What are your top 3 essential Bruce Springsteen records?

This Sunday, Oct. 21, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band return to Hamilton, Ont., for a show at Copps Coliseum. As such, Springsteen fans like me are in a reflective mood. Now that his current tour behind Wrecking Ball is well under way, the set’s been changing each night. So what will the Boss choose to play? Maybe more importantly, what do we want him to play?

Just as Springsteen has been on the road this past week, stumping for President Barack Obama and urging his fans to vote for him, I want your votes today. What are your top three, essential Springsteen releases? The last time I engaged in this exercise officially, it looked like this:

1. Born to Run: the overambitious breakthrough that’s hard to live down.

2. Nebraska: the lo-fi home record that has inspired legions of bleak folk.

3. Live 1975-85: the iconic treasure box; reveals the secret majesty of the road.

Not a bad list, and I stand behind it. But these days, my top three could be:

1. Darkness on the Edge of Town: mainstream rock at its angsty snarliest.

2. Hammersmith Odeon, London ’75: how the hell did they do this? How?

3. Magic: a return to the Wall of Sound, agro and romantic and lovely.

I didn’t mention The River or Tunnel of Love. And why am I resistant to the eager charm of Born in the U.S.A.? I love that record but find its consistency and tears-of-a-clown sunniness harder to recommend. I want people to feel the brood in Bruce without the distraction of their tapping, dancing feet. I’m still overwhelmed by Tracks for some reason; it’s like your pal for life took you aside one day and said, "Here’s everything awesome about me that I’ve never told you about. Deal with it."

Anyway, that’s me.

What are your top three essential Bruce Springsteen records and why? Let's talk about it below.

See Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton on Sunday, Oct. 21.