Collecting log: Further digging of NO NUKES collectibles and a nothing-to-rave-about but unexpected finding (Part 2 of 4)

Why do I consider this promo double-LP rarity of a West Coast music
icon to be also a collector's item of our favorite East Coast rocker?
Insets show the close-up spine images of the gatefold sleeve.
On the lower right is a triple-CD bootleg capturing the first night at
the Christic Institute Solo Acoustic Concerts in 1990, still one of the
CD bootlegs I play frequently. J. Browne's part is also brilliant.

So, what was an unexpected finding with a NO NUKES-associated collectible, even though that was certainly not something great? Because of the long and intimate relationship with Springsteen, though never serious, I've also been interested in the music of Jackson Browne. A good example is the live rendition of Before The Deluge, the B-side of the custom promotion-only 12-inch featured in the last blog (11/18/2023), which is stunning. All that said, until very recently, I didn't own any of his vinyl and CD releases, except for an early Italian triple-CD bootleg called SPRINGSTEEN, RAITT AND BROWNE (Templar TCD 16), released in 1991 and representing the first of the two-night stand at the Chrisitic Institute Benefit Concerts in Los Angeles (November 16, 1990). As you know, Springsteen's sets from these solo acoustic concerts have been available via nugs' official LIVE download. However, I still prefer the bootleg recordings to the official sound because the bootleg captures the audience's reactions and responses very nicely, making me always feel like I am there. In comparison, there is generally less audience and crowd sound on nugs' releases, which explains why I'm not too fond of their mixing and resulting sound.

The inspiring Before The Deluge (live), the B-side of
Devil With The Blue Dress Medley, also plays at 33⅓
rpm but not 45 rpm on the limited 100-numbered 12"
promotional record from the NO NUKES soundtrack.
BTW, do you know what "A010784" means, which is
stamped on the left of the spindle hole?

Then, it was a recent online auction where my eye was caught by a greatest-hit type, two-LP compilation containing his masterpieces, such as The Pretender and Late For The Sky. It was a good idea for me to acquire it to appreciate his representative works (and indeed, I won the copy for less than 5,000 JPY against six competitors with 18 cumulative bids). However, I had no idea whether this double album in a gatefold sleeve was official or bootleg, as I scarcely knew (and still little know) about his official and underground discography. Having checked the relevant entry on the Discogs database soon before the auction ended, I learned that this 22-track collection, entitled THROUGH THE YEARS '72–'86 (Warner Pioneer PS-284), was a custom promotion-only vinyl pressing unique to Japan and issued in 1986 for promoting the then-latest album LIVES IN THE BALANCE. As easily guessed from Discogs' sale statistics, it is a famous and major Japanese promo item for J. Browne collectors and enthusiasts all over the world (e.g., a copy has been sold in the Discogs marketplace with a median price of 14,852 JPY).

The inner side of the gatefold depicts the chronological relationship of
J. Browne with his music associates, including Springsteen, which is
credited as "Researched and drawn by HIDEYO ITOH. ©March 1986"
(hence, the image is intentionally blurred and unreadable).

What is amazing about this release is the inner side of the gatefold sleeve, which illustrates the detailed family history of J.B. and his music associates, starting from 1961 to 1986, by taking up the entire two-facing space (a great work by music critic Hideyo Itoh). It's like The E Street Band Family Tree originally published in Number 25 (Vol. 7, #1, Summer 1988) of the Backstreets magazine, which was later reprinted in other publications and also bootlegged in the thick booklet of Steel Mill - LIVE AT THE MATRIX (GDR MAIL 1), an early bootleg CD (see 06/10/2018; see also the Discogs entry). 

So, while looking over the inside of the gatefold, I was playing and listening to DISC ONE. Then, all of a sudden, I heard the familiar live sound right after Running On Empty, the penultimate track on SIDE TWO. The last song on this side was Stay, a doo-wop oldie of 1960, as printed on the white label and the tracklist on the rear gatefold sleeve. However, it was not the cover version available on RUNNING ON EMPTY, his 5th album released in 1977, but taken from the NO NUKES soundtrack (Asylum P-5186~8Y), performed by Springsteen and the E Street Band with the guest appearance of J. Browne and Rosemary Butler!

As the record labels indicate, Stay included in the Japanese custom promo 2LP (left; Disc 1/Side 2) clocks in at 4 min 14 sec, the same track length as those on the promo (center) and regular (right) Japanese issues of the NO NUKES triple LP (Disc 3/Side 5). On the custom black label (left), there are two three-letter Japanese Kanji characters, which mean "Not For Sale" and  "Sample Disc" on the left and right sides of the spindle hole, respectively.

J. Browne's original cover version
of Stay on RUNNING ON EMPTY
(Asylum P-10446Y; Japanese copy),
the last track on Side 2, is 3 min 28
sec in length (the label image taken
from the relevant Discogs page).

Contrary to NO NUKES LP, "Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band" are not credited on the record-disc label or gatefold sleeve of this Japan-only promo compilation. Their contribution to the track can only be known in the rear sleeve that shortly describes, "2-5 from album MUSE Concert Live/No Nukes" (where "2-5" refers to SIDE 2-TRACK 5 and the album title MUSE ... is written in Japanese katakana characters; see the images below). So, probably, the fact that Stay in this compilation is not culled from J.B.'s original album remains largely unknown even to collectors of Browne, Springsteen, or both, except those who actually own a copy of the promo rarity. Enthusiastic J.B. collectors might also notice this from the track length indicated on the label and sleeve (4 min 14 sec, whereas J. Browne's original album version is shorter and plays for 3 min 28 sec). Anyway, as far as I checked, the Discogs page and other websites introducing this compilation do not tell or mention anything about the source of the track, which would mislead as if it were taken from his original album.

The fact that Stay is taken from the NO NUKES soundtrack album but not from RUNNING ON EMPTY, J. Browne's 5th original album, can also be known from the rear side of the gatefold sleeve.

When I obtained this J.B. collectible, I thought it was just a good buy as a non-Springsteen item to add to my collection and nothing else. I even thought I would let it go shortly to earn cash for other Springsteen collectibles. However, having found and recognized the above fact I reported here, albeit not so exciting, I now regard it as a Springsteen collectible and thus can no longer part with it.

— Continued to Part 3 / Back to Part 1.