What we're listening to this week. Springsteen 'Darkness on the edge of town'.

Although everyone talks about 'Born to Run' (the Album just before this), there's little doubt that 'Darkness' is the Album that made Springsteen.

His fourth Album from 1978 it features classics like 'Racing in the Street', 'Candy's Room', 'Darkness', 'Factory' and at the time, he discarded a lot of material which didn't go on the Album. One being, 'Because the Night' which was recorded by Patti Smith. 

It's very blue collar and his pic on the cover reflects that. But it's a classic and also brought the E Street Band to greater prominence. Clarence Clemons is here and Steve Van Zandt was crucial to the production and credited as such.

There's a 2010 excellent documentary too about the making of the Album but again, it's a "must have" in any rightful music collection. And it's a great introduction to Springsteen. Here's the stand out track for us anyway - 'we only run for the money, got no strings attached"........

What we're listening to this week. Patti Smith 'Horses'.

Just that we heard that Patti Smith is coming to Dublin this Summer to play 'Horses' live, we decided to stick it on.

Considered a punk album (but it's not) and released 1975 with the iconic Robert Mapplethorpe cover - shot in Greenwich Village (we note the jacket has a horse shaped pin) - and featuring a cover version of Ireland's own Van Morrison's 'Gloria'.

It was Patti Smith's debut and 40 years later, just blew everyone in the office away. 

Because quite simply, it's one of the greatest albums ever made. There can't be any arguments. It just is.

"There is a little place, a place called space...."