Black Diamond 2: Excerpts
Chapter Eight: BOOTLEG ALBUMS & CDS
This section deals with some of the more well-known "unofficial" material that has popped up over the years. The term "bootleg" is usually used in discussing albums and discs that contain material NOT to be found on any legitimate official release from the record company. This is usually limited to live concert material of the band through the years, although a few more recent albums have included demo material by the band or members of the band (such as the Wicked Lester material or the KISS demos done by Eddie Kramer in 1973). As most authorities consider these recordings to be unlicenced replication of copyrighted material, the selling of boots is illegal in several parts of the world. Some European and Asian countries still feature loop-holes in their laws, which allow some boots to be
obtainable on the open market, but this could become a thing of the past as more countries open themselves up to international copyright laws.
For these reasons, boots are pressed by people with access to small pressing capabilities, the number of copies of a boot usually running from 50-100 for most bootleggers, to 500-1000 for the richer and more well-established record-makers (again, usually overseas). While a few do come from bootleggers who are actual fans and know the material they speak of, many are done by groups who are willing to shove any type of material available out on the market for a quick buck. This leads to incorrect concert date listings (for the performance day of the album), incorrect song listings and times and just plain poor quality and craftsmanship. Also, incorrect concert dates and wrong cities and nations of origin are used purposefully at times to try and throw investigators off the bootleggers' tracks (besides inconveniencing the fans, it rarely succeeds on any level).
As to packaging, most bootlegs in album form are presented in plain white sleeves, with album-sized printed paper used as a substitute for an album-cover. As time has passed and especially with the advancement of bootleg CDs, bootleggers have progressed to using full-color sleeves, and even featuring picture-discs (although such unique discs can be found as far back as SNEAK ATTACK, which featured a multi-color vinyl). Unfortunately, the leap in recording quality has not advanced as quickly as the leap in packaging. Recordings can be from as good a source as the soundboard or master tapes, to a person with a mini-recorder in the audience who is standing next to an obnoxious drunk screaming "Baby Driver" throughout the recording. This is quite true with the CD boots that have become more
popular over the years. For example, many of the CDs available of the Wicked Lester recordings are still the same mediocre dupes with tape-leakage that most fans already had on audio tape or vinyl form. The quality can be no better or even worse in cases where the pressings are made from other bootleg and become a copy of a copy of a copy. . . .
It is truly a "buyers beware" market. After all, it is hardly likely that a buyer will go to the cops with a story of buying bad "illegal" material from someone who has already moved on.
In order to save space, demos and unreleased tracks are covered under the albums of their origin earlier in this chapter (see "Official American releases"). For cross-referencing of bootlegs covering the same concerts, please check the "Private Audio Recordings" section of this chapter.