Collecting log: AS REQUESTED AROUND THE WORLD U.S. promotion-only compilation album with great cover artwork (Part 3 of 4)

SIDE 1 (THE RIVER sampler side) has at least
three variations in the matrix numbers.

Promotion-only releases are one of the major targets for collecting and hunting vinyl and compact discs. In the true sense, AS REQUESTED AROUND THE WORLD (Columbia AS 978) marks the first U.S. custom-made promotion-only LP concerning the artwork design of the album sleeve and track-list configuration, both of which are exclusively unique to this release. One might think that the BORN TO RUN script cover (Columbia no number) and the picture disc edition of DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN (Columbia JC 35318) represent the earlier examples in this release category. To me, however, these two vinyl rarities can be viewed rather as variants to respective regular releases because of identical track configuration and basically the same cover artwork design, although the former came as not a promo but the advanced disc (test pressing) in a special press-kit package which was sent out to reviewers and record executives rather than to radio stations for airplay.

A pair of one-sided acetates were cut at Capitol Records in Hollywood,
CA, on the 6th of July, 1981, during his 6-night stand at Brendan
Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ. From the Backstreets Records
Warehouse Catalog no. 44 including Auction Catalog Spring 1997
entitled 57 Channels Of Auction Gems.

Despite being the completely custom-promo product issued way back in 1981, the copies of this title are still easily available and much less expensive than the above two, indicating that a relatively large number have circulated in the second-hand and collectors' market. So, as I wrote in the last blog, I was just curious about whether there were variations in vinyl pressings or not, and if so, how many available. The four copies in my current possession (numbered 1 to 4 temporarily) are grouped into two pressings, based on the dead-wax matrix inscriptions, and listed below (italics, hand-etched; upright font, machine-stamped). Here I attempt to crack these matrix codes (a sort of fun for me).

Copies #1 and #2

• SIDE 1:   1S    XSM-168620 1D F1     0     SX     MASTERED BY CAPITOL    A     KP
• SIDE 2:   1S    XSM-168621 2D F8     0     SX     MASTERED BY CAPITOL    B     KP

Never seen any Springsteen's releases with SX hand-etchings
except for this promo LP. Upper, SIDE 1; lower, SIDE 2.

1. Here we see some familiar matrix code and stamp, KP and MASTERED BY CAPITOL, which are common to the early U.S. copies of THE RIVER LP (Columbia PC2 36854), and the two single releases, Hungry Heart (Columbia 11-11391) and Fade Away (Columbia 11-11431). So, although not credited anywhere on the record, this promo LP was also mastered by Ken Perry at Capitol Records where for cutting master lacquers, he generally used the Neumann VMS-66 lathe (denoted as "F") at Tower Mastering in Hollywood, California. This explains the meanings of  F1 and F8 hand-etchings which are the 1st and 8th lacquers cut from the "F" lathe, respectively.
2. Columbia Records' matrix numbers, XSM-168620 and XSM-1168621, might also refer to the mastering job numbers with the prefix XSM which at least refers to stereo recordings (cf. XLP for mono). The two numbers are followed by the first suffixes 1D and 2D which, according to Columbia's rules, indicate that the lacquer for SIDE 1 was the "D" cutting made from a first master tape (1D ) while a second master tape was employed to cut the "D" lacquer for SIDE 2 (2D ). This suggests the existence of other lacquers "A" to "C" for each side of this LP (see below). 
3. As well-known, scratchy 1S (sometimes 2S or just S ) is ordinarily found on the trail-off area of vinyl records manufactured at Columbia's Pressing Plant in Santa Maria. "S" of SX also signifies Santa Maria, and the two-letter code with "X" probably means that the stamper was initially used at this Californian plant and then planned to be used by another Columbia's plant. If this is indeed the case, the second letter "X" is followed by a single letter code for such a plant to give a three-letter code like SXT (see below). 
4. Single letters, A and B, simply designate stamper editions used, but I don't know what "0" stamps mean.
5. To summarize my guess, the master lacquer discs for these pressings were cut at Tower Mastering, Capitol Records in Hollywood, and sent out to Columbia Records' Santa Maria factory for metal plating and further manufacturing to complete album production. 

Copies #3 and #4 (whose matrix numbers are identical to the current listing on Discogs)

• SIDE 1:   1S    XSM-168620 1B F2     0     MASTERED BY CAPITOL    B1     KP   SXT 
• SIDE 2:   1S    XSM-168621 2D F8     0     SX     MASTERED BY CAPITOL    B     KP

Left, No credits are given on the rear sleeve for who mastered this and where. Middle, Ken Perry's signature.
Right, SIDE 1 matrix number (upper) and inscriptions (lower) indicating that the metal plate was processed at
Santa Maria plant and the vinyl disc was pressed at Terre Haute plant.
 

1. These pressings differ two points in the SIDE 1 matrix codes from the above. One is the matrix number suffixes, 1B and F2, which are, as described above, specific to Columbia Records and Capitol Records, respectively. These codes mean that the lacquer for this side was made from a first master tape and assigned the "B" cutting which corresponds to the second lacquer cut on Neumann VMS-66. 
2. The three-letter code SXT probably indicates that the stamper was made and first used at the Santa Maria plant (as denoted by "S" ) and then sent out to another Columbia's pressing plant in Terre Haute (symbolized as "T" ), Indiana, for re-use there. In summer 1981 when this album was under the manufacturing process, CBS Inc. already decided the closure of Santa Maria plant (and shuttered in early December). This supports the interpretation of the SXT code.
3. So, for these copies, the lacquers were cut at Capitol Records, metal mothers and stampers were made at Columbia Records' Santa Maria, and the vinyl disc was pressed at Terre Haute. My first copy, which I purchased in the East of the U.S. a long time ago, is one of the two mentioned here.

Copies not in my possession
     By web searching, I found another pressing that carries yet another different combination of the
     matrix number suffixes for the two record companies:

• SIDE 1:   1S    XSM-168620 1C F3     0     SX     MASTERED BY CAPITOL    A     KP
• SIDE 2:   1S    XSM-168621 2B F6     0     SX     MASTERED BY CAPITOL    B     KP

     Based on the matrix information, the manufacturing history of this pressing is the same as that
     of Copies #1 and #2 (i.e. mastered at Capitol and pressed at Columbia's Santa Maria).

This short survey revealed that: (1) this steadily collectible, promo-only LP was mastered at Capitol Records and manufactured at Columbia Records; (2) hence, the matrix inscriptions consist of the mixture of codes from the two record companies; and (3) there are at least three different pressings based on the SIDE 1 matrix inscriptions, each bearing 1B-, 1C-, or 1D-cutting number. It remains unclear (to me) whether the 1A-cutting pressing has been available or not. Likewise, whether 2A- and 2C-cuttings exist or not for SIDE 2.
— To be continued to Part 4 / back to Part 1 or Part 2.