The Great White Wonder that is bootlegging: Part II
by James Ketchell
The first part of this feature looked at the history of bootlegging. This part looks in detail at some of the best bootlegs and recordings out there.
Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Demos
Well, I would put this in here as they are one of my favourite acts (as regular readers may have gathered). What we have here are a collection of tracks that are radically different to the released alt.country masterpiece. There are two circulating versions, the YHF Demos and the YHF Engineer Demos, both with completely different takes of the songs which eventually appeared on the finished article, as well as instrumentals and outtakes. The reason why this has been included here is to highlight the creative process that the band went through with this album. One can hear the songs change and morph into the beautiful melancholy that was eventually released.
In 1978, Bruce Springsteen was at his peak as a performer – before the band were forced into becoming stadium filling bombastic performers and just after the release of Darkness on the Edge of Town.Taken from a radio recording of the August 9th 1978 show in Cleveland, the recording comes on a mammoth four CDs with the last CD featuring an interview with the man himself. What we have here is the Boss at his most primal – screeching guitars, songs of innocence and youth which so characterised his early career. The highlights are simply too many to describe, but the segueing of ‘Gloria’ into ‘She’s the One’ is simply amazing and sends shivers down the listener’s spine. At that point, the crowd go wild. Other highlights include ‘Racin’ in the Streets’, ‘Backstreets’ and the monumental live songs ‘Rosalita’ and ‘Kitty’s Back’. Over three hours of music and none of it is ever lacking in quality.
Rolling Stones – Live at the Astoria
Released by famed bootleg label Crystal Cat, this recording featured the Rolling Stones playing the intimate Astoria club as part of their Live Licks tour in 2003. Tickets were hard to come by and this is perhaps the only way for fans to really get a feel for the show. Featuring an array of covers and rare material the show was completely different to their normal offering on that tour.
The physical version of this bootleg is, as always with Crystal Cats, astounding. The package features a cardboard sleeve, extensive booklet with exclusive photos and two beautiful silver pressed CDs. Meanwhile, the audio is a little below par as far as the Crystal Cat label is concerned but still above most bootlegs and close to a commercial release (indeed it exceeds certain official releases too!) This is as good as it gets and definitely one to try and get an original copy of (ebay is probably your best bet here).
Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks NY Sessions
I spent ages mulling over which bootlegs to choose for Dylan, so I’ll have one show and one outtakes/sessions choice. Blood on the Tracks is the break-up masterpiece. An exercise in catharsis for Dylan, it chronicles the break-up of his marriage and is a beautiful, yet deeply distressing album to listen to. In my personal opinion it is one of the greatest albums ever made.However, before he recorded the songs in Minneapolis that appear on the released album, he recorded them in New York. What we have is a completely different album – 'Tangled Up in Blue' looses some of its pace and sets the tone for the rest of the album. ‘Idiot Wind’ seems more resigned than angry, while ‘If You See Her Say Hello’ has a more haunting quality to it. Overall it gives a clearer picture of the writing process and adds an extra layer of emotion and insight to these already emotionally drenched songs.
Bob Dylan – Euro 2000 tour
Naming one particular bootleg or field recording for Dylan is nigh-on impossible. There are thousands of recordings of Dylan live. So for this reason I have chosen, almost at random, a series which I think deserves praise, however there are numerous others that do too. In fact there are so many that it is probably best to go to this dedicated website which focuses on the world of Bob Dylan bootlegs to make your own mid up.So for purely academic purposes I have chosen the series released by Crystal Cat which focuses on the visit of Bob Dylan to Europe in the Autumn of 2000. The band featured Charlie Sexton, Larry Campbell, Dave Kemper, and Tony Garnier, as well as Mr Zimmerman himself. The music they played on this tour was a mix of Rock and Americana, with a traditional cover kicking things off. The whole tour is represented in superior quality with Crystal Cat’s usual high quality audio and presentation, as well as excellent bonus tracks tacked on the end of the second disc.Although it would be tough to decide which ones to get, the two Wembley shows are superb, as are the two Portsmouth shows. Dublin is also a highlight. This part of the Never Ending Tour is really what got me into Dylan – he was mixing things up on a daily basis but still playing vital rock and roll having just passed 60. A brilliant series and a brilliant tour. One for all modern-day Dylan fans to own.
How can I get into bootlegs ?
So you’ve now read about this history of the bootleg and you’ve now seen some of the best ones to hear but how does one even start to get this stuff? There are a number of resources out there on the internet which can help the beginner get into bootlegs.
For a start a number of blogs regularly post bootleg shows in part or as a whole. Owl and Bear has a number available for download (including the YHF Demos mentioned above), as does this blog, Smuggled Sounds. A good way of finding MP3s is by using a blog aggregator such as the Hype Machine and searching by artist. Many bloggers post live recordings and/or studio sessions, outtakes and radio sessions online.
YouTube is increasingly acting as a massive dump of the unofficial bootleg video recording. Old and new concerts are often posted. However, it can be difficult to find what one is looking for. Recent mobile phone footage of a concert can be questionable at best. However, there are also many video bootlegs, old TV performances and things that people had generally forgotten about available for all to watch.
Wolfgang’s Vault is a massive repository of the history of the Californian musical scene. Original posters, T-Shirts, ticket stubs are all sold over the net at their site which also hosts Wolfgang's Concert Vault and an archive of interviews. This radio feeds live recordings which took place in the area in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s through your computer for your listening pleasure. There are also occasional shows which are released for download.
If you’re looking at fully dipping your toe into the downloadable bootleg scene, then obtaining a bit-torrent programme and downloading torrents may be the best way forward. There are a number of sites available which offer live concert recordings or bootleg material for download including Hunger City, Traders Den, Dime-a-Dozen and e-tree. However, a word of caution, bit-torrent can be a little confusing. Probably best to read this guide if you’re not so technically inclined. But there is a more friendly way of entering the world of bootlegs. By signing up and taking part on fan forums, many will offer “newbies” recordings. Build up a small collection based on the generosity of others and then start trading, always replicating the generosity that was first shown to you. Ultimately, this is how the massive trader communities of the Grateful Dead and Dylan built up over time. Fan forums are also rife with MP3 posting which will allow you to build up a sizeable collection of live recordings and outtakes. Please note that it is generally frowned upon to swap MP3s and that only audio files are traded.
Finally, what if the CDR copy of a show isn’t enough? What if you want the touch and feel of an original illicit copy. Well there are networks of sellers, although these are extremely difficult to tap into, if you are unknown to them (what with it being illegal and all!). One could pay a trip to Eastern Europe to secure some. Closer to home some very specialist record shops, market stalls or record fairs can be helpful!
I hope this Rockbeatstone guide to bootlegs has proved useful to you and that you can now go forward to discover all the amazing unofficial music that is out there, available for free. Just remember the rules! If you are going to massively get into a certain artist's bootleg back catalogue then it would be nice to buy a few official releases too and perhaps catch them if they're touring close to you.
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