Collecting log: TOP 3 collectible acquisitions in 2015

Ready to send out 2015?  Near the close to another year, I have looked over the collectibles that were acquired this year, just like I did in the final blog last year. Here is the TOP 3 collectible acquisition in 2015, as selected by my own subjective criteria.


THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E STREET SHUFFLE (US Columbia KC 32432)

The original US copy with the catalog number prefix "KC" used for promotion.
Behind is the second issue (PC 32432) with the album title printed in yellow.
Inset: Red promo stamp on the rear sleeve.

For Springsteen's first and second LP releases, no white-label promotional copies are known to exist concerning the US pressing. So, regular copies with red Columbia stock labels are issued for promotional purposes. These copies are housed in regular picture sleeves with a timing strip pasted over the front and a gold or red "Demonstration Not For Sale" indication stamped on the rear. This is a rare promo copy additionally accompanied by a 10-page original copy of song lyrics from Laurel Canyon Music, Ltd.

Machine-typed matrix numbers in dead wax on both sides end with the suffix
1A/1A, denoting this being the very first, original pressing (shown is Side A)

Stapled lyric transcription sheets credited by Laurel Canyon Music are often included in test pressing and early promo packages of the first three albums, with the most known example being the BORN TO RUN script cover set and another being GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK, N. J. test pressing LP. Notably, the regular pressing of the second album is the only Springsteen LP that has been issued without the printed lyrics for the featured songs (except for the Japanese release). Couldn't this fact make the promo THE WILD lyric sheets rarer and more valuable than the other two?

Closing up the bottom part of the lyric sheet for Wild Billy's Circus Story with Laurel Canyon music credits

THE PITMAN FAMILY OF MUSIC: Our First 20 Years CBS Records 1960-1980 (US CBS P 15663)

The sleeve is in still shrink-wrapped nice condition.
By the way, why is Backstreets chosen among many others?
(not complaining but just wondering)

This very scarce promotion-only LP is an in-house release of CBS Records in 1980, as a given-away gift only to employees of the company's pressing plant in Pitman, New Jersey, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the plant. The disc features snippets of songs from dozens of CBS artists, including Springsteen. Although his contribution is only a short segment of Backstreets just before ending outro on Side 2 of the LP, I really enjoy listening to an overwhelming array of old hits on the record (the complete track info and more images are available at Bruce Springsteen Lyrics).

Matrix number on the black vinyl edition is
not hand-etched, but machine-stamped
(shown is that on Side 1)

I obtained it on eBay auction at a fairly low bid amount (just below $14) because this copy is missing an accompanying 16-page booklet. Also issued as an extremely rare picture disc (which I don't own). According to this page ("Searching For A Gem" Bob Dylan's Officially Released Rarities and Obscurities), the matrix numbers on trail-off areas of both sides (Side 1, AS 15663-1A; Side 2, BS 15663-1A) are hand-etched on the black vinyl while stamped on the picture disc. However, found on my copy of black vinyl are the stamped ones.

One Step Up (US Columbia CSK 1031)

One Step Up US promo-only 5" and 3" CDs, probably the earliest
among all the custom promo-only CD releases of Bruce Springsteen

This advanced CD single of my favorite TUNNEL OF LOVE tune was released in the US, probably in early 1988. To my knowledge, the item represents Springsteen's first-ever release of a custom promotion-only 5-inch CD (someone, please correct me if I'm wrong). Maybe the first ever promotion-only CD in any format among his entire catalog, or second only to the equally tough-to-find One Step Up / Roulette promotion-only 3-inch CD single (US Columbia 38K 7726). Below is a partial scanned image from the info sheet for CD RARITIES AUCTION listing these CD singles held by BACKSTREETS Records sometime in the summer of 1989.

An excerpt from an auction list of Backstreets Records issued in 1989

As you read, this promo CD5 was the most highly rated among collectible CDs on the auction list ("The single rarest Bruce CBS promo - many people at first denied that this existed"). This was partly because back then (roughly three decades ago!), CD was a newly developed, hot vehicle for music distribution that attracted many collectors. So, demand was quite high, particularly for custom promotion-only releases like this, which were usually available in extremely limited quantities. Using the same front sleeve as the US 7" vinyl and European CD3 singles, at first glance, this early promo CD5 looks as if it is a regular commercial copy (though no such CD copies exist). It is not ranked in the top 40 worldwide Springsteen rarities featured in the November 2006 issue of Record Collector (No. 329). Certainly, however, consistently hard to come by and so still highly collectible in my opinion, although I don't exactly know the current value. Luckily, to my surprise, this particular copy was found buried in a pile of used CDs at a second-hand record store. Priced at 3,500 JPY (= US $29). As pictured above, this is the second copy in my collection. Probably, the most exciting outcome of collectible hunting in 2015 (though not a vinyl disc but a CD).

All the best in the New Year 2016!

Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE 3LP box (concluded)

The first pressing box release has been said to be limited to 450 numbered
copies. I have long wondered how that number was known.

On par with PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE, another FM-sourced, dynamic triple-vinyl LP release of LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND is often referred to as the greatest vinyl Springsteen bootleg of all time. Which title is better depends on personal preference, or when and how one obtained each copy, as every collectible purchase has its own story (my vote goes to PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE). The reason why I here mention the other classic Bruceleg from the same 1978 tour is that this release also comes with the Slipped Disc Records label on each vinyl disc. This is no wonder because the two titles are made by the same bootlegger (commonly called Vicky Vinyl). To my knowledge, however, no generic yellow label version does exist for the first box and second gate-fold issues of LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND. Assuming that my knowledge is correct, what is the implication of this fact to the topic here? (i.e. Which label, specifically generic yellow or custom Slipped Disc Records, is the first on PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE ?)

According to the Blinded By The Light book (P. Humphries & C. Hunt, 1985, Plexus, London), LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND is initially released as a limited edition box with the insert, which is similar to the package of PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE. The deluxe, black and white gate-fold sleeve edition follows as the second pressing, although the three vinyl records are indistinguishable from those of the first box release in terms of sound quality, labels (Slipped Disc Records), matrix numbers (BS 2978 A/B/C/D/E/F), and probably all the other aspects. Thus, two differences are obvious in production of these two landmark releases:

1. LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND is released in two distinct packages (box and double jacket) while PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE is the box release only.
2. The single record label (Slipped Disc Records) is consistently used for LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND whereas PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE is issued with two completely different labels (generic yellow and Slipped Disc Records).

A possible reason for the two different packages of LIVE IN THE PROMISED (1) was already explained in the previous post. In brief, when vinyl discs were pressed and ready for the release, probably the fold-out sleeve was still not finished up. That's why the box set was initially released with the text-only slick insert, and later the double jacket replaced the box when it became available.

One of the second pressing copies of LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND
erroneously contains Disc 3 from PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE (Slipped Disc
version), an indication that these two bootleg records were pressed
or manufactured at the same location somewhere in West Coast

I think a possible reason to explain (2) is very simple: PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE was released before LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND, hence before the custom Slipped Disc Records label was made available to it. Because of this, the early copies for PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE was probably pressed with the generic yellow labels. However, when LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND was about to be released, the custom label was ready. Because both bootleg titles were made by V. Vinyl and possibly pressed at the same pressing plant, I guess she just switched the label of PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE from the generic yellow to the better looking custom version. I have long believed so, and this provides another support for my main claim here (shared with Mr. "D") that PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE is originally issued with the generic yellow label and then the Slipped Disc Records edition follows.

However, I happened to know that Clinton Heylin, an authority on Springsteen's recording and bootleg, writes in his book E STREET SHUFFLE: The Glory Days of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (2012; Penguin Books, New York) that there was LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND before PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE, which utterly contradicts my long belief!

"... They (i.e. Vicky Vinyl and her conspirator; annotated by this blogger) had taken Springsteen at his on-aired word and had pressed up the Winterland show in its three-hour entirety. When that three disc set sold well, they issued the Passaic FM broadcast too, as the memorable Pièce de Résistance ..."  

To me, this description is questionable because of the following two points. First, the Passaic concert (19/09/1978; bootlegged in PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE) precedes by almost 3 months the Winterland show (15/12/1978; bootlegged in LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND). Second, it seems that PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE circulated as early as around Thanksgiving Day in 1978 (not in 1979), according to collectors who have bought this box set immediately when it was out from West Coast (such collectors' reminiscences are found here and there in some relevant thread or message board focusing on this bootleg LP). So, although not conclusive, I guess Heylin's description in this part might be a lapse of his memory.

Unfortunately from my humble point of view, his books such as this and others (notably, BOOTLEG: The Secret History Of The Other Recording Industry, 1996; St. Martin's Griffin, New York) seem to contain errors and mistakes more than usually, in part probably due to overloading of the information (Don't take that I am challenging him. I like his works that are quite interesting reading). For example, strictly speaking, the sentence in the above quotation "... had pressed up the Winterland show in its three-hour entirety" is not accurate because the bootleg lacks the final three encore songs. Another example is found on the same page the above quotation appears in this book, which wrongly quotes Springsteen's "on-aired word" (i.e. the famous "through the magic of bootleg" comment) as introduction to Sandy (it's of course not, but to Racing In The Street). This error is also found in the BOOTLEG book.

I think I could write more about these bootlegs but maybe it's time to move to other topics. Finally, I thank Mr. "D" for sharing his thoughts and information, and discussing on this topic, which was really enjoyable.

Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE 3LP box (continued)

This is a follow-up survey I conducted in the last post to determine which label, specifically generic yellow or Slipped Disc Records, corresponds to the very first issue of PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE, a real landmark release among his entire vinyl bootlegs (By the way, the slick insert cover of this box release states Piste, rather than either of the above-mentioned two, as the record label on the right bottom corner).

As I explained in the last post, my guess is that the generic yellow label is way earlier than the other. In order to support this thought further, I continued to examine the limited-numbered copies by extending the survey to include those that are NOT in my collection. A lot of photographic images of the numbered copies are uploaded on various internet sites; the best sites are the ones that enumerate internet auction results with item images, such as Popsike. So, it was not difficult to conduct this survey; just check these uploaded images for the variable factors mentioned in the last post, the results of which are shown in the vertical columns of the updated table here.

The total number of the limited-numbered copies used in this survey counts 35 copies including 8 from my collection that have been used in the previous survey. So, the 27 copies listed in this table are not owned by myself but by someone I don't know (In fact, I do know only a few owners including Mr. "D"). It is possible that someone reading this blog is, or once was, an actual owner of a listed copy. I'd appreciate any feedback if I have made mistakes or put wrong information in this table.

The sample number (i.e. n = 35) could not be enough, if more than 5,000 copies were indeed pressed and circulated, but probably substantial to give an answer that sounds credible. Essentially, my own interpretations of this survey can be summarized as follows:

• The majority of the numbered copies are released in a black box with a white slick insert cover, which seems to be strict to the lower numbered copies (below #1,000) with the exception of fewer copies coming with a pale blue insert. 
• As far as the lower numbered copies examined here, all come with the sticker-stamped numbers and carry the generic yellow labels (except for two sealed copies whose labels remain of course unknown).
• On the other hand, the Slipped Disc Records labels occur only with the supposedly later copies whose numbering starts in #1,000's. 

I don't think that the bootleggers have managed to number individual copies in quantities as large as 5,000, although these limited numbers indicate so (e.g. the largest one I've seen thus far is #5739). From my viewpoint, these limited numbers are not trusted in a strict sense, but would probably reflect the overall sequence of their appearance (I mean, the copies with lower limited-numbers came out relatively earlier and those with higher numbers later). So, I think that this updated survey further supports the generic yellow label version as the very first release of this classic vinyl bootleg.

The following are additional notes that may be worth mentioning:

• As shown in the pictures, stamp number fonts differ in size between the early sticker (larger font size) and later non-sticker (smaller) versions.
• Light cream-colored slick inserts seem to come only with white boxes.
• There is a variation in digit numbers (4 or 5) for the later copies (numbered #1,000's to 2000's), and 5-digit numbers seem to be found exclusively with the Slipped Disc Records label version.

As notified in the last post, the next post will discuss this topic from a different view, particularly in relation to the release of LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND, another landmark 1978 Tour bootleg produced by the same bootlegger who has made PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE.
— To be continued.

Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE 3LP box (continued)

When Springsteen’s popularity reached its peak worldwide in the mid to the late 1980s, there was an overwhelming demand for his bootleg records, especially of the classic titles like LIVE on Coral Records from the famous Bottom Line 1975 gig, and the original numbered copies for LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND (see pic here), PHILADELPHIA SPECIAL and PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE, the three 3LP-bootleg box releases from the legendary DARKNESS tour. Back then in Japan, second-hand bootleg dealers often asked collectors for an extraordinary amount of money for such a rare, used import copy. You can refer to the previous post for typical retail prices assigned to used copies of PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE that are found on a bootleg catalog issued by such a dealer (a limited-numbered copy outrageously priced at 28,000 JPY and two reissues each at 12,800 JPY, which was still too expensive!). It was just impossible for a student to purchase any single copy at such costs.

I still keep some of the uniquely designed
record bags from the second-hand shops I
have visited in the US and UK.

After graduation, I was still so deep into this particular bootleg that I began gradually to build up a small collection of the limited numbered copies, with a total of eight currently in my possession (as pictured in the last post and shown here again at the bottom of this post). Probably, more than half of these copies were obtained during the 1990s: I used to take an opportunity of making (mostly official) trips abroad, often to the US, for hunting this and other sets (which cost much cheaper than buying copies here, due to the basic difference in retail prices of used copies between the two countries and because of the strong exchange rate of Yen back then). Whenever I had free time, I tried to visit local record shops in a town or city where I was staying. So, the first thing after work, when I settled in a hotel room, was to check Yellow Pages Advertising for the location of used record shops and consider how to get there (It was before the internet became widely used for many purposes to the individuals or small shop runners).

As already told, I purchased my first copy of PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE in 1981 in a shrink-wrapped, brand-new condition. However, the accompanying slick insert cover was not numbered and missing a brief description of the recorded concert (THE ENTIRE 75th PERFORMANCE OF THE 1978 TOUR / RECORDED AT THE CAPITOL THEATER, SEPT. 19 1978 / PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY  3DISQUES), leaving small and large box spaces empty on the lower left and right of the insert, respectively (see the image at the top of this post). The labels of Records 1 and 2 are blank white (a little dirtied), whereas Record 3 features the red label of "Unmitigated Audacity Records". The "Unmitigated” label (see here at Discogs) is often found in some old US bootleg releases around in 1980, capturing live performances of Frank Zappa, Steely Dan, Neil Young, and Springsteen (i.e., Winterland 1978 3LP in a single white sleeve typically with a yellow insert). All these observations indicated that my first copy is a reissue or piracy pressing, although the matrix numbers of Records 1 and 2 (SPRING A through D) turned out to be the same as those considered to be the original copies I now own. On the other hand, Record 3 (with "Unmitigated” labels) is apparently pressed from a stamper that is NOT used originally, based on what is hand-etched on the dead wax space. Then, what are the distinguishing features of the original or very early copies of this legendary bootleg?

It was really tough to find the numbered
copies here in the Far East in the 1980s.
Note the difference in box style.

Chris Hunt's section of Blinded By The Light (P. Humphries & C. Hunt, 1985, Plexus, London) describes that "First pressing in limited numbered edition. Several re-pressings have appeared with slight sound deterioration, and the number is written, not printed. A further re-press featured a different insert."Assuming that the original/early pressing is stamp-numbered on the slick insert with the boxed text (THE ENTIRE 75th PERFORMANCE ... ), there are still at least the following noticeable variations I’ve seen among such copies:

• Numbering (two ways: stamped on a small sticker or directly on the slick insert paper)
• Slick insert color (three variations: white, pale blue, or light cream)
• Box color (two variations: black or white)
• Label (two variations: generic yellow or custom  Slipped Disc Records; as mentioned in the last post)

Fretwork-like inner sleeves found in two classic Brucelegs
(upper, PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE; lower, LIVE on Coral Records)

It is of note that other possible variations may be observed by conducting further examination. For example, the slick insert of the sticker-numbered edition features a small closed box rather than an open box (where a limited number appears; see the picture above). That’s most likely why stickers were used for numbering instead of direct stamps on the box space. However, this way of numbering must have been tedious and inefficient in manufacturing processes. So, I guess that bootleggers has slightly changed the slick insert design (from a closed to open box) so as to stamp a limited number directly on it, which supports the idea that the sticker-numbered version precedes the direct stamped version. Another example is that one of my numbered copies (#125) came with inner protective sleeves of something like fretwork design (the image shown right; one copy each of the Coral Records LIVE and LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND in my collection also came with this unique inner sleeves). A further possible variation is suggested by a fellow collector in the US (hereafter I call him Mr. "D") that box thickness might differ between early and later releases, but I have not examined this point thoroughly yet. Despite these factual and possible variations, the matrix numbers seem to be consistently the same throughout the limited numbered releases.

Anyway, based on the above-mentioned four easily recognizable variations, I classified my nine copies, including one reissue, the result of which is summarized in the table below:

Although I own only one copy for the Slipped Disc Records label edition, it seems obvious from this classification that early numbered copies are tightly coupled with generic yellow labels and the sticker-numbered slick insert. So, if these limited numbers are trusted, it is highly probable that the generic yellow label version precedes the Slipped Disc Records edition and that the sticker-numbered slick insert version is very likely the earliest.

Another speculation (shared with Mr. "D") may support the generic yellow label version as the first release, which will be explained on the next blog.
— To be continued.