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.