1978
Darkness On The Edge Of Town
- Picture Disc LP (COLUMBIA; no catalogue number)
US-only promotional release; the very first official Bruce Springsteen picture disc ever issued. Front/back colour photos are identical to the standard album cover artwork, though lacking any type apart from a small company logo of the manufacturer ("Pic Veu Records - A Division Of Fitzgerald Hartley Co.") printed onto each side of the disc. Originally came in a special white die-cut display sleeve that featured tracklisting/credits on rear and included the regular lyric sheet as well. Counterfeits in circulation have substantially poorer sound quality than originals, which nearly play as good as their normal black vinyl counterparts despite the fact that some copies tend to jump during the first 10 seconds of "Badlands" (actually another clear sign of authenticity). Genuine matrix numbers are PAL-35318-1AJ (A-side) and PBL-35318-2AD (B-side). The exact number of original discs pressed is not quite clear, but according to Dick Wingate, who served as CBS’ product manager for the “Darkness” album, no more than 1,000 copies were produced.

               

 

[ NOTE: All of the following discs issued between 1984 and 1996 were manufactured in the UK in limited quantities of around 10,000 copies for albums/12-inch EP's (unless otherwise stated) and 25,000 copies for shaped singles, and came in clear PVC sleeves which usually carried special "limited edition" stickers. Uncut test pressings of shaped discs - in their original 12-inch form, with the clear vinyl surroundings still intact - are extremely rare and can command a multiple of their regular counterparts' asking prices. ]

 

1984
Dancing In The Dark / Pink Cadillac
- Shaped Picture Disc Single (CBS WA 4436)
Cadillac-shaped disc playing at 45 rpm; reissued in early 1985 with no distinguishing feature to the original pressings.

    

Cover Me / Jersey Girl (live) - Shaped Picture Disc Single (CBS WA 4662)
Bruce-shaped disc depicting the famous 1984 "jumpin' pose" shot by Annie Leibovitz. Originally came with unfolded cardboard plinth featuring a "stars & stripes" design. Plays at 33 1/3 rpm. Withdrawn copies from the initial run had an erroneous 45 rpm running speed remark on the rear side blacked out and corrected underneath (click here for a detailed scan), while later repressings featured a proper “33 1/3 rpm” imprint; uncut copies are known to exist of either version. Note that the vinyl on numerous of these discs has turned into an ugly brown over the years (presumably due to a chemical reaction), making them virtually worthless.

                       

 

1985
I'm On Fire / Born In The U.S.A.
- Shaped Picture Disc Single (CBS WA 6342)
Flag-shaped picture disc with similar artwork to the UK “Glory Days” 7-inch picture sleeve. Some copies have suffered a similar "vinyl browning" phenomenon as the above "Cover Me" shape, although rarely to the same drastic extent. Plays at 45 rpm.

 

Born In The U.S.A. - Picture Disc LP (CBS 11 86304)
Front artwork similar to standard album cover apart from a different type layout; rear side features a unique "stars & stripes" design and tracklisting.

       

 

1987
Tunnel Of Love / Two For The Road
- Shaped Picture Disc Single (CBS 651295 0)
Rectangular-shaped disc looking similar to the original 7-inch sleeve; plays at 45 rpm.

 

Tunnel Of Love - Picture Disc LP (CBS 460270 0)
Same overall artwork as original album sleeve.

       

 

1992
Better Days / Tougher Than The Rest
(live) / Part Man, Part Monkey - 12-inch Picture Disc EP (COL 657890 8)
Overall design identical to standard UK/European 12-inch sleeves.

       

Human Touch - Picture Disc LP (COL 471423 0)
Lucky Town - Picture Disc LP (COL 471424 0)
Front and back images identical to standard respective LP sleeves, but the title graphics are significantly smaller here, making for a more subtle (and better) overall look. Mispressed copies of "Lucky Town" are circulating with the songs from Side One repeated on Side Two.

       

 

1994
Streets Of Philadelphia / If I Should Fall Behind
(live) / Growin' Up (live acoustic) / The Big Muddy (live) - 12-inch Picture Disc EP (COL 660065 8)
Limited to a reported 5,000 copies. The picture disc version looks totally different to standard 7-inch/CD single sleeves, depicting a unique outdoor shot of Bruce (taken during the filming of the "Streets Of Philadelphia" video clip) and white/red lettering on front. Rear side has "Growin' Up" misspelt as "Growing Up" in the tracklisting.

       

 

1995
Hungry Heart (LP version) / Streets Of Philadelphia (live) - 7-inch Picture Disc (COL 662625 7)
Black-and-white picture disc with two different outdoor shots of Bruce during the 1995 "Hungry Heart" video shoot in East Berlin. Clear PVC sleeve imprinted with blue/red title graphics, and including an individually numbered 7-inch insert card. Limited to around 8,000 copies.

                

 

1996
The Ghost Of Tom Joad / Straight Time (live) - 7-inch Picture Disc (COL 663031 7)
Black-and-white picture disc with a grainy photo of Bruce standing by the side of a highway on front. Clear PVC sleeve with red title graphics imprint and individually numbered 7-inch insert card. Again limited to around 8,000 copies.