Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: ROULETTE (the U.S. version of unreleased/studio-outtake collection)

With the exception of Frankie (live in Cleveland,1976), all materials are studio recording. I Wanna Be with You is from the DARKNESS session, Backstreets is performed in string arrangement, and The Height is of course Meeting ...  The original comes with the silver labels on both sides with the hand-etched matrix numbers RT9-101-A and RT9-101-B. Obviously, this my favorite bootleg had been overplayed by myself, as evidenced by a lot of spindle marks around the hole in the record.

Housed in a plain white cover with a cheap xerox-copied insert, ROULETTE (Route 9 Records, RT9-101) represents a typical appearance of bootleg LP records released in the US throughout 1970s and 1980s. Probably, this underground vinyl pressing is one of the first, if not the first, studio-recording bootleg to follow "E" TICKET and FIRE ON THE FINGERTIPS, the two masterpieces of unreleased/studio-outtake collection in the 1970s (Another one I can think of is THE BOSS OF THE BOARDWALK, featuring the 1972 audition tapes collectively known as John Hammond Demo). The best thing regarding this release is that there are no track duplications from either of the above-mentioned two classic bootlegs. So, I remember I was really thrilled and excited to listen to this single 10-track LP, although I already heard the three tracks (i.e. Don't Look Back, The Way, and Roulette) through DON'T LOOK BACK: Bruce Springsteen Collectors Items 1974-1980, one of the first three bootlegs I obtained (and circulated around the same time or a bit later than this bootleg). As a good point, the three tracks sounded much better on ROULETTE.

Maybe made by the same bootlegger?   Shown middle is
THE BOSS OF THE BOARDWALK that uses the same picture
as found on the slick cover of ROULETTE

The man behind this bootleg is certainly knowledgeable about Springsteen and his music because the record labels say "Dr. Zoom & the Sonic Boom" (back then, how many knew the name of his very short lived band he organized before his major debut?). In fact, this bootleg was made by the man who is known as the first bootlegger to release the first ever Springsteen vinyl bootleg (i.e. THE JERSEY DEVIL). After the FBI busted him late 1976, he became cautious and released some more titles, including this one, under different labels than his main one, Hoffman Avenue Records. I speculate that the aforementioned bootleg LP consisting of  John Hammond Demo was also made by his hand because the source is the acetate or the dubbed tape thereof. Back then he was a major collector and must be one of those who were relatively easy to access those kinds of extremely rare collectibles that are desirable to be bootlegged. In line of this, I further think that FILE UNDER BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, a 12" bootleg featuring the still unreleased 1978 live version of Prove It All Night from the acetate disc, is also his artifact.

Reissue vinyl carries plain white labels on both
sides with no matrix numbers on the dead wax

According to my log, this bootleg surfaced again in 1987 as one of the enormous number of Bruceleg records from Europe after the BORN IN THE USA WORLD TOUR. Unlike many crummy releases of pirated or repackaged old bootlegs, this one was rather a quality product, coming in a full-laminated color sleeve with the lyrics for the then-unreleased seven tracks on the back cover. The vinyl disc is of course not pressed from the original stampers and consequently sounds differently. I noticed that some tracks emphasize bass while the sound of the others is boosted treble, which in my opinion results in overall better, more listenable sound. It is noted that the version of Thunder Road, the first track of Side 2, is replaced on the reissue from the full-band outtake (that starts with sax instead of harp) with the famous acoustic guitar solo version that is previously bootlegged on "E" TICKET. There is yet another vinyl Bruceleg called ROULETTE that is a double live album capturing the first half segment of a February 1988 show from TUNNEL OF LOVE EXPRESS TOUR.

JPEG images that have been given to someone around in 2001
still survive on internet and can be seen on some relevant sites

Finally, you collectors may have seen the images right (original front/reissue rear sleeve) somewhere on web sites that introduce this bootleg LP. The pictured copies are in fact my collection as shown here. I took these pictures with my cheap digital camera and sent them out to someone (in Europe?; I don’t exactly remember) upon his/her request, probably back in 2001. As a proof, the current my copy of the original pressing (see the picture on top) still keeps, just like 15 years ago, the price tag exactly on the same position on the upper right corner of the shrink-wrapped sleeve. On the other hand, the reissue copy does not look the same as 15 years ago anymore, as I have removed the transparent wrapper (it's not shrink wrap) from the sleeve due to its aging. Anyway, it's a fun for me to see that the pictures of my own copies, which were taken a long time ago, have survived and spread over internet and that someone still finds them useful to display on his/her web site.