Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE 3LP box (Update 3, Part 2/2)

As I mentioned in my previous blog post (09/04/2025), I’ll introduce two articles here that reported on this classic bootleg, published in early and mid-1979 — likely shortly after it began circulating in the collector's market (the authors appear to be unidentified).

The last issue (March 1979) takes a look at 
the state of the bootleg industry.

The first appeared in Bomp!, a U.S. music magazine based in Burbank, north of downtown Los Angeles, California, that ran from 1971 to 1979. In its March 1979 issue (No. 21, the final issue), there is an article titled SPECIAL REPORT: BOOTLEGGERS — Rock Robin Hoods or Commie Threat? which includes an interview with an anonymous bootlegger along with reviews of recent bootleg releases (pp. 22–23). The bootlegger, described in the article as “one of the kingpins of this secret industry,” admitted to regularly releasing three or four albums a month and maintaining a catalog of nearly 100 past titles, considering themself one of the “Majors” in the underground record business. In the interview, the bootlegger also mentions Springsteen once, when asked why “today’s bootlegs seem to be so much more nicely packaged than those white jacket with paper insert things of a few years ago,” even though the question refers not specifically to Springsteen’s bootlegs but to others, such as Beatles or Stones titles:

(excerpted) Personally I feel the risks involved make the bucks more than well-earned — but also as an opportunity to make a mark in history with some really fine albums that we, the fans, and even the artists, can be proud of. There are in fact many artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith, who have openly encouraged bootleggers.*
*The interview was conducted before Springsteen and CBS Records sued Californian bootleggers, including the infamous Andrea Waters, a.k.a. Vicky Vinyl.

PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE is among the ten vinyl bootlegs picked up in the accompanying bootleg reviews (written by the magazine staff, not the bootlegger), where it was concisely described as follows (transcribed as it is):

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Piece de Resistance - Piste
Springsteen fans will go nuts for this 3-record boxed set, all live, including the complete concert from his Sept. 19, 1978 Passaic, NJ appearance. There's lots of stuff not on regular albums, including a whole side of Mitch Ryder medley ("Devil With a Blue Dress", "Good Golly", "C.C. Rider", "Jenny Jenny") and of course all his hits. Bruce, who openly endorses bootlegs, is said to be especially pleased with this one.**
**I don't know whether that was true. However, Springsteen was reportedly delighted when he was handed his first-ever bootlegs, THE JERSEY DEVIL, after the Santa Barbara concert on November 1, 1975 [Clinton Heylin (1995) Chapter 7. Vicki's Vinyl. In: BOOTLEG: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry, p.135, St. Martin's Press (New York); Clinton Heylin (2012) Chapter 6: 1978–79 — The Ties That Bind. In: E STREET SHUFFLE: The Glory Days of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, p.188, Penguin Books (New York)].

Bomp! was published bimonthly or quarterly. Therefore, the March 1979 issue suggests that PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE was released in early 1979, or even by the end of 1978. As I noted long ago (see 01/25/2015), this also contradicts the widespread belief that this bootleg appeared after LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND (a.k.a. WINTERLAND, 1978), another landmark triple-live-LP bootleg capturing a December 1978 FM broadcast concert at the Winterland Arena.*** It would have been impossible for a bootleg of the December concert to be released by the end of that year or even in early 1979.
***To my understanding, the source of this misconception is Heylin's E STREET SHUFFLE, cited above (on page 187), which states: "When that three disc set (i.e., LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND) sold well, they (i.e., Vicky Vinyl and her conspirator) issued the Passaic FM broadcast too, as the memorable Pièce de Résistance ..." (parenthetical annotations by this blogger). 

Two "DARKNESS Tour" Brucelegs reviewed in an Aussie magazine issue, which was out in June 1979. Left and center: As you all know, the sleeve artwork — both front and back — of the RASES CAIN double LP bootleg is taken from Dave Marsh’s cover story in Rolling Stone #272 (August 24, 1978). Right: Although the shrinkwrap is partially torn in places due to aging, #01667 of the triple-LP box from my collection remains in sealed condition.

Another article, published in the June 1979 issue (Vol. 2, No. 5) of Roadrunner, an independent Australian music paper, is more detailed and brimming with enthusiasm for his live performances. It is also more extensive (nearly 900 words), partly because it reviews BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN RAISES CAIN (Omega 917), a double LP bootleg presenting an incomplete version of the Roxy 1978 FM broadcast — missing roughly one-third of the concert — as well as PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE. The piece appeared in the official album review section (page 20), with the bootleg titles listed rather anonymously, likely due to their unofficial status: Bruce Springsteen "Live in L.A. and New Jersey 1978" (Bootlegged). The review began as follows:

I was surprised that a U.S. classic bootleg was 
reviewed in a magazine published in a faraway 
Oceanian country shortly after its release.

They say that in his early days, Bruce Springsteen ached so much with yearning to perform that he would play anywhere and hock his music endlessly looking for a break. Listening to these 10 sides is to experience an artist so grateful to be on stage playing his songs that he gives everything, his heart and his soul, to the performance and the audience. One who strives only for perfection and hopes only to be the greatest. (underline by this blogger)

The underlined sentence above explains a major reason I was so drawn to these artifacts, especially in my youth: PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE and another double bootleg of the same Roxy 1978 concert (with a slightly different tracklist from RAISES CAIN) were the fourth and fifth copies in my bootleg collection, acquired 44 years ago on August 29, 1981 (see 11/03/2015). 

The review then moves on to focus on the outstanding live performances captured on the two bootlegs (about 500 words) — which I won’t elaborate on here — before concluding as follows:

If you've ever doubted the man's credibility, the over-bearing romanticism and the whole rain-swept-Jersey-Street imagery that he purveys (and who hasn't ever doubted it?) The antidote lies here. There have been too many outlandish claims on Springsteen's behalf, but I swear there are moments on these two albums that inspire like no other music I've heard. (underline made by this blogger)

Emphatic and almost evangelical, this closing remark is subjective yet highly persuasive because it is grounded in lived experience rather than abstract claims. Though published in 1979 and inevitably nostalgic, it still strikes me as a remarkable review that resonates today. You can find and read the above articles online, if you're interested and willing to do a little digging.

— Back to Part 1.

Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE 3LP box (Update 3, Part 1/2)

One of the two new additions came in an unusual hinged 
box, apparently a replacement for the original during its 
time in second-hand circulation.

Speaking of September, it’s impossible to talk about this month without bringing up the legendary 1978 FM broadcast performance (09/19/1978) — first released on the triple-vinyl bootleg PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE from the U.S. West Coast in the late 1970s, later reissued on CD bootlegs in Europe in the 1990s, and finally made officially available online in 2019 as part of the live archive series. Among all these versions, the vinyl bootleg — hardly in need of an introduction and legendary in its own right — still holds a special place for collectors, myself very much included. Since my last blog post on it five years ago (see 07/26/2020), I've added two more copies to my stash — I admit, I just can’t help myself. Thankfully, neither came anywhere near the steep prices these records commanded during the 1980s — when both Springsteen’s popularity and vinyl bootlegging were at their peak — or even in the 1990s; instead, they cost little more than skipping a couple of lunches.

Scanned images are taken from the last volume of a catalog provided by a Japanese vinyl-bootleg retailer I frequently used. If my memory serves me correctly, this B5-sized, 54-page stapled edition was issued in early January 1990. The image resolution of displayed album jackets is low, but twelve Brucelegs (#17–#20 and #23–#30) are still visible in the left image. By the way, the headline could be translated as “★★  Out-of-Print Bootlegs A to Z — Jacket Photo Corner  ★★,” although neither the albums nor the artists/groups are arranged alphabetically. As shown on the right, brief descriptions are provided for selected bootleg titles, including PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE (#29, indicated by green rounded boxes). An original numbered pressing was listed at ¥9,800, while an unnumbered reissue copy sold for ¥6,000 — roughly corresponding to US$68 and $42 based on the JPY–USD exchange rate 35 years ago, which was still something of a bargain, as these were sold at the final clearance prices.

Anyway, here’s an update to the listing of original numbered vinyl bootleg copies, which now totals 159 entries (compared with the previous survey, which documented 96 copies on 07/26/2020) — many thanks to everyone who provided information about their copy.

As before, the listing highlights the differences between early and late numbered issues: early copies carry yellow generic labels rather than Slipped Disc Records labels on the vinyl, with serial numbers stamped on a small plain sticker instead of directly on the slick insert (see 12/13/2015 and 07/26/2020 for label and numbering images). Yet I often encounter misleading descriptions, such as “This bootleg was originally released under Slipped Disc Records.” One new finding from this survey is that, in two cases, the same numbers (#150 and #650) appear to be shared by three independent copies (see the image below).

"Don’t trust the numbers on numbered 
boxed sets," someone in Southern 
California once told me when I acquired
a few records from his collection in the 
mid-1990s. Here’s an example: three 
copies share the same serial number 
(none in my possession).

By the way, I have been curious about how this bootleg was received by fans and collectors when it first began circulating in late 1978 or early 1979. It’s easy enough to imagine the excitement of anyone who managed to get hold of a copy and play it. What really interests me, however, is how it was actually covered in the print media at the time. Back then, there were no guide or reference books that comprehensively covered Springsteen bootlegs*, and it was not until the mid-1980s that such publications became available to collectors — for example, the bootleg file inclued in Blinded By The Light (P. Humphries & C. Hunt, 1985, Plexus, London) and a few other privately issued works, such as The Bruce Springsteen Bootleg Bible (Tony Montana, 1985, Montana Production, Inc., place of publication unknown).
*This may not be true for Hot Wacks issues from the late 1970s; however, I haven’t had the opportunity to read any of them.

In the next post, I will introduce two magazine articles that reported on this bootleg title — one briefly and the other in more detail — both published in 1979. 

— Continued to Part 2.