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

The first pressing box release has been said to be limited to 450 numbered
copies. I have long wondered how that number was known.

On par with PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE, another FM-sourced, dynamic triple-vinyl LP release of LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND is often referred to as the greatest vinyl Springsteen bootleg of all time. Which title is better depends on personal preference, or when and how one obtained each copy, as every collectible purchase has its own story (my vote goes to PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE). The reason why I here mention the other classic Bruceleg from the same 1978 tour is that this release also comes with the Slipped Disc Records label on each vinyl disc. This is no wonder because the two titles are made by the same bootlegger (commonly called Vicky Vinyl). To my knowledge, however, no generic yellow label version does exist for the first box and second gate-fold issues of LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND. Assuming that my knowledge is correct, what is the implication of this fact to the topic here? (i.e. Which label, specifically generic yellow or custom Slipped Disc Records, is the first on PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE ?)

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).

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 retailers often asked collectors for extraordinary money for such a rare, used import copy. You can refer to the previous post for typical retail prices assigned for used copies of PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE that are found on a bootleg catalog issued by such a greedy retailer (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 a single copy at such costs.

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.

A Swedish site launched for Springsteen record collectors!

NOTE: The mentioned website is no longer available (so the links below do not work anymore).

A snapshot from the section of GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK, N.J.

Quite busy these days and I just can't afford to have time for my blog work. Here I just want to tell you that one of my good friends in Sweden has launched a new collector-oriented website called Springsteenrecords. Although the site is still under construction, there are already many pictures and images of rare, unique and interesting vinyl collectibles from all over the world. Take a look and enjoy the site.