Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: 'E' TICKET, its very limited first edition, also known as the advanced release (Part 2 of 3)This article supplements and follows up on the previous posts on this bootleg in October 2014.

A copy with serial number #20 was recently auctioned on eBay (left). It looks very similar to mine numbered #21 (right) and #27 (not shown; the pictures on 10/12/2014 and 06/01/2024), which hold a special place in my vinyl Bruceleg collection. When I obtained the two copies from someone who resided in California nearly three decades ago, he explained these as an advanced pressing of this all-time classic bootleg of Springsteen. The left image is courtesy of and used with permission from HiFi Dojo (eBay seller).

As far as I've seen, the well-known black-and-white sleeve generally contained
a vinyl disc with yellowish Ruthless Rhyme labels more often than the cream-
colored version found with the advanced pressing. I believe Ruthless Rhyme
preceded hörweite stereophonie labels.

It's been almost 30 years since the serially numbered advanced edition of this legendary studio-outtake LP joined my bootleg collection. During this long period, neither had I happened to come across nor been able to locate any other copies in the same or a similar guise at collector's shops on-site and online or on auctions online, except for an apparent fake (see 10/19/2014). Then, as a total surprise, suddenly and recently, another copy came up at an eBay auction last March, as briefly reported in the previous post (06/01/2024). Conveniently, the seller in New York uploaded several photos of the sleeve and disc on the auction site. So, immediately, I was able to compare the seller's copy with one of my possessions (copy number #21).

The side-A matrix number was somehow visible on the vinyl disc image of the
auctioned copy (left, courtesy of HiFi Dojo), so I cut out and enlarged that part.
Although the low-resolution picture (lower right), the auctioned disc carried the
same hand-etching, ESB-75-002-A, as my copy (upper right).

Firstly, each vinyl disc carries cream Ruthless Rhythm labels (the B-side of which is the reversed image, as you know), neither the yellowish version nor hörweite stereophonie labels, which were used for generally known picture sleeve edition featuring a famous DARKNESS-era shot on the front. The exact dead-wax information of the auctioned copy was not available. Still, the side-A matrix number, a handwritten "ESB-75-002-A," was somehow confirmed from one of the pictures the seller uploaded on the auction site. So, the auctioned copy is most probably identical to my own, bearing the characteristics of the early pressing of this classic bootleg. 

The rear sleeve of the auctioned copy (left; courtesy of HiFi Dojo)
and mine (right) are smeared with ink, probably because these
sleeves were piled while the stamped ink on the front was left
half-dried (see also 10/17/2014).

Secondly, the album sleeves of the two copies are generic plain white, as shown in the images above and on the right. Unfortunately, the auctioned copy was never in fine condition, with more stains and blots than mine, especially on the front side. However, both are the same as those frequently used for many cheap-looking, slick-cover U.S. bootlegs, mainly manufactured on the West Coast in the 1970s. 

In fact, among the first five titles in the history of Springsteen bootleg (see 08/11/2016), the three from the West Coast were released in a generic plain white sleeve with a slick insert. In contrast, the other two purportedly produced by the East Coast bootleggers were not (i.e., printed black and white single cover or color gatefold sleeve). The subsequently released West Coast bootlegs continued this traditional cheap style (see 10/22/2022 and 05/10/2018) and the only exception I can think of among the 1970s releases is BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 78. An infamous Californian bootlegger, Andrea Waters (much better known as Vicky Vinyl), was sued in 1979 by Springsteen and CBS Records for manufacturing and distributing four bootlegs, including "E" TICKET, but she denied having made this one (briefly reported on 10/12/2014). Whoever produced "E" TICKET, almost certainly, this bootleg also came from the West Coast.

Were the images made by a handcrafted stamp
or a handmade stencil sheet? Another trifling
question concerns an empty, small, incomplete
rectangular frame: Would the bootleggers have
intended to write something also in that space?
The upper image is courtesy of HiFi Dojo.

Thirdly, the amateurish stamp on the front sleeve is one of the crucial factors in determining whether or not these were manufactured by the same bootleggers. Unfortunately, the auctioned copy was poorly stamped, resulting in a considerably blurred and dirty image. In addition, the plain white sleeve has developed lots of blots and stains. However, the text in a larger rectangular frame is read as "BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 'E' TICKET," which can be confidently judged to be the same as the handmade stamp on my copies. It is of note that, although it might have been tentative, the initial title was 'E' TICKET, neither "E" TICKET, the finalized title using double quotations instead of single, nor E TICKET, without quotation marks often carelessly used by record sellers and collectors.

The rectangular stamp frame on the sleeve of the auctioned copy is missing only the left-side line, while my two copies, besides the left-side line, lack the bottom of the frame line without leaving any trace. Furthermore, stamped lines and letters are quite thin, as if they were drawn by a pen rather than stamped. Although trivial, these observations have led me to have a small doubt if these really are stamped images; instead, a handmade stencil sheet or plate, or something like that, might have been used for these to indicate the title and the performer on a plain white sleeve with a vinyl disc inside. I'm not an expert on these things, so I'm just guessing.

— Continued to Part 3 / Back to Part 1.

Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: 'E' TICKET, its very limited first edition, also known as the advanced release (Part 1 of 3)This article supplements and follows up on the previous posts on this bootleg in October 2014.

The clipping of a Japanese magazine (wherein the reported title can be translated as "Bruce Springsteen ran out of patience against bootlegging") was probably taken from an October 1979 issue of an FM radio/music magazine (I'm not sure, as only the clipping has been kept with me).  Mostly based on the relevant articles from Billboard (July 29, 1979) and Rolling Stone (September 6, 1979), the Japanese magazine reports that Springsteen and his record company sued the bootleggers with distribution networks in California (i.e., Vicki Vinyl and her partners-in-crime, though their names were not given), mentioning this studio-outtake album as one of the four bootleg records they manufactured (see inset, which can be translated as follows: "Four bootleg albums of Springsteen were made, including the famous E TICKET," where "Four" refer to PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE, FIRE, and LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND, besides this). I remember I felt somewhat strange that the anonymous writer of the report described "E" TICKET as "famous," given the magazine's wide target readership (covering all music categories, including classical music) and the issue's publication year (1979; Springsteen was not so popular and widely known in Japan until his smash hit of Hungry Heart in 1980). It must have been famous only among bootleg collectors...

Never seen any other Bruceleg discs with the
hörweite stereophonie label but "E" TICKET.

"Original release was on Ruthless Rhymes records and the second press has custom labels and a wrap cover* with the same artwork, although complete glued covers with the green custom labels exist as well as a picture label variant. The very first pressing has a plain white cover with E-Ticket stamped and a written number (in blue ink) on the sleeve (with RR labels). (These came out before the standard covers were available and are pretty rare now)."
Excerpted from the relevant entry in the Bootleg/For Collectors section of Brucebase Wiki (Underlining was done by this blogger for emphasis). 
*As far as my understanding goes, the sencond press with the custom green/yellow hörweite stereophonie labels came in a printed black and white sleeve.

Yes, the underlined sentences above (maybe sourced from the blog articles: 10/12/2014, 10/17/2014, and 10/19/2014) are what I was told about the very first or advanced pressing of "E" TICKET, one of the most famous Springsteen bootlegs, by someone on the West Coast in the mid-1990s when worldwide communication became feasible through the internet. He was long recognized as an early enthusiastic Springsteen fan from the 1970s and also known as a distinguished collector (from whom I obtained my two copies almost 30 years ago: 10/12/2014). Since then, however, until very recently, I had never had a chance to see or encounter any examples of the stamped, plain white cover edition with a handwritten limited number, except my own two copies. Although this update hardly conveys novel information on this particular Bruceleg, I'd like to share my recent finding of another copy (but not purchasing it) with you, especially vintage bootleg fans and collectors. 

"E" TICKET was soon upgraded in 1990, at the dawn of bootleg
CDs, and released by Scorpio Records under the title BORN IN
THE STUDIO with four extra tracks — one of the classic CD
Brucelegs in early years.

Thursday evening, March 14th, when I was thinking about what would become the second blog post on ALL THOSE YEARS 10-LP box (posted on 03/30/2024), I recalled that the foreword to the booklet that came with the box set mentioned a studio outtake of Born To Run featuring female choir vocals (Suki Lahav's) and string ("We believe it would have been useless including different versions of Born To Run and Racing In The Street or ..."). Old-timer collectors must know this still unreleased version of the anthem for youth was bootlegged for the first time on "E" TICKET, released 5 or 6 years before this Italian box. So, I briefly touched on that in the post I was writing, which inspired me to do a quick survey on eBay into this classic bootleg just out of curiosity: I was curious about how many different versions were currently circulating on the market regarding sleeve and label design, how much sellers were asking for their copies, and so on.

Then, when I saw the list of search results, I had to do a double take. What came up on the top of the search list was a copy of the stamped, white-cover limited-numbered edition, which was just put up for auction by the proprietor of a one-stop music shop located in New York called HiFi Dojo! 

Yes, there it was. Finally, I confirmed the existence of another copy
of the seldom-seen advanced edition other than mine at a recent
online auction. The photo is courtesy of and used with permission
from HiFi Dojo (eBay seller).

Maybe I'm exaggerating, but I was fairly excited and moved by this unexpected finding that would not matter to any of my family members, including my wife (who has no interest in our Boss whatsoever), because it has taken me nearly 30 years to come across another copy except for my possessions!!! 

While I have never doubted that such a too-simple, rather crummy stamped cover is definitive proof of the genuine very early release of this legendary bootleg (as the abovementioned information source was top-notch and reliable), I also wondered why no copies, at least as far as I've seen or noticed, had turned up over a few decades in major online markets, such as eBay, and collector-oriented record stores. 

Perhaps the number of sets originally made in this guise or surviving copies is quite limited. It is certainly one of those items that collectors, once they own, do not want to part with (yes, I admit that), considering its essential part in the history of Springsteen's underground releases and its standout recognition and popularity among many other Brucelegs. For example, one year and a half ago, on the occasion of the blog's 200th anniversary posting, when I surveyed the total access number for individual posts for the then entire period (Sep. 8, 2014, to Dec. 26, 2022), the first "E" TICKET post (10/12/2014) was still popular: it ranked in the top 10 (see 12/29/2022).

— Continued to Part 2.