BORN TO RUN U.S. Pressing LP Variants: The late-1970s Scranton pressing by North American Music Industries, or simply NAMI (Part 2 of 2)

The hand-etched "PN" refers to a vinyl record pressed at NAMI in
Scranton, subcontracted by Pitman when the Columbia Records plant
suspended operations due to a labor strike in the spring of 1978.

Scranton or New American Music Industries (NAMI) pressings of the BORN TO RUN LP (Columbia PC 33795) were unique among the several U.S. editions with the "PC"-prefixed catalog number that were commercially released in the 1970s (see 07/29/2016). As shown in the Part One post (04/12/2025), these copies differ noticeably from those pressed at Columbia Records’ three plants — Pitman, Terre Haute, and Santa Maria — particularly in the size of the stamper ring on the labels and the presence of the dead-wax stamp (☖) symbolizing the U.S. Capitol Building, both the same as those found on Scranton pressings of DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN (JC 35318; see 3/21/2017 and 04/23/2022). The stamp likely reflects that Capitol Records had previously owned the Scranton plant before its takeover by NAMI in late 1973 (see Scott's comment from 03/18/2017). The plant continued operating until around 1980.

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.

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).

Collecting log: an ABBA's LP error pressing with BORN TO RUN tracks on one side

I remember ABBA was already a big star when I was a junior high
school student, just beginning to listen to popular Western music,
mainly on the radio.

Shown left is unusual or uncommon to this blog, which is totally unrelated to Springsteen's music or recording products. It's an ABBA's album from the mid-1970s called WATERLOO (Epic U.K. pressing, EPC 80179). Needless to say, ABBA is a pop supergroup from Sweden, known for several worldwide hits like Dancing Queen as a notable example. WATERLOO is their second album, originally released in 1974 that brought about their breakthrough in the U.K. and the U.S. So, why is it mentioned here? Well, it's time to confess something. I'm a secret admirer of ABBA, accumulating a huge collection of this popular band that far surpasses my entire Springsteen collection...

Collecting log: Top 3 collectible acquisitions in 2019 (Part 3 of 3)

The final of the three parts of this subject reports last year's unexpected purchase of a U.K. 7-inch vinyl record which fellow "Boss" collectors often regard as a holy grail. So, this post may deserve the commemorable 150th to this blog which, since Fall 2014, has exclusively focused on Springsteen's official and unofficial collectibles, especially of vinyl pressings, in my private possession. There are still many missing, though, from my collection. If interested, here are links to Part 1 and Part 2.
 
#1: Sherry Darling / Independence Day U.K. withdrawn white label promo 7" vinyl (CBS 9568)

Unfortunately, the color sleeve is just a regular one, listing Be True correctly,
instead of Independence Day, as the backside track.

There is an old Japanese proverb "Early risers earn 3-mon" (where "mon" is an old Japanese currency unit), which has essentially the same message in English as "The early bird always gets the worm." This purchase was just like that and completely unexpected to me. One usual morning last November, I woke up early, just made a quick online survey, and found it being sold at an unbelievably low price. It was just 63 minutes after the seller had put it up on auction. So, luckily and most probably, I was the first and only one who ever saw it online. Needless to say, the copy was sent out here to the Far East, currently sitting on my record shelf.

Collecting log: The early 1980s U.K. vinyl pressings with "timtom" or "Ty" handwritten matrix inscription (Part 1 of 4)

Whoever credited (see the inset taken from the lyric sheet), the
master lacquer of this vinyl pressing is cut by someone else.
Shown is a U.S. repressed copy of THE RIVER Disc 1, where the
matrix inscription "chet" means that the master-cutting engineer
is Chet Bennett who worked for CBS Records in the 1980s.

As you see in this blog, one of my favorite activities to do when hunting a vinyl record, whether official or bootleg, is to check the dead-wax space for the matrix numbers and associated stamps or inscriptions. This can allow us to know fundamental information regarding production of a given record, such as the generation of the pressing and location of the pressing factory. The initials of a mastering engineer are also hand-etched or stamped, though not always. Of course, we can know who is responsible for mastering and cutting, from production credits that are usually printed on the inner or outer sleeve, or accompanying lyric sheet. 

Collecting log: BORN IN THE U.S.A. LP ー Matrix numbers of the earliest U.S. pressing and an error copy with off-centered labels (Part 4 of 5)

Another flawed copy of the album from my
collection is the U.K. first pressing, as indicated
by the matrix number CBS-86304-A1, which
comes with the blank label on Side One.

As mentioned in the last post, the original or early copies of BORN IN THE U.S.A. LP (Columbia QC 38653) manufactured in the U.S. have wide deadwax on Side One, which in addition to the matrix hand-etching RL, is a feature associated with the vinyl pressings mastered by Robert "Bob" Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, ME. On the other hand, the later pressings with narrow deadwax, where his initials are absent, are not cut by this Mastering Maestro, despite whom the album production credits refer to as mastering engineer on the album inner sleeve. This fact just made me wondering about the deadwax width of various copies of the album pressed in countries other than the U.S. Here for making comparison, I picked up several of the copies randomly from my collection.

Collecting log: BORN IN THE U.S.A. LP ー Matrix numbers of the earliest U.S. pressing and an error copy with off-centered labels (Part 2 of 5)

With the vinyl collection increasing steadily and continuously, erroneous or defective copies of official releases have gradually accumulated over the years in my collectible archives. As summarized here, such flaws range from tiny careless typos on record labels, sleeves and Obi-strips, to one-of-a-kind production errors like a lyric sheet mistakenly used for making the inner sleeve for Disc One of THE RIVER LP. Although BORN IN THE U.S.A. and its associated vinyl releases have never been my prime target of hunting and collecting, I own two such examples for this album. Shown here is a U.S. copy with the record labels that are incorrectly aligned to the vinyl disc.

Disc can be set on a turntable and played normally. This error results from wrongly processed paper labels because the center hole has to be punched out before vinyl pressing.

Collecting log: BORN IN THE U.S.A. LP ー Matrix numbers of the earliest U.S. pressing and an error copy with off-centered labels (Part 1 of 5)

On the front sleeve of the U.S. releases, original and early vinyl pressings
came with a blue and white sticker whereas a black and white one was
used for later and repressed copies.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the release of BORN IN THE U.S.A. (blog posts related to this album are summarized here). Just like in the U.S., before the internet era, radio airplay here was the primary source of listening to newly released songs, although the number of radio stations in Japan was (and still is) way smaller than that of the U.S. I believe it was a Friday night of May 1984 when Dancing In The Dark, the advanced single off the album, was for the first time aired in Japan (and I listened to it) on the NHK-FM radio program called Sound Street (PM 10:00-10:45), which was hosted by Yoichi Shibuya, one of the most influential critics in popular/rock music in Japan (previously mentioned here; he is one of those who contribute essays to the rare promotional booklet for the Japanese edition of DARKNESS LP).

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)

DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN US LP variations: A repressing with an erroneous lyric sheet

The custom Zippo lighter used as a paper weight is serially numbered
(#026/200) and distributed for promoting the Hungry Heart Berlin '95
single in France. Though not shown, it comes in a black plastic holder.

Based on the dead-wax matrix information, US-pressing copies of the vinyl DARKNESS album are roughly classified into two groups, one with and another without a machine-stamped TML marking (either TML-M or TML-S), a proof for the early pressing issues that were mastered by Mike Reese at The Mastering Lab, Inc., Los Angeles, California. So, any vinyl copies lacking this stamp on both Sides 1 and 2 are instantly excluded from the list of my "variation" analysis on the U.S. version of this classic album (A series on this subject starts here).

Collecting log: THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD and the Japan Tour in 1997 (various collector's items)

Some official and unofficial Japan 1997 Tour collectibles. Shown right is the official Japan-exclusive 8-page booklet (with flyers inserted in it) featuring the entire album lyrics in both English and Japanese, which was distributed at the entrance to the concert hall for every night performance.

The first concert at the third and last time Springsteen visited Japan was performed 21 years ago tonight, January 27th, 1997, during the promotion tour for THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD. I remember the solo acoustic tour received only a modest attention here, which was in marked contrast to the hoopla surrounding BORN IN THE U.S.A. and the World Tour when he hit Asia for the first time in April 1985 (cf. His second visit here was September 1988 during the Amnesty tour in Tokyo).

Collecting log: THE RIVER-era promotion-only various artists' compilation albums released in Japan and The Killer Tracks From The River (concluded)

One of the few coolest sleeves among his entire vinyl releases.

Since the mid-1970s, as pointed out in the early issue of the Backstreets Magazine (#10, Summer 1984), Japan has been a major source of highly collectable vinyl records from Springsteen. As far as the 1970's albums go, the most highly demanded include the advanced white label promotional 1st pressing copy of THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E STREET SHUFFLE (CBS/SONY SOPL-239; released in 1974) with a typo obi, both regular and promotional 2nd pressing copies of GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK, N.J. (SOPO-124; released in 1975) with a wrap-around obi, and the world's first-ever custom promotion-only album LAST AMERICAN HERO FROM ASBURY PARK N.J. (YAPC 95; relased in 1978). Although not an LP but a 12-inch EP recorded at 33 1/3 rpm, The Killer Tracks From The River (XDAP 93030; released in 1981), another custom promo-only compilation,probably represents the most important Japanese 30-cm diameter discs released in the 1980s under his name.

THE RIVER Gate-fold sleeve 2LP: Venezuelan release

Right after opening the parcel that has been delivered from the other
side of the globe. International shipping cost only $5.00 by FEDEX 
which are unbelievably cheap compared to the current standard rates
for importing LP or 12" releases.

Special record packages, like gate-fold sleeves or box sets, always stimulate collectors' mind. This is particularly the case when they are limited in quantities or available only in certain regions or countries. As already featured several times in this blog, the gate-fold sleeve edition of THE RIVER LP is a representative example of such vinyl collectibles and has been released back in 1980 in the following five countries: Israel (CBS 88510), Mexico (CBS LP2S-103), Venezuela (CBS CS-10378), South Africa (CBS AGP 87/88) and Hong Kong (CBS/SONY 40AP 1960-1). What makes these releases more collector-oriented is the fact that they differ from each other, slightly or totally, in terms of the artwork design inside the gate-fold sleeve. So, serious collectors, including myself, have collected them all (or are trying to do so).

HUMAN TOUCH / LUCKY TOWN Japanese collectibles (not on vinyl): On the 25th anniversary of the twin album releases (concluded)

Part of my cassette collection. On the 5th from the right is 
the one I consider the most unique and rarest among these.

This is the final part on the Japanese Top 3 collectibles concerning HUMAN TOUCH and LUCKY TOWN, following two blogs reporting the second- and third-ranking items posted last May. In my personal view, top on the list is an item that may be questionable to some collectors for its authenticity. That is again a seldom seen cassette tape issued by Sony Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., for promotion of the twin album a few months after the release. The tape captures a broadcasted live from the Hollywood Center Studios, Los Angeles, on June 5th, 1992, collectively known as "Dress Rehearsal" for the upcoming 1992-1993 world tour. The recorded performance is nothing rarity as it was aired over FM radio across the USA, and consequently, has been widely available in some forms including various bootleg releases. The reason why I ranked it as number one is based on the fact that the aired performance (or part of it) has never been released in any official form in any country of the world except this one, provided that it is truly a genuine Sony product.

Collecting log: CHAPTER & VERSE 2LP Japanese edition. A real disappointing release, speaking collector-wise

The Japanese edition is found out to be just a simple repackage of the European release, additionally reproducing the rear sleeve as a slick insert for Japanese credits and information (see the enlarged image of the portion below). Note that vinyl discs are not originally protected by frosted inner plastic poly bags. Including such poly bags was normal for conventional vinyl discs released in Japan, though.

Collecting log: The best acquisition in 2016

Big box arrived here from upstate New York. Inset shows the eBay
sticker probably for global shipping (overlaid on which is the semi-
transparent lilac-colored label of the domestic delivery service).

Now we're coming to the end of the year, it's time to look over the best acquisition in 2016. It's a volume purchase won on eBay this spring with a cumulative bid of 12, which resulted in the final amounts just exceeding 80 bucks. The amounts were happily way less than what I had expected to pay, but as always, the shipping cost too much from East Coast of the US (slightly more than the half of the final bid). Speaking of the shipping option, as many non-US buyers already pointed out, I am also quite discontented with eBay Global Shipping Program because it charges additional costs that probably results from handling, custom/import duty (pre-paid is mandatory; Note that the zero rate is usually applied for importing vinyl discs here, unless an item is quite expensive or highly valued) and the US domestic delivery from seller's address to the Global Shipping Center.

Collecting log: Cover Me UK shaped picture disc single

A bi-color sticker on the PVC bag holding the picture
disc. Note that not all copies come with stickers.

This is the final of the three consecutive collecting logs on “cheap buy” in my recent trip to Tokyo. Yet another I picked up there was Cover Me/Jersey Girl (live) (CBS WA 4662), one of the three shaped picture disc singles from the album BORN IN THE U.S.A. that were commercially available in England. This limited edition is the second release out around September or October 1984 (the receipt of the imported first copy I obtained dated 11th October, 1984), following the pink caddy-shaped picture disc of Dancing In The Dark/Pink Cadillac (CBS WA 4436) and followed by the US flag-shaped I'm On Fire/Born In The U.S.A. (CBS WA 6342). The original pressing has a printing error on the rear side, listing both incorrect playing speed (45 rpm) which is blacked out and the correct speed (33 ⅓ rpm) underneath it. The re-releases correct this error (see the picture below).