Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP: Update – 2nd – to The alternate take with synth coda on regular vinyl pressing!!!

Recently, Japanese sample copies appear 
to be distributed without a sample sticker 
on the sleeve (see 6/14/2025 for another 
example), making them impossible to 
identify without opening the package.

This year has been exceptionally good for Springsteen fans and collectors, with abundant new material released. That said, I have not purchased the extraordinarily expensive TRACKS II, but instead obtained only a sample CD copy of the excerpted edition, LOST AND FOUND: Selections From The Lost Albums (Sony Records Int'l SICP 31774), though I did listen to the full tracks online. Frankly, I find the package unnecessarily luxurious — if I want a book, I will buy a book, but not such an overpriced CD (or vinyl)/book set (in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever even looked through the one that came with THE TIES THAT BIND: The River Collection). I can’t help but wish Springsteen would focus more on the music itself. For me, the absolute standout is the upcoming release of NEBRASKA ’82 — and honestly, ELECTRIC NEBRASKA on its own would be enough for me. By the way, why does the title even include ’82 ? Surely everyone knows that the album was originally released in 1982.

The two company codes printed on the record labels and sleeve — catalog numbers and C.G.C. numbers (enclosed in green rectangles) — serve as essential indicators for determining whether a vinyl copy pressed in Brazil represents an original release or a reissue, and for identifying its release year when multiple issues exist. As shown, all four of my copies are identical with respect to both numbers (CBS 138.641; C.G.C. 43.203.520/0002-95). 

Collecting log: The Japanese original release of NEBRASKA LP. Was it really issued with a magnificent full-color poster? (Part 2 of 2)

A typical NEBRASKA ad in music
magazines in Japan came with a
catchphrase, "This is a personal
message to you from Bruce."

Among collectors, certain copies of Japan's original NEBRASKA LP (CBS/SONY 25AP 2440) have been highly sought-after because a collectors' bible, the Blinded By The Light book (P. Humphries & C. Hunt, 1985, Plexus, London), reports that the first 1000 copies were issued with a 24" x 36" color poster (exactly, A1 size: 23.4" x 33.1"). As explained in the previous post (09/18/2024), however, I have long been skeptical about this description.

Back when it was originally released in Japan in October 1982, many posters were not inserted into the LP sleeve but were handed in-store as a roll-up form to those who bought the album. Suppose there were poster-contained LP records in the order of a thousand copies instead of 100 or 10 copies only. If that were the truth, in my sense, we could have had many more chances to see or encounter such copies, at least here in Japan.

Collecting log: The Japanese original release of NEBRASKA LP. Was it really issued with a magnificent full-color poster? (Part 1 of 2)

Six-folded posters are available almost strictly as a set with the
album. In contrast, the rolled and unfolded posters (see the
image on 09/24/2017) generally circulate alone at auctions
and collectors' markets.

Japan is one of the great sources for vinyl and CD collectibles, not only for unique products of both regular and promotional releases but also for standard-issue variants (e.g., obi decoration and variation, graphic modification with Japanese characters, Japan-only booklets, etc.). However, there have been misunderstandings and insufficient information on some common and rare collectors' items. Let me start by mentioning a few notable instances that have already been featured in past blog posts. 

• The first vinyl edition of LIVE/1975-85 (CBS/SONY 75AP 3300-4) is often said to come out with a gold obi, so as the initial CD version (CBS/SONY 75DP 700-2) did, but the red is the first (see 11/23/2020). 
• It had long been unknown or unnoticed that the extremely rare, promotion-only Human Touch c/w Better Days 3" CD single (SONY XDEP 93043), also subtitled The Boss Is Back!!, was originally accompanied by a tri-fold insert with the twin album's info and lyrics, just because such insert is missing in most copies in circulation (see 05/19/2017).

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP: Asian pressings and its relation to the Japanese discs (Part 2 of 2) — Notes on CBS/SONY's stamper numbers

Upper: The front sleeve of the Taiwan pressing (left) is of significantly
lower printing quality than the Japanese release (right, the obi removed).
Lower: The rear of the Taiwanese sleeve (left) is unique in featuring the
lyrics compared to the standard sleeve (right, Japanese).

In appearance, a Taiwanese copy of NEBRASKA LP in my collection is like a typical Asian pirate pressing that differs notably in several aspects from the official releases in the U.S., U.K., and Japan. First, it is licensed by an obscure company (Lee Ming Records Ltd.) with a unique catalog number (LMSP-004). Second, the front picture of the album sleeve is inferior in its printing quality (which is also true for the Korean LP), losing the details compared with the Japanese LP (CBS/SONY 25AP-2440), and strangely carries the lyrics on the back. So, the cardboard inner sleeve is not contained. Third, the record labels are amateurish in black & white with completely different looking from those of the Columbia/CBS Records, depicting what is considered a company or label logo, "Star Power." All these observations might be enough to conclude that it is a product of piracy activity.

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP: Asian pressings and its relation to the Japanese discs (Part 1 of 2)

Asian NEBRASKA LP releases. Upper (left to right): three Japanese editions and a Taiwanese copy. Lower: Korea (left) and Hong Kong (right) pressings.

As I reported previously (see 7/13/2019), the initial vinyl pressings of NEBRASKA from several countries have an error on the side-two label, misprinting the playing time for My Father's House longer (5 min 43 sec rather than 5 min 3 sec). These examples count at least eight, including the U.S. and U.K. releases, although only the Brazil pressings truly contain the long version of the song (see 7/22/2019). The same misprint is found in two releases from Asia (i.e., South Korea and Hong Kong). I also have a Taiwanese copy that lists the track length as 5 min 5 sec. These Asian records, but Hong Kong's, are generally not my collecting targets because of the uncertainty of authenticity. However, this album is the only exception for me to collect from these countries.

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP: an Update to The alternate take with synth coda on regular vinyl pressing!!!

The Japanese CD editions of NEBRASKA (up to the third pressing) featuring the long version of My Father's House have been typical collector's items. Shown is a brief description from a mini-catalog of Backstreets Records issued around 1988.

We, collectors, are always interested in an alternative take or mix on a previously released track, even if the difference is subtle between the two. Among the overwhelming amount of officially released Springsteen's studio/home recordings, My Father's House with an extended coda is the first such example of a regular album track. However, neither he nor the record company intentionally released it, which, for unknown reasons, resulted from using an alternative "pseudo-stereo" album mix featuring this song as the only outstandingly different track from the standard release (see the relevant entry in BruceBase; see also 09/22/2016).

Collecting log: The early 1980s U.K. vinyl pressings with "timtom" or "Ty" handwritten matrix inscription (Part 4 of 4)

This is the final part of a 4-Part series exploring U.K. pressings in the 1980s that are cut by mastering maestro Tim Young. In this survey, I have used his signatures, timtom and Ty, inscribed on the run-out area of a disc, as sole measure to identify his contribution to Springsteen's British releases. This is because in the case of non-U.S. pressings of Springsteen's LP and singles, actual master-cutting engineers are generally not credited on record sleeves or other associated printouts.

The five U.K. copies used for comparing matrix information.
From left to right, from top to bottom : a test press (matrix
number suffix 1A/3B) and four regular copies (1A/3B, 1A/3B,
3A/3B, and 5A/3B). Note that the last one came with a flyer
advertising the mega-hit 7th album, meaning that it is a mid-
1980s reissue.

To summarize so far, I was not able to find out evidence for his involvement in cutting 7" and 12" singles from any album but THE RIVER (see Parts 1 and 2). On the other hand, it was confirmed that he was involved in the production of at least the following four albums, BORN TO RUN, THE RIVER, NEBRASKA, and BORN IN THE U.S.A., during his career at CBS Studios in London from 1976 to 1993. DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN* could be listed as well considering the original release year (1978); however, I have no evidence for that. A search on the Discog database also gave no results of the matrix codes containing or associated with his signatures for various copies of this LP pressed in the U.K. The last post (Part 3) explained the case of his involvement in the aforementioned former two albums. Here, the following report on the remaining two albums.

Collecting log: The early 1980s U.K. vinyl pressings with "timtom" or "Ty" handwritten matrix inscription (Part 2 of 4)

Four U.K. 7" singles cut from THE RIVER examined here.

Between 1980 and 1981, CBS Records U.K. released four 7-inch singles from THE RIVER, for each of which several variant issues exist. Oddly in this era, the company issued two editions for each regular single that differed in the labels on the discs (Sunburst paper or tangerine plastic), with some having a large spindle hole or cut-out center like typical U.S. 7" singles (as found in some paper label copies of Sherry Darling : CBS 9568). There was also a promotion-only disc for each with white paper labels. Moreover, two releases were withdrawn due to mis-coloured lettering on the sleeve (Hungry Heart : S CBS 9303) and mis-configuration of B-side (Sherry Darling backed with Independence Day : CBS 9568 promotion-only pressing). Finally, minor differences were observed in the label printing, such as font size, between same titles (as seen on the paper labels of The River : CBS A1179). Although this vinyl format is not my prime target of collecting, I own at least one copy each for these regular single copies.

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP (Update 3/3):The alternate take with synth coda on regular vinyl pressing!!!

NEBRASKA LP B-side misprints. From top to bottom: South Africa,
U.S. (left), Canada (right), Zimbabwe, Brazil (left), U.K. (right),
South Korea (left; not sure of its authenticity though), and Hong
Kong (right).

Having confirmed that the extended version of My Father's House is consistently featured on the recently obtained, three old independent pressings (in terms of vinyl stampers used; check the last blog), I'm almost confident that the regular Brazilian LP of NEBRASKA (CBS 138.641) is the only apparent vinyl source of the alternate version of this track that has been released commercially. Taking into account the number of circulating copies, I don't think this South American edition of the album is particularly rare. However, the LP certainly stands as a unique vinyl collectible with a rare version of a song that is not available on any other vinyl disc. It is of note that Springsteen obviously considers this song as one of the important compositions in his career, since it was recently handpicked by himself for CHAPTER & VERSE, the companion album for his autobiography published in 2016, and more recently, performed regularly on a series of Broadway concerts in 2017 through 2018.

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP (Update 2/3):The alternate take with synth coda on regular vinyl pressing!!!

Portuguese translation of song titles, which are printed in small white letters on the rear sleeve, signifies where these copies are pressed and released. One of the two copies (left and center) I lately obtained, although cheap, is in miserable conditions; however, this was the only copy available with the lyric sheet which seems to be missing from many of the circulating copies. Or are these pressings not necessarily all released with it originally?

As mentioned in a series of blog posts (available here), an interesting fact is that the alternate take of My Father's House is found on some U.S. acetate discs and early test pressings before its commercial release (read Part 2 of this series), indicating that it was almost released on regular vinyl pressings. Evidence to support this includes a typographical error that wrongly lists the track length as 5 min 43 sec (correctly 5 min 3 sec) on the Side B record label of (early) LP copies released in no less than eight global regions (see Part 3 & Part 4):

• U.S. (Columbia TC 38358; no misprint on QC 38358)
• U.K. (CBS 25100)
• Canada (Columbia TCX 38358)
• Brazil (CBS 138.641)
• South Africa (CBS DNW 2804)
• Zimbabwe (CBS DNW 2804; most probably S. Africa-pressed)
• Hong Kong (CBS/SONY 25AP 2440; Japan export?)
• South Korea (KJPL-0598/OC-38358; not sure of its authenticity)

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP (Update 1/3): The alternate take with synth coda on regular vinyl pressing!!!

Still, I'm not certain if what I report here is totally NEW information to you, readers and visitors of this blog, since I believe many, if not all, of you are knowledgeable collectors of his music. At least for me, however, this probably is the biggest surprise in this decade, and one of the most exciting findings in my career as a vinyl collector of Springsteen's records. As you know, an alternate take of My Father's House, notable for its extended instrumental coda, happened to be pressed on regular CD in Japan due to mishandling of the recording between the U.S. Columbia Records and CBS/SONY Japan. It was when his sixth album NEBRASKA was for the first time reissued in the then cutting-edge music medium in 1985 domestically and for export to the U.S. and Europe. Thus, it is a general consensus that no vinyl copies of this album, which is originally released worldwide in 1982, exist that contain the alternate version of this song.

You can't know if the track is an alternate take, as far as you simply watch the grooves.
You need to play and give a listen to it. —  Shown is an erroneous U.S. copy of NEBRASKA
with a blank label on Side 2, pressed at the Columbia Records factory in Carrollton, GA,
according to the matrix number information on the dead wax space.
(Note that this copy has nothing to do with the one here I'm talking about)

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP (addendum)

  Various Japanese releases of NEBRASKA and an official poster distributed for the promotion in 1982.

About a year ago, I wrote my thoughts on a longer, alternate version of My Father's House in four consecutive posts (here to here). On this subject, I had, and still have, one trivial question to be answered: Which version, standard or alternate, was originally included on the cassette tape (CBS/SONY 25KP 868) released in Japan?  Commercially, the alternate version first appeared in 1985 on the Japan-pressed copies of NEBRASKA CD, including those exported to the U.S. and Europe where they were manufactured as the first edition. According to the Brucebase website, this was because the U.S. Columbia Records have mistakenly sent the different master tapes (pseudo-stereo mix) to CBS/SONY for pressing CD in Japan. So, logically, the version on the cassette, which is released in 1982, must be the standard, shorter take without a synth code, just like that on the vinyl album. So, why I got to think about this?

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP (Part 4 of 4)

Track and time information found on a two-page stapled
fact sheet for a Japanese sample copy of NEBRASKA LP

As I wrote in the last blog, both the UK and certain US pressings of NEBRASKA LP are issued with the misprinted Side 2 label that lists the incorrect play times for the three of the four tracks on this side, notably for My Father's House as clocking 5' 43" instead of the actual 5' 03". This set me to examine whether there were more examples of copies bearing this erroneous label out there. Besides the  UK and US copies, currently, I own the LP pressings from Holland, Spain, Greece, Ex-Yugoslavia, Hong Kong and Japan. The survey of my collection revealed that the misprint was not limited to the US and UK copies, and the Hong Kong release (CBS/SONY 25AP 2440) was found to be the case (see the image below). This result was rather unexpected to me, as the Hong Kong branch of the label had an obviously closer partnership to CBS/Sony Japan, in terms of at least geography and operation, when compared to the US Columbia or UK CBS. As I reported previously, as far as the CBS/Sony label was concerned, the Made In Hong Kong LPs were actually pressed in Japan and then exported there. Although the Japanese pressing does not print play time for any tracks on the record label, the accompanying linernote/lyric translation insert (and the fact sheet included in the sample LP) provide almost correct time-length information (for example, 5' 05" for My Father's House). Then I wonder how this error could happen with the Hong Kong LP but not with the Japanese one. Even if assuming that the paper labels were prepared in Hong Kong independently of the vinyl disc, how the wrong information has come to be used?

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP (Part 3 of 4)

Alternate take for Stolen Car first appeared on a bootleg LP in the
mid-1980s (although the bootleggers used to call it Son You May Kiss
 The Bride) and then was officially released on TRACKS in 1998. The
famous John Hammond audition tapes recorded in 1972 have also been
circulated on various bootlegs (for example, see here) and the
advanced promo 3-track CD-R (Gateway Mastering Studios, CD PRO)
for the 4-CD compilation box is the first official release featuring
the acoustic demo of Growin' Up.

During the past 43-year career of recording and touring, Springsteen has not only released an incredible number of his compositions, but also re-released many original songs in the form of acoustic demo, alternate mix, different arrangement or live rendition, on several compilation LP, EP or live albums. As far as studio recording goes on album format, if my memory is correct, it got all started in 1998 with the release of TRACKS 4-CD box (US Columbia CXK 69475) on which he purposely included for the first time alternate versions to some songs that are already made on the previously released original albums or the flip side of some 7" singles, such as Growin' Up, Stolen Car and Stand On It just to mention a few. In this respect, the long version of My Father's House, that is commercially available only on the CD version of NEBRASKA pressed in Japan between 1985 and 1995, is a unique exception among his alternate tracks because it was released accidentally or inadvertently, as shortly introduced in Part 1 of this series.

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP (Part 2 of 4)

Backstreets Records Ad for set sale circa 1993, featuring
NEBRASKA acetate and test pressing discs, both with the
alternate version of My Father's House.

In Japan, the CD copies of NEBRASKA are pressed using differently mixed, two master tapes (i.e. impermissible narrow stereo mix used for the early copies and approved mono for the late ones). In addition to the mixing format, there are some more obvious differences between the two masters such as pitch, track length and sound volume. However, the most notable is that the early stereo-mixed copies, that was pressed from 1985 till 1995 in the Far East, contain a longer version of My Father's House with an extended and quiet keyboard coda. The last blog briefly introduces such CD issues for domestic and export markets and ends with the following question: Is there the possibility that the alternate take of My Father's House is featured on vinyl LP copies?

Before the commercial release of vinyl records, acetates and vinyl test pressing are created at the first and late steps in the vinyl manufacturing process, respectively. These rare and high-valued non-commercial discs have been circulated mostly for the US and UK releases of NEBRASKA LP. Shown images on the right are taken from the 1993 Holiday Catalog of Backstreets Records that advertises a copy each for the one-side (Side 2 only) acetate disc and the test pressing vinyl from the US, both described as featuring an alternate take of My Father's House.

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP (Part 1 of 4)

Three European gate-fold releases of NEBRASKA LP (Left, Spanish; Center, Ex-Yugoslavian; Right, Dutch). In addition to the lyric-printed inner protective sleeve, the Spanish (white label promo) copy comes with additional paper sheets (far left), as shown previously here. Note that the gate-fold LP is also released in Portugal.
 

Collecting log: A seldom seen NEBRASKA white label promo LP (from Spain)

My first BORN IN THE USA tour boot, obtained
Dec. of 1984 (image taken from Popsike)

In the latest archive release (i.e., August 5th, 1984, East Rutherford, NJ) from Springsteen’s official live download site, what I consider the best thing is to be able to hear two NEBRASKA tunes, Atlantic City and Highway Patrolman, in awesome sound quality. Especially, an early, fresh performance of the former is a highlight of the show to me (as for the previously available full-band arrangements, I prefer the MTV PLUGGED version to the one on LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY which I never like). It is possible that this live version is the one that was seriously considered for inclusion on LIVE 1975/85, but was left off. I well remember, despite the terrible sound quality, when for the first time I listened to the full-band live take through the magic of bootlegging (specifically, BORN IN CINCINNATI, one of the earliest and crummiest bootlegs from the 1984 tour, capturing the July 6th concert). This really is an exciting and thrilling part of listening to his live performance.