Collecting log: BORN TO RUN Argentine Pressings with an Unusual Track Configuration — Gatefold vs. Single Sleeve: Which Came First? (Part 2 of 2)

The diagonal promotional marking on album sleeves of Argentine CBS/Columbia Records was most likely introduced in 1982, supporting the view that the non-gatefold/single-sleeve edition was not the original pressing but rather a second pressing.

Collecting South American vinyl releases is both enjoyable and fascinating because some of them represent highly collectible variations from the standard U.S. releases, while others are unique releases issued only in particular countries. Notable examples in my archive include the Venezuelan THE RIVER with its oddly designed gatefold sleeve (CBS CS-10378; 08/05/2017); the Brazilian NEBRASKA, featuring the alternate take of My Father's House (CBS 138.641; 05/22/2017); the Brazil-exclusive Hungry Heart 7" with a unique B-side and a distinctive picture sleeve (CBS 43.043; 09/17/2025); and the Bolivia-exclusive Tunnel Of Love 4-track EP (CBS 10522; 03/01/2015), simply one of the rarest officially released 7" records. The Argentine pressing of BORN TO RUN (hereafter BTR) represents another well-known collectible, distinguished by the substantially different running order of its eight tracks.

Although both releases share the same Side One/Two matrix numbers, AL 33795 / BL 33795, the appearance of the stamped letters and numbers clearly differ, indicating that they were pressed using different stampers: top, the gatefold edition (CBS 119.522); bottom, the non-gatefold / single-sleeve edition (CBS 20.696).

As explained in the previous post (09/22/2026), the Argentine BTR LP was issued in two forms: the common gatefold sleeve and an unusual non-gatefold / single sleeve. Although this has, to my knowledge, not been definitively established, it has often been said that the non-gatefold version was issued first. For example, the highly informative LOST IN THE FLOOD collector's page describes the two issues as follows: "First Argentine promotional issue (CBS 20.696), 1975: Single (non-gatefold) picture sleeve with Spanish song title translations in alternate typeface on rear" and "Second Argentine promotional issue (CBS 119.522), 1975: Same alternate track sequence as the first pressing, but issued with a gatefold picture sleeve."

However, certain details of the sleeves and labels suggest to me that the sequence may instead have been the reverse, with the gatefold version preceding the non-gatefold/single-sleeve issue, as explained below.

Other non-gatefold/single-sleeve examples include Filipino (left; CBS SOPO 96 /Blackgold LP-1194), Israeli (center; CBS 80959), and Mexican (right; CBS CLS-5846) pressings. The Israeli and Mexican editions come with a lyric insert and a lyric-printed inner sleeve, respectively. By contrast, my Filipino copy includes no such additions.

First, if an original release comes in a more elaborate sleeve than the standard one, such as a gatefold or a thicker sleeve, reissues often simplify the packaging to cut manufacturing costs. For example, the original U.S. issue of THE RIVER (Columbia PC2 36854) came in a glossy laminated sleeve with a thick spine (ca. 6 mm wide), whereas later pressings used a less glossy and much thinner sleeve (ca. 3 mm) that was a tight fit for two records (see, for example, 09/09/2015 and 12/23/2017).

By the same logic, it would be more natural for the gatefold edition to have come first; it seems less likely to me that a more costly gatefold sleeve would have been adopted specifically for the second Argentine pressing of BTR. That said, some countries, such as the Philippines, Mexico and Israel, originally issued the album in a non-gatefold sleeve; however, no gatefold version appears to have been released in those countries.

The company / label logo on the gatefold edition (119522; misprinted without a period) appears identical to that on the DARKNESS LP (19.893; image from Discogs), whereas the logo on the non-gatefold version (20.696) matches that on the BITUSA LP (20.534). This further supports the idea that the gatefold came first. The small boxed inscription below each CBS logo probably reads “TAMBIÉN REPRODUCIBLE EN EQUIPO MONAURAL,” literally meaning “Also reproducible on monaural equipment.”

Second, the non-gatefold or single-sleeve version, currently regarded as the “first pressing,” shares several features with the 1984 album BORN IN THE U.S.A. (hereafter BITUSA; CBS 20.534; 06/06/2025), released nine years after BTR. By contrast, it shares little in common with the 1978 album DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN (hereafter DARKNESS; CBS 19.893), Springsteen’s next album after BTR, released three years later. The details are outlined below.
By the way, THE RIVER does not appear to have been released in Argentina, perhaps because, as a double album, it was relatively costly to manufacture. Can anyone confirm this?

• The catalog number 20.696 for the non-gatefold version is much closer to BITUSA’s 20.534 than is 119.522 for the gatefold edition. The fact that its catalog number is higher than BITUSA’s suggests that the non-gatefold version was issued not in 1975, but even after BITUSA, probably in 1985 or 1986. Reissuing back-catalog titles in the wake of a mega-hit album like BITUSA has long been a common marketing strategy in the record industry, often in simpler or less expensive packaging, as discussed above.
• The non-gatefold version shares several design features with BITUSA, including the Columbia trademark logo printed on the sleeve (see the image immediately above). Whether the logo reads CBS or Columbia most likely reflects the period of release rather than a simple variation. If so, the use of “Columbia” on the non-gatefold version further suggests that it was issued later, given the apparent shift from CBS on DARKNESS in 1978 to Columbia on BITUSA in 1984.
• The diagonal promotional marking on the front of the non-gatefold sleeve also points in the same direction (see the image at the top). A quick search of the Discogs database showed that, with the sole exception of the non-gatefold BTR, all Argentine CBS/Columbia LPs featuring this diagonal promotional marking (24 in total) were titles originally released in the 1980s; the earliest examples date from 1982, such as TOTO’s TOTO IV (Columbia 20.364).
• The record labels of the non-gatefold version are also more similar to those of BITUSA, using the same fonts—most obviously, in “Lado 1 ESTEREO”—and the same promotional phrase, “Disco Para Demostracion Venta Prohibida.” By contrast, the labels of the gatefold version read “Disco Promocional Prohibida La Venta.”

The promotional text also suggests that the gatefold edition (“119.522”) came earlier, as its wording matches the DARKNESS label (“19.893”; image from Discogs), while the non-gatefold/single-sleeve version (“20.696”) uses the same promotional phrase as the BITUSA label (“20.534”). “DISCO PROMOCIONAL PROHIBIDA LA VENTA” on the gatefold edition means “Promotional record; sale prohibited,” while “DISCO PARA DEMONSTRACION VENTA PROHIBIDA” on the non-gatefold version means “Record for demonstration; sale prohibited.”

Third, by contrast, the gatefold version, regarded as the “second pressing,” shares several features with DARKNESS, the 1978 album that followed BTR. These include the use of the CBS, rather than Columbia, trademark logo on the sleeve and the label design, particularly the promotional phrase mentioned above. In addition, to my knowledge, no Argentine promotional copies of either the gatefold BTR edition or DARKNESS are known to exist with the diagonal promotional marking on the front sleeve.

The gatefold's catalog number, CBS 119.522, is also not far removed from DARKNESS’s CBS 19.893, despite the extra digit in the former. One possibility is that “119” is simply a misprint for “19”; alternatively, for some reason, the catalog-number format before the decimal point might have been changed from three digits to two by the time DARKNESS was released in 1978.

The gatefold rear sleeve (left) lists all eight tracks, in both Spanish and English, in the correct order (i.e., the altered sequence). By contrast, the non-gatefold/single-sleeve edition (right) gives the standard tracklist (only in Spanish), even though the vinyl itself plays the tracks in the unusual sequence. The rectangular rubber stamp in the center of the non-gatefold sleeve can read “DISCOTECA LR6 RADIO MITRE,” indicating that this copy once belonged to Radio Mitre, one of Argentina’s oldest and largest radio stations, based in Buenos Aires. LR6 is the station’s call sign. Note the apparently handwritten date “13/2/86” beneath the stamp, which may indicate that this copy was issued—or at least entered circulation—around the mid-1980s, consistent with the possibility that it was a later reissue.

In my view, these observations, taken together, provide substantial support for my interpretation. However, some questions remain unresolved.

• First of all, why do only the Argentine pressings, among the many editions issued worldwide, feature a different track configuration?
• I am also not certain whether the BTR gatefold edition was actually released in Argentina as early as 1975 or at a later date.
• Nor do I know why its catalog number has six digits rather than five, beginning with “119” instead of “19.” I suspect that the apparently higher number before the decimal point in “119.522,” compared with the “20” in “20.696,” is a major reason the non-gatefold/single-sleeve version has long been regarded as the earlier pressing.
• Finally, although I consider it unlikely, is there any possibility that either pressing is a counterfeit? The unique track sequence of the Argentine edition would certainly have made it an attractive target for counterfeiting.

So, what do you think—which version really came first?

— Back to Part 1.