Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP (Part 4 of 4)

Track and time information found on a two-page stapled
fact sheet for a Japanese sample copy of NEBRASKA LP

As I wrote in the last blog, both the UK and certain US pressings of NEBRASKA LP are issued with the misprinted Side 2 label that lists the incorrect play times for the three of the four tracks on this side, notably for My Father's House as clocking 5' 43" instead of the actual 5' 03". This set me to examine whether there were more examples of copies bearing this erroneous label out there. Besides the  UK and US copies, currently, I own the LP pressings from Holland, Spain, Greece, Ex-Yugoslavia, Hong Kong and Japan. The survey of my collection revealed that the misprint was not limited to the US and UK copies, and the Hong Kong release (CBS/SONY 25AP 2440) was found to be the case (see the image below). This result was rather unexpected to me, as the Hong Kong branch of the label had an obviously closer partnership to CBS/Sony Japan, in terms of at least geography and operation, when compared to the US Columbia or UK CBS. As I reported previously, as far as the CBS/Sony label was concerned, the Made In Hong Kong LPs were actually pressed in Japan and then exported there. Although the Japanese pressing does not print play time for any tracks on the record label, the accompanying linernote/lyric translation insert (and the fact sheet included in the sample LP) provide almost correct time-length information (for example, 5' 05" for My Father's House). Then I wonder how this error could happen with the Hong Kong LP but not with the Japanese one. Even if assuming that the paper labels were prepared in Hong Kong independently of the vinyl disc, how the wrong information has come to be used?

The Hong Kong (left) LP shares the same catalog number (25AP 2440) and the identical matrix stamp with the Japanese copy (right), which shows where it is pressed (see here for the relevant blog).

In order to gather more information, I extended the survey beyond my collection and checked the label images found online. As a result, in addition to the US, UK and Hong Kong, I confirmed that the LP copies issued in the following countries carry the same track-length misprints on the label: Canada (Columbia TCX 38358), South Africa (CBS DNW 2804), and Zimbabwe (CBS DNW 2804; most probably S. Africa-pressed; see here for another blog article on Zimbabwean records). Although I am still not sure if the LP is the officially licensed product, the South Korean pressing also has the error (many thanks D.B.M. for sending the scanned images for the white label promo copy in response to the previous blog).

UK insert included in repressed copies of pre-BITUSA
albums such as NEBRASKA to promote album sales

Note that, like the US pressing, both correct and misprint label versions exist for the UK and Canadian releases. Such a variation must have occurred from the very first of the release (i.e. the error is pressing plant-specific) or as a result of the correction (i.e. misprint LP issued first then corrected edition followed). As for the UK releases, the correctly printed sunburst label pressings often include an additional insert advertising the albums up to BORN IN THE U.S.A., indicating that these are in fact repressed copies. The red label reissue edition also carries the correct information. So, the UK album probably contains the misprint only for the initial run of LP pressing and the error was fixed for later pressings. As for the Canadian release, Google search suggested that there was only one vinyl disc pressing plant in this country (Don Mills, Toronto, Ontario, 1971-1988), which also supports the latter possibility. Regarding the Hong Kong, South African and Zimbabwean LPs, I am not sure whether the error was fixed or remained uncorrected throughout the vinyl pressing like the "Held Up ..." misprint inner sleeve for various European issues of THE RIVER (see here).

Misprinted NEBRASKA Side 2 label on Canadian and South African pressings (middle and right, respectively). Shown on the left is the Canadian label with the correct track lengths (not in my possession).

On the other hand, as far as I examined, I couldn't find any misprint label release from the following countries: Holland, Spain, Greece, Ex-Yugoslavia, Portugal, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and India. However, because of the small number of sampling, this does not necessarily eliminate the possibility of the erroneous label in these releases, and more investigation is needed to avoid biased conclusions. Like the Japanese LP, certain releases such as Mexican do not bear the track length information on the record labels (On the Mexican release, correct playing time for each track is printed on the rear sleeve).

Finally, what is the implication, if any, of these misprinted label releases?  The points listed below summarize what I saw as facts and told here.

• The measurable number of the misprinted edition on the Side 2 label exist from various countries (counting at least six).
• Three out of the four tracks on the label (Used Cars, My Father's House and Reason To Believe) are misprinted for their play time.
• The erroneous track time (5' 43") for My Father's House differs considerably from the correct one (5' 03") but is comparable to the length (5' 35") for the alternate take that is inadvertently and officially released on the early CD edition of the album pressed in Japan.

From these facts, I think it is not irrelevant that the erroneous Side 2 label does not result from inadvertent manufacturing error or careless printer's typo, but rather reflects what could have been the very first Side 2 arrangement including the alternate take of My Father's House which was eventually not adopted in the final version. Maybe wishful thinking, but it seems unlikely to me that the above facts took place independently as casual incidents. Anyway, over these nights, listening to what is the most suitable among his entire albums for deep-night listening, I enjoyed ruminating about a sort of "behind the scene" thing on it. And thanks once again D.R. in England for providing me with the UK label pictures that worked as catalyst for me to write about this topic.

→ Read three consecutive posts starting from here for the updated information.