A MESSAGE TO COLLECTORS

I have set up a private discussion forum for serious Bruce Springsteen record and CD collectors. The goal of this forum is not to replace the Greasy Lake collectors subforum or the Facebook collectors group, but an alternative to these back-and-forth emails I have been exchanging with some collectors concerning in-depth discussion about certain Springsteen collectibles.

If you are interested, register on the forum and separately send me an email telling me who you are and what is your username so that I can approve your registration. I cannot explain everything here in this short message, so please let me know by email if you have any questions or comments.

─ Eddy Wehbe

Info


The River
The River Pitman pressing, export copy
Label (Cat #): Columbia (PC2 36854)
Format: 2xLP
Country: USA
Release date (Original year): – (1980)
Disc 1:
A1- THE TIES THAT BIND
A2- SHERRY DARLING
A3- JACKSON CAGE
A4- TWO HEARTS
A5- INDEPENDENCE DAY
B1- HUNGRY HEART
B2- OUT IN THE STREET
B3- CRUSH ON YOU
B4- YOU CAN LOOK (BUT YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH)
B5- I WANNA MARRY YOU
B6- THE RIVER

Disc 2:
C1- POINT BLANK
C2- CADILLAC RANCH
C3- I'M A ROCKER
C4- FADE AWAY
C5- STOLEN CAR
D1- RAMROD
D2- THE PRICE YOU PAY
D3- DRIVE ALL NIGHT
D4- WRECK ON THE HIGHWAY


This is an export copy with red stickers and black markers masking all references to Columbia on the cover and on the labels. Up to 1990, EMI Records Ltd. owned the international rights to the Columbia trademark, so distributors had to mask all "Columbia" logos and references for legal reasons.

For the U.S. pressing, some of the jackets have a thick spine (1/4") and some have a thin spine (1/8"). This copy has a thick spine, but this does not apply to all copies of the Pitman pressing.


All pressings:
--------------
There are four pressings of the commercial USA pressing of The River.

Pitman pressing:
- Pressed at the Pitman, NJ, plant (has "P" or no plant code on the runout groove)
- Columbia labels
- Labels have "PC2 36854" followed by "C 36855" (disc 1) or "C 36856" (disc 2)
- Wide spacing between the track list lines on labels
- The track list side of the inner sleeves is the front side
- "36854" on disc 1 inner sleeve top-right corner with no top margin

Terre Haute pressing:
- Pressed at the Terre Haute, IN, plant (has "T1" on the runout groove)
- Columbia labels
- Labels have "PC2 36854" followed by "C 36855" (disc 1) or "C 36856" (disc 2)
- Wide spacing between the track list lines on labels
- The track list side of the inner sleeves is the front side
- "36854" on disc 1 inner sleeve top-right corner with no top margin

Santa Maria pressing:
- Pressed at the Santa Maria, CA, plant (has "S1" or "S2" on the runout groove)
- Columbia labels
- Labels have "C 36855" (disc 1) or "C 36856" (disc 2) followed by "PC2 36854"
- Narrow spacing between the track list lines on labels
- The track list side of the inner sleeves is the back side
- "36854" on disc 1 inner sleeve top-right corner with a 1/4" top margin

Electrosound pressing:
- Pressed at Electrosound Group Midwest, Inc. in Shelbyville, IN (has "Emw" on the runout groove)
- CBS Special Products labels
- Labels have "C 36855" (disc 1) or "C 36856" (disc 2) followed by "PC2 36854"
- Narrow spacing between the track list lines on labels
- The track list side of the inner sleeves is the front side
- "36854" on disc 1 inner sleeve top-right corner with no top margin


This copy's runout groove etchings:
-----------------------------------
Side 1 (stamped): ˄ MASTERED BY CAPITOL
Side 1 (hand-etched): KP PAL-36855 1G F9
Side 2 (stamped): 0 ˄ MASTERED BY CAPITOL
Side 2 (hand-etched): KP PBL-36855 1F F6
Side 3 (stamped): 0 MASTERED BY CAPITOL
Side 3 (hand-etched): KP PAL-36856 1F F6
Side 4 (stamped): D MASTERED BY CAPITOL
Side 4 (hand-etched): KP PBL-36856 1AF F18

The absence of "T1", "1T", "S1", or "S2" code on the runout groove indicates that the record was pressed at Columbia Records Pressing Plant in Pitman, NJ. "MASTERED BY CAPITOL" on the runout groove indicates that the record was mastered at Capitol Mastering. "KP" (a signature) on the runout groove indicates that the lacquer was cut by mastering engineer Ken Perry.

Scans/Photos

[click thumbnails to download full resolution scans]