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?