Collecting log: a single U.S. test pressing from LIVE/1975-85 with an unusual coupling of two sides from the five discs (Part 2 of 2)

What is curious about this particular test pressing is that, although the disc plays two sides culled from ten sides of LIVE/1975-85, its playing-side combination is unusual. Namely, one side represents SIDE 3 of DISC 2 (i.e., Backstreets, Rosalita, and Raise Your Hand from the Roxy, 1978), while the other corresponds to SIDE 5 of DISC 3 (i.e., Badlands to Racing In The Street from the 1980-81 tour) of the officially released set.

As grooves on the vinyl disc tell, the test pressing (upper row) consists of SIDES 3 and 5 of the 10-side live recordings, not coupling SIDE 3 with SIDE 4 or SIDE 5 with SIDE 6, as in the standard release (lower).

The irregular combination might have been due to human handling mistakes or manufacturing errors at the pressing plant because this release is a multiple-disc set (i.e., five records and ten sides). I also think of another possibility that, after the mastering engineer cut master disc plates, test pressings were made on a "first-come, first-used" basis to quickly check the results of cutting the master recordings — just speculation.

An unusual playing-side coupling can be known from two 
matrix numbers, AL 40560 1A / AL 40561 1A, printed on a
small white sticker pasted over the front and spine of a
die-cut plain white sleeve. A pencil-handwriting, "3 + 5,"
should also refer to the same (i.e., SIDES 3 and 5).

Alternatively, you may raise the possibility of counterfeiting. Yes, fake or bogus versions of Springsteen's test pressings (and acetate discs) have been available and in circulation since as early as the 1980s. I've seen an apparently fake test-pressing set for LIVE on eBay around 2000, which removed and replaced the standard red/yellow Columbia labels with amateurish black-stamped white ones, not reproducing pressing plant-specific labels.

However, I'm pretty confident this one is genuine mainly for two reasons. One is that the source person who provided me with the disc is trustworthy. The seller has worked actively for years as a Big Apple-based sound professional, and he also let me have test pressings for another album released in the mid-1990s (BTW, they are not Europadisk but MCA Gloversville pressings).  The other reason is based on some commonalities in the matrix numbers shared with the commercially released version, as explained below.

Comparison of the record label and matrix inscription profiles between test pressing ("3"-marking side) and standard disc (SIDE 3/DISC 2), manufactured at Europadisk (New York) and Colombia Records' Pitman factory (New Jersey), respectively. Circle-numbered arrows around each label indicate the position and direction of the correspondingly numbered matrix inscriptions shown in the middle panels. Although the size of stamper rings differs, the shared matrix inscriptions look identical between the two discs, suggesting the same origin of stampers used (i.e., the same master disc). Photos of the standard disc are taken from my personal copy with SIDES 3/4 matrix numbers P AL-40560-1A-DMM-3  EDP M1SF2SM5/P BL-40560-1A-DMM 8  EDP M1SF2SM1012.

The images immediately above are the record label and dead-wax matrix inscriptions for one side of the test pressing (marked as "3" with blue ink), compared with those for SIDE 3 of the standard U.S. disc pressed at the Pitman plant of Columbia Records. As briefly mentioned in the last post (9/24/2022), the test disc was pressed at Europadisk, Ltd., after the master disc was cut at Masterdisk Studios, Inc., as indicated by "EDP" and "MASTERDISK" inscriptions on the dead-wax space, respectively. Consistent with Europadisk's vinyl pressings in the mid-1980s, the custom paper labels show a single, middle-sized stamper ring (also called pressing ring) with a 35-mm diameter (For stamper ring information, read 5/02/2021 or visit here on vinyldiscovery). The exact matrix numbers for each disc are as follows (no stamps; only inscriptions):

• Test pressing:      AL 40560-1A                 EDP                      MASTERDISK 
• Regular disc:   P  AL 40560-1A-DMM-3      EDP M1SF2SM5      MASTERDISK

What is noteworthy is that to my eyes, the three shared inscriptions, "AL 40560-1A," "EDP," and "MASTERDISK," between the two pressings look exactly the same in shape and position on the wax. Accordingly, I guess this might indicate that the master disc checked for by this test pressing was eventually adopted for pressing the standard disc (specifically, SIDE 3 of DISC 2). The other matrix codes, such as "P" (meaning a Pitman pressing), "DMM-3" (denoting the third Direct Metal Master cutting?), and "M1SF2SM5" (stamper number?), might have been added after the decision to adopt had been made. The absence of "P" supports that the Pitman had nothing to do with this test pressing.

Comparison of the record label and matrix inscription profiles between test pressing ("5"-marking side) and standard disc (SIDE 5/DISC 3), manufactured at Europadisk (New York) and Colombia Records' Pitman factory (New Jersey), respectively. Circle-numbered arrows around each label indicate the position and direction of the correspondingly numbered matrix inscriptions shown in the middle panels. The difference in matrix numbers (1A versus 2A) indicates that master discs differ for these pressings even though the recording are the same. Photos of the standard disc are taken from my personal copy with SIDES 5/6 matrix numbers P AL-40561-2A-DMM  EDP M1SF2SF1/P BL-40561-1A-DMM-1  EDP M1SF2SM1.

On the contrary, the matrix inscriptions on another side (with a hand-written "5") differ apparently from those for SIDE 5 of the regular disc, although the same sound engineer seems to have inscribed matrix codes on both:

• Test pressing:      AL 40561-1A                 EDP  S 2               MASTERDISK 
• Regular disc:   P  AL 40561-2A-DMM         EDP M1SF2SF1      MASTERDISK

From the comparison, probably this side of the test pressing originated from the master disc cut earlier (as indicated by "1A" on the dead wax) than that used for the standard pressing (inscribed "2A"). I couldn't recognize notable differences in sound between the two, though. Both sides of the test disc lack a "DMM" code in the dead wax, but it was probably DMM-mastered because of overall shallow inscriptions, a characteristic of DMM-mastered vinyl pressings in contrast to lacquer-derived discs (see 9/24/2022).

I have seen U.S. variants of LIVE test pressings floating around collector's markets and online auctions, including a complete 5-disc set with the Pitman test-pressing labels. To my understanding, such pressings are more finalized and closer to the officially released version, compared to Europadisk versions like this one.

— Back to Part 1.

Collecting log: a single U.S. test pressing from LIVE/1975-85 with an unusual coupling of two sides from the five discs (Part 1 of 2)

Based on the sticker indication, this test pressing was created nearly
two months before the official release in the U.S. (Nov. 10, 1986).

Looking at vinyl disc's dead-wax stamps and inscriptions or simply matrix numbers, we can easily recognize a few notable differences that distinguish LIVE/1975-85 (Columbia C5X 40558) from his previous seven albums (i.e., up to BORN IN THE U.S.A.). As listed below, I compare matrix information of SIDE ONE (of Disc One, if multi-disc release) of his first eight albums, each of which is taken from an early U.S. copy in my private possession. 

The matrix numbers of LIVE are relatively long, carrying unique codes like "DMM" and "EDP," and overall faintly inscribed on the run-out vinyl area (see the dead-wax images below). Such features reflect the differences in record production processes newly introduced into this deluxe LP box.

Album title (U.S. catalog number)	Matrix number (stamp, straight; inscription, oblique)
1. GREETINGS ... (KC 31903) Pitman press	P AL 31903 1A
2. THE WILD ... (KC 32432) Pitman press	p   P AL 32432-1A
3. BORN TO RUN (PC 33795) Pitman press	p　P AL-33795-1A
4. DARKNESS ... (JC 35318) Santa Maria press	2S  PAL-35318-1A     TML-M
5. THE RIVER (PC2 36854) Santa Maria press	1S  PAL 36855 1A F1     MASTERED BY CAPITOL  KP
6. NEBRASKA (TC 38358) Pitman press	p  AL-38358-1A     ATLANTIC STUDIOS D.K.
7. BORN IN THE U.S.A. (QC 38653) Carrollton press	G1   PAL・38653-3A     MASTERDISK RL
8. LIVE/1975-85 (C5X 40558) Pitman press	P AL-40559-2A-DMM-1 EDP M1SF2SM1    MASTERDISK

Matrix inscriptions found on SIDE ONE of Disc One from an early U.S. pressing of the LIVE box. Circle-numbered arrows around the label (left) indicate the position and direction of the correspondingly numbered matrix inscriptions (right panels). Note that these DMM-disc inscriptions are relatively shallow compared to lacquer-derived vinyl pressing. Taken from my personal copy with SIDES ONE/TWO matrix numbers P AL-40599-2A-DMM-1  EDP M1SF2SM1/P BL-40599-1A-DMM 3  EDP M1SF2SM3.

The LIVE box was, as the previous release BORN IN THE U.S.A., mastered by Robert "Bob" Ludwig at Masterdisk Studios, Inc., located back then in Peekskill, New York. However, as indicated by "DMM" (Direct Metal Mastering), this live album employed the then-new technology (developed in 1982) for cutting vinyl audio masters. Unlike conventional disc mastering, DMM engraves the audio signal directly onto a hard, copper-coated metal disc instead of a soft, lacquer (nitrocellulose)-coated aluminum disc, explaining why matrix inscriptions are generally shallower for DMM-processed vinyl pressings. Although I'm not technically familiar with vinyl manufacturing (so don't go into the details), DMM bypasses the early electro-galvanizing processes necessary for lacquers (to make a master disc and then from which mother discs), thus reducing the surface noise and the risk of introducing errors during processing.

Found in the advertised section in a 1986
issue of Billboard Magazine.

Another code, "EDP," refers to Europadisk, Ltd., a New York/Long Island-based record/CD/cassette manufacturer (ceased in 2005), also known as the last U.S. company that owned its DMM-cutting facility. As far as I recognize, I have not seen or been aware of this three-letter code on any vinyl pressings of the previous seven albums. Although not credited anywhere in the booklet or the box package, the "EDP" code in the matrix numbers most probably means its involvement in the vinyl-manufacturing processes following DMM engraving, such as galvanization and stamper making, because DMM cutting was done at Masterdisk, as noted above. There is one more code, "M1SF2SM1," which I have no idea what it indicates (Maybe a stamper number?).

My three copies of the U.S. edition of the LIVE promo single compilation 
LP show a few variations (i.e., two label variants; w/ or w/o a promo
 stamp). However, SIDES ONE/TWO matrix numbers are identical among
the three (P XSS-175515-1A DMM  2    EDP    M1SF1SM3    MASTERDISK /
P XSS-175516-1A DMM EDP    M1SF1SM3    MASTERDISK). So, the masters
were cut at MASTERDISK (NY), the stampers were made at Europadisk
(NY), and vinyls were pressed at Columbia Records' Pitman (NJ).

Recently, I obtained a U.S. test pressing for this multi-volume set. In good agreement with the dead-wax "EDP" inscribed on the regular commercial discs, the obtained copy came with Europadisk labels specifically designed for test pressings manufactured at this company (see the top image). At first, I simply thought this was just a test pressing for the promotion-only 8-track excerpt LP (Columbia CAS 2543, shown left). No, it was a sort of one of the five discs in the box set, but there were a few interesting differences between this test record and standard discs. 

— To be continued to Part 2. 

 

Collecting log: THE "LIVE" 1975-1985 and THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE, Japanese 5-LP box and custom promotion-only compilation LP w/ info sheets (Part 4 of 4)

Among the three advanced promotion-only LP records CBS/SONY Japan released in the 1980s (upper row), the LIVE/1975-85 sampler (center) was treated distinctively from the other two, with the impressive sleeve artwork that is comparable to those of the standard first-pressing issues (lower row).

Undoubtedly, the collecting value of THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE Japanese compilation LP primarily lies in its superb sleeve artwork. The appearance of its front cover is in marked contrast to those of the advanced promotion-only LP editions (in a plain white sleeve with one or two unique stickers; see the picture above) for BORN IN THE U.S.A. and TUNNEL OF LOVE that immediately precede and follow the LIVE box, respectively. Some may wonder how CBS/SONY was able to issue such a Japan-exclusive, custom-color sleeve featuring his gorgeous portrait, especially considering the unusually urgent release to the domestic market to rival the imports such as those from the U.S. The answer is found in the blog written by the aforementioned ex-company staff (see Part Two), if you can read and understand Japanese (I refrain from disclosing it in my blog for a potentially sensitive reason). And finally, I close this topic with my memory when I got the first bootleg of the LIVE-box outtakes.

The images show both sides of the rear CD sleeve with the short linernotes for the first LIVE-box outtake bootleg.
As usual for bootlegs, there are errors on the song titles and recording locations.

"According to the linernotes these recordings were taken directly from the mastertapes. These tracks were considered to be included on the Live-box, again according to the linernotes. These two statements and the question whether this could be true, could easily lead to long deliberations. However, the only way we have to somehow verify these claims is to listen to the CD. We can safely say that these are indeed live-recordings that were professionally mixed in a studio. These are not your common soundboard, radio or audience recordings..."
Excerpted from WANTED magazine issue 1, p.22, December 1997 (by Jan Rodenrijs).

WANTED, first published in book style and then magazine format from 
the mid-1990s to the early-2000s, was a quite useful and excellent guide
devoted exclusively to Springsteen bootleg CD. The first issue of the
magazine (Dec. 1997) rates the double-CD bootleg for LIVE-box outtakes
9.5 and 9 out of 10 for the sound and collecting value, respectively,
with detailed information including the excerpts cited above.

It was ten years after the release of the LIVE box, and it was not the vinyl-bootleg era anymore. In 1996, the supposed LIVE outtakes were for the first time bootlegged on factory-pressed CD, which I got to know via LuckyTown Digest, a fan-based Springsteen mailing and discussion group on the internet, operating back in the mid 1990s to early 2000s. I obtained a copy of this quite intriguing release early in 1997 through a then familiar bootleg retailer in Spain who had provided me with every new release from Crystal Cat Records, E Street Records, or other European labels. It was a double CD called 85-75 THE OUTTAKES (Catch 22 Records) with a total of 20 tracks from Passaic, NJ (09/21/1978), San Francisco, CA (12/16/1978; erroneously listed as 12/15), Uniondale, NY (12/29/1980), East Rutherford, NJ (08/19/1984 and 08/22/1985), and Los Angeles, CA (09/30/1985). Interestingly, half of the bootlegged tracks were overlapped with those on the box set, although from different dates or locations, suggesting that these live takes were strong candidates that could have otherwise been chosen for the official release. Springsteen would not have decided yet which tour version should be on the record up to a certain point [Because The Night from '78 or '80, Hungry Heart from '80 or '85, and Two Hearts from '81 or '85 (either with Miami Steve), to mention a few examples].

A typical pirate copy of the LIVE-box
outtake bootleg CD pressed in Japan
(not in my possession)

Despite the flippant title and rather sloppy packaging, the bootleg sounded outstanding (as an underground release), as cited above from the first magazine issue of WANTED, a very useful and detailed bootleg CD guide of Springsteen [Note that the Backstreets magazine #55 (Spring 1997) also highly rated this title in the bootleg column]. Furthermore, the second disc included lengthy performances that did not make on the album (i.e., Jungleland and Twist & Shout/Do You Love Me). So, I used to listen to it repeatedly way back when. By the way, the WANTED magazine issue also reports that the folks behind this bootleg were arrested soon after the release, explaining why the original pressing was hard to find, especially in Japan, until other bootleggers started to copy and press pirated editions a few years later. In fact, nobody in my known collectors and bootleg retailers knew about this bootleg when it was already available on the European market. So, I guess I was probably the first (if not, one of the very first) who was luckily able to receive and listen to this CD here in the Far East. I remember whomever I told about it desperately asked me to copy it (which I did) or disclose the overseas bootleg supplier who sent me the copy (which I didn't, because he needed to select reliable customers carefully so as not to take unnecessary risks). I wonder if that Spanish guy is still active in his business or already retired, as I have stopped collecting bootleg CDs for long since the Reunion era (1999-2000).

Collecting log: THE "LIVE" 1975-1985 and THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE, Japanese 5-LP box and custom promotion-only compilation LP w/ info sheets (Part 3 of 4)

Is there anything my collection is missing?

Because of a multi-disc box package, LIVE/1975-85 was downsized to be issued as a single LP commercially in South America (Argentine, Brazil, and Venezuela) and for promotional use only in North America (the U.S. and Canada), continental Europe (Holland and Spain), and Asia (Japan). Notably, the four pressings from the three Latin Americas and the Far East exhibit substantial differences in title, sleeve design, and track selection/configuration from the standard North American/European edition (although the Dutch issue is unique in that it includes the original booklet and is serially numbered on a front sleeve golden sticker). The cassette-tape counterparts to these LP samplers were also released in three of these four countries (except Venezuela) and Uruguay. For the extremely rare Japanese cassette, check the previous post (07/12/2015).

Misprints and wrong information on the back cover and record label as marked
by green (see the main text for the erroneous Japanese description). Although
the flawed tracklist, where Tracks 1 and 3 are in the wrong position and
correctly to be reversed, was fixed later with the overlaid sleeve sticker,
I've never seen the vinyl discs with the correction made on the label.

Among these LIVE album compilations, the Japanese LP, better known for the subtitle THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE (CBS/SONY XDAP 93156), is probably the most popular and widely recognized variation because of the unique, sepia-tinged portrait sleeve on front, with the full album tracklist and release details on the rear for the domestic market. It is also well-known that the LP back cover carries three printing errors [a "SPRING STEEN" misspelling, the incorrect Side-Two track order (on the record label as well), and the wrong photo credit], although it seems to me that his surname was misspelled intentionally in favor of graphic design. Additionally, there is yet another erroneous description in Japanese that the BORN IN THE U.S.A. tour ended on September 30th, 1985. Of course, it's the date for the penultimate concert, from which eight tracks are culled and included on the box set, but none from the last show (10/02/1985). These errors probably reflect the situation of the company that needed to urgently complete the production of the promo LP and standard box set (see Parts One & Two of this series), which might have caused the negligent or careless proofreading.

The spine says just LIVE 1975-1985, inconsistent with what is printed on the front sleeve.

Although promotion-only releases are generally rare, THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE is relatively easy to find at not-so-expensive rates, as you see that it has frequently turned up at domestic and international auctions online. This is primarily due to the relatively large pressing number to promote the then much-anticipated live album. However, before the internet became a common and convenient tool to deal with second-hand goods as individuals, I remember that a copy of this promo sampler often cost collectors at least 10,000 Yen or more [a source in 1987 reporting that it was initially priced at 50,000 Yen (over $300 as of the exchange rate in December, 1986) in the U.S.; see the second image on 05/17/2020].

Maybe a fully intact copy for the Japanese edition of the promotion-only LIVE compilation. This copy is the only one among the four in my possession, with these paper sheets put together. The others came with a Japanese booklet or a 12-inch square polystyrene portrait panel the regular copies had, which I don't think were originally included in the promo package.

In the vinyl era, CBS/SONY Inc. (Japan) released three promotion-only LP/12" EP compilations that feature Springsteen exclusively, and the LIVE excerpt was the third and final one. The company also distributed advanced LP pressings to the two original albums released before and after the live anthology, as summarized below.

• LAST AMERICAN HERO FROM ASBURY PARK, N.J. (YAPC 95)
  A 10-track selection from the first three albums, released in 1978.
• The Killer Tracks from THE RIVER (XDAP 93030)
  A 4-track excerpt from THE RIVER, released in 1981.
• BORN IN THE U.S.A. (28AP 2850)
  An advanced promotional release in 1984.
• THE "LIVE": THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE (XDAP 93156)
  A 10-track excerpt from THE "LIVE" 1975-1985, released in 1986.
• TUNNEL OF LOVE (XDAP 93174)
  An advanced promotional release in 1987.

All the five titles above came in unique sleeves. The fully intact copies contained a lyric sheet (or its photocopy), information sheets, or flyers, making them highly collectible among vinyl collectors worldwide. As for THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE, although I'm not so sure, one of the copies in my possession holds all (if not all, almost all) the paper stuff originally enclosed. These are two kinds of paper sheets, which are missing or not included from the beginning in most circulating copies.

Official CBS/SONY's hand-written memo notifying the
tracklist error and requesting the on-air release date
not to broadcast before November 6th. A combination
of two large "Kanji" characters between double
angle brackets means "CORRECTION" in English.

One is a folded, stapled three-page info sheet in black and white with green color, while the other is a one-page official CBS/SONY note sheet with the company logo. The former illustrates the basic track information, such as track listing (page one), album overview and track length/configuration in LP/CD/cassette formats (page two; mostly duplicate of the rear sleeve with additional info on the single cut release), and a short description for each track (page three). The latter calls recipients' attention to the error on the Side-Two tracklist and the date when radio stations are allowed to play the album (11/06/1986, three days before the official sale). The track-listing error on the rear sleeve remains unfixed, most probably because the correction sticker was not ready when the early batch of the LP was shipped to music critics and radio stations for marketing purposes.
— To be continued to Part 4.

Collecting log: THE "LIVE" 1975-1985 and THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE, Japanese 5-LP box and custom promotion-only compilation LP w/ info sheets (Part 2 of 4)

Collecting-wise, I have two notes on the Japanese vinyl-box edition (CBS/SONY 75AP 3300-3304). First, there has been confusion around the OBI strip. Some established online databases, such as Discogs and Lost In The Flood, describe that the first pressing features a gold OBI with red title lettering (simply called gold OBI) and the second release with a red OBI with gold title lettering (red OBI). This rather widespread perception is incorrect. Accurately, the red OBI came first, and then the gold OBI followed, which is evident by the following facts and observations.

A boxed description on each OBI (encircled) provides a clue to
which color strip came earlier.

• First, I do remember that I saw the red-OBI copies exclusively and none of the gold versions at a retail shop when I bought my first copy on the release day (Nov. 9th, 1986). 
• Second, an ex-company staff at CBS/SONY back then in charge of Springsteen recalled "red-OBI first" in his blog a few years ago when he wrote about the hectic days around the extraordinary rapid manufacture and subsequent immediate release of the box set, not to fall behind the U.S. release. He was previously mentioned in this blog (04/26/2015). 
• Third, OBI is a target for cost reduction in offset printing, and normally, using multiple colors is rare (e.g., the DARKNESS OBI; see 03/05/2016). Metallic gold also costs high because it is not a CYMK-process color but a spot (solid) color that must be pre-mixed and used in a single run. The company probably adopted the red OBI (less gold/less cost) for the initial run to save production costs and see how the sale went on.
  
• Fourth, the color scheme aside, the two versions of OBI strips show a few noticeable differences. There is a boxed description at the lower part on the backside of the red OBI, which says something like, "The photo booklet (referring to the original English booklet) and liner notes (meaning the Japanese booklet) are not included in the box and handed to the customers at retail shops."  This allowed the manufacturing process to be shortened, explaining why the company was able to ship the first run so quickly to the retails in order to compete with the imported copies in domestic markets (see Part 1). The gold OBI deletes the description that was unnecessary for the second run (that needed no rush to be released). Instead, it has another short text in a box saying, "With the original photobook and lyric & liner notes," on the front face.
  
• Finally, when SONY MUSIC (Japan) reissued in 2005 the 17-CD titles with the replica paper LP sleeves, it was the red OBI that was recreated with the miniature box set (MHCP 729-733; see the picture immediately below). This reissue project faithfully reproduced an original sleeve and OBI of the first press for each title, if you remember. Just for your information, although SONY released for the first time LP-style CD reissues back in 1999, their mini-OBI strips did not necessarily mirror the original ones [for example, the GREETINGS CD (SRCS 9466) recreated the famous wrap-around OBI used for the second pressing].
  

Are these enough?  In contrast to the vinyl box, the CD edition (75DP 700-702) was originally released with a gold OBI (see the last image on Part 1), just like the second vinyl issue, which might be a major cause of confusion, especially to overseas collectors. By the way, some years ago, I communicated and discussed on this topic with Eddy (of Springsteen lyrics). Taking this opportunity, I thank him for his insights and thoughtful discussion.

The LIVE box was reissued twice in Japan in 1999 (3-CD format; SONY SRCS 8985-8987) and 2005 (5-CD; MHCP 729-733; upper right corner), with an elaborate miniature paper sleeve of the original LP form. Both reissues feature red OBI strips, although they are slightly different in their design. Note that the second wave of the 1999 reissue project (BORN IN THE U.S.A. to THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD) was ceased at the request of Springsteen's management, and the seven reissue titles, including this one, were hastily withdrawn that fall. The project abortion forced the pre-order at the Backstreets Records (see the flyer) to be canceled. Since then, these CDs have become extremely rare collectibles (see the previous post on 09/10/2016). The 1999 issue shown in the image includes three CDs, three inner sleeves, and two booklets.

In my opinion, the promotional copies for the LIVE box is the
hardest to come by among those with the red "sample" labels
for the original albums released in the 1980s.

One more note is about the sample copies that are distinguished from the regular pressings only by two measures: three Japanese Kanji letters (meaning "sample disc") in a box printed on each record label and a rectangle "Sample" sticker pasted on the bottom lid of the box package. CBS/SONY has abolished white record labels for promotional LP pressings and adopted these sample/promo indicators since as early as 1979 (since THE RIVER for Springsteen's case). Although such copies are generally neither so rare nor highly sought after unless some promotional materials are included (e.g., info sheets, custom flyers, etc.), the copy number for the LIVE box sample seems quite limited. Indeed, I've rarely found these copies in the market here (BTW, a few sample boxes I've seen thus far, including my possession, all featured the red OBI, supporting the above conclusion for the "Which OBI was earlier" issue). This was undoubtedly because of its large volume; distributing the 5-LP box sampler must have been impractical and costing quite high. And that's why CBS/SONY, like Columbia and CBS labels in some other countries, has released the custom promotion-only single LP compilation (CBS/SONY XDAP 93156) that contains 10-track excerpts from the box set.
— To be continued to Part 3.

Collecting log: THE "LIVE" 1975-1985 and THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE, Japanese 5-LP box and custom promotion-only compilation LP w/ info sheets (Part 1 of 4)

Promotional postcard notifying the forthcoming
release in Japan. Note that the Japan-specific
album title still does not add double quotation
marks on the word LIVE (THE LIVE 1975-1985).

Thirty-four years ago this month, Springsteen finally released LIVE/1975-85 (Columbia C5X 40558), the then long-awaited first official live album, in the formats of five-LP set and three-volume each of CD, cassette, and 8-track cartridge. I remember that while most reviews were overwhelmingly positive on this box set, a certain fraction of hardcore fans and knowledgeable collectors severely criticized it. I was one of those, and soon after launching this blog, I wrote about how I was disappointed when I first saw the list of all 40 tracks featured on the album (12/09/2014). Although I don't go into the details, the major criticisms were focused on the following three points:

• Track selection (lack of live essentials; only one track from the pre-DARKNESS period; too many from the BITUSA tour; etc.).
• Selected live version for each track (e.g., some claim that the Winterland performance is better than the Roxy, and so on).
• Post-recording manipulations (i.e., heavy editing and overdubbing on some tracks, which are apparent compared with circulating live recordings, bootlegs, and nowadays official Live Archive releases).
  

"Whomever put this together made foolish decisions...," "My degree of frustration with the set is pretty high...," or "10th Avenue and Thunder Road save this set for me..." (responses by readers, from Backstreets Magazine #20, Spring 1987). 

Issue number 20 (right) of the Backstreets Magazine
as integrated into the BOUND VOLUME first edition
(with the handwritten serial no. 176 by the Editor).

Maybe back in the old days, we as die-hard fans were too harsh with strongly subjective or biased views on what his live album should have been, at least in part, because we had already been fascinated with (or poisoned by) the magic of some great vinyl bootlegs out there. Personally, I would have loved to appreciate the first official live release from a single complete source of a classic show (like the way the current Live Archive series represents), rather than a compilation from various selected locations. After all, it was not a live archive but a live album where the Boss had every right to do whatever he wanted to improve his work from the artistic viewpoint. Until now, my thought on this live retrospective has gradually but steadily changed over time with a more favorable impression than previously. 

Left: The Japanese vinyl box had two color variations in the OBI that was unusually placed on the right not to hide his image. Some collectors claim that the gold one appeared first, just as the first CD edition (see Part 2). Right: A real merit of the Japanese booklet is that it contains transcription/translation of Springsteen's rap in the middle of Growin' Up (shown) and the introduction to The River and War.

Usually in Japan, there was at least a few-week to a one-month delay in album releases by overseas artists, compared with the original release date in the U.S. and Europe. However, contrary to all the previous albums up to BORN IN THE U.S.A. (17 days behind the U.S. release), the LIVE box was available here one day before (Nov. 9th, 1986) it was out in the U.S. Obviously, CBS/SONY (Japan) took a countermeasure to reduce the domestic sales' predicted damage due to the vinyl and CD imports, which were generally available earlier and cheaper. Besides, the record company, as usual, tried to offset the higher price (at least 1,000 Yen or more for this box at the retail level) by including Japan-only accessories (an OBI strip, a black & white 20-page Japanese booklet, and a 12-inch square polystyrene-made portrait panel with autograph reprint). So, I bought a domestic set with the slightly modified title, THE "LIVE" 1975-1985 (CBS/SONY 75AP 3300-3304), as the first copy in my collection. The CD edition (75DP 700-702) was scheduled for simultaneous release but postponed to Nov. 21st, the date of issuing the cassette-tape edition (75KP 1500-1502). As the ostensible reason, the company explained this due to the delay in the production. 
— To be continued to Part 2.

THE "LIVE": The Legend Comes Alive Japanese promo-only cassette tape

Certainly rare but over-valued?

The blog article this time, unlike regular ones, is not on vinyl but about cassette collectible. I had been watching with a great interest a Yahoo! auction in Japan since last week because of highly competitive bidding. The auctioned item was the above-mentioned custom promotional-only cassette tape (CBS/SONY XDKP 93022), which ended up a few days ago (July 9) with the final bid close to $300! I guessed the final bid amount would be around one-third of the actual one, though. As you can see, this particular auction resulted in total cumulative bids of over 20 that were actually placed by three presumably hard core collectors (I did not join the auction, just following).

I wonder what "B001" and B002" stamped on the bottom of the
cassettes refer to.  Reflecting the difference in release timing?

Released nearly three decades back, I know the item is rare and hard to come by even in Japan, and the Lost In The Flood collector's website describes that this cassette is ultra-scarce, especially in comparison to the vinyl LP counterpart which is relatively common as a promo-only release. I agree with this comment (though NOT regarding it as super rare from my point of view); however, the final bid amount is just overwhelming taking into consideration that this was a domestic auction not intended to open internationally. I mean, because of the rarity and popularity, severe bidding competition is often expected for neat Japanese collectibles like this one if put forward on international auction such as eBay, which would eventually result in incredibly high bid amounts (but which would usually not happen at domestic auction because of the relatively smaller number of participants and because domestic collectors obviously have more chance of finding the item than oversea collectors).

A good example is a recently completed eBay auction on the sample copy for Brilliant Disguise one-side Japanese 7" vinyl (CBS/SONY 04SP 1075) with the final bid of $360. Just for your information, back in late 1980s, the regular copies were sold at 400-yen (approximately $3 according to the current USD-Yen exchange rate). Simply unbelievable as the difference between

"Mi-hon-ban" three-Kanji character
referring to sample disc

the sample and regular copies is only whether or not "Mi-hon-ban" (three Kanji characters) is printed on the orange paper label and nothing else (see boxed three Kanji letters on the left-hand picture, generally meaning "sample disc" but often used with no distinction for test pressing or acetate disc). As for Brilliant Disuguise singles released in Japan, much more famous and highly valued is a custom-promo only white label 7" version (CBS/SONY XDSP 93095), but I wonder whether even such a copy deserves this amount of money.

On the cassette itself: although LITF does not mention clearly, as shown above, the white cassette case for this release is not a cheap conventional one, but rather seems to be specially designed (though not sure as I don't collect cassettes in the first place), with the sleeve protected by a clear plastic layer, and inside is a pocket holding a fold-out reprint for the promo-only LP's rear sleeve.

Collecting log: Dancing In The Dark Mexican colored 12" vinyl

Dancing In The Dark 12" remix collectibles:. Clockwise from
top left: Japan-only promo and the vinyl disc, US promo,
and regular Mexican and Portuguese releases.

More than 30 years ago, in a total surprise to his die-hard fans, Springsteen released special dance mix version of the first three top 10 singles (Dancing In The Dark, Cover Me and Born In The USA) from the album BORN IN THE USA, all of which are pressed in 12-inch format and remixed by Arthur Baker, then one of the most fashionable hip-hop producer. Music-wise, I believe that many of hardcore fans ignore, or are not interested in, these 12" releases. However, there are a few vinyl pressings worthy of collecting for Dancing In The Dark. Although I had refrained from collecting these for long, recently, I got a copy each for Mexican and Portuguese releases (CBS BS-35051 and CBS A 12.4436, respectively) at relatively cheap prices on eBay.

Official colored disc looking really nice!

The Portuguese release comes with the uniquely designed jacket that is completely different from those released in other countries. On the other hand, being translucent red vinyl is what makes the Mexican copy rare and valuable. Indeed, the Mexican vinyl looks simply brilliant, which I like very much! There are many colored edition of bootleg vinyls. To the best of my knowledge, however, among the officially released Springsteen records, translucent or colored vinyls are much rarer than other special pressings such as picture discs (for example, check the very first post on this blog).

From actual auction

One related note: Before Dancing In The Dark, late last year, I won another Mexican red 12" vinyl for War / Fire // Born To Run / Incident On 57th Street from a different seller in Mexico (I own the black vinyl version but not colored one). This seller, who is no longer registered, seemed reliable as he had received, since 2003, nearly 1,900 feedback ratings with most being positive. However, what turned out to be was that he was a real cheater. In order to provide me with the tracking number as a proof of shipping, he sent just a registered letter that was wrongly addressed (so, not to me) and without sender's name and address. I was waiting for the package to arrive for more than two weeks, after which the tracking system suddenly reported that, due to unconfirmed destination, the mail with that tracking number has been returned to Mexico. In response to my inquiry, the delivery company told me that it was a letter but never be an LP package. I finally found myself scammed. I've been a registered eBay member since 1997 and this was the ugliest experience among hundreds of transaction. The case was covered by eBay buyer protection and refunded, though.

Collecting log: Fire (live) / Incident On 57th Street (live) US 7" vinyl with production error

This 7" single from the US, which is released 28 years ago in 1987, features my favorite live performance on the flip side and is the first collectible I obtained this new year. At first glance, it may look like a test pressing, but this 7" single is actually a regular pressing without the paper label on Side A of the vinyl disc.
 
I have several 7" and LP discs with production errors from tiny to serious, such as a misspelling or typo (like African copies of THE RIVER), a blank record label,  mixing-up side A/B labels, and unbelievable manufacturing mistakes (such as an inner sleeve of a New Zealand copy of THE RIVER). However, this type of error (i.e. a disc without a label) is new to my collection. These erroneous releases in my possession will be shown sometime in a future.