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A full-page ad for Prove It All Night, the first single from
DARKNESS album, in the May-27th 1978 issue of Billboard
magazine that reports the end of the Pitman strike. |
Through the 1970s up to early 1980s, there were three major vinyl-pressing plants, located in
Terre Haute, IN (1953-1982),
Pitman, NJ (1960-1986) and
Santa Maria, CA (1963-1981), that served the US Columbia Records. So, most of vinyl copies of Springsteen's albums up to
THE RIVER originate from one of these plants. As told in
the last blog, however, the original copies of
DARKNESS album have more variation with respect to where they are pressed, because the
Pitman Plant stopped pressing operation temporarily upon
strike until close to the scheduled release date (due late May 1978), which necessitated the company to find out substituting factories. In the May-27th issue,
Billboard magazine reports that the
strike ended May 17, 1978. The magazine continues that the full production is expected to resume by this week* and that the settlement will allow CBS to be able to meet demand on upcoming releases by Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, Boston, and Dave Mason (*May 27th is Saturday).
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The overall label design looks the same between Santa Maria (left) and Scranton (right) pressings, although the stamper ring on the latter is far smaller than that on the former (but still noticeably larger than that on the Pinckneyville pressing).
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Scranton-specific deadwax signature known
as "anvil" or "lathe cutting head" symbol
(stamped on both sides) |
Here's a little more information on how CBS maintained, despite the
strike, its essential service on the East Coast. According to a comment on
45cat (
an online tremendous resource for vinyl seven inch singles) posted by an expert and dedicated record collector (who has contributed to this blog; see
here), as a stopgap measure, CBS sub-contracted with other pressing plants that were owned back then by the following record companies (at least, and probably a few more others, I guess):
- North American
Music Industries (NAMI), Scranton, PA
- PRC Recording Corp., Richmond, IN
- MCA Records, Pinckneyville, IL
- RCA Records, Indianapolis, IN
- Monarch Record Mfg. Co., Los Angeles, CA
I have no idea as to whether all the factories mentioned above were pressing
DARKNESS LP or selected plants were involved in the production.
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Hand-etched matrix numbers and a "TML-M" stamp on Side 1 of the
DARKNESS Scranton pressing. The "anvil" stamp is out of sight. |
Individual vinyl-pressing plants often differentiated their products from others with unique symbolic signatures that are stamped on the run-out deadwax of a record disc. Shown on
the last blog is a vinyl copy of
DARKNESS LP pressed in
Pinckneyville, which is easily identified by the stamped symbol
◈-P-◈. Here's another different example from my collection that is pressed at the plant in
Scranton, PA, owned back then by NAMI (that took over it from Capitol Records in late 1973).
Scranton pressings also have its own unique stamp (something like
☖) as pictured here, that is often called an abstract
anvil symbol, also said to resemble the
cutting head of a lathe machine for phonograph disc (I don't definitely know what is actually symbolized). The exact matrix numbers for this particular
DARKNESS copy are as follows (hand-etched,
oblique; stamped, straight):
- Side 1: PAL-35318-1G PN #2 TML-M ☖
- Side 2: PAL-35318-2T PN #2 TML-S ☖
As mentioned in
the last blog, "
TML" stamps are commonly found on the early pressings of
DARKNESS, but I can't figure out what is meant by "
PN #2" (
PN stands for
Pitman?). Still, it's interesting for me to examine unusual matrix codes on deadwax space as they might provide clues to finding out something unexpected or unknown.
Updated Info: Check reader's comments here that reveal what is actually symbolized on the dead wax of Scranton pressings.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be the most knowledgeable about Darkness On the Edge Of Town variant pressings, so here goes.
I bought a copy on eBay, expecting a vanilla LP, only to find it's a mispressing with Side 2 playing on both sides. The center labels show Sides 1 & 2 tracks, as expected. The only other reference I could find online of this was:
http://www.brucespringsteen.it/DB/detrec.aspx?code=COLJC353183
The markings on the runout are:
Side "1": PBL-35318-2T PN #3 TML-S
Side 2 : PBL-35318-2S PN #2 TML-M
It's also got the anvil symbol (Scranton)? Came with lyric sheet and printed inner sleeve.
Do you have any other info about this particular pressing? The matrix #s don't match exactly with any versions you listed, so trying to find out more.
Thank you!
Thanks for your post on your great finding.
ReplyDeleteI don't own the mispressing and so can't tell much about it.
All I can guess is that the NAMI pressing plant in Scranton received two metal master or mother discs (or stampers) for pressing SIDE 2 from Columbia Records, with the matrix number suffixes -2S and -2T (and at least one with the suffix -1G for SIDE 1, as seen on my copy). Then, a stamper made from the -2T master/mother was mistakenly used for pressing SIDE 1.
Your matrix information is valuable because it clarifies at least where this particular mispressing came from. I wish I could find such a rare copy!
I also found mention on Lost In The Flood (a Springsteen fan site) that mentions this mispressing as very rare. I really wonder how many exist...and of course, what an estimated selling price might be...not that I would ever let it go, of course ;-).
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response!
Very interesting. I have a copy of Darkness... that is pressed correctly, but both sides have the side 2 center label. I've always been curious to learn more about this but have never seen mention of it anywhere.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of vinyl discs with erroneous/defective labels, as found here, I have those with blank, misprinting, off-centered, side-reversed, and no hole labels; however, none of those with a same label on both sides. An interesting finding!
ReplyDeleteI also have a copy of Darkness that is misprinted. It’s pressed correctly but there is no label on side 2- just a blank red label. Have you seen this before?
ReplyDeleteAs for DARKNESS, no. My collection of blank-label pressings includes Greetings (US, Side 2), The River (US, Side 3), Nebraska (US, Side 2), and Born In The USA (UK, Side 1). All US labels are red blank with a yellow "Columbia" rim print.
DeleteMy husband has the framed gold records "stampers" for Darkness on the Edge of Town. When Columbia Records' plant in Pitman NJ was on strike in 1978, they subcontracted the bulk of pressing to Peter Pan Records of Newark pressing plant on Towbin Ave in Lakewood, NJ. The plant ran 3 shifts of Darkness on the Edge of Town. My husband was the Plant Manager at "Pete", which was the country's largest manufacturer of childrens records. Don't laugh, their 1976 Disco Duck went Platinum and International Platinum, 10 weeks at #1. :-)
ReplyDeleteHello Susan,
DeleteThank you so much for responding to my blog article on the topic! Hitherto I had known about neither Peter Pan Records nor its involvement in pressing the DARKNESS album back in 1978. Based on the information you kindly provided, the Pete plant in Lakewood Township is counted as the sixth among the unusual pressing plants that helped Columbia Records release the L.P. as scheduled. Then, I would eagerly like to know whether such vinyl copies represent unique deadwax matrix numbers/symbols and label design/typing that discriminate them from other DARKNESS copies pressed at different factories. Or do they look like normal Columbia copies pressed at Pitman, Terre Haute, or Santa Maria plant? I'd greatly appreciate your feedback which will help us, vinyl collectors, to improve our knowledge.
P.S. The framed gold records stampers for DARKNESS! Your husband owns a super one-of-the-kind collectible!!
Peter Pan pressing rings would have been 2.75", which would have been a bit more than Pitman's, Terre Haute's or Santa Maria's 2.703125".
Delete2.75" = 69.85 mm
Delete2.703125" = 68.659375 mm
Difference = 1.190625 mm
(In Japan, inches are not the standard unit of measurement)
I measured the diameter of the stamper ring for each vinyl disc (Pitman and Peter Pan). Yes, exactly as you said, there was an approximately 1 mm difference in length between the two pressings. Thank you so much for the information only professionals know! The relevant info will be updated in the blog post on April 23, 2022 (https://manattop.blogspot.com/2022/04/darkness-on-edge-of-town-us-lp.html).
Thanks for your note. I’ll have to dig out the vinyl copy of Darkness to check the symbols, will let you know. The gold plating process in the stamper makes it tough to read. Unfortunately, he has been ill for a number of years and we listed the gold record for sale last night! Is there a way for me to attach a photo?
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear of your husband's illness, and I send prayers for his recovery and your continued strength. If you kindly share pictures of the "Pete" pressings, please send them from your mail account as attachments in private messages to me (manattop@gmail.com). May I ask you where I can find the gold record for sale?
DeleteCBS was going crazy when the big Pitman, NJ plant went on strike. It was a huge season for them, Peter Pan Records was also given Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” to press at the same time!
ReplyDeleteI bet it must have been. Many thanks for sharing very interesting stories with us vinyl collectors! Do you think there were more unusual pressing plants involved in the early Darkness pressing? So far, the NAMI plant in Scranton, PA, two MCA-Records plants in Gloversville in NY and Pinckneyville in IL, the Keel in Hauppauge, NY, the Goldisc in Holbrook, NY, and the Pete in Lakewood, NJ.
DeletePn in your runouts may mean the record was mastered at Columbia Records pressing plant, Pitman, and pressed at North American Music Industries (see https://www.discogs.com/label/447694)
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for your comment. As for the matrix inscription "PN," I have come to the same conclusion as you can see in the following posts:
Deletehttps://manattop.blogspot.com/2021/05/darkness-on-edge-of-town-us-lp.html
https://manattop.blogspot.com/2022/04/darkness-on-edge-of-town-us-lp.html
Speaking of non-Columbia plants involved early in the DARKNESS LP production, there is one more to be added as the sixth plant, as you read the comments above, besides NAMI (PA), 2 x MCA (NY and IL), Keel (NY), and Goldisc (NY). This will be reported here in this blog soon.
I have three of these vinyls and one of them has a Union Jack on the runout and just has tracks listed on one side of album the other side just has the label but no print
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, you own a nice DARKNESS collectible pressed at Keel Mfg. Corp. in Hauppauge, NY., as identified by a Union Jack deadwax marking. Could you tell me what matrix numbers are inscribed on the deadwax of your copy? So far, I confirmed 1AB on Side One and 2K, 2W, or 2X on Side Two (check at https://manattop.blogspot.com/2022/08/darkness-on-edge-of-town-us-lp.html).
Delete(CONT'd) . . . 1958 album "Merry Christmas," with the red/orange "ring around Columbia" design - and "NONBREAKABLE" below the cat. #, for the first time on any "back catalogue" pressings of that album since late 1966.
ReplyDeleteLet me try again. When I initially made the comment, there was a snafu, I thought it went through and that was the end. Here we go:
DeleteNorth American Music Industries acquired the Scranton plant in November 1973, and ran it until spring 1979 when it finally closed. From 1946 until June 30, 1973, it was the East Coast pressing plant of Capitol Records (they who originated that 'anvil' symbol, and from 1963 to 1973 had in their deadwax an 'IAM' symbol inside a triangle - signifying the International Association of Machinists' union whose workers were employed at the plant); before that, it was the Scranton Record Company that pressed for a host of indie labels including Capitol, and long before that the Scranton Button Company. NAMI-pressed 45's had a holdover from Capitol's ownership: pressing dies with 360 embossed serrations, first installed in late July/early August 1968, which led to the reduction of their 45 center label size from 3.625" to 3.3125". They were the only indie-owned pressing plant to have this feature.
The Scranton plant had pressed for Columbia before, as early as late 1951-early 1952 when Columbia's East Coast plant in Bridgeport, CT was on strike for several weeks. I think I saw a 1966 LP re-pressing of one of Mitch Miller's "Sing-Along" albums from there, as it had the ~1.5" pressing ring in the label area. But in 1972-73 was where a lot of their later pressings came from; I have three such 45's:
- "I'll Always Love My Mama" by The Intruders, mispressed on Philadelphia International labels (the record was actually on Gamble)
- "Time To Get Down" by the O'Jays (on Philadelphia International)
- The Manhattans' first Columbia single, "There's No Me Without You"
. . . all of which had full 3.625" labels, thus they would have had in their label area the embossed ridges in what Billboard, in a 1968 article, termed as "non-slip disks" (which, alas, ruined many a picture sleeve).
But "Darkness" wasn't the only NAMI-pressed Columbia LP during the Pitman strike. There were others, namely Willie Nelson's album "Stardust," and (here's where wires were crossed) a re-pressing of Johnny Mathis' 1958 album "Merry Christmas," with the red/orange "ring around Columbia" design - and "NONBREAKABLE" below the cat. #, for the first time on any "back catalogue" pressings of that album since late 1966.
Thank you so much for the deep knowledge and information about the record industry in the U.S. you recently provided in a series of comments to my blog posts, especially on label printing and vinyl pressing, which are so overwhelming that I cannot reply to each comment immediately!
DeleteOn the last part of your comment: I know there were NAMI pressings of Columbia label artists, not only Springsteen but others. I also know Springsteen's NAMI LP pressings were not limited to Darkness On The Edge Of Town. For example, I've seen some copies of BORN TO RUN with the unique, middle-size diameter of a stamper ring on the labels (ca. 35 mm), a signature of NAMI pressing. The catalog number prefix of these copies was PC but not JC, so I guess they were manufactured before the Pitman strike in early 1978, although I don't know why NAMI got involved in this album production. It's too bad I still don't own such copies in my collection!