Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE 3LP box (continued)

This is a follow-up survey I conducted in the last post to determine which label, specifically generic yellow or Slipped Disc Records, corresponds to the very first issue of PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE, a real landmark release among his entire vinyl bootlegs (By the way, the slick insert cover of this box release states Piste, rather than either of the above-mentioned two, as the record label on the right bottom corner).

As I explained in the last post, my guess is that the generic yellow label is way earlier than the other. In order to support this thought further, I continued to examine the limited-numbered copies by extending the survey to include those that are NOT in my collection. A lot of photographic images of the numbered copies are uploaded on various internet sites; the best sites are the ones that enumerate internet auction results with item images, such as Popsike. So, it was not difficult to conduct this survey; just check these uploaded images for the variable factors mentioned in the last post, the results of which are shown in the vertical columns of the updated table here.

The total number of the limited-numbered copies used in this survey counts 35 copies including 8 from my collection that have been used in the previous survey. So, the 27 copies listed in this table are not owned by myself but by someone I don't know (In fact, I do know only a few owners including Mr. "D"). It is possible that someone reading this blog is, or once was, an actual owner of a listed copy. I'd appreciate any feedback if I have made mistakes or put wrong information in this table.

The sample number (i.e. n = 35) could not be enough, if more than 5,000 copies were indeed pressed and circulated, but probably substantial to give an answer that sounds credible. Essentially, my own interpretations of this survey can be summarized as follows:

• The majority of the numbered copies are released in a black box with a white slick insert cover, which seems to be strict to the lower numbered copies (below #1,000) with the exception of fewer copies coming with a pale blue insert. 
• As far as the lower numbered copies examined here, all come with the sticker-stamped numbers and carry the generic yellow labels (except for two sealed copies whose labels remain of course unknown).
• On the other hand, the Slipped Disc Records labels occur only with the supposedly later copies whose numbering starts in #1,000's. 

I don't think that the bootleggers have managed to number individual copies in quantities as large as 5,000, although these limited numbers indicate so (e.g. the largest one I've seen thus far is #5739). From my viewpoint, these limited numbers are not trusted in a strict sense, but would probably reflect the overall sequence of their appearance (I mean, the copies with lower limited-numbers came out relatively earlier and those with higher numbers later). So, I think that this updated survey further supports the generic yellow label version as the very first release of this classic vinyl bootleg.

The following are additional notes that may be worth mentioning:

• As shown in the pictures, stamp number fonts differ in size between the early sticker (larger font size) and later non-sticker (smaller) versions.
• Light cream-colored slick inserts seem to come only with white boxes.
• There is a variation in digit numbers (4 or 5) for the later copies (numbered #1,000's to 2000's), and 5-digit numbers seem to be found exclusively with the Slipped Disc Records label version.

As notified in the last post, the next post will discuss this topic from a different view, particularly in relation to the release of LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND, another landmark 1978 Tour bootleg produced by the same bootlegger who has made PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE.
— To be continued.

Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE 3LP box (continued)

When Springsteen’s popularity reached its peak worldwide in the mid to the late 1980s, there was an overwhelming demand for his bootleg records, especially of the classic titles like LIVE on Coral Records from the famous Bottom Line 1975 gig, and the original numbered copies for LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND (see pic here), PHILADELPHIA SPECIAL and PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE, the three 3LP-bootleg box releases from the legendary DARKNESS tour. Back then in Japan, second-hand bootleg dealers often asked collectors for an extraordinary amount of money for such a rare, used import copy. You can refer to the previous post for typical retail prices assigned to used copies of PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE that are found on a bootleg catalog issued by such a dealer (a limited-numbered copy outrageously priced at 28,000 JPY and two reissues each at 12,800 JPY, which was still too expensive!). It was just impossible for a student to purchase any single copy at such costs.

I still keep some of the uniquely designed
record bags from the second-hand shops I
have visited in the US and UK.

After graduation, I was still so deep into this particular bootleg that I began gradually to build up a small collection of the limited numbered copies, with a total of eight currently in my possession (as pictured in the last post and shown here again at the bottom of this post). Probably, more than half of these copies were obtained during the 1990s: I used to take an opportunity of making (mostly official) trips abroad, often to the US, for hunting this and other sets (which cost much cheaper than buying copies here, due to the basic difference in retail prices of used copies between the two countries and because of the strong exchange rate of Yen back then). Whenever I had free time, I tried to visit local record shops in a town or city where I was staying. So, the first thing after work, when I settled in a hotel room, was to check Yellow Pages Advertising for the location of used record shops and consider how to get there (It was before the internet became widely used for many purposes to the individuals or small shop runners).

As already told, I purchased my first copy of PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE in 1981 in a shrink-wrapped, brand-new condition. However, the accompanying slick insert cover was not numbered and missing a brief description of the recorded concert (THE ENTIRE 75th PERFORMANCE OF THE 1978 TOUR / RECORDED AT THE CAPITOL THEATER, SEPT. 19 1978 / PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY  3DISQUES), leaving small and large box spaces empty on the lower left and right of the insert, respectively (see the image at the top of this post). The labels of Records 1 and 2 are blank white (a little dirtied), whereas Record 3 features the red label of "Unmitigated Audacity Records". The "Unmitigated” label (see here at Discogs) is often found in some old US bootleg releases around in 1980, capturing live performances of Frank Zappa, Steely Dan, Neil Young, and Springsteen (i.e., Winterland 1978 3LP in a single white sleeve typically with a yellow insert). All these observations indicated that my first copy is a reissue or piracy pressing, although the matrix numbers of Records 1 and 2 (SPRING A through D) turned out to be the same as those considered to be the original copies I now own. On the other hand, Record 3 (with "Unmitigated” labels) is apparently pressed from a stamper that is NOT used originally, based on what is hand-etched on the dead wax space. Then, what are the distinguishing features of the original or very early copies of this legendary bootleg?

It was really tough to find the numbered
copies here in the Far East in the 1980s.
Note the difference in box style.

Chris Hunt's section of Blinded By The Light (P. Humphries & C. Hunt, 1985, Plexus, London) describes that "First pressing in limited numbered edition. Several re-pressings have appeared with slight sound deterioration, and the number is written, not printed. A further re-press featured a different insert."Assuming that the original/early pressing is stamp-numbered on the slick insert with the boxed text (THE ENTIRE 75th PERFORMANCE ... ), there are still at least the following noticeable variations I’ve seen among such copies:

• Numbering (two ways: stamped on a small sticker or directly on the slick insert paper)
• Slick insert color (three variations: white, pale blue, or light cream)
• Box color (two variations: black or white)
• Label (two variations: generic yellow or custom  Slipped Disc Records; as mentioned in the last post)

Fretwork-like inner sleeves found in two classic Brucelegs
(upper, PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE; lower, LIVE on Coral Records)

It is of note that other possible variations may be observed by conducting further examination. For example, the slick insert of the sticker-numbered edition features a small closed box rather than an open box (where a limited number appears; see the picture above). That’s most likely why stickers were used for numbering instead of direct stamps on the box space. However, this way of numbering must have been tedious and inefficient in manufacturing processes. So, I guess that bootleggers has slightly changed the slick insert design (from a closed to open box) so as to stamp a limited number directly on it, which supports the idea that the sticker-numbered version precedes the direct stamped version. Another example is that one of my numbered copies (#125) came with inner protective sleeves of something like fretwork design (the image shown right; one copy each of the Coral Records LIVE and LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND in my collection also came with this unique inner sleeves). A further possible variation is suggested by a fellow collector in the US (hereafter I call him Mr. "D") that box thickness might differ between early and later releases, but I have not examined this point thoroughly yet. Despite these factual and possible variations, the matrix numbers seem to be consistently the same throughout the limited numbered releases.

Anyway, based on the above-mentioned four easily recognizable variations, I classified my nine copies, including one reissue, the result of which is summarized in the table below:

Although I own only one copy for the Slipped Disc Records label edition, it seems obvious from this classification that early numbered copies are tightly coupled with generic yellow labels and the sticker-numbered slick insert. So, if these limited numbers are trusted, it is highly probable that the generic yellow label version precedes the Slipped Disc Records edition and that the sticker-numbered slick insert version is very likely the earliest.

Another speculation (shared with Mr. "D") may support the generic yellow label version as the first release, which will be explained on the next blog.
— To be continued.

Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE 3LP box

The Roxy concert was not fully covered in its
entirety until the CD release in the early 1990s.

By the late summer of 1981, I obtained five vinyl bootlegs, the first three of which have been mentioned previously and purchased on the 26th of July, according to my log file. The subsequently obtained two titles were actually what had once transformed me into a Bruceleg junkie: PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE (3LP box) and LIVE AT THE ROXY THEATER, HOLLYWOOD 1978 (2LP). They were obtained together, following about one month of the first purchase (August 29, exactly), through mail order from the then most famous bootleg supplier in Japan, whose shop was located in Nishi-Shinjuku (West Shinjuku), Tokyo.

I happened to know these titles because this supplier openly advertised bootleg LPs, either in stock or due in stock, in some legitimate monthly magazines featuring pop/rock music and guitar instruments. I remember that PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE was not featured in the ad correctly but was listed with a small picture of the slick insert under the different title LIVE IN NEW JERSEY 1978 in phonetic Japanese (or Katakana alphabet), possibly to explain the content straightforwardly (oddly in Japan, it is not an uncommon but rather customary practice to change or modify an original foreign title to Japanese-friendly one, the typical example of which is found on an Obi for official releases by legitimate companies; see here on this blog). So, I did not know the correct title until the box was delivered to me.

This slick insert design is my favorite, among many others. At which concert is this particular live shot taken?

Sourced from the excellent recordings of FM broadcasted live concerts, both bootlegs sounded better than the previously obtained three. However, needless to say, far more impressive was the live performances from the legendary DARKNESS tour captured in these multi-disc sets (especially the entire concert performance heard on the box set), which had made me determined to pursue collecting these things until the end of the last century (when live recordings, before they were bootlegged, began to be distributed and freely available online in electronic format). Thus, for me, like for many Bruceleg collectors in the vinyl era, PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE is the most memorable and important unofficial release among the collection.

SLIPPED DISC RECORDS and generic yellow labels: Which is earlier?

Since the start of this blog one year ago, I have long hesitated to write about this classic bootleg because a fair amount of information, from "who made it" to "how the lawsuit against the bootleggers was settled," is already available through literature (like Clinton Heylin's BOOTLEG: The Secret Story of the Other Recording Industry) and online sources (like brucespringsteen.it and The Amazing Kornyfone Label). However, one simple question remained unclear that I have been wondering for a long time, which is actually shared by a fellow knowledgeable collector whom I've got to know through this blog. There are two kinds of the record labels found in the purportedly original box issues with limited edition numbers: one is a plain generic yellow just printing Record 1, 2, or 3 with side indication, while the other is called Slipped Disc Records labels with a drawing of a dancing(?) skeleton. To the best of my knowledge, no definitive answer has yet to be provided as to which is earlier. So, I'll post my thought, focusing on this.
— To be continued.