Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: PHILADELPHIA SPECIAL 3LP box

Probably, the only 1978 full-concert live vinyl bootleg made from
an audience recording. This copy is numbered 075 of 1000.

PHILADELPHIA SPECIAL (Phantom Productions LTD 001) is a triple-LP bootleg that captures the first of the two shows performed in Philly, August 18th and 19th, 1978, during the DARKNESS tour. Unlike the landmark releases from this tour such as PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE and LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND, the vinyl records never sound great because the concert was not broadcasted through radios and because the master tapes used for the pressing were sourced from average audience recordings (no soundboard recording is circulating for this show in contrast to the next night which has been bootlegged on CD). Actually, the Blinded By The Light book (Humphries & Hunt 1985) rates the sound quality "poor". In my opinion, however, this box set represents a typical example of an old U.S. vinyl bootleg worthy collecting.

First, there are certain reasons for this show to be bootlegged, even though it is mediocre sound-wise: (1) This is a show from the DARKNESS Tour which has been most highly rated by bootleg collectors; (2) It was the show at the Spectrum in Philadelphia where the audiences were already known to be diehards even in 1978, which must elevate the performance; (3) The concert featured a few rare performances like Summertime Blues, Rave On and The Fever as he introduced it saying "Here's a Philadelphia Special"; and (4) On the final two encore songs there was a guest appearance of Gary Busey who starred as rock legend Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story (Springsteen just saw the movie early this summer when he toured in California). All of these make this show something special.

Part of a bootleg catalog from mid-1980s advertising used copies
of DARKNESS Tour vinyl boots including the original pressing
of PHILADELPHIA SPECIAL at an unbelievable price

Second, this bootleg comprises the entire performance of a 1978 show in one package, which was rather rare around the time when the DARKNESS tour bootlegs went into circulation between the late 1970s and early 1980s. Another example of such a DARKNESS tour bootleg I can think of is only PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE 3LP (although Fire, the last track on Side 3, is cut in the middle of the performance); among other radio broadcasted shows, the Roxy concert (7/7/1978) had never been issued in a complete form throughout the vinyl era; any Winterland (15/12/1978) bootleg releases had been missing the final three encore songs until the mid-1980 release of FOR TRUE ROCKER was available (see the blog on April 16); the Agora show (9/8/1978) was, as mentioned before (on April 22), released separately into two double albums (in bad sound quality); and no vinyl bootlegs are known to exist in the vinyl era that mainly feature the Atlanta show (30/9/1978). 

Finally, the release format (i.e., boxed 3-LP in colored wax) was also rather rare back then, unless repackaged (e.g., BOX O'ROCKS on Hoffman Avenue Records) or including a bonus disc (e.g.,  THE GREAT WHITE BOSS on Hangman labels). Moreover, this bootleg seems to have been pressed in smaller quantities than other 3-LP box bootlegs from the DARKNESS tour.

All the above-mentioned are appealing to myself as an old vinyl Bruceleg collector. 

— To be continued.