Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: TEARDROPS ON THE CITY 3LP (concluded)

This is a follow-up posting to the last blog that attempted to clarify the differences between the original and reissue releases of this famous triple vinyl bootleg from THE RIVER European Tour in 1981.

Upper, the original matte surface;
Lower, the reissue laminated sleeve

[4]  As already mentioned, the notable difference is observed in the interior sleeve: the original has non-laminated matte surface. On the other hand, the reissue sleeve is laminated and becomes more darker than the original, most probably due to the use of re-photograghed image of the original one. This not only reproduces the fold line on the center of the sleeve as shown previously (that is NOT an actual fold), but also results in noticeable loss of picture details (for example, compare the mechanical appearance of a telephotographic camera). Like the outer colored sleeve, the interior image is also slightly expanded and therefore cut a little on its margin when compared to the original sleeve.

Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: TEARDROPS ON THE CITY 3LP (continued)

At least one of the best-looking vinyl bootlegs
Upper, (what I believe) original copy; beneath, repressing

There are at least two main reasons for this Swedish 3-LP set from 1980s to be one of the most popular and sought-after vinyl Brucelegs over the decades. One is, as explained in the last post, attributable to its attractive gate-fold sleeve featuring full color and black & white live photos inside and outside, possibly taken from the actual show. Another reason is the fact that the original master tape of this Stockholm concert (May 8th, 1981) no longer exists, which means that the original pressing of the vinyl bootleg is the best possible source of the existing recording. The following is the excerpt from the booklet of the CD-R set entitled TEARDROPS ON THE CITY Revisited, released in 2002 by Piggham labels, which is purportedly remastered from a virgin vinyl copy, trying to recreate this acclaimed performance in the best possible digital format:

"... These two sets (i.e. TEARDROPS ON THE CITY and FOLLOW THAT DREAM) are sadly the only document we have from the shows since the mastertapes were destroyed during the mid-eighties by a fire in a building in the North of Sweden. This fact rendered the vinyl sets to be the only way to access the shows ever since..."  

Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: TEARDROPS ON THE CITY 3LP

"Ridiculously overpriced, impossible to find even at the ridiculous price, these two three record sets nonetheless rank as the very best sound quality of any Springsteen live bootleg and that's saying something.”  That's what the author started with when he began to write about two Swedish vinyl bootlegs, FOLLOW THAT DREAM and TEARDROPS ON THE CITY, in a short column article entitled “The essential bootleg album guide” that is featured in the fanzine Backstreets no. 6 (May 1983).

The five titles of Swedish vinyl bootlegs from the early 1980s.
Upper row: (What I believe) the original pressings.  Lower row: The reissues from the mid-1980s.

BORN TO RUN US pressing LP variants: white label promo (3)

DJ time strip, commonly found in the US white label
promotional (and regular red label) LPs up to
DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN.

This is a continuation of the previous posts on the US vinyl pressings of BORN TO RUN, starting off the first blog this year, and the final part on the WLP copies. As explained before, the five copies in my possession are grouped into (1) the "John" misspelt sleeve, (2) the error-fixed and corner-cut sleeve with some promo stuff, and (3) the error-fixed and corner-cut sleeve with a time strip pasted on the front. Here's the last one which seems to be the most common among the various forms of the WLP album.

BORN TO RUN US pressing LP variants: white label promo (2)

 Columbia "Demo" stamp, circa 1975

As explained in the last post, there are several variations in the US white label promotional (WLP) vinyl album of BORN TO RUN that have been circulating in collectors' markets over the years. The matrix inscriptions on the dead wax areas of the vinyl indicate that the early WLP copies are pressed with the same stamper that has been used for pressing the script cover test pressing. So far I have owned five copies of the WLP version of this great album which are roughly classified into three groups: (1) the "John" misspelt sleeve, (2) the error-fixed and corner-cut sleeve with some promo stuff, and (3) the error-fixed and corner-cut sleeve with a time strip pasted on the front. The first one was already introduced the last time So, let me continue the subject for the other two.

BORN TO RUN US pressing LP variants: white label promo (1)

Although it still takes big money to obtain a copy of the script cover (for example, the latest eBay auction ending on January 25 has involved a total of 11 bids with the final amounts of US $1,107.00), you can easily find and get, at a much cheaper cost, the white label promotional (WLP) issues of BORN TO RUN LP US pressings. As pointed out in the previous post, based on the matrix information, the early promo and regular LP copies are made with the same pair of stampers that is originally used for pressing the script cover test pressing. So, if you pursue the best original sound (not remastering!) available for the vinyl album, an early WLP copy may be the choice unless it is exhausted due to aging and overplaying at a radio station.