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 retailers often asked collectors for extraordinary money for such a rare, used import copy. You can refer to the previous post for typical retail prices assigned for used copies of PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE that are found on a bootleg catalog issued by such a greedy retailer (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 a 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.