It's always fun for vinyl collectors like me just to look into unique artworks and descriptions found on bootleg LP sleeves, including slick insert covers. Vinyl picture-disc records are more enjoyable, since this fascinating format is better suited for the display by framing and
hanging on the wall. In fact, there were already several bootlegs in this format out there when there was still only one official picture disc (for the DARKNESS promo) and before the flood of vinyl Brucelegs, including various colored and picture discs, during and the post BORN IN THE U.S.A. era. However, I used to avoid purchasing the picture-disc edition of vinyl bootlegs, especially when regular black-vinyl counterparts were also available.This was because I primarily collected bootlegs to appreciate live or unreleased recordings that were otherwise unavailable from the official sources. For this purpose, cassette tape trading could have been an alternative means, but to my knowledge, it had not been well organized and developed in Japan compared with the situation in the U.S. So, I
thought it was not a wise choice to select picture discs that generally sounded worse with more surface noise. Besides, many of these picture discs were reissues or pirated copies for existing bootlegs and often issued only one disc even if previously released as a multi-disc set.
The left two images were taken by myself back in February 2001, upon the request of Mr. John G. Leach, the founder of the original Brucebase database (http://www.brucebase.btinternet.co.uk; URL not working anymore). Back then, I was running a website exhibiting my collection. He looked through my site and sent me an e-mail message asking for high-resolution image files for some bootleg titles. Such JPEG files contained the above two left images, which were later displayed in the studio boots section, called The Studio Bruceleg File, of the website. For comparison, I took similar photos of the current disc on this occasion for the first time in 20 years (right two). Then, sadly, I found that the clear parts did show the symptom of discoloration, the disastrous phenomenon frequently observed with picture discs, notably shaped ones manufactured in the 1980s in the U.K. My bad, I had long forgotten that the disc remained in a PVC bag still with the price sticker! Check the previous post (12/23/2016) for the ugly discolored examples of Springsteen's official picture discs. |
If I'm not mistaken, RESTLESS NIGHTS was the first bootleg album full of THE RIVER outtake/unreleased tracks (though, exactly saying, it contained two tracks already released on the B-side of the official singles and one DARKNESS outtake).
- SIDE 1: Be True / Rickie Wants A Man Of Her Own / Cindy / Roulette / Restless Nights
- SIDE 2: Loose Ends / Take'em As They Come / You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch) / Held Up Without A Gun / The Way
Production-wise, this European bootleg is excellent with picture labels, pressed on colored vinyl, and comes in a printed inner sleeve (on both sides) that was rarely accompanied by bootleg releases. |
Because I was not so enthusiastic about hunting 7" records, my copy of this great Scorpio's release is neither numbered on the rear sleeve nor colored on vinyls. |
— To be continued to Part 2.
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