DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN US LP variations: Summary of LABEL variations found in the early pressings

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN REVISED AND UPDATED.

1. As of August 21, 2022, this article was revised and updated in light of new information reported on 8/20/2022. The major change focuses on one of the two Pitman pressing variants, "Pitman pressing ー Variant Two (listed below as no. 9)," which turned out to be a product of Peter Pan Records' pressing plant in Lakewood, New Jersey. Accordingly, it was renamed "Lakewood pressing" (or could be alternatively called "Pete pressing").
   
2. As of February 23, 2023, this article was corrected in response to the comment by wbhist (see here), who provided an accurate size of the stamper ring for Lakewood/Pete pressings as well as the three Columbia pressings (i.e., Pitman, Santa Maria, and Terre Haute). Although this post originally reported that these pressings shared the same diameter size, as in the comment, I confirmed that Pete's diameter [2.75" (69.9 mm)] is slightly longer (by approximately 1 mm) than the others [2.703125" (68.7 mm)]. Moreover, the ring size of the Hauppauge/Keel and Holbrook/Goldisc pressings was also found to be a bit more than 69 mm and, thus, the same as the Lakewood pressings (2.75"). Accordingly, all the relevant information has been corrected.

Typical early (upper) and late (lower) DARKNESS releases.
The differences are evident in the photo-image quality of
the inner sleeve (left half) and the rear-side lettering of
the outer sleeve (right half). Note that there are "hybrid"
copies with the combination of the late-outer and early-
inner sleeves (but no alternative combination has circulated).

Hunting the early U.S. pressings* of his fourth official album, released in June 1978, provides a unique opportunity for expanding your collection of Springsteen's vinyl albums relatively at low costs. In the spring of that year, the Pitman factory in NJ, one of the three vinyl-pressing plants Columbia Records owned (cf., the other two are located in  Santa Maria, CA, and Terre Haute, IN), ceased the operation temporarily due to labor disputes until right before the album release date (originally scheduled late May). Therefore, the company needed to take action to compensate for the anticipated shortage of the album supply in the East Coast area.

According to my survey results thus far, six unusual pressing plants that would have otherwise never handled Columbia label's products got involved in the album production. These five were located in NY (three), NJ (one), PA (one), and IL (one). Consequently, the standard copies issued in 1978 display more variations in record label and dead-wax stamp/inscription than any other his albums released before or after, as featured in the blog series "DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN US LP variations." 

Eleven months ago, in the last post in this series (5/23/2021), I made a concise summary table for the run-off groove/matrix information of these vinyl pressings. This post mainly focuses on the label variations (thus far counting nine entries), as listed below in an order based on matrix codes on SIDE ONE (the current list starting from 1A to 1AG).

*The early U.S. pressings, as defined here, meet the following conditions:
   1.  Most, if not all, early copies in circulation came in the sleeve with no hype sticker (see 8/24/2020 and 8/29/2020) on the front, and the rear side features the large-letter tracklist and black-letter credits on the upper and lower of the left corners, respectively (see the photo images on the top right). Especially, I have never seen any copies pressed at five non-Columbia plants, which are housed in the small-letter tracklist sleeve.
   2.  The inner sleeve is thicker paper with higher resolution images than that for later pressings.
   3.  The main matrix numbers are hand-etched PAL-35318 and PBL-35318 on SIDE ONE and TWO, respectively.
   4.  Each side of a vinyl disc is stamped TML-M or TLM-S (meaning The Mastering Lab-Master or Slave lathe; see 3/18/2017) on the dead-wax space.

1. Santa Maria pressing

Location of pressing plant: Santa Maria, California
Pressing plant owner: Columbia Records

Label printing and stamper ring
  (1) Rim-text color: orangish yellow**
  (2) Artist name/Album title: single line/single line
  (3) Stamper ring: single, large (Ø = 68.7 mm)

Deadwax stamp and inscription (straight, stamped; oblique, hand-etched)
  (1) Confirmed SIDE ONE/TWO matrix codes : 1A, 1B, 1C/2B, 2C
  (2) Plant-specific matrix code: 1S, 2S
  (3) Plant-specific matrix symbol: (none)

Note: Probably, the most abundant pressing before the Pitman plant resumed the operation on the right tracks upon resolving the labor issues on May 17th (cf., the DARKNESS album is released on June 2nd), and possibly even after that until 1981, when this West Coast facility shut down. The label image is taken from my personal copy with SIDE ONE/TWO matrix numbers 1B/2B.

2. Terre Haute pressing

Location of pressing plant: Terre Haute, Indiana
Pressing plant owner: Columbia Records

Label printing and stamper ring
  (1) Rim-text color: bright yellow**
  (2) Artist name/Album title: single line/single line
  (3) Stamper ring: single, large (Ø = 68.7 mm)

Deadwax stamp and inscription (straight, stamped; oblique, hand-etched)
  (1) Confirmed SIDE ONE/TWO matrix codes : 1D, 1E, 1H/2E, 2H
  (2) Plant-specific matrix code: 1T, 2T
  (3) Plant-specific matrix symbol: (none)

Note: Indistinguishable from the Santa Maria pressings by label design and stamper ring, although, as an exception, I've once seen a 1T-etched disc with the Pitman label (see below). As far as I've seen, many of the white label promotional copies in circulation are from this pressing plant. The label image is taken from my personal copy with SIDE ONE/TWO matrix numbers 1D/2E. Check also 12/30/2017.

3. Scranton pressing (also known as NAMI pressing)

Location of pressing plant: Scranton, Pennsylvania
Pressing plant owner: North American Music Industries (NAMI)

Label printing and stamper ring
  (1) Rim-text color: bright yellow**
  (2) Artist name/Album title: single line/single line
  (3) Stamper ring: single, middle (Ø = 35 mm)

Deadwax stamp and inscription (straight, stamped; oblique, hand-etched)
  (1) Confirmed SIDE ONE/TWO matrix codes : 1G, 1H/2S, 2T
  (2) Plant-specific matrix code: PN
  (3) Plant-specific matrix symbol: ☖ (The U.S. Capitol building)

Note: Easily recognizable by the middle size-stamper ring that is unique to this pressing plant. Before NAMI, Capitol Records owned the Scranton plant, which explains why the American Capitol is symbolized and stamped on the dead wax (Capitol sold NAMI the pressing plant in 1973). The label image is taken from my personal copy with SIDE ONE/TWO matrix numbers 1G/2S. Check also 3/21/2017.

4. Gloversville pressing

Location of pressing plant: Gloversville, New York
Pressing plant owner: MCA Records

Label printing and stamper ring
  (1) Rim-text color: bright yellow**
  (2) Artist name/Album title: single line/single line
  (3) Stamper ring: single, small (Ø = 25 mm)

Deadwax stamp and inscription (straight, stamped; oblique, hand-etched)
  (1) Confirmed SIDE ONE/TWO matrix codes : 1J, 1K/2Q, 2R
  (2) Plant-specific matrix code: PMN
  (3) Plant-specific matrix symbol: ⧈-G-⧈

Note: One of the two vinyl-pressing variants manufactured at MCA Records' plants located in NY and IL. Both share the small stamper ring and are distinguished by different letter fonts printed on the labels and unique matrix codes/symbols on the deadwax space. The label image is taken from my personal copy with SIDE ONE/TWO matrix numbers 1J/2Q. Check also 7/29/2017.

5. Pinckneyville pressing

Location of pressing plant: Pinckneyville, Illinois
Pressing plant owner: MCA Records

Label printing and stamper ring
  (1) Rim-text color: bright yellow**
  (2) Artist name/Album title: single line/single line
  (3) Stamper ring: single, small (Ø = 25 mm)

Deadwax stamp and inscription (straight, stamped; oblique, hand-etched)
  (1) Confirmed SIDE ONE/TWO matrix codes : 1L/2N, 2P
  (2) Plant-specific matrix code: PMI
  (3) Plant-specific matrix symbol: ◈-P-◈

Note: Another pressing with the small stamper ring from the MCA Records' plant in IL. The Pinckneyville pressing adopts a different font from all the others for label lettering, representing the most distinguished among the DARKNESS labels. The label image is taken from my personal copy with SIDE ONE/TWO matrix numbers 1L/2N. Check also 3/18/2017.

6. Hauppauge pressing (also known as Keel pressing)

Location of pressing plant: Hauppauge, New York
Pressing plant owner: Keel Manufacturing Corp.

Label printing and stamper ring
  (1) Rim-text color: bright yellow**
  (2) Artist name/Album title: single line/single line
  (3) Stamper ring: dual, large (Ø = 69.9 mm); very small (11 mm)

Deadwax stamp and inscription (straight, stamped; oblique, hand-etched)
  (1) Confirmed SIDE ONE/TWO matrix codes : 1AB/2K, 2W, 2X
  (2) Plant-specific matrix code: PK
  (3) Plant-specific matrix symbol: Union Jack flag

Note: By appearance, almost indistinguishable from the Santa Maria and Terre Haute pressings, except for a minor difference in the stamper ring, which is dual, consisting of the large and extremely small ones. The former ring is marginally larger (by 1 mm) than the regular Columbia pressings, while the latter is found only on SIDE ONE but not on TWO. The Hauppauge/Keel discs are well-known for Union Jack symbol(s) etched in the run-off groove area. The label image is taken from my personal copy with SIDE ONE/TWO matrix numbers 1AB/2K. Check also 6/30/2017 and 10/2/2017.

7. Holbrook pressing (also known as Goldisc pressinqg)

Location of pressing plant: Holbrook, New York
Pressing plant owner: Goldisc Recordings Products, Inc.

Label printing and stamper ring
  (1) Rim-text color: bright yellow**
  (2) Artist name/Album title: single line/single line
  (3) Stamper ring: single, large (Ø = 69.9 mm)

Deadwax stamp and inscription (straight, stamped; oblique, hand-etched)
  (1) Confirmed SIDE ONE/TWO matrix codes : 1AC/2J
  (2) Plant-specific matrix code: PV
  (3) Plant-specific matrix symbol: GOL

Note: Virtually identical looking to the record labels of Santa Maria and Terre Haute pressings and only distinguished from these copies by the presence of two hand-etched inscriptions, PV and GOL, on the dead wax. For this reason, the Holbrook/Goldisc pressings are not easy to identify and rather difficult to find. The stamper ring is the same size as the Hauppauge/Keel pressings, a bit longer than those pressed at Santa Maria and Terre Haute plants. Check also 5/23/2021.

8. Pitman pressing  (originally listed as "Pitman pressing ー Variant One")

Location of pressing plant: Pitman, New Jersey
Pressing plant owner: Columbia Records

Label printing and stamper ring
  (1) Rim-text color: bright yellow**
  (2) Artist name/Album title: Double line/Double line
  (3) Stamper ring: single, large (Ø = 68.7 mm)

Deadwax stamp and inscription (straight, stamped; oblique, hand-etched)
  (1) Confirmed SIDE ONE/TWO matrix codes : 1AD/2AA
  (2) Plant-specific matrix code: P
  (3) Plant-specific matrix symbol: (none)

Note: Although the stamper ring is the commonly seen single large, the label design significantly differs from the others. Notably, Springsteen's name and the album title are printed differently on the labels in a double line each (cf., the later pressings change his name in a single line; see 3/4/2018). The label image is taken from my personal copy with SIDE ONE/TWO matrix numbers 1AD/2AA. Check also 5/15/2021.

9. Lakewood pressing (can also be called Pete pressing)
(originally listed incorrectly as "Pitman pressing ー Variant two")

Location of pressing plant: Lakewood, New Jersey
Pressing plant owner: Peter Pan Records

Label printing and stamper ring
  (1) Rim-text color: bright yellow**
  (2) Artist name/Album title: Double line/Double line
  (3) Stamper ring: single, large (Ø = 69.9 mm)

Deadwax stamp and inscription (straight, stamped; oblique, hand-etched)
  (1) Confirmed SIDE ONE/TWO matrix codes : 1AF, 1AG/2AB, 2AC
  (2) Plant-specific matrix code: PPP
  (3) Plant-specific matrix symbol: (none)

Note: Labels of another New Jersey pressing look very similar to those of the Pitman pressing. The major difference is the spacing between the album title and tracklist, which is noticeably wider by about 10 mm. The minor difference is the stamper ring which is slightly larger by 1 mm than the Pitman. Some copies (with the matrix code 1AG) do not carry the plant-specific code PPP on SIDE ONE. The label image is taken from my personal copy with SIDE ONE/TWO matrix numbers 1AD 1AF/2AC (SIDE ONE's matrix code 1AD preceding 1AF is crossed out). Check also 11/19/2018, 5/15/2021, and 8/20/2022 (most updated).

**A first, I thought the rim-text color was specific to regional printing factories (accordingly, pressing plant-specific), but its tones can vary depending on the printing lot, so it may not be a good guide to distinguish these pressings.

This survey is, as always, still work-in-progress. There may be more label variations or exceptions. In addition, the matrix-number information must be fulfilled to represent comprehensive, thorough data collections. So, I welcome any addition, correction, question, or suggestion.

— To be continued to Notes on the late pressing labels.

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP: Asian pressings and its relation to the Japanese discs (Part 2 of 2) — Notes on CBS/SONY's stamper numbers

Upper: The front sleeve of the Taiwan pressing (left) is of significantly
lower printing quality than the Japanese release (right, the obi removed).
Lower: The rear of the Taiwanese sleeve (left) is unique in featuring the
lyrics compared to the standard sleeve (right, Japanese).

In appearance, a Taiwanese copy of NEBRASKA LP in my collection is like a typical Asian pirate pressing that differs notably in several aspects from the official releases in the U.S., U.K., and Japan. First, it is licensed by an obscure company (Lee Ming Records Ltd.) with a unique catalog number (LMSP-004). Second, the front picture of the album sleeve is inferior in its printing quality (which is also true for the Korean LP), losing the details compared with the Japanese LP (CBS/SONY 25AP-2440), and strangely carries the lyrics on the back. So, the cardboard inner sleeve is not contained. Third, the record labels are amateurish in black & white with completely different looking from those of the Columbia/CBS Records, depicting what is considered a company or label logo, "Star Power." All these observations might be enough to conclude that it is a product of piracy activity.

Like the Korean LP, the spine is white with a unique catalog number (top
and middle). The manufacturer is listed on the bottom of the rear sleeve
(bottom).

Surprisingly, however, the vinyl sound is excellent on par with the regular pressings. Having checked the dead-wax space of the disc, I found that the stamped matrix numbers and symbols are identical to the Japanese pressing as shown below (straight, stamped; oblique, hand-etched), additionally with the Taiwan-specific hand inscriptions. Like Japanese releases, the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) logo and the company's abbreviation (CS) are stamped only on the Side A run-off.

• Side A:  25AP-2440A1  〄CS   LMSP-004-1      1 A 6
  
• Side B:  25AP-2440B1            LMSP-004-1      1 A 6
  

〄, Japanese Industrial Standards; CS, CBS/SONY (see 9/25/2014, 11/20/2016, and 9/19/2017 images for these symbols)

A simple interpretation is that the Taiwanese disc was pressed with the stampers derived from the mother plates provided by CBS/SONY (Japan) after the Taiwanese-specific LMSP codes were engraved (i.e., official). Alternately, a copy of the Japanese vinyl was "converted" to a Made-In-Taiwan product by replacing the record labels (i.e., piracy). I have seen some "fake" test pressings of Springsteen's albums made in this way, using standard vinyl discs. These bogus discs generally show glue splotch or traces of chemical treatments to remove the original labels, especially on the dead wax space. However, my copy of the Taiwanese pressing is clean and in great condition with no traces of such fraudulent manipulation, supporting that the latter case is unlikely. 

Record label and matrix/stamper numbers on the Side-B run-off groove
of the Taiwanese LP. See 10/2/2016 for matrix number images of the
Japanese and Hongkongese pressings. The track-length listing is identical
to that of the Japanese LP, which is slightly different from both misprint
and correct lists of the U.S. edition (TC 38358; see 9/28/2016 for the
images of the U.S. labels).

I have several copies of the Japan-pressed LP. So, I compared their matrix information with the three Asian pressings mentioned here and in the last post (4/9/2022), as summarized in the table below. The six Japanese pressings in my possession showed a minimum variation in the matrix numbers on each side (A1 or A2 on Side A; B1 or B2 on Side B). That's not unexpected because, compared with the U.S., the total copy number of a given title was much smaller in Japan. Furthermore, CBS/SONY owned one pressing plant in Japan, whereas Columbia Records had three in the U.S. in the vinyl era. These different situations had resulted in far fewer variations in matrix codes of Japanese LP. My Taiwanese and Hongkongese pressings carry an A1/B1 combination, suggesting that these were probably out around the same time as the first or second Japanese release in 1982. A single stamper ring was found on each label of these pressings, and their size differed from each other. The Taiwanese disc showed the largest diameter (35 mm), followed by the Hongkongese (30 mm), with the Japanese as the smallest (25 mm).

Stamper numbers are sometimes more informative than matrix numbers, especially when comparing different vinyl copies of the same title pressed around the same period. They are typically stamped at the diagonal position of a matrix number in the case of CBS/SONY's discs. Although styles vary among record companies, to my understanding, "1 A 6" on Taiwanese vinyl's Side A means that the stamper used for pressing this copy was the sixth plated off the mother disc called "1 A," probably the first mother disc created, which originated from the first master lacquer cut "A1" (25AP-2440A1). 

So, theoretically, no Japanese copies exist with matrix/stamper numbers "A1/1 A 6" on Side A and "B1/1 A 6" on Side B since the stampers for such pressings must have been exported to Taiwan and not available in Japan. Nevertheless, if present, the used stampers might have been shipped there. As you see, my collection includes the Japanese pressings with stamper numbers "1 A 12" for Side A or "1 A 9" for Side B, indicating that both Side-A and -B mother discs were not so exhausted when the "1 A 6" stampers were produced.

One final note. Unlike Japanese and Taiwanese LP, the Hongkongese pressing adopts stamper numbers of one-number/one-letter codes. What interested me was "B" of "1 B" on Side B since this indicates that Hongkongese B-side was pressed using a mother different from that used for the Japanese or Taiwanese. I have never seen a "B" code used in stamper numbers for any Japanese releases, including NEBRASKA, except for multi-disc sets like THE RIVER and LIVE/1975-85 or a monster hit album BORN IN THE U.S.A. Therefore, stamper numbers on CBS/SONY's releases need to be investigated further in detail, especially in relation to these Asian pressings.

— Back to Part 1.

 

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP: Asian pressings and its relation to the Japanese discs (Part 1 of 2)

Asian NEBRASKA LP releases. Upper (left to right): three Japanese editions and a Taiwanese copy. Lower: Korea (left) and Hong Kong (right) pressings.

As I reported previously (see 7/13/2019), the initial vinyl pressings of NEBRASKA from several countries have an error on the side-two label, misprinting the playing time for My Father's House longer (5 min 43 sec rather than 5 min 3 sec). These examples count at least eight, including the U.S. and U.K. releases, although only the Brazil pressings truly contain the long version of the song (see 7/22/2019). The same misprint is found in two releases from Asia (i.e., South Korea and Hong Kong). I also have a Taiwanese copy that lists the track length as 5 min 5 sec. These Asian records, but Hong Kong's, are generally not my collecting targets because of the uncertainty of authenticity. However, this album is the only exception for me to collect from these countries.

Upper: Side B labels of Japanese (left) and Hong Kong (right) discs. Although the two
discs share identical matrix numbers (see 10/2/2016), the diameters of stamper rings
differ significantly, strongly suggesting that these discs were pressed at different
locations (probably in Japan and Hong Kong) using the same stampers (read 5/2/2021
about stamper ring). Lower: Album credits on the rear sleeve of the Hong Kong pressing.

 

Among the three Asian pressings I own, the Hong Kong release is the most superior in every aspect, guaranteeing its legitimacy (see 10/2/2016). This is no wonder since CBS/SONY Japan had the branch office there (see 9/22/2014 and 9/25/2014). Although not coming with an obi originally, it looks almost the same as the Japanese edition sharing the same catalog number (CBS/SONY 25AP2440). As reported previously (see 10/2/2016), the dead-wax matrix numbers are undistinguished from the Japanese codes, telling where the stampers came from. The major difference is the inner sleeve, which is not stiff and thick but thin like the U.K. issue, and the label design also differs slightly but not radically. These indicate that the Hong Kong issues were not the Japanese export but manufactured there.

The South-Korean LP is unique in that the sleeve spine is unusually white (upper) and that the rear sleeve credits contain Hangul descriptions (lower). Why is the catalog number OC 38358 but not QC 38358 (U.S. number)?  A typo?  The Jigu Records' company logo is printed right to the CBS logo. The inset shows the side B matrix inscription.

The South-Korean LP [KJPL-0598 (OC-38358)] also resembles the official Columbia/CBS releases. Nevertheless, their differences are more pronounced than those between Hong Kong and Japanese releases. For example, in addition to the CBS trademark, the rear sleeve prints a unique logo of a domestic record company on the bottom with part of the credits expressed in Hangul letters (that I cannot understand totally). Moreover, the album does not come with the inner sleeve but contains an English lyric insert with liner notes (full in Hangul) on the reverse side. The matrix numbers are inscribed by hand on the dead wax, completely different from those of the Japanese and U.S./European discs (side 1, KJPL-0598-A; side 2, KJPL-0598-B). According to the label and sleeve credits, this album is licensed to Jigu Records in South Korea, manufacturing various releases under license from foreign companies (as the Discogs entry claims). 

Left: The Side 2 record label of the Korean pressing. The date of "APPROVED BY THE GOVERNMENT" indicates its release year (not in 1982). Center: The lyric sheet misspells Springsteen's first name (upper); the liner notes on the reverse side close with supposedly the date of finishing writing (lower), supporting the release year as 1988 or later. Right: The vinyl disc comes in a unique, semi-transparent protective sleeve mentioning both international and domestic record companies.

One more note to the Korea LP is about its release date. The record labels print what is interpreted as such dates, 82.10.18 and 88.12.8 (cf., In the U.S. and Japan, the original release date is September 20 and October 9, 1982, respectively). A similar date, "1988.11.3," together with the supposed writer's name, concludes the accompanying liner notes (I neither read nor understand Hangul, though). Based on the above, the copy I own was probably released in late 1988 or after that. However, all the other misprinted copies from various countries are the first pressing out in 1982, most probably due to confusion arising from Springsteen's final decision to use monaural recordings for the album mix rather than the pseudo-stereo version (featuring the long version of My Father's House). So, for me, it is incomprehensible why the misprint was still created in the Korean edition six years or more after the album's original release.

Asia used to be, and perhaps still is, a grey zone in copyright infringement. In 1993, Billboard magazine reported that the Korean Government began its drive to fight piracy and improve the protection provided by the country's intellectual property law (by Byung Hoo Shu in the March 13 issue). The article also pointed out that Korea's rampant piracy problem was unique, presumably "practiced more by the legally registered companies than the elusive pirates." Provided that the Korean album was released in the late 1980s, I'm still uncertain whether or not this vinyl issue is official.

By contrast, a Taiwanese copy of mine looks like a pirate rather than a legitimate release, at least based on the LP sleeve and labels on the wax. However, I came across an interesting finding on the disc's dead wax, especially in relation to the Japanese pressing.

— To be continued to Part 2.