Collecting log: GREETINGS US test pressing LP from the Pitman factory (and its comparison with Jim Cretecos's copy)

According to the labels on the wax, this copy is pressed at the Columbia Records' pressing plant in Pitman, N.J., and includes a stapled 10-page lyric sheet (the lyrics for Blinded By The Light are printed across 2 pages and the remaining eight songs on one page each). Inset, Each song is copyrighted by Sioux City Music Ltd., the music company derived from Laurel Canyon Ltd. (both run by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos) that became the management-exclusive arm after separation of music division.

DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN US LP variations: Supplementary Note to Hauppauge pressing (Pressing Plant run by Keel Mfg. Corp.)

Composite image from the actual auction page
(originally shown as three separated images)

This short post is just following up on early U.S. copies of the DARKNESS LP (JC 35318) that are pressed at the Keel manufacturing factory, located in Hauppauge, New York. Two months ago, I won a domestic auction of vinyl collection sold as "junk records," consisting of early six LP titles (five official and one bootleg albums; total eight discs). Although the seller did not provide any information on these records, especially on the official releases such as countries of origin, I was tempted to join the auction (and did so) because I knew that this kind of auction would usually not cost high (It actually cost me 300 JPY per disc, which exceeded a little bit my expectation, though). Another reason was that this volume contained one of the all-time classic bootlegs with an original orange slick insert. Finally, in a small picture displayed on the auction page, I spotted a gold stamp on the upper left corner of the rear sleeve of DARKNESS. Normally, it would be a "promo" stamp but I just couldn't read what was stamped exactly. Having received these records, I found that all but BORN TO RUN (which was a Japanese reissue missing an obi) were U.S. pressings, with DARKNESS originating from the Keel plant. The remaining were second pressing copies for GREETINGS ... in the postcard gate-fold sleeve (PC 31903) and THE WILD ... with the yellow/cream cover title (PC 32432), and an original THE RIVER from the Pitman factory (PC 36854).

Thoughts on My Father's House on NEBRASKA LP (addendum)

  Various Japanese releases of NEBRASKA and an official poster distributed for the promotion in 1982.

About a year ago, I wrote my thoughts on a longer, alternate version of My Father's House in four consecutive posts (here to here). On this subject, I had, and still have, one trivial question to be answered: Which version, standard or alternate, was originally included on the cassette tape (CBS/SONY 25KP 868) released in Japan?  Commercially, the alternate version first appeared in 1985 on the Japan-pressed copies of NEBRASKA CD, including those exported to the U.S. and Europe where they were manufactured as the first edition. According to the Brucebase website, this was because the U.S. Columbia Records have mistakenly sent the different master tapes (pseudo-stereo mix) to CBS/SONY for pressing CD in Japan. So, logically, the version on the cassette, which is released in 1982, must be the standard, shorter take without a synth code, just like that on the vinyl album. So, why I got to think about this?

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.

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

Various promotion-only vinyl compilation albums
released in Japan and other countries

On one Saturday a few weeks ago, I drove down for 20 min to the used record shop I mentioned here and there on this blog, to see if the shop's got something rare in stock. Unfortunately, there were nothing special for Springsteen collectibles that caught my eyes. So, before leaving the shop, I checked promotional LP compilations of various artists that might contain his track(s), even though the category is not my prime target as told previously. Then I found (and bought) a mediocre-looking LP titled ALL AMERICAN TOP 100 VOLUME 33 - 1981 MARCH (CBS/SONY XAAP 90021). This is one of the almost monthly-release series of promotion-only compilation samplers CBS/Sony had continued to release in the vinyl era. Picking up ten or more songs from the label's artists and groups based on their chart action on Billboard Hot 100, this single-LP compilation series occasionally contained one single-cut track from Springsteen's albums, as far as it stayed within the top 100 single chart. For example, before the 1981 March issue, Prove It All Night was included in both 1978 July (YAPC 96) and August (YAPC 98) issues; Badlands in the 1978 October (YAPC 100) issue; and Hungry Heart in 1980 September (XAAP 90017) through 1981 February (XAAP 90020) issues.