Collecting log: I enjoyed digging for old vinyl bootlegs in Japan's Samurai city

Three additions from my mid-March trip to Kanazawa—I never
expected to find these old-timers at cheap in a regional city.

About two weeks ago, I took a three-day trip to Kanazawa, a historic city on the coast of the Japan Sea, renowned for its well-preserved "samurai" districts from the Edo period (1603–1867), its traditional crafts, and its rich cultural heritage. Like Kyoto, this city was fortunate to escape destruction during World War II, preserving much of its historical charm. As one of Japan's wealthiest castle towns, Kanazawa earned its reputation as a "samurai city." 

As is my habit, I made a quick stop after work at a second-hand record shop I had found online and deemed worth visiting there. The shop was fantastic—packed with used vinyl records—and I thoroughly enjoyed the thrill of digging for unexpected finds, even through the short visit. 

Kanazawa is located in the northern part
of the Chubu region of Japan (Chube
means "central"). Japan regions map by
Peter Fitzgerald is licensed under
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike
(CC BY-SA) 4.0 International.

Naturally, I headed straight to the Springsteen section, where I was delighted to find several old vinyl bootlegs, including the three I purchased, as shown in the image above. The Singer's Original Double Disk (SODD) version of YOU CAN TRUST YOUR CAR TO THE MAN WHO WEARS THE STAR is an all-time classic, and I never pass up the chance to add another copy to my collection—provided the price is reasonable. Much like the original numbered box edition of PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE, I simply cannot resist purchasing it (for example, see 07/26/2020).

Another find was LIVE AT THE HAMMERSMITH ODEON Nov. 18, 1975, a typical West Coast bootleg from the late 1970s. As you know, the full performance was officially released on DVD in 2005 as part of the BORN TO RUN 30th Anniversary Edition, followed by a double CD in 2006 and a quadruple vinyl set in 2017. While not exactly rare—I already own three copies—none feature the cigar-smoking Trade Mark of Quality (TMoQ) labels, making this particular version irresistible.

Left: The copy acquired in Kanazawa is the third addition to my collection of the orange SODD insert version (with black World Records labels; see 10/22/2022), which is regarded as the earliest pressing according to Blinded By The Light (P. Humphries & C. Hunt, 1985, Plexus, London).
Center: With the addition of the TMoQ disc (top), all I need is the Slipped Disc label version, which is missing from my collection.
Right: A new entry features my personal favorite on Side Two/Track One.

The third pickup was ODDS & SODDS, a live compilation LP featuring recordings from 1981 soundchecks as well as club appearances and tour performances from 1984. With a few exceptions, such as HOT COALS FROM THE FIERY FURNACE, I generally rank miscellaneous compilations lower than live bootlegs from a single concert or studio-recording albums. As a result, I had long overlooked this title, despite being aware of its existence and passing up several opportunities to buy a copy since its initial release in the mid-1980s. This time, however, I saw no reason to hesitate and grabbed it at a cheap price.

I brought back old vinyl bootleg boxes that had been long forgotten
and stored in my parents' house. PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE (3LP) is
a reissue with no serial number but pressed from original stampers.
Two same-looking copies of WINTERLAND, 1978 (3LP), better known
as LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND, differ in vinyl colors, one black
and another gold/yellow. LUTHER (3LP), said to be named after a
famous Italian football player who is enthusiastic about Springsteen,
collects studio outtakes and unreleased tracks on colored vinyl (orange,
white, and green). THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD '80 DOWN (5LP)
features many Japanese texts on the box and booklet, givining the
impression of a Japanese release. However, such descriptions have no
connection to Springsteen and his music at all. SON YOU MAY KISS
THE BRIDE is a later double picture disc edition containing a mediocre
cartoon poster.

On the other hand, I had no luck with official releases. In the New Arrivals section, I dug out four copies of the NO NUKES soundtrack LP (Asylum ML-801). This triple live album was pressed at all three of Columbia Records' plants to ensure an expedited release for the 1979 holiday season, as the concerts had taken place in late September. Since all my copies—including the test press and white-label promo discs—were manufactured at Columbia's Santa Maria plant in California (see 05/04/2019), I carefully examined the labels and deadwax matrix markings of these four to see if any were from the Pitman plant in New Jersey or the Terre Haute plant in Indiana. Unfortunately, however, all four turned out to be from Santa Maria (most probably because of its geographically closest location to Japan).

Finally, on my way home from the trip, I stopped by my parents' house in Kyoto, where some of my vinyl records remain in storage (see 04/16/2015). This time, I selected six bootleg boxes to bring back with me—none of them essential or particularly significant releases, at least in my view. However, aside from the SON YOU MAY KISS THE BRIDE box, I acquired these titles in the early 1980s, during the early years of my vinyl-collecting journey (see 08/14/2015, 08/16/2015, and 09/02/2015 for posts on my first bootleg purchase). While these unerground releases may not hold much importance in a broader sense, they carry deep personal significance. So many years have passed, yet the thrill of those discoveries remains as vivid as ever.

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).

Collecting log: The first-ever CBS/Sony promotion-only compilation disc to feature Springsteen in Japan

Since this Springsteen track from THE RIVER was never released as
a single in the U.S., it is marked as "Hit-Bound"—a term generally
used in the music industry for songs with strong hit potential that
have not yet officially entered the main music charts. The bottom
image was from the rear sleeve.

While I'm not particularly enthusiastic about collecting various artists' compilation releases, I find it hard to pass up vinyl albums that feature the Boss—especially those intended for promotional use only and released before BORN IN THE U.S.A. The other day, I came across one of these LPs at a local used record store—an old copy released over 40 years ago from CBS/Sony's monthly compilation series ALL AMERICAN TOP 100, which ran from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. Although I was aware of this promo disc (previously mentioned on 09/19/2015 and 09/17/2017), I had never had the chance to dig it up in-store or find it in an online auction. So, I grabbed this relative rarity just for one coin (= 500 JPY).

The Japanese 7" single, issued on March 21, 1981, is highly collectible
not only for its unique Side-A selection but also for its sample copies,
which are the last known white-label promo vinyl disc pressed in
Japan for Springsteen's releases.

The copy I found (CBS/Sony XAAP 90022) was Volume 34, the May 1981 issue, which included one Springsteen track, I Wanna Marry You—known as a Japan-exclusive 7" single from THE RIVER (CBS/Sony 07SP 525). The decision to release Fade Away (Columbia 11-11431; see 07/18/2016 and 09/17/2017) as the second single in the U.S. was somewhat odd and unexpected, leading to alternate choices in Europe (i.e., Sherry Darling) and Japan. As a result, this slower pop ballad was also selected for two other noteworthy Japan-only promotional releases: ultra-scarce Killer Tracks From The River 12" EP (CBS/Sony XDAP 93030; see 09/19/2017) and gorgeous gate-folded CBS/SONY POPULAR BEST 9 LP (CBS/Sony XDAP 93031-2; see 09/17/2017).

Left: The first and second compilation albums (YALC-49 and -54) that include Springsteen were housed in a very thin, generic company sleeve the CBS/Sony Records used back then. As usual for promotion-only releases, no OBI is included.
Center: The company sleeve specifically for this promo-only series bears a field for entering the issuing date (expressed in the Japanese Imperial year and month) and a "For In-Store Use Only" notification, both printed in sky blue on one side of the sleeve (upper). However, neither of these appears on the other side (lower).
Right: These two compilations dedicate one side to international artists and the other to domestic performers. Here, the label for the latter is shown on the second compilation (YALC-54). The first and last songs listed became nationwide hits in Japan nearly half a century ago (when I was an elementary school boy)—so popular that I can still sing both!

That brings me to a minor but intriguing question—what CBS/Sony compilation album was the first to feature a Springsteen track? As all you collectors know, the first Springsteen LP released in Japan was THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E STREET SHUFFLE (CBS/Sony SOPL-239; see 04/26/2015, 04/29/2015, and 11/12/2020), which came out in March 1974. However, the first 7" single release didn't arrive until November 1975: the title track from BORN TO RUN (CBS/Sony SOPB 334; see 01/28/2024 and 02/03/2024). Accordingly, the first-ever compilation album to include a Springsteen track was issued around that time, bearing the catalog number YALC-49. The album title was provided only in Japanese, roughly translating to POWERFUL HIGHLIGHT EDITION: For In-Store Use Only.

International artists and track titles are exclusively written in Japanese on the Side-A label on both compilation albums. The years 50 and 51, which are printed on the labels and precede respective months [November (=11) and March (=3)],  represent the Japanese Imperial year (= Showa 50 and 51). The Showa era corresponds to the reign of Emperor Showa (Hirohito), which lasted from 1926 to 1989. Thus, "50 [followed by a Kanji character meaning 'year'] 11 [three Kanji characters for 'month' and 'new releases']" refers to "November 1975 New Reelases," and "51 [a Kanji] 3 [Kanjis]" refers to "March 1976 New Releases." The middle image was from a recent Japanese 2CD/2DVD set released in October, 2023 (Sony Records Int'l  SICP 31655~8).

As already mentioned briefly (see 04/23/2023), the tracklist for this compilation appears only on the record labels and is written entirely in Japanese. The only identifiable information is the catalog number of the single (printed as "SOPB-334 A"), which makes it difficult for foreign collectors who are unfamiliar with Japanese to recognize that this otherwise unremarkable LP features Springsteen on Side A / Track 4. Born To Run was also featured on two subsequent promo-only compilations: POPULAR "BEST 101" Volume 1 (CBS/Sony YAPC 77; see 12/17/2016) and ROCK BEST 100 (CBS/Sony YAPC 105), released in 1976 and 1978, respectively. However, the track was truncated on both records and significantly shortened (POPULAR, 1 min 13 sec; ROCK, 2 min 57 sec). By contrast, the 1975 sampler disc contained the full-length recording (4 min 30 sec) despite cramming ten tracks, including this one, onto Side A (see the image left immediately above)

Following the release of POWERFUL HIGHLIGHT EDITION in late 1975, another promotion-only compilation featuring Born to Run (though just over one-minute fragment), POPULAR "BEST 101" Volume 1 was out in 1976 (shown at the lower left of the left image). Once again, the track listing appears only in Japanese on the rear sleeve and record labels (middle and right, respectively, indicated by green lines). Springsteen's inclusion is evident only inside the accompanying booklet (shown in the upper half of the left image), which briefly introduces him and his third album, along with relevant pictures (see 12/17/2016).

The second single, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (CBS/Sony SOPB-350), was selected for inclusion in the March 1976 issue of the promo-only compilation series (CBS/Sony YALC-54), appearing as Side A/Track 9 (no edits, even though this side also tightly packed ten tracks). Just for your information, below are the tracklists for the two compilations, selecting international artists and groups from CBS/Sony and Epic/Sony labels (Side A only, as Side B is devoted exclusively to domestic pop and folk singers; see the right image of the third photo from the top):

ROCK BEST 100, a 1978-year issue and
probably the third promo-only compilation
containing BORN TO RUN (albeit a three-
minute truncated version), finally lists its
original English title in a small print on the
white label and back sleeve. The green-
colored front sleeve is found in one of
the images immediately above.

YALC-49 (released on November 1975)

1. My Teenage Heart  Bay City Rollers
2. Take Good Care Of Yourself  The Three Degrees
3. Gone At Last  Paul Simon & Phoebe Snow
4. Born To Run  Bruce Springsteen
5. Hello Mary Lou  Lougins ＆ Messina
6. Rock N' Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)    Mac Davis
7. Do It Any Way You Wanna  People's Choice
8. Brazil  The Ritchie Family
9. 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (Blow Your Whistle)  Gary Toms Empire
10. I Only Have Eyes For You  Art Garfunkel

YALC-54 (released on March 1976)

1. Ginza Red Oui Oui  Dave
2. Africano  Earth, Wind & Fire
3. Sing A Song  Earth, Wind & Fire
4. Soul Sacrifice  Santana
5. Black Magic Woman  Santana
6.  Samba Pa Ti  Santana
7.  Give And Take  Santana
8.  Chicago Bus Stop (Ooh, I Love It)  The Salsoul Orchestra
9. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out  Bruce Springsteen
10. Saturday Night  Bay City Rollers

As of the day this blog post was published, neither of these albums had been cataloged in the Discogs database.