Collecting log: THE "LIVE" 1975-1985 and THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE, Japanese 5-LP box and custom promotion-only compilation LP w/ info sheets (Part 4 of 4)

Among the three advanced promotion-only LP records CBS/SONY Japan released in the 1980s (upper row), the LIVE/1975-85 sampler (center) was treated distinctively from the other two, with the impressive sleeve artwork that is comparable to those of the standard first-pressing issues (lower row).

Undoubtedly, the collecting value of THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE Japanese compilation LP primarily lies in its superb sleeve artwork. The appearance of its front cover is in marked contrast to those of the advanced promotion-only LP editions (in a plain white sleeve with one or two unique stickers; see the picture above) for BORN IN THE U.S.A. and TUNNEL OF LOVE that immediately precede and follow the LIVE box, respectively. Some may wonder how CBS/SONY was able to issue such a Japan-exclusive, custom-color sleeve featuring his gorgeous portrait, especially considering the unusually urgent release to the domestic market to rival the imports such as those from the U.S. The answer is found in the blog written by the aforementioned ex-company staff (see Part Two), if you can read and understand Japanese (I refrain from disclosing it in my blog for a potentially sensitive reason). And finally, I close this topic with my memory when I got the first bootleg of the LIVE-box outtakes.

The images show both sides of the rear CD sleeve with the short linernotes for the first LIVE-box outtake bootleg.
As usual for bootlegs, there are errors on the song titles and recording locations.

"According to the linernotes these recordings were taken directly from the mastertapes. These tracks were considered to be included on the Live-box, again according to the linernotes. These two statements and the question whether this could be true, could easily lead to long deliberations. However, the only way we have to somehow verify these claims is to listen to the CD. We can safely say that these are indeed live-recordings that were professionally mixed in a studio. These are not your common soundboard, radio or audience recordings..."
Excerpted from WANTED magazine issue 1, p.22, December 1997 (by Jan Rodenrijs).

WANTED, first published in book style and then magazine format from 
the mid-1990s to the early-2000s, was a quite useful and excellent guide
devoted exclusively to Springsteen bootleg CD. The first issue of the
magazine (Dec. 1997) rates the double-CD bootleg for LIVE-box outtakes
9.5 and 9 out of 10 for the sound and collecting value, respectively,
with detailed information including the excerpts cited above.

It was ten years after the release of the LIVE box, and it was not the vinyl-bootleg era anymore. In 1996, the supposed LIVE outtakes were for the first time bootlegged on factory-pressed CD, which I got to know via LuckyTown Digest, a fan-based Springsteen mailing and discussion group on the internet, operating back in the mid 1990s to early 2000s. I obtained a copy of this quite intriguing release early in 1997 through a then familiar bootleg retailer in Spain who had provided me with every new release from Crystal Cat Records, E Street Records, or other European labels. It was a double CD called 85-75 THE OUTTAKES (Catch 22 Records) with a total of 20 tracks from Passaic, NJ (09/21/1978), San Francisco, CA (12/16/1978; erroneously listed as 12/15), Uniondale, NY (12/29/1980), East Rutherford, NJ (08/19/1984 and 08/22/1985), and Los Angeles, CA (09/30/1985). Interestingly, half of the bootlegged tracks were overlapped with those on the box set, although from different dates or locations, suggesting that these live takes were strong candidates that could have otherwise been chosen for the official release. Springsteen would not have decided yet which tour version should be on the record up to a certain point [Because The Night from '78 or '80, Hungry Heart from '80 or '85, and Two Hearts from '81 or '85 (either with Miami Steve), to mention a few examples].

A typical pirate copy of the LIVE-box
outtake bootleg CD pressed in Japan
(not in my possession)

Despite the flippant title and rather sloppy packaging, the bootleg sounded outstanding (as an underground release), as cited above from the first magazine issue of WANTED, a very useful and detailed bootleg CD guide of Springsteen [Note that the Backstreets magazine #55 (Spring 1997) also highly rated this title in the bootleg column]. Furthermore, the second disc included lengthy performances that did not make on the album (i.e., Jungleland and Twist & Shout/Do You Love Me). So, I used to listen to it repeatedly way back when. By the way, the WANTED magazine issue also reports that the folks behind this bootleg were arrested soon after the release, explaining why the original pressing was hard to find, especially in Japan, until other bootleggers started to copy and press pirated editions a few years later. In fact, nobody in my known collectors and bootleg retailers knew about this bootleg when it was already available on the European market. So, I guess I was probably the first (if not, one of the very first) who was luckily able to receive and listen to this CD here in the Far East. I remember whomever I told about it desperately asked me to copy it (which I did) or disclose the overseas bootleg supplier who sent me the copy (which I didn't, because he needed to select reliable customers carefully so as not to take unnecessary risks). I wonder if that Spanish guy is still active in his business or already retired, as I have stopped collecting bootleg CDs for long since the Reunion era (1999-2000).

Collecting log: THE "LIVE" 1975-1985 and THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE, Japanese 5-LP box and custom promotion-only compilation LP w/ info sheets (Part 3 of 4)

Is there anything my collection is missing?

Because of a multi-disc box package, LIVE/1975-85 was downsized to be issued as a single LP commercially in South America (Argentine, Brazil, and Venezuela) and for promotional use only in North America (the U.S. and Canada), continental Europe (Holland and Spain), and Asia (Japan). Notably, the four pressings from the three Latin Americas and the Far East exhibit substantial differences in title, sleeve design, and track selection/configuration from the standard North American/European edition (although the Dutch issue is unique in that it includes the original booklet and is serially numbered on a front sleeve golden sticker). The cassette-tape counterparts to these LP samplers were also released in three of these four countries (except Venezuela) and Uruguay. For the extremely rare Japanese cassette, check the previous post (07/12/2015).

Misprints and wrong information on the back cover and record label as marked
by green (see the main text for the erroneous Japanese description). Although
the flawed tracklist, where Tracks 1 and 3 are in the wrong position and
correctly to be reversed, was fixed later with the overlaid sleeve sticker,
I've never seen the vinyl discs with the correction made on the label.

Among these LIVE album compilations, the Japanese LP, better known for the subtitle THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE (CBS/SONY XDAP 93156), is probably the most popular and widely recognized variation because of the unique, sepia-tinged portrait sleeve on front, with the full album tracklist and release details on the rear for the domestic market. It is also well-known that the LP back cover carries three printing errors [a "SPRING STEEN" misspelling, the incorrect Side-Two track order (on the record label as well), and the wrong photo credit], although it seems to me that his surname was misspelled intentionally in favor of graphic design. Additionally, there is yet another erroneous description in Japanese that the BORN IN THE U.S.A. tour ended on September 30th, 1985. Of course, it's the date for the penultimate concert, from which eight tracks are culled and included on the box set, but none from the last show (10/02/1985). These errors probably reflect the situation of the company that needed to urgently complete the production of the promo LP and standard box set (see Parts One & Two of this series), which might have caused the negligent or careless proofreading.

The spine says just LIVE 1975-1985, inconsistent with what is printed on the front sleeve.

Although promotion-only releases are generally rare, THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE is relatively easy to find at not-so-expensive rates, as you see that it has frequently turned up at domestic and international auctions online. This is primarily due to the relatively large pressing number to promote the then much-anticipated live album. However, before the internet became a common and convenient tool to deal with second-hand goods as individuals, I remember that a copy of this promo sampler often cost collectors at least 10,000 Yen or more [a source in 1987 reporting that it was initially priced at 50,000 Yen (over $300 as of the exchange rate in December, 1986) in the U.S.; see the second image on 05/17/2020].

Maybe a fully intact copy for the Japanese edition of the promotion-only LIVE compilation. This copy is the only one among the four in my possession, with these paper sheets put together. The others came with a Japanese booklet or a 12-inch square polystyrene portrait panel the regular copies had, which I don't think were originally included in the promo package.

In the vinyl era, CBS/SONY Inc. (Japan) released three promotion-only LP/12" EP compilations that feature Springsteen exclusively, and the LIVE excerpt was the third and final one. The company also distributed advanced LP pressings to the two original albums released before and after the live anthology, as summarized below.

• LAST AMERICAN HERO FROM ASBURY PARK, N.J. (YAPC 95)
  A 10-track selection from the first three albums, released in 1978.
• The Killer Tracks from THE RIVER (XDAP 93030)
  A 4-track excerpt from THE RIVER, released in 1981.
• BORN IN THE U.S.A. (28AP 2850)
  An advanced promotional release in 1984.
• THE "LIVE": THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE (XDAP 93156)
  A 10-track excerpt from THE "LIVE" 1975-1985, released in 1986.
• TUNNEL OF LOVE (XDAP 93174)
  An advanced promotional release in 1987.

All the five titles above came in unique sleeves. The fully intact copies contained a lyric sheet (or its photocopy), information sheets, or flyers, making them highly collectible among vinyl collectors worldwide. As for THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE, although I'm not so sure, one of the copies in my possession holds all (if not all, almost all) the paper stuff originally enclosed. These are two kinds of paper sheets, which are missing or not included from the beginning in most circulating copies.

Official CBS/SONY's hand-written memo notifying the
tracklist error and requesting the on-air release date
not to broadcast before November 6th. A combination
of two large "Kanji" characters between double
angle brackets means "CORRECTION" in English.

One is a folded, stapled three-page info sheet in black and white with green color, while the other is a one-page official CBS/SONY note sheet with the company logo. The former illustrates the basic track information, such as track listing (page one), album overview and track length/configuration in LP/CD/cassette formats (page two; mostly duplicate of the rear sleeve with additional info on the single cut release), and a short description for each track (page three). The latter calls recipients' attention to the error on the Side-Two tracklist and the date when radio stations are allowed to play the album (11/06/1986, three days before the official sale). The track-listing error on the rear sleeve remains unfixed, most probably because the correction sticker was not ready when the early batch of the LP was shipped to music critics and radio stations for marketing purposes.
— To be continued to Part 4.

Collecting log: THE "LIVE" 1975-1985 and THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE, Japanese 5-LP box and custom promotion-only compilation LP w/ info sheets (Part 2 of 4)

Collecting-wise, I have two notes on the Japanese vinyl-box edition (CBS/SONY 75AP 3300-3304). First, there has been confusion around the OBI strip. Some established online databases, such as Discogs and Lost In The Flood, describe that the first pressing features a gold OBI with red title lettering (simply called gold OBI) and the second release with a red OBI with gold title lettering (red OBI). This rather widespread perception is incorrect. Accurately, the red OBI came first, and then the gold OBI followed, which is evident by the following facts and observations.

A boxed description on each OBI (encircled) provides a clue to
which color strip came earlier.

• First, I do remember that I saw the red-OBI copies exclusively and none of the gold versions at a retail shop when I bought my first copy on the release day (Nov. 9th, 1986). 
• Second, an ex-company staff at CBS/SONY back then in charge of Springsteen recalled "red-OBI first" in his blog a few years ago when he wrote about the hectic days around the extraordinary rapid manufacture and subsequent immediate release of the box set, not to fall behind the U.S. release. He was previously mentioned in this blog (04/26/2015). 
• Third, OBI is a target for cost reduction in offset printing, and normally, using multiple colors is rare (e.g., the DARKNESS OBI; see 03/05/2016). Metallic gold also costs high because it is not a CYMK-process color but a spot (solid) color that must be pre-mixed and used in a single run. The company probably adopted the red OBI (less gold/less cost) for the initial run to save production costs and see how the sale went on.
  
• Fourth, the color scheme aside, the two versions of OBI strips show a few noticeable differences. There is a boxed description at the lower part on the backside of the red OBI, which says something like, "The photo booklet (referring to the original English booklet) and liner notes (meaning the Japanese booklet) are not included in the box and handed to the customers at retail shops."  This allowed the manufacturing process to be shortened, explaining why the company was able to ship the first run so quickly to the retails in order to compete with the imported copies in domestic markets (see Part 1). The gold OBI deletes the description that was unnecessary for the second run (that needed no rush to be released). Instead, it has another short text in a box saying, "With the original photobook and lyric & liner notes," on the front face.
  
• Finally, when SONY MUSIC (Japan) reissued in 2005 the 17-CD titles with the replica paper LP sleeves, it was the red OBI that was recreated with the miniature box set (MHCP 729-733; see the picture immediately below). This reissue project faithfully reproduced an original sleeve and OBI of the first press for each title, if you remember. Just for your information, although SONY released for the first time LP-style CD reissues back in 1999, their mini-OBI strips did not necessarily mirror the original ones [for example, the GREETINGS CD (SRCS 9466) recreated the famous wrap-around OBI used for the second pressing].
  

Are these enough?  In contrast to the vinyl box, the CD edition (75DP 700-702) was originally released with a gold OBI (see the last image on Part 1), just like the second vinyl issue, which might be a major cause of confusion, especially to overseas collectors. By the way, some years ago, I communicated and discussed on this topic with Eddy (of Springsteen lyrics). Taking this opportunity, I thank him for his insights and thoughtful discussion.

The LIVE box was reissued twice in Japan in 1999 (3-CD format; SONY SRCS 8985-8987) and 2005 (5-CD; MHCP 729-733; upper right corner), with an elaborate miniature paper sleeve of the original LP form. Both reissues feature red OBI strips, although they are slightly different in their design. Note that the second wave of the 1999 reissue project (BORN IN THE U.S.A. to THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD) was ceased at the request of Springsteen's management, and the seven reissue titles, including this one, were hastily withdrawn that fall. The project abortion forced the pre-order at the Backstreets Records (see the flyer) to be canceled. Since then, these CDs have become extremely rare collectibles (see the previous post on 09/10/2016). The 1999 issue shown in the image includes three CDs, three inner sleeves, and two booklets.

In my opinion, the promotional copies for the LIVE box is the
hardest to come by among those with the red "sample" labels
for the original albums released in the 1980s.

One more note is about the sample copies that are distinguished from the regular pressings only by two measures: three Japanese Kanji letters (meaning "sample disc") in a box printed on each record label and a rectangle "Sample" sticker pasted on the bottom lid of the box package. CBS/SONY has abolished white record labels for promotional LP pressings and adopted these sample/promo indicators since as early as 1979 (since THE RIVER for Springsteen's case). Although such copies are generally neither so rare nor highly sought after unless some promotional materials are included (e.g., info sheets, custom flyers, etc.), the copy number for the LIVE box sample seems quite limited. Indeed, I've rarely found these copies in the market here (BTW, a few sample boxes I've seen thus far, including my possession, all featured the red OBI, supporting the above conclusion for the "Which OBI was earlier" issue). This was undoubtedly because of its large volume; distributing the 5-LP box sampler must have been impractical and costing quite high. And that's why CBS/SONY, like Columbia and CBS labels in some other countries, has released the custom promotion-only single LP compilation (CBS/SONY XDAP 93156) that contains 10-track excerpts from the box set.
— To be continued to Part 3.

Collecting log: THE "LIVE" 1975-1985 and THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE, Japanese 5-LP box and custom promotion-only compilation LP w/ info sheets (Part 1 of 4)

Promotional postcard notifying the forthcoming
release in Japan. Note that the Japan-specific
album title still does not add double quotation
marks on the word LIVE (THE LIVE 1975-1985).

Thirty-four years ago this month, Springsteen finally released LIVE/1975-85 (Columbia C5X 40558), the then long-awaited first official live album, in the formats of five-LP set and three-volume each of CD, cassette, and 8-track cartridge. I remember that while most reviews were overwhelmingly positive on this box set, a certain fraction of hardcore fans and knowledgeable collectors severely criticized it. I was one of those, and soon after launching this blog, I wrote about how I was disappointed when I first saw the list of all 40 tracks featured on the album (12/09/2014). Although I don't go into the details, the major criticisms were focused on the following three points:

• Track selection (lack of live essentials; only one track from the pre-DARKNESS period; too many from the BITUSA tour; etc.).
• Selected live version for each track (e.g., some claim that the Winterland performance is better than the Roxy, and so on).
• Post-recording manipulations (i.e., heavy editing and overdubbing on some tracks, which are apparent compared with circulating live recordings, bootlegs, and nowadays official Live Archive releases).
  

"Whomever put this together made foolish decisions...," "My degree of frustration with the set is pretty high...," or "10th Avenue and Thunder Road save this set for me..." (responses by readers, from Backstreets Magazine #20, Spring 1987). 

Issue number 20 (right) of the Backstreets Magazine
as integrated into the BOUND VOLUME first edition
(with the handwritten serial no. 176 by the Editor).

Maybe back in the old days, we as die-hard fans were too harsh with strongly subjective or biased views on what his live album should have been, at least in part, because we had already been fascinated with (or poisoned by) the magic of some great vinyl bootlegs out there. Personally, I would have loved to appreciate the first official live release from a single complete source of a classic show (like the way the current Live Archive series represents), rather than a compilation from various selected locations. After all, it was not a live archive but a live album where the Boss had every right to do whatever he wanted to improve his work from the artistic viewpoint. Until now, my thought on this live retrospective has gradually but steadily changed over time with a more favorable impression than previously. 

Left: The Japanese vinyl box had two color variations in the OBI that was unusually placed on the right not to hide his image. Some collectors claim that the gold one appeared first, just as the first CD edition (see Part 2). Right: A real merit of the Japanese booklet is that it contains transcription/translation of Springsteen's rap in the middle of Growin' Up (shown) and the introduction to The River and War.

Usually in Japan, there was at least a few-week to a one-month delay in album releases by overseas artists, compared with the original release date in the U.S. and Europe. However, contrary to all the previous albums up to BORN IN THE U.S.A. (17 days behind the U.S. release), the LIVE box was available here one day before (Nov. 9th, 1986) it was out in the U.S. Obviously, CBS/SONY (Japan) took a countermeasure to reduce the domestic sales' predicted damage due to the vinyl and CD imports, which were generally available earlier and cheaper. Besides, the record company, as usual, tried to offset the higher price (at least 1,000 Yen or more for this box at the retail level) by including Japan-only accessories (an OBI strip, a black & white 20-page Japanese booklet, and a 12-inch square polystyrene-made portrait panel with autograph reprint). So, I bought a domestic set with the slightly modified title, THE "LIVE" 1975-1985 (CBS/SONY 75AP 3300-3304), as the first copy in my collection. The CD edition (75DP 700-702) was scheduled for simultaneous release but postponed to Nov. 21st, the date of issuing the cassette-tape edition (75KP 1500-1502). As the ostensible reason, the company explained this due to the delay in the production. 
— To be continued to Part 2.

Collecting log: recent miscellaneous purchases under COVID-19

Japan may initially have received high praise overseas for keeping low the number of COVID-19 contagions. However, the unusual lifestyle continues, and the infected people increase to serious levels in some metropolitan areas these days, especially after introducing government-backed discount programs for food-service and travel industries to boost the economy hopefully. Yes, we recognize that the third wave has come here. Although not able to get deep into blogging activities under the current situation, my collecting effort has not been discontinued. Here is a brief summation of the selected recent results (mostly through domestic online auction).

LETTER TO YOU  (Columbia19439803801, Euro-pressed black & white splatter vinyl)

While I ordered the splatter version (center) from Sony Music Shop, the grey vinyl (right) was obtained at Tower Records (available there probably at the cheapest in Japan when ordering). A newspaper clipping on the left features the album review from the morning edition (November 4th, 2020) of the Asahi Shinbun, a major Japanese newspaper.

In the middle of last month, I noticed that Sony Music (Japan) took pre-orders for this store-exclusive version of the new LP. I just ordered a copy because I figured the fixed retail price [4,747 Yen, including consumption tax (10%); free shipping] was still cheaper than the total expense when making the order overseas, especially considering the costly international postage. The retail price also meant that it must have been a straightforward import, nothing like the specially treated previous two releases in Japan, CHAPTER & VERSE (SIJP 29-30; 6,000 Yen excluding tax) and WESTERN STARS (SIJP 86; 6,380 Yen including tax). Indeed, the copy I received on October 24th was just a sealed Euro pressing, with none of OBI, Japan-only booklet, and slick insert sheet to modify the rear sleeve (for company credit and barcode revision). Honestly, I didn't expect much for this release, and having known the inclusion of three re-recordings from the 1970s, I guessed that it would have been a mixed-bag assortment like HIGH HOPES (Columbia 88843 01546 1). Surprisingly, however, the album is nicely done (although I still prefer WESTERN STARS to the latest one). Nostalgic, but the vocal is young, fresh, and strong, backed solidly by the E Street sound. My complaint is directed to the disc number that should have been a single, but not a double, for both playing and listening convenience (i.e., two sides are better than three).


COMMEMORATIVE COMPACT DISCS  (SONY TDCD 90042-90043)

The tetra-folded custom-double CD holder fits comfortably into the thick cardboard slipcase (new addition; backward), which is missing in the previously obtained copy (forward; shown also here before). I still don't know what the CD set commemorated at Sony, Japan, back in 1991 when it was released.

Although I'm primarily a vinyl collector, I own a fair amount of CD collection, too, as I occasionally displayed or mentioned some of them in this blog. Shown here is a gorgeously packaged, promotion-only double-CD compilation (w/ Born In The U.S.A., Track 6 on Disc 2) released in 1991 from Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. This set was already introduced here a year ago (9/30/2019), and recently, I obtained and added another (second) copy to the collection. That was not for the investment, but because until recently, I did not know that my first copy was incomplete. This summer, I found this seldom come-across rarity on an online auction where the custom double-CD holder was housed in a specially designed, sturdy cardboard slipcase. My first copy lacked this essential piece from the full package. On collecting, nothing is better than owning a complete set, and that's why I had to get the second one. BTW, the Lost In The Flood collector's page does not mention the slipcase on the item description because it was me who reported this gorgeous Japanese collectible to the website a long time ago, not knowing that the outer case was missing from the first copy.


THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E STREET SHUFFLE  
(CBS/SONY SOPL-239 with a 4-page promotional biography)

 Besides the promo biography, the latest addition came with a standard
disc, a printed inner sleeve, and a foldout sheet including liner notes
with lyrics in English and Japanese, but lacked the OBI (upper).
Both sides of the biography (lower).

The Japanese edition of the second LP (the first press) has at least two appeals to vinyl collectors. One is a typological error on the OBI strip that is unique to the white-label promotional issues (04/26/2015). The other is a 4-page folded booklet of biography that was originally accompanied by some copies of the promotional and regular pressings (04/29/2015). Both are hard to come by even here in the Far East (and highly-priced even if found). The latter most probably represents Springsteen's first-ever promotional booklet or pamphlet officially released by CBS/SONY Records, since the LP is his debut album here March 21st, 1974, preceding GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK, N.J. (CBS/SONY SOPL-248) that is out later on July 21st that year. To the best of my knowledge, Blinded By The Light (P. Humphries & C. Hunt, 1985, Plexus, London) is the only reference source that mentions this promo print, although the book describes it erroneously as "a 5 page biography" (p. 168). Luckily, I found and grabbed it for less than 2,000 Yen last month in a net auction without competition.


THE MUSE CONCERT / NO NUKES  laserdisc (Videoarts Japan Inc., VALJ-3138)

Playing the guitar outro for Prove It All Night on the second night (Sep. 22nd) ?  Sourced from this laserdisc or videotape, the pirate DVD has been produced and circulated. The accompanying liner-note sheet is quite hard to read through due to low-contrast orange & white printing.

Even if not among the best performances, the Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) Concerts For a Non-Nuclear Future (NO NUKES), held in New York City in 1979 during recording sessions for THE RIVER, are historically among the most significant in his career. A total of five performances from the two-night stand are included in the triple-disc soundtrack LP (Stay and Devil With The Blue Dress Medley) and the 103-min documentary film (The River, Thunder Road, and Quarter To Three), which are later released as a double CD and visual format (videotape and laserdisc), respectively. Collecting-wise, two versions of the promotion-only Devil ... 12" vinyl disc, which are played at different speeds, have been popular classic collectibles, with the 33⅓-rpm edition being impossibly rare (see 04/25/2019 to 05/12/2019). 
Although I have never owned laser-disc players, this title in the now-defunct format is worth getting for the front sleeve alone. I obtained the Japanese edition at fairly a cheap price (480 Yen; the fixed retailed price was 5,800 Yen back then, excluding consumption tax). In my opinion, it features one of the best live-stage shots used for official 12-inch sized sleeves, along with AS REQUESTED AROUND THE WORLD (05/10/2020 to 06/06/2020). As already pointed out, several previously unseen clips from the charity concerts are used on the documentary and music video from LETTER TO YOU, indicating that there should be the complete performance footage for each night by Springsteen and the band. Wishing the full part of Springsteen's footage to be officially released from the vault.

 

Collecting log: BORN IN THE U.S.A. LP ー Bob Ludwig has recut the master lacquer for SIDE ONE

Selling 15,000,000 copies in the United States only, the U.S. pressing of BORN IN THE U.S.A. LP (Columbia QC 38653) is quite cheap and widely available, making it the most mediocre or insignificant vinyl collectible among his entire back catalog. However, there are many variations in the dead-wax matrix numbers simply because of the huge copy number, hence numerous different pressings. This has prompted me to seek out the matrix numbers for the earliest U.S. edition of the best-seller album, which has been reported in a five-consecutive blog last year (08/14/2019 to 09/30/2019). 

The latest purchases of the three U.S. copies with a mastering maestro's "RL" dead-wax marking cost less than one coin (= 500 Yen) for each: one shrink-wrapped with an original blue/white sticker while the other two without shrinks. These discs are not VERY early pressings as evidenced by the matrix numbers (whose suffix codes are labeled in green on each copy), but collector-wise, I found some interesting facts on the dead-wax portion of these discs.

For most of Springsteen's vinyl albums from the 1970s to 1980s released in the U.S. from Columbia Records, early pressings are knowable by matrix number suffixes that encode a given disc's pressing history. They are usually a combination of a single number (referring to the version of master tape used) and alphabetical letter(s) (reflecting the lacquer-cutting number from a given master tape; one-letter codes denote earlier cuttings than two-letter codes). From what I've observed, the suffix codes for this album are roughly grouped into two types: those for the relatively early pressings typically start with "3" and "2" on Sides One and Two, respectively, followed by one or two letters (like 3B or 2AC), whereas the late pressings further add a "G" at the beginning of codes (like G3V or G2AD)*. As I previously posted (08/14/2019), the earliest example of Side One/Two combinations found in my collection is 3A/2A (the full matrix numbers are shown below).

     Side One:  G1   PAL-38653-3A    MASTERDISK  RL     
     Side Two:  G2   PBL-38653-2A    MASTERDISK  RL
              (hand-etched, oblique; stamped, straight)

The suffix codes are interpreted to mean that Side One was pressed by a stamper derived from the first lacquer cut from the third master tape, while the first lacquer plate from the second master was used for pressing Side Two. "G1" and "G2" at the beginning of the matrix codes indicate the disc's origin at the then-latest Columbia's pressing plant in Carrollton, Georgia.
*An exception of the late pressing in my collection has "G1A" on Side One. 

Another measure that distinguishes the early pressings from the late copies is, as I reported before (09/11/2019), the width of the trail-off groove area, or dead-wax space on Side One, which is noticeably wider on the former (about 20 mm) than the latter (ca. 15 mm). Checking out my collection, I also noticed that an "RL," the initials inscribed by Master/Cutting Engineer Robert C. (Bob) Ludwig, was exclusively found among many (though not necessarily all) of the wide dead-wax pressings, but none from the narrow ones. So, I presumed that the coupling of Ludwig's signature with the wide dead-wax constituted yet another hallmark for the early pressings. At least with this album, he always inscribes his initials on the right of a MASTERDISK machine stamp.

Bob Ludwig has cut Side One of BON IN THE U.S.A. differently, as indicated by the difference in the dead-wax width of two pressings. The upper images show the narrow dead-wax pressing that is a relatively late (newer) copy with the matrix number suffix "3BB." The lower images show an example of the wide dead-wax copy with the suffix "3A," which is by far the earliest known code for Side One of the U.S. pressings (see also 08/14/2019).

However, the recent purchase of the three used copies (shown on top of this page) obliged me to reconsider this presumption. When I checked the matrix numbers, the three pressings showed a combination of one number and two letters for the suffix codes, 3AA, 3BB, and 3BC, on Side One. According to Columbia Records' rule, these suffix codes specify 12th, 24th, and 25th lacquer cuttings, respectively, using the third master mix. So, they are not very early pressings, although the dead-wax "MASTERDISK RL" marking was clearly visible on the individual discs. What made me surprised a little was that, concerning Side One, the dead-wax width was not wide but narrow on the following two discs! (the remaining pressing had the wide dead-wax, as shown in the image below) 

     Side One:    P    o    PAL · 38653-3BB    MASTERDISK RL
     Side Two:    P   (T-D) PBL-38653 G2S

     Side One:    P      PAL · 38653-3BC       MASTERDISK RL
     Side Two:    P      PBL-38653-2BD         MASTERDISK RL
              (hand-etched, oblique; stamped, straight) 

This means that the maestro engineer recut the master lacquer for this side. You may ask me which sounds better, the original wide or redone narrow dead-wax disc?  Unfortunately, I'm just a collector, but not an audiophile and don't own Hi-Fi stereo setups. So, I'll leave the answer to someone who is interested in this small finding because these used copies have been available cheap. Just for your information, these discs are New Jersey's Pitman pressings, as indicated by the leading single letter "P" (however, "P" of "PAL" or "PBL" has nothing to do with Pitman).

The identical matrix information (P AL-38653-3AA  MASTERDISK RL) was shared on Side One by the U.S. (left) and Filipino (right) pressings. The inset on the upper right corner shows additional matrix inscriptions (QCL-22110-A) found on the Filipino disc on Maestro's initials' right. On the other hand, the U.S.pressing has extra codes P <JM-P> that precede the matrix number (not shown in image).

Finally, what is interesting to me with the remaining pressing with the suffix codes 3AA/2AM ?  I previously showed a Made-In-Philippines copy with the U.S.-specific matrix numbers (09/29/2019), indicating that at least part of the Southeast Asian pressings employed the lacquer master(s) imported from the U.S. Now, this idea is supported by one of the recently obtained U.S. copies that had exactly the same matrix numbers with those of the Filipino disc, including Ludwig's signature, as shown in the above images. A trivial, but interesting aspect of collecting vinyl records.

P.S. Finishing up the blog post last night, and early in the morning, I found that the Atlanta '78 performance is finally available as part of the official live archive series. Just great.

Collecting log: an ABBA's LP error pressing with BORN TO RUN tracks on one side

I remember ABBA was already a big star when I was a junior high
school student, just beginning to listen to popular Western music,
mainly on the radio.

Shown left is unusual or uncommon to this blog, which is totally unrelated to Springsteen's music or recording products. It's an ABBA's album from the mid-1970s called WATERLOO (Epic U.K. pressing, EPC 80179). Needless to say, ABBA is a pop supergroup from Sweden, known for several worldwide hits like Dancing Queen as a notable example. WATERLOO is their second album, originally released in 1974 that brought about their breakthrough in the U.K. and the U.S. So, why is it mentioned here? Well, it's time to confess something. I'm a secret admirer of ABBA, accumulating a huge collection of this popular band that far surpasses my entire Springsteen collection...

Although ABBA's WATERLOO LP (upper) from the U.K.
contains six songs on Side 1 as printed on the record
label, only four tracks are recognized on the vinyl
pressing that looks exactly the same as Side 1 of
a U.K. copy of BORN TO RUN LP (lower).

Nope, not really. This vinyl album is my first and only purchase of their records. In fact, I had never expected to do so until I knew that this particular copy of the generally cheap-priced album turned out to be a one-of-a-kind to Springsteen collectors. As far as I examined, the LP sleeve is normal with no apparent errors or defects, and the vinyl disc carries proper Epic Records labels on both sides. However, when played on a turntable, Side One starts off with Thunder Road and finishes with Backstreets. So, this side contains all the four tracks from the first side of BORN TO RUN LP, instead of ABBA's six tracks that include the title tune (a U.S. Top10 Hit). Side Two normally plays their pop songs.

Then, I was curious about how this handling mistake happened for two vinyl releases from different record labels during the manufacturing process. So, as usual, I digged into the matrix numbers of the error pressing (oblique, hand-etched; straight, machine-stamped):

• Side 1:    B          CBS-S-69170-A4         ? *
• Side 2:    A          EPC.S.80179.B4

Absolutely no differences in the Side One matrix numbers between ABBA's
mispressing (left) and a U.K. repressing of Springsteen's third album (right).
Note that two stamper rings are pressed in the same way between the two.

This copy of WATERLOO is apparently not an original U.K. pressing. According to the Discogs database, the original (with the matrix numbers EPC-S-80179-A1/B1) was issued with yellow labels, but not orange shown here, which was used between 1976 and 1979. I figured that this vinyl pressing corresponds to a late-1970s reissue, as the Side One matrix numbers match completely with those of BORN TO RUN LP (CBS 69170) from a self-titled U.K. box set of his first three albums (CBS 66353), which was released November 1979. I own three copies of the box set where all individual copies of the repressed BORN TO RUN album share the identical matrix numbers on both sides, as follows:

• Side 1:    B         CBS-S-69170-A4         Ty**
• Side 2:    D         CBS-S-69170-B2         timtom**

* ? remains to be deciphered (as I was not able to figure it out). 
**For "Ty" and "timtom" hand-etchings, refer to four consecutive blog posts from 12/22/2019 to 01/05/2020. "Ty" is quite difficult to read on this disc, so that it might be different letters.

Single-letter stamps on the dead-wax of U.K. CBS pressings.

Side Two matrix number suffix (B4)
and orange Epic labels indicate that
this ABBA's LP is a repressed copy.

The machine-stamped single letters such as A, B and D***, as found at the 9 o'clock position to the matrix numbers (at 12 o'clock) on these vinyl discs, are stamper indicators used at CBS Pressing Plant of Aston Clinton, located in the Buckinghamshire county of England. Back then, Epic recordings were issued and distributed by CBS in the U.K., as printed on the center bottom of WATERLOO's back cover ("Epic is a product of CBS Records"). Therefore, most probably, these two contrastingly sounding, best-seller albums were simultaneously repressed by CBS at their Aston Clinton plant in the late 1970s, which somehow resulted in this incredible pressing error of hybrid combination between sugar pop and classic rock.
***The letter "A" is often faintly stamped, so it also looks like a three-dotted triangle or a capital Greek Lambda (∧). Likewise, "B" seems to be read as "D" in some cases, and vice versa.

By the way, I have never seen the U.K. edition that corrects the "JOHN"
misspelling on the rear sleeve. Shown is a reissue from the 1979 box set.

Certainly a one-of-a-kind pickup, but not necessarily for everyone who is interested in vinyl record collectibles of Springsteen. I have no idea as to whether this mispressing would appeal to ABBA collectors. Probably not. What's your guess?