Collecting log: BORN TO RUN Japanese original LP with an oval-shaped sticker

Finally, the shrink-wrapped, stickered copy joins my collection. All the
others obtained previously are shrink-removed without the sticker.

As you can know from my blog title, I was born and raised in the Far East country of Japan, collecting vinyl and CD collectibles of my favorite artist for many years. So, you might assume that I own, if not all, nearly all of the official rare collectibles released here under his name, from major items like custom promo-only stuff from the 1970s and 1980s to minors such as cheesy CD-R samplers released in the current century (see the image below for some examples from 2007 to 2009). But, no, that is not true. My official vinyl/CD collection is rather limited in variety and far from perfection, still lacking this and that sort of major domestic rarities, whether promo or regular releases. Why? Although paradoxical, that is right because I live in Japan and have spent all of my life here (except for a one-year stay in the U.S.).

I've lost my interest in collecting CDs considerably
since CD-R became a main promotional medium.

Like many collectors, I was (and still am) attracted to overseas items that are often the mystique of something not of my homeland. In fact, in the first place, I started this practice by collecting vinyl bootleg imports from the U.S. (see 8/14/2015). On the other hand, I tended to rely on an unwarranted or unfounded assumption that I could somehow locate and get domestic collectibles at any time if I really wanted. In this way, my collection has been expanded to obtain mainly foreign official releases (and vinyl bootlegs) while I disregarded or underestimated Japanese products to a relatively large extent.

Although slightly discolored (but who cares?), the hype
sticker says that the album charted number one in the
U.S. without mentioning the source (i.e., Record World
magazine); it peaked at number three on the Billboard
200 album chart in October 1975.

Shown here is one of such Japanese collectibles I had tried to find but failed for years to add to my collection. This is the first issue of his masterpiece released here 47 years ago, widely known to collectors for its catalog number CBS/SONY SOPO-96 and the top red obi. Even in Japan, it's not easy to find pristine copies since many in circulation show ages with the white sleeve often spotted or stained here and there. Moreover, even if the sleeve is fine, the red stripes of the spine part of the obi are discolored mildly to severely, depending on storage conditions. Generally, red color is more prone to fading under sunlight or fluorescent light due to the absorption of higher-energy wavelength light such as blue, violet, and ultraviolet. You can probably find other examples of such discoloration on the spine of LP sleeves for NEBRASKA, HUMAN TOUCH, LUCKY TOWN (red lettering) and BORN IN THE U.S.A. (red stripe).

However, from my experience, the toughest one to locate and obtain is the shrink-wrapped copies with the oval-shaped hype sticker. As far as I know, the most recent case where such a copy (w/ sticker & obi) appeared here on a major domestic auction site was in late November to early December 2017 and fetched 67,691-Yen with 33 cumulative bids (see the table above; although the disc was a regular pressing, the auctioned copy contained a promo info sheet, which must have increased the final bid further). I don't know whether all or some of the initial copies were shrink-wrapped and stickered when they were first released here on October 21, 1975 (cf., the U.S. release date is August 25). Nowadays, the stickered stock copies are much rarer than the white-label promotional edition without the sticker. The white-label promo with the shrink, sticker, and info sheet is impossibly rare, although I've seen it once (see the table for the auction on December 26, 2013).

Upper left : The obi is in perfect condition, including the spine part, which generally suffers the most from discoloration.
Lower left : The label is rubber-stamped "Mi-hon-ban" in three Kanji characters referring to "Sample disc" (only on SIDE B).
Right : The regular stickered copy is much rarer than the white-labeled promotional edition without the sticker.

Last month, I searched for some information on CBS/SONY's stamper numbers on Google to write about the relationship between Asian and Japanese NEBRASKA pressings (see 4/17/2022). Then, surprisingly, I happened to come across a shrink-wrapped copy being sold at a used vinyl shop located in the northern city of Kyushu Island (the third largest of Japan's four main islands). Further to my surprise, it was not auctioned but available for a set sale priced at 2,800-Yen (circa US $22) excluding tax, one order lower than the final bid amounts of domestic auctions above. 

Not to mention, the copy is now sitting on my record shelf (and shown here). All I can say is that I was just lucky, and hunting rarities in this unexpected way is one of the best parts of collecting vinyl!