Bruce Springsteen eBay Rarity
Saving up your milk money? Well, on the cusp of Magic, Bruce Springsteen & The E(bay) Street Band's first straight-to-wax set in five years, why not invest in a rare version of Born To Run, arguably the group's best? The Chicago-based eBay seller's pretty excited about the whole thing: "I have been selling on eBay for the last 8 years and this is one of the RAREST RECORDS I HAVE EVER COME ACROSS!!" His caps lock, not ours. Bidding's currently at $510...
This is a true 1st pressing "TEST PRESSING". There is a different font used on the LP cover art. Other info like song titles..etc..are not printed on this gatefold cover, just the albums' artist and title. And of course the iconic photo of Bruce and Clarence Clemons. The LP cover is a gatefold in excellent condition. There is a very small bend in the upper right hand corner. Please see all 12 photos I have taken. There is very slight ring wear on the back cover. No split seams or cracks.Well, let's get the bidding started. How much are you willing to pay for a piece of history? (Note: As of this moment, the high bidder's name is f***u ... their asterisks not ours. Totally one of you guys, isn't it?)The record vinyl iteself is NEAR MINT!!! When I received this record, I played part of the first side to confirm it is Born To Run...otherwise it appears unplayed. No scratches, marks or spindle marks.
DEADWAX INFO: Side one: P AL-33795 -1A and Side two: P BL-33795 -1A. This is a true first pressing from Columbia. I saw one of these test pressing sell a year or so ago but it had different matrix numbers and no cover. Cover was a single white generic sleeve.No Inserts. The info on that one said it was from Terre Haute, IN. leading me to believe that it was a test pressing for the "record club version". The one I am selling is directly from Columbia and pressing plant in Pitman. New Jersey.
There is a one sheet include from Columbia Records dated 8/13/75 entitled "Album Cover Copy and Mastering" . Catalog numbers,Publisher info and Mastering Plant info. I have included 3 photos of this sheet.
There is also an 8 page insert (Xeroxed sheets with staple) , each one with the lyrics and copyright info for each of the 8 songs on this LP. 1 page for each song. I have taken two photos of this as an example.
Posted at 6:28 PM
Tags: Bruce Springsteen
I'm not hip to things like test pressings. Why would they send out this test with a near-complete sleeve if it wasn't actually in print yet? Wouldn't it have been in a standard white blank with a label slapped on the front?
Wouldn't the sleeve have been manufactured concurrent to a standard press run, which would have followed manufacturer review of the test pressing?
I'm suspish.
DwD
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Nothing to be suspicious about. According to Backstreets (the book, not the song), it's a promo pressing and was sent out to radio stations and "a few industry types." They also note that the script cover version of "Born to Run" "has since gone on to become one of the rarest Springsteen items."
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There's supposed to be two comments here, the second by "A," but I only see one, Dw Dunphy's.
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test pressing with a sleeve when you are about to manufacture a couple hundred thousand records does not seem too crazy. but yeah, usually test pressings have come in a disco jacket. certainly it seems this is past the point of just checking the record for flaws.
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Test pressings aren't all that different than advance cd's are, except they use them to check for any imperfections. Most of the time, I think there really aren't that many copies and they don't have the opportunity to hit the collectors market because they go to people who aren't going to give them up.
This one has a bit more going on since it is in a mock up sleeve that isn't the same as a the final release. The only ones I ever see or that I have are in plain white sleeves with no notations.
One of the rarer items in my collection is a U.S. WEA test pressing for Bjork's "Homogenic". Elektra ended up not releasing it on vinyl domestically, but they did the test pressings. I was in New York on a trip around that time and a promoter at Elektra gave me one because he knew I was a fan. I've seen been told that there were "too many" pressed in that run for it to have much value, but I still love having it.
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Yes, this record is listed in the Goldmine American Records Guide. It does not come with the original mailer, orange patch or the letter to the DJ from CBS.I am also curious as to how many of these were made. I recieved an inquiry from Record Collector UK asking the same question. If anyone could help me out I would be grateful for that information. Thanks for the interest in my auction. Ric Addy @ Shake Rattle & Read in Chicago.
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Responding to the question mark...definitely the Boss' best record...and from what I've heard in "Radio Nowhere," definitely not to be outdone by Magic. I do dig Nebraska, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and the Seeger Sessions though.
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Magic's streaming online in its entirety if anyone's interested. It's pretty excellent, too, though it's too early to say if it's up there with BTR/Darkness.
http://www.q1043.com/cc-common/news/sections/special/springsteen_bruce.html
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