Collecting log: You Can Collect, But You Better Not Fold? — Japan's early 3-inch CD singles in snap-packs (including promotional sample copies)

My recent hunting in the domestic market yielded three rare "sample" copies of very early 3-inch CD singles, originally issued in Japan-only snap-pack packages. Here, “snap” refers to the perforated section of the long cardboard sleeve that could be bent along the crease and folded into a compact square. For collectors, intact (unsnapped) packs are obviously the most desirable, but casual purchasers — and radio-station staff handling sample copies — typically followed the package’s instruction and snapped them for easier storage, as shown here. The inset shows the rear side of each release. 

With the Japanese currency (yen) remaining weak against the U.S. dollar and international postage becoming increasingly expensive, my overseas-focused collecting has fallen to an all-time low — these days, I actually find more pleasure in uncovering bargain finds on the domestic market. To be honest, I was never especially keen on domestic releases (as I explain here), and a major gap in my Japanese collection lies in CD singles — both commercial editions and promotional samples.

Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: THE DEMO TAPES original U.K. release limited to 500 numbered copies (Part 3 of 3)

As introduced at the beginning of Part One (10/12/2025), music writer Clinton Heylin regarded "E" TICKET, FIRE ON THE FINGERTIPS, THE DEMO TAPES, and SON YOU MAI KISS THE BRIDE as among the definitive studio vinyl bootlegs — a view that is hard to dispute. What I find intriguing about his selections is that, although Springsteen is a quintessentially American artist, all but "E" TICKET are said to have originated in the U.K.

THE LAUREL CANYON DEMOS (shown at the bottom), which appeared in 1989, was probably the first — if not one of the very first — Springsteen bootleg CD titles. MUSIC PUBLISHER'S DEMOS 1972 (shown at the top) included four additional related tracks from the VISITATION AT FORT HORN LP. These early-era underground CDs of his demo recordings were straight- forward transfers from the original bootleg LP or its pirate copy.

While I'm not entirely certain whether SON YOU MAY ... actually came out there (so they can safely be considered non-U.S. bootlegs, at least), FIRE ON ... and THE DEMO TAPES were reportedly sourced from acetate discs originally circulated within the British music industry around 1973. These discs were intended to generate interest among British artists, producers, and record companies, and to secure cover versions or releases that could help establish Springsteen's reputation outside the U.S.

In June 1988, Record Collector, a leading U.K. music magazine, looked back on the early years of his career in a feature article by Peter Doggett titled Bruce Springsteen: Asbury Park to E~Street (no. 106, pp. 3–6), and reported as follows (excerpts from p. 5):

Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: THE DEMO TAPES original U.K. release limited to 500 numbered copies (Part 2 of 3)

Though it isn't as nice a package as the Swedish lps*, we also really like a new boot called The Demo Tapes. This is a repress of a European boot and the material is just fantastic. The songs are very early demos, pre-Hammond tapes**, and the songs rank with the best Bruce has ever written. If you like the early acoustic stuff, you'll love this record. The album is reasonable and is easily found.

—Excerpted from the On Vinyl column entitled More new bootlegs than you can imagine, Backstreets, no. 3 (1982).
*Referring to the two Swedish bootlegs, FOLLOW THAT DREAM and TEARDROPS ON THE CITY.
**Not pre- but post-Hammond demos, mostly recorded between May and August, 1972 (cf., The so-called "John Hammond Demo Session" occured on May 3, 1972).

The red label bears a stamped "MADE IN USA." As is now widely known, any version of this bootleg pressed in the U.S. — identified by "LIMITED EDITION OF 1000" on the front sleeve — is merely a pirate clone of the original U.K. release. This copy (matrix numbers
BSD-A / BSD-B) is likely the earliest U.S. pressing.

The first copy I obtained July 1982 was a relatively thick black vinyl (158 g) with blank red labels (though stamped on one side) and hand-etched matrix numbers: BSD-A and BSD-B on SIDES ONE and TWO, respectively. It came in a black & white sleeve with "LIMITED EDITION OF 1000" printed diagonally on the bottom right corner, but lacking any stamped or handwritten numbering. However, according to Blinded By The Light (P. Humphries & C. Hunt, Plexus, London) — the bible to Springsteen collectors published a few years later in 1985 — this bootleg was numbered and described as follows (transcribed from p. 138):

Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: THE DEMO TAPES original U.K. release limited to 500 numbered copies (Part 1 of 3)

Of the four classic vinyl bootlegs of Springsteen studio outtakes — The Demo Tapes, Fire On the Fingertips, E Ticket and Son You May Kiss The Bride— all save E Ticket* have been issued on CD (in Fire On the Fingertips’ case, as the equally splendid Forgotten Songs).

—Quoted from: Clinton Heylin (2013) E Street Shuffle: The Glory Days of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, p. 315, Penguin Group (USA) Inc., New York [the underline made by this blogger].

Four classic vinyl Brucelegs featuring studio recordings — as defined in Heylin's E Street Shuffle book (2013) — were concisely reviewed long ago in the collectors' bible Blinded By The Light (1985), except for SON YOU MAY KISS THE BRIDE, the last of the four to be released in the mid-1980s (though I don't exactly recall whether it appeared during or after the 1985 leg of the BORN IN THE U.S.A. tour).

*Oddly, Heylin regards "E" TICKET as an exception — perhaps because this vinyl bootleg has never been released on CD in its original form. However, the excellent BORN IN THE STUDIO CD from the early 1990s already included all its tracks along with additional recordings (see 06/01/2024).

No, no, I’m not going to talk about Bruceleg CD releases. The above is how Clinton Heylin, a notable British writer on Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, describes these four unofficial vinyl albums in his book, where he subjectively selects 21 bootleg CD recordings of studio sessions. He compiled this discography as a bootleg CD enthusiast, reasoning that a bootleg CD is likely to exist somewhat longer than some of the website links which afford fans the opportunity to download these precious, unauthorized moments (as cited above).

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP: Update – 2nd – to The alternate take with synth coda on regular vinyl pressing!!!

Recently, Japanese sample copies appear 
to be distributed without a sample sticker 
on the sleeve (see 6/14/2025 for another 
example), making them impossible to 
identify without opening the package.

This year has been exceptionally good for Springsteen fans and collectors, with abundant new material released. That said, I have not purchased the extraordinarily expensive TRACKS II, but instead obtained only a sample CD copy of the excerpted edition, LOST AND FOUND: Selections From The Lost Albums (Sony Records Int'l SICP 31774), though I did listen to the full tracks online. Frankly, I find the package unnecessarily luxurious — if I want a book, I will buy a book, but not such an overpriced CD (or vinyl)/book set (in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever even looked through the one that came with THE TIES THAT BIND: The River Collection). I can’t help but wish Springsteen would focus more on the music itself. For me, the absolute standout is the upcoming release of NEBRASKA ’82 — and honestly, ELECTRIC NEBRASKA on its own would be enough for me. By the way, why does the title even include ’82 ? Surely everyone knows that the album was originally released in 1982.

The two company codes printed on the record labels and sleeve — catalog numbers and C.G.C. numbers (enclosed in green rectangles) — serve as essential indicators for determining whether a vinyl copy pressed in Brazil represents an original release or a reissue, and for identifying its release year when multiple issues exist. As shown, all four of my copies are identical with respect to both numbers (CBS 138.641; C.G.C. 43.203.520/0002-95).