Collecting log: Further digging of NO NUKES collectibles and a nothing-to-rave-about but unexpected finding (Part 1 of 4)

What is the serial number of a new addition (right) to my collection? The "90/100" copy was obtained a few decades
ago (see 05/12/2019). The numbered edition of this rarely-surfaced promotional 12-inch disc, released in late 1979
or early 1980, has long been one of my all-time favorite vinyl collectibles.

First of all, I want to tell you about the current situation of this blog, especially those who have wondered why this site has not been updated for more than half a year. The answer is simple and not serious: although finally infected with COVID-19 four months ago, I'm fine and healthy. However, I just couldn't (and still hardly) have time for my favored things, including sharing information about vinyl and CD collectibles of my favorite artist, for I've been extremely busy with my job since the last post (yes, even though it's just a blog thing, I need to set aside time to do that). Anyway, I thank all of you who cared about the blog's situation and sent me such messages. Even though I had no time to blog, I enjoyed communications and deep discussions with fellow collectors, especially in the U.S. and Europe, on official rare collectible discs and old vinyl bootlegs.

Another example of a limited-numbered edition released lately:
Finally, the long-awaited GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK, N. J.
Mobile Fidelity (MoFi) U.S. imports are now available in Japan. My
reservation with Amazon Japan (made this January) was canceled
automatically months ago due to the significant delay in production.
Just three days ago (Nov. 15), I ordered a copy from another domestic
retailer, which was delivered today, surprisingly, at half of the U.S. retail
price (7,459 JPY including tax & shipping = $50). As another surprise,
despite the very late order, it came with a relatively low serial number.
Thank you Joshin for the great service!

During these quiet days, what did I play the most frequently? It was THE LEGENDARY 1979 NO NUKES CONCERTS [Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) SICP-6407~9]. Yes, I still stick around the audio and video of the CD/DVD box released two years ago (November 19, 2021) because I love watching and appreciating the incredible performances of this particular era of the man and his band. It's fun for me to compare the differences in songs performed on both nights (September 21 and 22, 1979). For comparison, all the songs played were once officially available in the Live Music Archives from nugs.net (although no longer available due to THE LEGEND release). Some of the other-night versions of THE LEGEND-featured tracks, such as The River (9/21, the first-ever performance), Thunder Road (9/22), and Stay (9/21, w/ Jackson Browne and Rosemary Butler but w/o Tom Petty), are also found in the old soundtrack album/VHS home video/laserdisc for the NO NUKES movie (premiered in 1980) and the recent soundtrack album to the motion picture BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (came out in 2019).

A promotional copy of the Japanese triple-record set (Asylum P-5186~8Y) came with white labels and a white "sample" sticker on the front of the gatefold sleeve (my copy is missing the obi). Note that the vinyl discs were manufactured by Warner-Pioneer Corporation in Japan. For the details of the U.S. white-label promo and test pressings, see 05/04/2019.

Moreover, the live footage has several funny or curious moments and scenes. For example, we can see flabbergasted-looking David Geffen, a billionaire businessman and the founder of Asylum Records (that released the abovementioned NO NUKES soundtrack), when Bruce ran up to a group of persons on the right-side stage, including Geffen, Jon Landau, John Hall, and a silver-haired tall man supposed to be Hall Manager, during Devil With The Blue Dress Medley just before making an emergency announcement to the audience. As another example, I've been wondering and still cannot figure out what Bruce is doing during the extended bridge between the medley and Rave On (for those interested in this, please visit the blog on 01/10/2022 and read the last paragraph and the comments).

Shown is a sample copy of the Japanese HDCD version of NO NUKES released in 1997 (EastWest Japan AMCY-2486-7). As you can see, a sample sticker is pasted over the barcodes printed on the lower left corner of the obi that covers the entire rear side with the track listing. Although it came with typical Japanese accessories, such as the obi and an additional black and white booklet in Japanese, the set was, in fact, a repackage of the U.S. import.

Speaking of David Geffen, how could we not talk about the custom 33⅓-rpm edition of the promotional 12-inch disc of Devil With The Blue Dress Medley (Asylum AS-11442), coupled with J. Browne's Before The Deluge? As covered on this blog previously (04/25/2019 and 05/12/2019), unlike the commonly circulating promo copies playable at 45 rpm, this seldom-seen collectible was serially numbered and limited to 100 copies, which were purportedly distributed to his friends and related parties (although I am still not able to locate the official source for this information).

Some of the official vinyl and CD titles of Springsteen have been
issued as limited and serially numbered editions, including the
recent MoFi one-step pressing of the debut album shown above.
In my opinion, however, these particular NO NUKES pressings
stand as historically the most important and valued collectibles
among those available in terms of the background, rarity, and
release format (i.e., promo, whereas all the other numbered
releases are, as far as I know, regular issues).

After putting out a series of blog articles on NO NUKES-related collectible vinyl records four years ago (04/25/2019, 04/27/2019, 05/04/2019, and 05/12/2019) and some more in recent years (11/12/2020 and 01/10/2022), my private collection was slightly expanded to include a few notable collectors' items. One is another copy of Devil 12-inch with a serial number of "29/100."  The first copy of this promo I obtained a few decades ago had a much later number ("90/100"; see 05/12/2019). However, based on the Arabic numeral-writing style, the same person apparently handwrote these limited numbers on the two copies, and very probably, the other copies in circulation and collectors' hands, as I already speculated (see 05/12/2019). 

Then, who did that? If the aforementioned unconfirmed information is true, I guess David Geffen is most likely. To examine this idea, I have searched for images of his hand-drawn numerals online, but thus far, I have only found his signatures and nothing else. Can someone help verify this?

— Continued to Part 2.