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.