resurrect Gary "U.S." Bonds' career by producing and writing some of his comeback Dedication. "This Little Girl' is one of Springsteen's finest songs and Bonds found himself back in the charts after almost 20 years" absence.
