BORN TO RUN US pressing LP variants: masked Columbia logo

A well modified label fully masking the yellow "Columbia" rim,
which makes it looking like a completely different label

If you, like me, are a collector outside the US, you may have seen US-export vinyl copies whose Columbia Records logo and text, wherever on the sleeve or the record labels, are crossed out, erased by black or color ink, or covered by blank stickers or stickers with printed CBS Records logo. This is simply because in certain import countries, the trademark is not owned by the domestic company or agent having partnership with the US Columbia Records, but by other unrelated companies, mostly for historical reasons as a result of mergers, acquisitions or corporate restructurings in music industry there.

Collecting log: TOP 3 collectible acquisitions in 2015

Ready to send out 2015?  Near the close to another year, I have looked over the collectibles that were acquired this year, just like I did in the final blog last year. Here is the TOP 3 collectible acquisition in 2015, as selected by my own subjective criteria.


THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E STREET SHUFFLE (US Columbia KC 32432)

The original US copy with the catalog number prefix "KC" used for promotion.
Behind is the second issue (PC 32432) with the album title printed in yellow.
Inset: Red promo stamp on the rear sleeve.

For Springsteen's first and second LP releases, no white-label promotional copies are known to exist concerning the US pressing. So, regular copies with red Columbia stock labels are issued for promotional purposes. These copies are housed in regular picture sleeves with a timing strip pasted over the front and a gold or red "Demonstration Not For Sale" indication stamped on the rear. This is a rare promo copy additionally accompanied by a 10-page original copy of song lyrics from Laurel Canyon Music, Ltd.

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.