Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: 'E' TICKET, its very limited first edition, also known as the advanced release (Part 1 of 5)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 (meaning the latest one up for aucton) 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.