Collecting log: The first-ever CBS/Sony promotion-only compilation disc to feature Springsteen in Japan

Since this Springsteen track from THE RIVER was never released as
a single in the U.S., it is marked as "Hit-Bound"—a term generally
used in the music industry for songs with strong hit potential that
have not yet officially entered the main music charts. The bottom
image was from the rear sleeve.

While I'm not particularly enthusiastic about collecting various artists' compilation releases, I find it hard to pass up vinyl albums that feature the Boss—especially those intended for promotional use only and released before BORN IN THE U.S.A. The other day, I came across one of these LPs at a local used record store—an old copy released over 40 years ago from CBS/Sony's monthly compilation series ALL AMERICAN TOP 100, which ran from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. Although I was aware of this promo disc (previously mentioned on 09/19/2015 and 09/17/2017), I had never had the chance to dig it up in-store or find it in an online auction. So, I grabbed this relative rarity just for one coin (= 500 JPY).

The Japanese 7" single, issued on March 21, 1981, is highly collectible
not only for its unique Side-A selection but also for its sample copies,
which are the last known white-label promo vinyl disc pressed in
Japan for Springsteen's releases.

The copy I found (CBS/Sony XAAP 90022) was Volume 34, the May 1981 issue, which included one Springsteen track, I Wanna Marry You—known as a Japan-exclusive 7" single from THE RIVER (CBS/Sony 07SP 525). The decision to release Fade Away (Columbia 11-11431; see 07/18/2016 and 09/17/2017) as the second single in the U.S. was somewhat odd and unexpected, leading to alternate choices in Europe (i.e., Sherry Darling) and Japan. As a result, this slower pop ballad was also selected for two other noteworthy Japan-only promotional releases: ultra-scarce Killer Tracks From The River 12" EP (CBS/Sony XDAP 93030; see 09/19/2017) and gorgeous gate-folded CBS/SONY POPULAR BEST 9 LP (CBS/Sony XDAP 93031-2; see 09/17/2017).

Left: The first and second compilation albums (YALC-49 and -54) that include Springsteen were housed in a very thin, generic company sleeve the CBS/Sony Records used back then. As usual for promotion-only releases, no OBI is included.
Center: The company sleeve specifically for this promo-only series bears a field for entering the issuing date (expressed in the Japanese Imperial year and month) and a "For In-Store Use Only" notification, both printed in sky blue on one side of the sleeve (upper). However, neither of these appears on the other side (lower).
Right: These two compilations dedicate one side to international artists and the other to domestic performers. Here, the label for the latter is shown on the second compilation (YALC-54). The first and last songs listed became nationwide hits in Japan nearly half a century ago (when I was an elementary school boy)—so popular that I can still sing both!

That brings me to a minor but intriguing question—what CBS/Sony compilation album was the first to feature a Springsteen track? As all you collectors know, the first Springsteen LP released in Japan was THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E STREET SHUFFLE (CBS/Sony SOPL-239; see 04/26/2015, 04/29/2015, and 11/12/2020), which came out in March 1974. However, the first 7" single release didn't arrive until November 1975: the title track from BORN TO RUN (CBS/Sony SOPB 334; see 01/28/2024 and 02/03/2024). Accordingly, the first-ever compilation album to include a Springsteen track was issued around that time, bearing the catalog number YALC-49. The album title was provided only in Japanese, roughly translating to POWERFUL HIGHLIGHT EDITION: For In-Store Use Only.

International artists and track titles are exclusively written in Japanese on the Side-A label on both compilation albums. The years 50 and 51, which are printed on the labels and precede respective months [November (=11) and March (=3)],  represent the Japanese Imperial year (= Showa 50 and 51). The Showa era corresponds to the reign of Emperor Showa (Hirohito), which lasted from 1926 to 1989. Thus, "50 [followed by a Kanji character meaning 'year'] 11 [three Kanji characters for 'month' and 'new releases']" refers to "November 1975 New Reelases," and "51 [a Kanji] 3 [Kanjis]" refers to "March 1976 New Releases." The middle image was from a recent Japanese 2CD/2DVD set released in October, 2023 (Sony Records Int'l  SICP 31655~8).

As already mentioned briefly (see 04/23/2023), the tracklist for this compilation appears only on the record labels and is written entirely in Japanese. The only identifiable information is the catalog number of the single (printed as "SOPB-334 A"), which makes it difficult for foreign collectors who are unfamiliar with Japanese to recognize that this otherwise unremarkable LP features Springsteen on Side A / Track 4. Born To Run was also featured on two subsequent promo-only compilations: POPULAR "BEST 101" Volume 1 (CBS/Sony YAPC 77; see 12/17/2016) and ROCK BEST 100 (CBS/Sony YAPC 105), released in 1976 and 1978, respectively. However, the track was truncated on both records and significantly shortened (POPULAR, 1 min 13 sec; ROCK, 2 min 57 sec). By contrast, the 1975 sampler disc contained the full-length recording (4 min 30 sec) despite cramming ten tracks, including this one, onto Side A (see the image left immediately above)

Following the release of POWERFUL HIGHLIGHT EDITION in late 1975, another promotion-only compilation featuring Born to Run (though just over one-minute fragment), POPULAR "BEST 101" Volume 1 was out in 1976 (shown at the lower left of the left image). Once again, the track listing appears only in Japanese on the rear sleeve and record labels (middle and right, respectively, indicated by green lines). Springsteen's inclusion is evident only inside the accompanying booklet (shown in the upper half of the left image), which briefly introduces him and his third album, along with relevant pictures (see 12/17/2016).

The second single, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (CBS/Sony SOPB-350), was selected for inclusion in the March 1976 issue of the promo-only compilation series (CBS/Sony YALC-54), appearing as Side A/Track 9 (no edits, even though this side also tightly packed ten tracks). Just for your information, below are the tracklists for the two compilations, selecting international artists and groups from CBS/Sony and Epic/Sony labels (Side A only, as Side B is devoted exclusively to domestic pop and folk singers; see the right image of the third photo from the top):

ROCK BEST 100, a 1978-year issue and
probably the third promo-only compilation
containing BORN TO RUN (albeit a three-
minute truncated version), finally lists its
original English title in a small print on the
white label and back sleeve. The green-
colored front sleeve is found in one of
the images immediately above.

YALC-49 (released on November 1975)

1. My Teenage Heart  Bay City Rollers
2. Take Good Care Of Yourself  The Three Degrees
3. Gone At Last  Paul Simon & Phoebe Snow
4. Born To Run  Bruce Springsteen
5. Hello Mary Lou  Lougins ＆ Messina
6. Rock N' Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)    Mac Davis
7. Do It Any Way You Wanna  People's Choice
8. Brazil  The Ritchie Family
9. 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (Blow Your Whistle)  Gary Toms Empire
10. I Only Have Eyes For You  Art Garfunkel

YALC-54 (released on March 1976)

1. Ginza Red Oui Oui  Dave
2. Africano  Earth, Wind & Fire
3. Sing A Song  Earth, Wind & Fire
4. Soul Sacrifice  Santana
5. Black Magic Woman  Santana
6.  Samba Pa Ti  Santana
7.  Give And Take  Santana
8.  Chicago Bus Stop (Ooh, I Love It)  The Salsoul Orchestra
9. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out  Bruce Springsteen
10. Saturday Night  Bay City Rollers

As of the day this blog post was published, neither of these albums had been cataloged in the Discogs database.