Collecting log: a copy of the legendary bootleg LIVE on Coral Records, purportedly autographed at a Philly stop during the 1978 tour (Part 1 of 3)

Autographed copy of LIVE on Coral Records, the bootleg LP at the center of the 1976 lawsuit, shown with reference copies of reports from the August 14 and August 21 issues of Billboard (article text obscured; see 08/15/2016 for details).

It has somehow been almost six months since my last blog post. Over the past few months, as has happened from time to time before, I have been—and still am—extremely busy with my job. This time, however, the workload was heavier than usual, which largely explains the long silence on this blog (yes, I’m still working and haven’t retired yet!). Fortunately, I have no shortage of material to write about; I have simply reached a point where I can catch my breath and finally resume posting.

Recently, two very different things brought me back to the mid-1970s, the period around Springsteen’s first national breakthrough in the U.S.

"Angel on my chest"
Suki at the BORN TO RUN sessions. Screenshot from the Wings For Wheels DVD (Sony MHCP 930-2)

One was the sad passing of Suki Lahav, also known as Tzruya Lahav (1951–2026), this past April. Although she performed and recorded with the E Street Band only briefly, from October 1974 to March 1975, she remains best known to Springsteen fans for her haunting violin introduction to Jungleland. For many of us old-time fans and collectors, however, she is also inseparable from Springsteen’s freewheeling, experimental pre-BORN TO RUN live performances, epitomized by the incredible 1975 Main Point show. I suspect that many of us—including myself—had quietly hoped to see her and Bruce perform together one more time, but unfortunately, that dream will now remain unfulfilled. Belatedly, I would like to express my sincere condolences on her passing. For earlier posts in which I mentioned her, please see 2/20/2018 and 10/22/2022.

The other was an invaluable contribution from two generous readers in the U.S.: a mother and daughter who had only recently discovered this blog, and to whom I am deeply grateful. They kindly shared first-hand memories from the mother herself—behind-the-scenes details from half a century ago that only someone close to the story could have known, and certainly not something I ever expected to receive. Their account is of extraordinary interest, especially for fans and collectors of the earliest vinyl Brucelegs—and above all, THE JERSEY DEVIL, the very first Bruceleg title. Please check out the recent comment section of my classic bootleg post (20180420) and see for yourself.

Left: An early performance, most likely from November 1974, enthusiastically reported by "Beady Eye" on the reverse side of the folded slick insert for Springsteen's first-ever bootleg, including a brief, unnamed description of Suki’s appearance onstage (shaded for emphasis). Center: A small handwritten inscription near the drawing, encircled in red and apparently the illustrator’s signature, though I have not been able to decipher it with certainty. Right: A handwritten dedication in the dead wax of Side Two that now feels all the more fitting.

This out-of-the-blue exchange with them led me to reflect again on old Springsteen bootlegs from the mid-1970s and ultimately inspired me to take up the item shown here (see the top image). Given the readership of this blog, this classic bootleg title hardly needs an introduction: it is arguably the most famous Bruceleg, or at the very least one of the most famous. I previously featured it on this blog a decade ago (08/11/2016 and 08/15/2016), along with an overview of the associated lawsuit brought by Springsteen, CBS Records, and The Bottom Line Club (venue), back in the summer of 1976.

A personally inscribed promo photo given to me in 1993. Photograph by Pamela Springsteen; recipient’s name masked.

This particular autographed copy was obtained through eBay in 1998—I first started using this online auction site as early as 1997—back when auction prices there had not yet reached today’s insane levels and the Japanese yen was much stronger against the U.S. dollar than it is now. As a result, many rare collectibles could still be won for under $50 or $100 (see, for example, 05/12/2019).

Still, I have never been particularly interested in collecting Springsteen autographs. To me, an autograph is a deeply personal object, and its true meaning belongs mainly to the person to whom it was given. I am already fortunate enough to own one he gave me in 1993, during my year in the U.S. (see the image above). Even so, when I first saw this record, it caught my attention immediately. The reason was simple: it was such a legendary bootleg, even though it was frequently mistaken for the very first Bruceleg. And back then, I was still something of a bootleg junkie.

— Continued to Part 2.