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.