Does my Springsteen Nebraska CD have the long version of "My Father's House"?

I got an old Japanese pressing of Bruce Springsteen Nebraska today and am wondering if it has the longer version of "My Father's House" that is said to appear on the early pressings. My disc is the original European release pressed in Japan. The catalog number is CDCBS 25100. The track time for "My Father's House" is 5:35. According to allmusicguide.com, the track time for this song is 5:07. It was said here by someone awhile back that the original Japanese pressings of Nebraska have an extended version of "My Father's House." Do the extra 28 seconds on my disc constitute the extended version?

My CD price guide shows the original Japanese pressing of Nebraska that was released in the US (catalog number CK 38358). The guide says the following about the disc:

Four minutes longer? Is that right? What about the 28-second difference I noticed?

In listening to my disc, I can see where they could very well have cut off the song on later pressings, assuming that the 28-second discrepancy differentiates the two versions. Springsteen's vocals end at about 5:00, and the song then trails off. However, at 5:07 (again, the time of the song listed on AMG), there is a low-level instrumental passage that brings the song to its conclusion at 5:35. Was this instrumental section cut out on later pressings?

Maybe my CD price guide has it wrong. Thoughts?

On a final note, I have read comments here that Nebraska sounds awful on CD. Frankly, I think my Japanese pressing sounds great. Springsteen's vocals are, dare I say, right in the room. Perhaps later US pressings sound worse?

 

As a follow-up, I just noticed that the track time listed in the booklet for "My Father's House" is 5:03. I'm thinking that I have the extended version that has been discussed here.

 

Keith,

AFAIK, you have the correct one. I've never heard anything about an extra 4 minutes, only the extra 28 seconds.

Much more important than those extra seconds, IMO, is that the first pressings have a different mix...it has more reverb and room ambience, whereas all subsequent pressings are much drier. In addition, I feel that the frequency balance on the first pressings is more natural than on the later ones.

 

Dob, thanks very much. My Japanese pressing simply sounds great. I may run out and get a US pressing just to hear the difference.

 

The Japan CD is in stereo, with actual production touches, off of a promo cassette early mix accidentally put out in Japan when the LP originally came out, wheras the released version is in mono, and completely unproduced.

 

Really? I thought it was just narrow stereo, not mono. I'll have to go back for another listen!

 

I'm guessing here, but I think the problem that Bruce may have had with the Japan mix was that it sounded too good. Perhaps he wanted the music to evoke the same kind of mood as the cover photo - black and white, stark, no frills, no "production touches".

 

Perhaps. However, the way Bruce's vocals fill the room in "My Father's House" projects an eeriness.

 

I picked up a US pressing of Nebraska last night (new copy). As expected, the catalog number is CK 38358 and the back insert has "Now Made In The U.S.A." above the barcode. However, I was surprised to see that the disc has the newer red and black Columbia LP-like label design. Thus, the label side looks like a lot of the Sony Legacy remasters. The inserts are the original US inserts, so I expected the disc to have the plain black text and no color coating. Could this disc be a "secret remaster" when compared to earlier US pressings?

Here are a few basic observations in comparing the US pressing to my Japanese pressing. The total time for the Japanese pressing (European release, catalog number CDCBS 25100) is 40:24. The total time for the US pressing is 40:49. The track time for "My Father's House" is 5:35 on the Japanese pressing and 5:07 on the US pressing. Given that the US pressing has the shorter version of "My Father's House", I expected the total time on the US pressing to be shorter than on the Japanese pressing. I will check all track times and post them in a separate post.

In comparing the sound of "My Father's House" on the two discs, there are some notable differences. To my ears, Bruce's voice is slightly panned left on the Japanese pressing and is dead center on the US pressing. Also, there is far more hiss on the US pressing. The vocals are a bit warmer on the Japanese pressing, but also sound a bit closed in. By contrast, the vocals seem to "escape" into the room a bit more on the US pressing, but there is more edge than with the Japanese pressing. The US pressing is not harsh, but it is a bit more edgy. In the end, I think both presentations have their merits, but I actually prefer the US pressing, albeit slightly.

Based on what I have read on this site on occasion, I expected the US pressing to be atrocious. Might I have a secret remaster of Nebraska?

 

Below are track times for my Japanese and US pressings of Nebraska. I am not surprised that there are differences since there is definitely a difference in mastering between the two discs. What I am really curious to learn is whether all US pressings are the same. If you have an earlier US pressing than my copy, meaning a disc with the black text and no color coating, do your track times match my US pressing?


Track Times

US pressing/Japanese pressing

1. 4:32/4:25
2. 4:00/3:50
3. 4:08/4:00
4. 3:43/3:40
5. 5:40/5:40
6. 3:17/3:09
7. 3:10/3:04
8. 2:58/2:51
9. 5:07/5:35
10. 4:10/4:05


Total Times

US pressing/Japanese pressing

40:49/40:24

 

Keith,

I have the plain black text USA pressing, and my times match the ones on yours, except the last track on mine runs 4:08, not 4:10.

The reason the Japan CD is shorter on many tracks is that it runs at a faster speed (on some songs). In line with my previous speculations on why Bruce did what he did, perhaps he felt the speed on the Japan CD was too much "up tempo" and not "dirge-y" enough. Then again, it's not like there's a big difference...perhaps the cuts on the Japan CD are simply at the wrong speed.

Listening again to the USA CD, it sure does sound like it's mono after all, which would explain why it sounds more "centered" than the Japan CD. Also, the reason that the USA has more hiss, IMO, is because it has had a treble boost. When comparing to the Japan CD, you have to match the levels carefully...because of the EQ boost, the USA CD will naturally have more presence, and the tendency (for me, anyway) when level matching is to make the more "neutral" recording NOT loud enough (I think it's because the more neutral recording has more bass, and therefore could sound louder at first than it really is). On top of all that, I believe that a fold down to mono gives a 3db boost to whatever is in the middle of the channels, which in most cases are the vocals.

Compare the USA and Japan CDs again, and keep turning up the volume on the Japan CD until you are sure it is as loud as the USA. I think you'll hear a much more natural, ambient, and realistic presentation from the Japan CD.

 

Dob, thanks for the info. on the different speeds. Very, very interesting. In comparing the two disc, albeit briefly, I did not notice a difference in volume. I was focusing on the vocals, and both discs seemed "loud" to me. I'll compare them again, though.

Your thought on treble boost may be right. That could create the edgy quality that I hear in the vocals. The boost in going from stereo to mono is interesting as well.

 

The timings show one thing that constantly gets lost about these 2 versions. My Father's House may be longer on the Japan version, but Atlantic City is longer on the US CD. Nobody ever seems to mention this.

 

This thread forced me to play my 2 copies of Nebraska, my original 1982 JPN. vinyl press and my 1999 JPN. paper sleeve CD. Neither has the long version of MFH.

Would ANY original vinyl have this long version?
Would the JPN. orig. CD have the long version?
Would the US orig. CD (made in Japan?) have the long version?

Help!

 

The original US CD that was made in Japan (without "Now Made In The U.S.A." on the back insert) has the long version of "My Father's House". The Japanese CD release from the late '80s with the 25DP catalog number has it also. I would guess that the original Japanese release either with a 35DP or 32DP catalog number has it as well.

 

1:No. It only came out on a Japanese promo cassette.
2:Yes
3:Yes

 

Quote:

"This thread forced me to play my 2 copies of Nebraska, my original 1982 JPN. vinyl press and my 1999 JPN. paper sleeve CD. Neither has the long version of MFH.

Would ANY original vinyl have this long version?
Would the JPN. orig. CD have the long version?
Would the US orig. CD (made in Japan?) have the long version?

Help!"

Hey.

My original UK vinyl lists the time of MFH as 5:43, but it doesn't have the organ ending, so I presume it's the shorter length (I can't time it right now); but more interestingly, it plays that narrow stereo that someone described, & sounds a whole lot better (to me) than the US original-not as muffled.

John.

 

Thanks guys. Once again, all my questions are answered. Another item goes on the want list!

 

Interesting: My Father's House has a cold start and a cold ending on my 5:07 version. I wonder what makes the longer version longer...

 

The instrumental coda that ends the track was cut off on the later issue.

 

Shame on them engineers!

 

This was Bruce's doing, not any engineers.

 

Keith,
Congrats on getting the Japanese disc with the longer version. I agree it does sound much better than the US pressing.

Barry

 

Thanks!

 

Are you SURE????

A friend has one and wants a fair bit of cash for it, but if you are sure, I am gonna grab it!!!