That's almost exactly how I feel about his discography. The run to 'Tunnel Of Love' is great. After that,, the occasional good song but I always check out the new ones just in case. 'Darkness...' is the one for me but probably no coincidence that it was the first I bought on release day having discovered 'Born to Run' a year after release. I know what you mean about the emotional impact too.
I liked Echo & The Bunnymen a lot too, up to 'Ocean Rain'