Collecting log: 40 years after the BORN IN THE U.S.A. Japan tour — nostalgic old bootlegs and miscellaneous vinyl/CD collectibles related to the official album (addendum)

One more post. In the previous entry (06/14/2025), which wrapped up the topic above, I forgot to mention an additional collectible edition of the Japanese CD of this best-selling album that produced seven top 10 singles between 1984 and 1985. The CD Club version (SME FCCP 40192), released under the SME Records label, was available in the mid-1990s, probably 1995, exclusively through mail order from Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. (SMEJ). While I’m unsure of its collectible value, I’ve seen it draw considerable interest — particularly from overseas collectors, who make up the majority of this blog’s readers — so I’m including it here as an addendum.

Although it resembles the regular 1995 Japanese reissue (left side of the left panel), The CD Club edition (center and right of the same image) shows several notable differences in the disc, sleeves, booklet, and even the jewel case itself. See, for example, the differing position and length of the two molded retaining tabs (or bumps) along the right edge of the transparent lid on the two jewel cases (shown in the far-right images). Note that this subscription-based release originally did not come with an obi strip — the decorative paper band typically included with Japanese CDs.

During the 1990s, my main focus in CD collecting remained on bootlegs (for example, see 12/08/2020), and I largely overlooked official releases, especially those issued domestically. So, I had no awareness of this official Japanese variant at the time. The CD Club was a membership-based subscription service operated by Sony Music Direct Inc., offering a carefully selected “Recommended Disc of the Month” exclusively through mail order, along with a regular issue of the CD Club Magazine. Launched in the early 1990s as a monthly service, it was rebranded in 2010 as The CD Club Net Shop. However, as of 2025, there have been no official updates or new membership announcements, and neither monthly CD offerings nor magazine issues appear to continue, suggesting that the service has effectively ended.

Compared with the most similar standard reissue (SRCS 7861), the rear sleeve of the CD Club version is less informative, omitting both the tax-inclusive price (2,000 JPY) and the release date. The Sony logo is also absent, as SME Records issued the CD rather than Sony Records. The spine uses thinner fonts and a much simpler design — note that the standard edition includes a portion of the BORN TO RUN cover art overlaid on an American flag graphic on one side. The disc bears the CD Club logo at the top, while the Sony logo is again omitted from the bottom. Additionally, the pinkish-red printing is slightly more vivid.

Titles issued through The CD Club carried catalog numbers beginning with “FCCP,” a prefix unique to this subscription series. This clearly set them apart from standard retail editions, which typically used prefixes such as “SRCS” in the 1990s and, later, “MHCP” and “SICP.” The FCCP code thus served as a marker of exclusivity, indicating both limited distribution and the product’s origin within a closed membership system. Notably, unlike typical Japanese releases, these CD copies did not include an obi strip originally, although they were shipped in sealed condition.

As far as I can tell, the two booklets differ in only two respects: the copyright and production information at the bottom of the back page, and the catalog number printed above each page number within the booklet (page 8 is shown here as an example).

As far as my understanding goes, BORN IN THE U.S.A. is the only Springsteen title selected for this subscription service, probably released in 1995. However, no release date is printed anywhere on the CD, likely due to the following reasons:

• It was distributed exclusively through a membership-based mail-order program and was not available via conventional retail channels.
• Since each order was shipped on or after the date it was placed, the concept of a unified nationwide release date did not apply.
• As it was not intended for wholesale distribution, standard retail information, such as the official release date, was unnecessary (and this may also explain why The CD Club version omits the tax-included price found on the standard retail edition).

In addition to SME Records' CD Club version, Sony Records — another sub-label under SMEJ — issued two separate editions of the CD album that year: the third standard edition (SRCS 7861), released on November 22, and the audiophile edition remastered with Super Bit Mapping (SBM) (SRCS 7908), released on December 21. Both were priced at 1,942 JPY before the 3% consumption tax (2,000 JPY including tax). The CD Club version was sold at the same price and shared several features with SRCS 7861, including the picture disc label and the booklet's format and design, though the two are not identical. For detailed comparisons, see the images and table above.

The clear polystyrene slipcases for the SBM-remastered 
edition (SRCS 7908) — released 30 years ago and still in 
circulation — have deteriorated, yellowed, or browned 
with age, making intact copies quite hard to find.

So, what is the collecting value of The CD Club edition these days? A quick eBay search shows three copies currently listed — including sealed ones — with asking Buy-It-Now prices ranging from US$250 to $300. Personally, I think I’d rather put that amount toward another collectible. But how rare is it? Due to its mail-order-only distribution, this CD variant is certainly rarer than most standard retail editions released in Japan — aside from the withdrawn 1999 paper-sleeve version (SRCS 8984; see 06/14/2025). Still, I have no idea how many copies were produced, ordered, or actually sent out to CD Club subscribers 30 years ago.

As shown here, The CD Club version closely resembles the regular third reissue (SRCS 7861), many copies of which circulate on the second-hand market without the obi strip. Because of this visual similarity, CD Club copies can easily be overlooked or mistaken for the standard retail version without close inspection of the disc and sleeve — a factor that may also contribute to their perceived rarity among collectors.

— Back to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, or Part 4.

Collecting log: 40 years after the BORN IN THE U.S.A. Japan tour — nostalgic old bootlegs and miscellaneous vinyl/CD collectibles related to the official album (Part 4 of 4)

"Originally scheduled for exclusive release in Japan on September 22, 1999, the second wave of the first 'mini-LP' cardboard sleeve CD reissue series — including BORN IN THE U.S.A. — was ultimately canceled." The above photos show what I consider rare Japanese collectibles for this album: a withdrawn sample CD and an advance cassette tape placed on either the advance pressing (left) or the sample LP (right) — the cassette and both LPs date back to original 1984 release. A small white tracklist sheet included with the sample LP set contains a misspelling of "BLUCE" in the artist name column.

What comes to mind when you think of Japanese collectibles of this best-selling album? For me, they include the advance promotion-only LP and its cassette version (see 07/18/2015), as well as the withdrawn CD (Sony Music Entertainment SRCS 8984) from the second batch of Japan-exclusive paper sleeve reissues planned for fall 1999, which is believed to have been canceled at the request of Springsteen Inc. (see the last paragraph of 09/10/2016). Sample copies are also of interest to collectors. However, compared to white label promo LPs phased out in the late 1970s for CBS/Sony releases, these are less sought-after, differing from commercial copies only by a "SAMPLE" imprint (in kanji on the label of vinyl discs or as-is on the inner ring of CDs), and a rectangular sample sticker affixed to the back cover.

Not only is the sample LP — featuring a sample sticker on the rear sleeve — hard to come by, but a sealed regular copy, with the front side facing up in the photo, is also difficult to find now. The Japanese text on the hype sticker translates to "Deluxe Edition Vinyl." The dead-wax information on Side A of the sample disc includes the matrix number "2A," the stamper code "1 A 2," and the CBS/Sony (CS) stamp accompanied by the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) symbol 〄.

Nevertheless, two "sample" vinyl albums released in the 1980s remain highly collectibles: one for the LIVE/1975–85 box set (CBS/Sony 75AP 3300–04; see 11/23/2020) and the other for the Mastersound edition of BORN IN THE U.S.A. (CBS/Sony 30AP 2878). Their appeal lies purely in their exceptional rarity, similar to the sample copy of the Brilliant Disguise one-sided single reissue (CBS/Sony 04SP 1075; see 05/15/2024). In fact, sample copies of these three vinyl titles are extremely hard to find even here in Japan, likely due to the multi-disc format of the release (e.g., a 5-LP box) or their nature as non-standard reissues (low-budget or audiophile editions).

In Japan, from 1984 to 1994, the release year of vinyl records and 
CDs was indicated on the sleeve by a single-letter alphabet code 
based on a simple system established by the Recording Industry 
Association of Japan (RIAJ). Here, the letter "N" stands for 1984, 
showing that the Mastersound edition was released on July 21, 
1984 — one month after the original album release. Another 
example (not shown) is "O-10-21" for TUNNEL OF LOVE 
(CBS/Sony 28AP 3410), where "O" denotes the year 1987; 
thus, the LP was released in Japan on October 21, 1987.

The CBS/Sony Mastersound series in Japan was marketed as a line of high-quality audiophile pressings, employing one of the four approaches for each LP: digital recording, digital mastering, half-speed mastering, or direct disk cutting (see 09/30/2019). Like many other international pop/rock titles in the series, BORN IN THE U.S.A. was digitally mastered from analog tapes for vinyl pressing — likely not from first-generation analog masters (which were probably not available in Japan) — using early digital technology. As a result, audiophiles (not me) have often pointed out the analog/digital trade-offs of the 1980s, expressing skepticism about whether these premium reissues truly offered an improvement in sound quality.

In 2014 — already more than a decade ago — this album was finally remastered using a new analog-to-digital tape transfer process called Plangent. Then, in September 2024, it was reissued in Sony Japan's Blu-spec CD2 format and repackaged as part of the 40th Anniversary Japan Edition (Sony Music Japan SICP 31728–31). For reasons briefly noted earlier (see the postscript of 05/15/2024), I have refrained from purchasing recent official releases and reissues that offer no truly new material, such as BEST OF ... and ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE, and this deluxe but pricey set was no exception. That said, over half a year after its release, I came across a sample copy and decided to pick it up — it was available for two-thirds less than the retail price so that I couldn't resist.

A future collectible? This is just a sample copy with no promotional or advertising flyers. All four discs bear an orange-inked "SAMPLE - LOANED" imprint on the inner ring. However, no "SAMPLE" stickers are affixed to the gatefold sleeve or to any of the other printed materials included in the set.

My copies are standard editions. Notice that since 1995, the RIAJ's 
release year format has been replaced with a last two-digit year code 
(e.g., "01" for 2001). The international release date of the original 
edition is shown in parentheses as (98-11-10). A circled "Y" denotes 
Western music (cf. "L" for Japanese).

As with the aforementioned LIVE 5-LP box, sample copies of multi-CD sets are also rarer than those of single or double-disc titles. For example, in February 2022, such a copy of the resized TRACKS quadruple-CD box (Sony SICP 52–55), which was exclusively reissued in Japan in late 2001, drew 25 cumulative bids in a local online auction and ultimately sold for 41,500 JPY (approximately $360 at the time). I followed the auction and was surprised by the final result, which far exceeded my expectations, although even standard copies of this compact edition have become scarce in recent years, and rarer than the original long box version (Sony SRCS 8801–04).

The 2024 red vinyl set and the 1984 Mastersound edition feature a 
similar obi design. On the back of the 2024 gatefold sleeve, the 
original release date is incorrectly listed in parentheses as 
"June 9, 1984" — the correct date is June 4.

Lastly, a few words on the “strictly limited” Japanese vinyl edition (Sony Music Japan SIJP-178) of the album — a repackaging of the European import colored vinyl — which was released on July 24, 2024, two months earlier than the aforementioned 40th Anniversary Deluxe CD set. Although advertised as remastered, playback on a turntable reveals significantly less output gain than the original U.S. and Japanese pressings. I’m not an audiophile, but even to my ears, the result was underwhelming —  though perhaps my expectations were too high. That said, this outcome was not entirely unexpected: the audio wasn’t remastered with vinyl’s analog nuances and physical constraints in mind. Instead, it likely reused digital remasters tailored for CD and streaming, leading to lower volume and a compressed dynamic range.

The difference in cutting level and dynamic range is clear between the remastered 2024 vinyl (top) and the original 1984 Japanese pressing (bottom). For details, see the original article (linked here). Image courtesy of, and used with permission from, MagicVinylDigital.net.

For those interested in sound quality and technical details, I highly recommend the article “Bruce Springsteen – Born In The U.S.A. – Review – (Test: Japanese vinyl, 2024 remastered, CD and streaming) Should you buy remastered vinyl records?,” featured in Magic of Analog, Vinyl, Digital and Spatial Sound — a thoroughly insightful and worthwhile read.

— Continued to Addendum / Back to Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3.

Collecting log: 40 years after the BORN IN THE U.S.A. Japan tour — nostalgic old bootlegs and miscellaneous vinyl/CD collectibles related to the official album (Part 3 of 4)

Released in numerous countries worldwide, BORN IN THE U.S.A. remains one of the most commercially successful albums in music history. While I have not conducted a thorough survey, its widespread distribution and chart success suggest that the album was officially released in over 40 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, South America, and select parts of Africa and the Arab world.

As with Japanese releases, Mexican editions frequently featured 
altered sleeve designs and modified or added text, resulting in several 
collectible variants. A notable example is the gatefold edition of THE 
RIVER (CBS LP2S-103; see 06/18/2016), which displays lyrics on the 
inner panels rather than on a separate two-fold insert. Official colored 
vinyl pressings from the 1980s are also rare and highly collectible (see 
01/27/2020). The LP shown above (CBS CLS-5808) presents the 
Spanish tracklist and additional text along the bottom of the rear sleeve.

However, when collectible variants of this album — both regular and promotional editions — began to surface from various countries and became available to collectors in the mid-to-late 1980s, I was too engrossed in the flood of bootleg releases from the 1984–85 world tour, particularly those from Europe, to pay serious attention to the official releases. Consequently, many of the official vinyl records in my possession — some of which have been already showcased on this blog — were therefore acquired later, once the internet’s global rise made worldwide communication and transactions far more accessible. Anyway, here are a few of miscellaneous official collectibles of his mega hit album, as I hinted earlier.

Collecting and comparing different copies of the same album can sometimes uncover interesting facts about how vinyl records were made. Take DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN, for instance — early U.S. pressings were produced by eight different plants, among which six were operated by companies other than Columbia Records (see 08/20/2022 for the latest overview). Research like this also helps uncover the identities of uncredited mastering engineers who actually cut the master disc — especially for U.S. reissues and vinyl discs manufactured outside the U.S., where the originally credited engineer usually had no involvement. Examples include U.S. repressings for DARKNESS and THE RIVER, mastered by Chet Bennett (see 05/05/2022 and 12/22/2019), as well as U.K. original pressings of THE RIVER, NEBRASKA, and BORN IN THE U.S.A. by Tim Young (01/01/2020 and 01/05/2020).

A black-stickered U.S. reissue, credited as "Mastered by: Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk" on the custom inner sleeve, was actually cut by Chet Bennett, as revealed by his first name hand-etched in the deadwax (indicated by arrows). Although different master cuts often result in variations in deadwax spacing, the width of Bennett's cutting coincides with that of the Maestro's early pressing on both Sides One and Two (matrix numbers 3A and 2A, respectively: see 08/14/2019; Note that Ludwig also recut the master for a reissue: see 10/10/2020).

While the original U.S. pressing of BORN IN THE U.S.A. was cut by mastering legend Robert "Bob" Ludwig, the copy shown above — the latest addition to my  U.S. pressing collection — is another one mastered by C. Bennett. 

SIDE ONE:    <chet + AD>  PAL 38653    G3S    D G1
SIDE TWO:    <chet + AD>  BL 38653      G2Z    E G1        Straight = stamped; oblique = hand-etched.

As noted earlier, Bennett handled several repressings of Springsteen titles during his time at CBS/Columbia Records in the 1980s. I didn’t know who had mastered this budget reissue with the black hype sticker when I found it online, but I picked it up anyway to check the matrix information — after all, it cost just one coin (500 JPY ≈ 3.47 USD).

Alternate sleeve design also explains why collectors often seek multiple copies of a given title. Here are a few examples of my choices from my collection:

The top horizontal image shows the spine of the custom West German Vivitar sleeve, which bears no information about the artist’s name, album title, or catalog number. The disc is a red-label Holland pressing for the regular reissue. Although not pictured, the standard lyric sheet and inner sleeve are included.

• West-German "Vivtar" promotional reissue (CBS 86304): Released in the former West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany) to mark the 50th anniversary of Vivitar Corp., U.S.-based photographic equipment company founded by German immigrants — this edition comes in the custom, promotion-only picture sleeve that makes it a genuine oddity. Yet the altered—or more precisely, replaced—sleeve scarcely identifies the record as a Springsteen release. Even if the cover image loosely relates to the lyrics of Glory Days, it doesn’t mention him or his music anywhere, not in German text on the back, nor on the spine, which reads “50 Jahre VIVITAR – die Weltmarke für Bildaufzeichnung ©1988 Hanimex (Deutschland) GmbH” [50 Years of VIVITAR – the global brand for image recording ©1988 Hanimex (Germany) GmbH]. Aside from the album title logo, there’s no reference to Springsteen at all. While undeniably rare, the release holds little appeal for me as a collector.

The former East Germany released not only the LP but also the cassette. On some copies of the cassette release (catalog number 056 222), the number is misprinted as "0 56 222" on the inlay card, although the correct version, matching the number printed at the top right of the rear LP sleeve, also exists.

• East-German issue (AMIGA 8 56 222): Issued in what was then former East Germany (German Democratic Republic), likely in 1986 or later according to the Discogs description, this version retains the original front cover design. However, about two-thirds of the back cover is filled with liner notes in German, adding a somewhat quirky charm. The layout is complemented by an appropriate photo of Springsteen, taken from the inner sleeve of the standard release. Incidentally, I studied German as my second foreign language during my undergraduate years — roughly four decades ago — but sadly, I’ve forgotten most of it, so I couldn’t make out the text on the back sleeve on my own.

With the Argentine release, the "Disco Para Demostracion..." promo indication appears not only on the front sleeve, but also the record labels. Interestingly, only half of the Spanish-translated song titles — Side One, Tracks 1, 2, and 6; Side Two, Tracks 2 to 4 — match exactly with those on Mexican LP (see top image). The remaining titles differ slightly (e.g., Side Two, Track 5 — possibly a misspelling?) or significantly (Side Two, Tracks 1 and 6). The track-length listings also don’t match exactly between the two releases.

• Argentine promotional release (CBS 20.534): The Argentine sleeve features a distinctive promotional marking “Disco Para Demostracion Venta Prohibida” (Demonstration Record – Sale Prohibited) printed diagonally in the top left corner, and the back deviates from the standard design — it’s printed in monochrome and also includes song titles in Spanish. My pick of the three.

Next, and finally, come a few Japanese items — though they are far less noteworthy or interesting than the advanced promotion-only release I introduced years ago (see 07/18/2015).

— Continued to Part 4 / Back to Part 1 or Part 2.

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.

The deadwax information on my copy is listed below. I have also examined several Scranton pressings with clearly legible matrix numbers, using images sourced from online databases and auction listings. So far, all examined copies display identical matrix stamps and etchings.

SIDE ONE:   P AL 33795-1H              PN         ☖
SIDE TWO:   P BL 33795-1AA X        PN         ☖          Straight = stamped; oblique = hand-etched.

Another disc with the matrix number 1H on SIDE ONE was pressed
at Pitman, as indicated by a faint "P" stamp preceding the number. It
came in the penultimate "PC" sleeve (see 07/29/2016), which features
the single-lined producers' credit on the rear (not shown) and bears
the price code X698 (denoting a $6.98 retail price) on the bottom of
the spine. The last known "PC" sleeve used for the Scranton pressing
eliminated this code (see 04/12/2025). The gold stamp indicates that
the record was discounted by Columbia for sale at U.S. military bases.

The matrix numbers 1H /1AA confirm that this is a later release, as the earliest pressings from Columbia's three plants carried matrix numbers 1A /1A for Pitman, 1B /1B for Terre Haute, and 1C /1C for Santa Maria (see 05/21/2017). Additional hand-etchings include "PN," the pressing plant-specific code previously interpreted as "Pitman-subcontracted NAMI" (see 11/17/2018 and 08/20/2022), whereas the meaning of the "X" that immediately follows the SIDE TWO matrix number remains unknown to me. 

Note that "1H" is not exclusive to Scranton pressings. The same stamped matrix number appears on SIDE ONE of a Pitman copy in my possession (see images at right). However, SIDE TWO of this copy bears "1L," and neither side includes the matrix stamps or hand-etched markings typically associated with NAMI's Scranton plant, as described above.

SIDE ONE:   p   P AL 33795-1H
SIDE TWO:   p   P BL 33795-1L       The preceding "p" stamp is the hallmark of Columbia's Pitman-plant pressing.

At a glance, Scranton pressings of this masterpiece can be distinguished from standard Columbia-plant pressings (Pitman, in this case) by two key criteria: the stamper ring size on the labels and the width of the trail-off (deadwax) area. Matrix numbers for each side are listed in parentheses following the pressing plant name (oblique, hand-etched; straight, stamped). The pronounced differences in deadwax spacing — particularly on SIDE ONE — may affect the sound quality of this side, especially the final track, Backstreets.

Different matrix numbers, stamps, and etchings indicate different master cutting during vinyl record production, which often leads to variations in the width of the deadwax area on vinyl discs. You can find examples of such deadwax metric variations in my blog posts — for instance: 05/05/2022 for DARKNESS U.S. discs; 01/01/2020 for THE RIVER U.K. copies; 09/29/2019, 09/30/2019, and 10/10/2020 for various BORN IN THE U.S.A. pressings; and 11/14/2014 for a classic bootleg. In this respect, the Scranton pressings show notable differences compared to the earliest Columbia pressings: interestingly, the deadwax space is substantially narrower on SIDE ONE but wider on SIDE TWO — a detail that has drawn the attention of audiophiles (not me, though).

One of my early Pitman pressings, used in the deadwax-space
comparison above, came in a gatefold sleeve with the infamous
"John" misspelling, where the correction sticker was hilariously
misapplied in a conspicuously wrong spot.

The most likely reason the Scranton factory owned by NAMI became involved in manufacturing BORN TO RUN was that Columbia Records’ Pitman plant — the primary facility for pressing and distributing their products, particularly for the East Coast market — was temporarily shut down due to strikes during a labor dispute from April 2 to May 17, 1978 (see 3/18/2017). Among Springsteen’s albums, DARKNESS was the most seriously affected by this labor issue. This long-awaited release — his first in three years, following BORN TO RUN and the settlement of the lawsuit against his former manager — was originally scheduled for late May to coincide with the album-promotion tour that began on May 23.

As a result, early copies of the DARKNESS LP were pressed not only at Columbia's Santa Maria and Terre Haute plants but also at six atypical facilities located in Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York — all owned by companies other than Columbia Records, including NAMI's Scranton plant (for summary posts, see 04/23/2022 and 08/20/2022). Popular back-catalog titles from the Columbia label — BORN TO RUN, in Springsteen’s case — were likely repressed at these non-Columbia plants for a time in 1978 until Pitman resumed normal operations. 

However, I have so far confirmed such pressings only from Scranton, which probably reflects a prioritization of the new album’s production over that of the older one. If you come across the third album copies — or first and second, too — from any of these unusual pressing plants, such as Pinckneyville and Lakewood factories (then run by MCR Records and Peter Pan Records, respectively), please let me know.

— Back to Part 1.

BORN TO RUN U.S. Pressing LP Variants: The late-1970s Scranton pressing by North American Music Industries, or simply NAMI (Part 1 of 2)

Scranton/NAMI pressings are characterized
by a unique symbol stamped in the trail-off 
space of the record. Although often described
as a stylized anvil, a comment on a relevant
post on this blog (see 03/18/2017) claims it
was modeled after the U.S. Capitol Building,
as the pressing plant was owned by Capitol
Records before NAMI.

When it comes to vinyl LPs — especially those from Springsteen's early years in the 1970s and 1980s — I've always gravitated toward U.S. pressings over Japanese or European ones. My preference is pretty straightforward: he is, after all, a quintessentially American artist, and the U.S. pressings feel the most authentic to me. 

Back in 2016, I took a shot at organizing and classifying the various U.S. versions of this timeless masterpiece based on the album track listings and production credits printed on the rear side of the gatefold sleeve (see 07/29/2016). A year later, in 2017, I delved deeper into how matrix numbers and dead-wax markings relate to the earliest U.S. pressings from Columbia Records' three plants — located in Santa Maria, CA; Terre Haute, IN; and Pitman, NJ — which were in operation during the 1970s. This effort might have helped fellow collectors identify individual vinyl copies and shed further light on pressing variations (see 05/21/2017). These two posts have remained among the most-read entries on this blog. Still, as any collector knows, an effort like this is never truly finished. There's always more to uncover, and the work goes on.

A recent example is the addition of the Compatible eXpansion (CX)-encoded LP (Columbia JC 33795), which was claimed to significantly suppress vinyl surface noise (see 09/30/2021 and 10/08/2021). This short-lived and somewhat controversial pressing was released in late 1982 or early 1983, following the Half-Speed Mastered series (HC 33795 for the original and HC 43795 for the reissue), which were far more widely recognized as an audiophile-oriented edition, in contrast to the mostly unnoticed and overlooked CX-encoded pressing. In this post, I introduce an earlier issue bearing the original catalog number PC 33795, although several variations with this code have been known — particularly in the rear sleeve text descriptions, as explained previously (07/29/2016).

The Scranton/NAMI pressings are easily identified by their intermediate-sized stamper
rings (Ø = 1.5" = 38 mm), distinguishing them from Columbia's Santa Maria, Terre
Haute, and Pitman pressings (for a comparison of stamper rings, see 04/23/2022).

As far as I’ve seen, almost all U.S. copies of the BORN TO RUN LP manufactured during the 1970s with the catalog number PC 33795 were pressed at one of Columbia’s three plants mentioned above. However, there is a notable exception, identifiable by a smaller stamper ring on the labels compared to Columbia’s, along with distinctive dead-wax stamps and hand-etchings on the vinyl disc. This pressing was produced at the Scranton factory operated by North American Music Industries also called NAMI, in northeastern Pennsylvania (for more on NAMI, see the DARKNESS series posts from 3/21/2017 and 04/23/2022). I’ve been aware of this particular pressing for quite some time, but didn’t write about it earlier due to my long-standing policy: “I don’t write about what I don’t own.”

As far as I've seen, Scranton/NAMI pressings came in the last version
of the "PC"-code sleeve, which features a separate production credit
on the title track and a single-line producers' credit at the bottom for
the remaining seven tracks. This version removed the price code
(X698) beneath “COLUMBIA STEREO” on the spine. Note that all
known "PC"-code sleeves lack the barcode imprint found on the
subsequent "JC"-code sleeve used for the reissues (for rear sleeve
variations, see 07/29/2016).

Although NAMI's involvement was temporal, Scranton pressings of BORN TO RUN aren't too difficult to track down at a reasonable price, as they occasionally turn up in eBay auctions — provided you carefully check the labels on the auctioned discs to distinguish them from the numerous copies pressed at Columbia's three main plants. However, because the pressing plant was not a regular Columbia Records plant and was located in the Eastern United States, finding a copy here in Japan has proven somewhat challenging, with lower chances of import compared to pressings from Santa Maria — whose relative proximity to Japan may have made exports more common — and from Pitman, likely due to that plant’s mass production. I acquired mine from an eBay seller in Philadelphia for less than $10. However, the international shipping cost was more than twice that amount — an increasingly significant burden and economic concern for vinyl collectors here, especially given the weak Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar.

— Continued to Part 2.

Collecting log: One Step Up / Roulette — the only cassette tape single commercially released in Japan

My first cassette tape purchase was Chimes Of Freedom (US
Columbia 4CT 44445) issued in 1988, featuring the awesome
live version of Tougher Than The Rest. I used to play it on a
brand-new Walkman portable cassette deck—a great Sony
product—wherever I went. This particular copy is still sealed
with a gold promo stamp on the inlay card.

This short post continues from the previous one, featuring a Japanese collectible. Many collectors probably rank music cassettes third among the three primary physical audio media—vinyl and CD being the other two. I also tend to overlook them unless they are particularly rare, uniquely interesting, or complement existing vinyl or CD rarities, such as promotion-only releases (see, for examples, 07/12/2015, 05/14/2017, or 07/05/2017). Here, I revisit a standard cassette tape from CBS/Sony Records (1968—1991) that I acquired long ago but never regarded as particularly significant, leaving it long forgotten in the vault.

The 3-inch CD remains the most highly collectible among the early promotion-
only releases from 1988. Its rarity and distinctive packaging make it not only a
standout piece but also one of the essential items within his entire CD catalog.
I have neither seen copies sold nor uncover them here in Japan.

Released on February 27, 1988, One Step Up was the third single from the album TUNNEL OF LOVE (Columbia OC 40999), backed by Roulette from THE RIVER sessions—one of the most famous unreleased tracks fans were clamoring for at the time. The music industry was transitioning from analog to digital technology around that period, and this single played a part in that shift for Springsteen in the U.S. Not only was it released as a standard 7-inch record, but it also marked the first to appear on Springsteen's promotion-only CD titles in three different formats: 3-inch single CD, 5-inch single CD, and 5-inch CD EP, as follows:

• One Step Up / Roulette (Columbia 38K-7726)
  A two-track, 3-inch disc packaged in a clear stiff sleeve labeled "Compliments of CBS Records" and mostly distributed at a CBS convention.
• One Step Up (Columbia CSK 1031)
  A single-track, 5-inch disc accompanied by picture sleeves.
• All That Heaven Will Allow / One Step Up / Roulette / Be True / Pink Cadillac (Columbia CSK 1046 and CSK 1108)
  A five-track, 5-inch compilation widely known for its title Tunnel Of Love Express Tour, reissued with the title modified to add "Cont'd" and the tour itinerary information updated.

Compared to the first and second editions of the Tunnel Of Love Express Tour CD EPs, the two One Step Up promos were pressed in smaller quantities. Moreover, unlike in Europe and Japan, no CD singles for this track were commercially available in the U.S., making these releases rare, with the 3-inch version particularly sought after (see 12/27/2015).

Do not confuse the release year of this with that of the 7" single;
the fact remains that the cassette single of My Hometown was not
released in 1985 but in 1988, as indicated by the credit on the rear
of the cardboard slipcase.

That's not all, however. One Step Up was the first-ever cassette tape single (Columbia 38T-07726) issued in the U.S. and probably the second-ever worldwide, following the Spanish release of Sherry Darling (CBS 9568K) in 1981, excluding EP and compilation releases in this media format. Despite the earlier catalog number, My Hometown (Columbia 38T 05728), a similar cassette single coupled with Santa Claus Is Comin' Town (live), was not released in 1985 but rather in late 1988 for the Christmas holiday season. The catalog number of the cassette version of My Hometown was likely assigned to match that of the 7-inch record (Columbia 38-05728), which was released in November 1985 as the seventh and final single from BORN IN THE U.S.A. (Columbia QC 38653).

In Japan, single cassettes, particularly those by Springsteen, are much rarer than album cassettes, although LIVE/1975-85 (CBS/Sony 75KP 1500-1502) is probably the only exception among standard album cassettes. These days, finding a copy of this single cassette, especially one still sealed like this, is not easy due to limited quantities. The three images on the right show front, rear, and spine sides of the U.S. edition.

And then, in Japan, this song was commercially released on April 21 from the album (CBS/Sony 28AP 3410), nearly two months after the U.S. release, on 7-inch vinyl (CBS/Sony 05SP 3017), 3-inch CD (CBS/Sony 10EP 3017), and cassette (CBS/Sony 05WP 3017). Notably, to the best of my knowledge, this represents the only instance of Springsteen's single being issued commercially on cassette in Japan. Like the U.S. release, the Japanese cassette came in a cardboard slipcase. However, the front sleeve design is noticeably different, and the spine is more colorful. As far as I am aware, the cassette single was only released in the U.S. and Japan, with no other countries known to have issued this track in this format.

 

When I dug out a sample copy for the Japanese DEVILS & DUST
CD (Sony SICP 782-783), it was accompanied by a custom
promotion-only cassette with a handwritten number in circle.

Contrary to the U.S. and European countries, cassette tapes had long been a staple music medium in Japan, used for both promotional and commercial purposes. Even after the cessation of commercial releases, album cassettes continued to be produced as promotion-only items, at least until WE SHALL OVERCOME: THE SEEGER SESSIONS (Sony Muisc Japan International Inc., SICP 1080-1), released in 2006. I have yet to encounter any Japanese cassettes promoting the subsequent albums released in 2007 or later; they might have been completely replaced by CD-Rs (see 05/14/2022 for a few examples).