Let's Talk BOOTLEGS... 

Do YOU have any Bootlegs? Tell me! 👇

Unofficial / Bootleg video game soundtracks on vinyl are becoming much more popular. Definitely worth looking into if you're a fan of video game OSTs.

MetalJesusRocks is forever destined to be in the Song Of The Day section

Song of the day: 21st Century Schizoid Man- king crimson

Tool's 10,000 days was never released officially on vinyl. Sadly. Really hope they will (re)press all the albums eventually. I'm sure they'll sell out pretty fast.

7:04 *looks at my bootleg copy of Blonde by Frank Ocean* *sweats nervously*

One video that’s kinda cool with bootleg records is a video taken in the early 70’s of Neil Young going into a record shop and finding them selling bootleg copies of one of his concerts. He talks to the manager and he’s a bit irritated they’re selling copies of his concert. The manager says he’ll call the police if he won’t leave. Pretty interesting to see an artist find a bootleg version of their own work

Song of the day: "Revolution 9" by The Beatles

Gawd where do I start. There is a major difference between bootleg, pirate (which you didn't address) and counterfeit. First, a bootleg consists of unreleased studio or live material. Thus the material may not be covered under copyright laws, depending on where the release was produced. This is why you saw many bootleg CD releases come out of some countries in the late 80's/early 90's when CD's became easier to make. In some countries the medium of CD's was not covered under their outdated or poorly written laws. This loophole has been closed in many counties. A pirate release is someone taking previously released, copyrighted material and repackaging it with a new cover and selling it as an official release. A counterfeit is an exact copy of an official release. Your Tool release appears to be a counterfeit. Someone trying to pass off an exact copy of previous released, copyrighted material, as legit minus some info that is normally found on the cover. In the 70s/80's I was friends with several bootleggers here on the west coast. One of them would send several copies of their Rolling Stones releases to the New York office to forward to Bill Wyman because he collected them. Some artists have fought back by releasing previously unreleased material. Neil Young and Dylan come to mind with some of their recent releases and Zappa with his Beat The Boots box set. The Beatles released the Anthology series in response to Swinging Pig's excellent six volume series of studio quality outtakes. I have 100's of bootleg vinyl, CD and DVD releases in my collection. It is not illegal to buy or own bootleg's. Just selling them. How do I know? I was at a record swap meet in the late 80's buying some bootleg vinyl and unbeknownst to me FBI and RIAA agents were standing behind me while I made the purchase. The seller was busted but they did not bat an eye at me. I was also selling, so I packed up my stuff and got out of there asap before the authorities closed the doors after asking all customers to leave and searching every sellers table. Dodged that bullet so to speak.

About 40 years ago I found an unmarked black box in a crate of records someone was giving away and it had three records in it. Two had weird French labels and one had a blank white label. The French labels said "Rolling Stones" on them, so I quickly snatched up the box as I am a fan of the Stones. Turns out it's a bootleg called, well, "the black box." And it has a great selection of tunes including a lot I've never seen on other albums like just straight blues covers. etc. Unfortunately, the box itself was falling apart, so today, the three records sit in a repurposed "Country Christmas" box and I take them out for a listen every once in a while. Bootlegs are cool if they have concerts on them or something else never published, but all out fakes usually just suck.

I've been collecting records since 85 but you still teach me things all the time about vinyl. Awesome videos always.

They used to be called "Imports" at my local record stores.

Another way to spot a bootleg is to check the runout etchings. If there's minimal etchings that either indicate the band name and/or simply 'A' for side 1 and 'B' for side 2, then it's most likely. Not all cases are like this, but it's fairly common. I've noticed this with several bootlegs in my collection.

I have like 6 bootlegs in my collection (Beyoncé, Frank ocean, and Megan thee stallion) but I don’t really mind the sound quality, I don’t have the best turn table but I just love hearing the music I like on vinyl and the pretty colors they make them on :)

Song of the day: Oxygen by Swans

Just got my first record player today for my bday Audio techniva lp120 I'm soo happy I have 2014 summer hills drive and my beuatiful dark and twisted fantasy so far Your channel helped me alot setting up😁

Have you ever seen the Soviet era ‘Bone Music’ ‘Ribs’ or ‘Roentgenizdat’ bootlegs? They are recordings of banned music such as The Beatles, Elvis and Chubby Checkers pressed onto old X-ray prints. They look insanely cool but they have awful quality unsurprisingly, and only could be played about 10 times. You can find them on EBay for a moderately expensive price but they are still a very cool collectors item. Once again a great video!

So happy for this topic! My bootlegs found in the wild are Yes- The Affirmery and Jethro Tull- MY GOD!!! Song: Suppers Ready- Genesis

Thank you so much for pointing out the difference between counterfeit and bootleg. I see so many people show a counterfeit record and they think what's just a bootleg when in fact it's not a bootleg. Great video man

I have got two bootlegs: Rammstein - Mutter (green vinyl, japanese edition) TOOL - undertow (the rare 1993 promo grey vinyl)

There is one legendary person fighting bootleggers heroically during Led Zeppelin's gigs: Peter Grant. The band's manager. You can watch him in action on the Zep's video "The Song Remains the Same". Song of the Day: "Tunnel of Love" - Dire Straits

I have a copy of 10,000 days on vinyl. It came on Red and Blue vinyl. The quality is alright. I’m just happy to have it.

Bootlegs are no fun nowadays, but back in the 80's it was a whole other matter. Not only was the quality mostly pretty good, but often you had the music on white labels months before the official release (Not to be confused with dj promo's). For some reason music (especially dance/house tracks) had quite a tendency to leak from the studios back then, and often you infact had the time to get tired of the music before others could even buy it. Those were the days.

dude your voice is so calm and soothing, new subscriber here 👍👍

I really like what Pearl jam does at their concerts They sell albums recorded at their concert and sold ONLY at their concert where they recorded it They are called Official Bootlegs, my dad bought the one when they came to Padova in Italy and the cover is made of cardboard and has an iconic statue of the city

Song of the day: The Lemon Song- Led Zeppelin

Also, R.O.I.R. was a cassette only label that released the first Bad Brains album. When I was a kid, "bootlegs" only meant unofficial live recordings and I had a lot of them. Many had just white labels with no track listings. Good times.

I own a bunch of vinyl bootlegs from the '70s. I love them! I'm also a collector of concert recordings and a taper (i.e., live concert recordist) myself. There's a lot more to the story, too. I recommend the book "Bootleg - The Rise & Fall of the Secret Recording Industry" for a fairly complete history. Most of the boots from the '70s were in plain white sleeves with printed sheets of paper as a "cover" inserted into the shrink wrap. The fancier ones had actual printed covers, but they were pretty rare, and there was no guarantee they sounded better.

Song of the day: Life is a Rock but the radio rolled me By Reunion

Song of the day: I ran (so far away) - A flock of seagulls

Song of the day: Eric Clapton - Layla

Great videos, best vinyl channel ever

Song of the day- The Beatles-Paperback writer

bootleg CDs is a big part of my childhood

I was at an outdoor record fair once. I was just getting into vinyl, so when I found David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust.... on blue vinyl, I thought: that's cool! and it was only 20 euros or something, so not that much. I only found out later that it was a bootleg, because in It Ain't Easy, sometimes, the grooves don't have sound, it's just silent for a second, then the music continues. Seems like it wasn't pressed right... Still cool to have though

Song of the day: Holy Wars by Megadeth

Good to know I almost bought that and glad I didn’t now. Hope they release an official version soon.

Hey Jerett! Glad to see your back! How's your January been? 😊

Hey wait.... was that me??? Fun video. Cheers, Frank

Song of the Day: "Lonely Day" - System of a Down

The first time I heard the awesome Jethro Tull 'Bursting Out' album as a kid was on what only could have been a bootleg cassette tape my parents bought overseas. Every side of the tape just stopped in mid song when the tape ran out. I remember the final side of the album started right smack in the middle of "Cross Eyed Mary" and as soon as the album was over, it was only a matter of seconds before the tape ran out. It wasnt until I bought the album on CD in 2002 that I could hear the full version.

I also have that Tool Bootleg and it sounds Great.

I have several booties in my collection and the most notable one would be “Demon Days” by Gorillaz. This one sounds decent but I also have a Queens of the Stone Age “Songs for the Deaf” bootleg that sounds amazing. Like the video mentioned, if you can get your hands on boots of rare albums then enjoy them. I’ve heard bad ones but the ones I do have sounds good-great depending on which I play.

10% bootleg opinions 90% Song of the Day

Bootleg cassettes are super big in the Vaporwave community but in most cases its celebrated the two big labels associated are Qingdao Market and Deluxe Vaporwave Cassettes. Qingdao Market has a real great sense of humor about it

I'm so glad I watched this video. I was really considering tracking down a copy of that Fear Inoculum bootleg. As for ones I do own, I accidentally bought a bootleg of Prince's Hit n Run Phase One without knowing it was a bootleg until I opened it and added it to my Discogs. It's pressed horribly off-center so I just don't play it! I also purchased a Madonna bootleg that had some bonus tracks from her Rebel Heart album, but I did that knowingly. That one actually doesn't sound too bad!

Song of the day “Would?” - Alice In Chains

Last year I finally found new factory-pressed cds of Def Leppard's First Strike and Warchild to go with the E.P. cd that I found decades ago. Moving on to hunt for bootleg vinyl picture discs now.

Believe it or not I find that counterfeited Prince records are cheaper to buy then the original pressings. Rainbow children for example is over $700 on discogs, the counterfeit I paid $30 bucks for it.

I have an Amy Winehouse Bootleg of rare recordings of her live performances that never got released. Was a huge piece of treasure to me since her passing I miss her so much!

When I started collecting vinyl records about a year ago I desperately wanted queen Innuendo on red vinyl. I wasn't aware it was a pirated bootleg release. I only found out after I played it, when it didn't sound right. Most of the songs were in mono and not the right versions than those on the original vinyl record from 1991

I just realized a week ago I bought a Charli XCX bootleg for her number one angel LP. Her and Sophie’s records are supeeer rare, but I’m still pretty happy and stoked with it. I think her Pop 2 had a repress, but original pressing was a gatefold exclusive of those two albums.

There's a weird South Korea Megadeth Killing is my Business vinyl with a "Music for Nations" label instead of the original Combat label. Don't know how it sounds but thought it was interesting to run into. Great vid!!

There was a triple boot LP of The Who live at Madison Square Garden from Sept. ‘79 which sounded AMAZING. Played it to death. Not like most of them.

I recently bought a Smashing Pumpkins bootleg of a live show that sounded pretty good. It came from a radio broadcast. Yes I knew it was a boot.

I have a few bootleg cassette tapes I found at one of my favorite record stores. The mostly consist of R&B and Rap from 2000-2002, including one that has a “somewhat rare” Michael Jackson Remix.

The only bootleg I own is a Bathory one called Bloodbath. It's got a bunch of non-album tracks from the Jubileum compilations as well as the original tracks where Bathory debuted on Scandanavian Metal Attack. Doesn't have all my favorites but it has enough that I'd say it's worth it.

last week I bought station to station by David Bowie and I couldn't find its version on discogs, thanks for posting this I'll try to figure out if it's a bootleg or not

I love watching your videos, and i was just wondering. I just purchased a AT-LP60x and I was wondering what the best replacement Stylus would be? I already saw your video on Best Turntables for Christmas and purchased mine with the recommended speakers, but I really want to make sure my records stay at the highest quality.

I’ve got quite a few Beatle bootlegs on both LP and CD from the 1980s. Back then, before the anthologies, it was the only way to get the unreleased tracks, alternate versions, demos etc.

On a side note. I have a “Despecialized Edition of the Star Wars Trilogy” on blu-ray. No deleted scenes, unaltered special effects or endings. Basically it’s a remix of laser disc, dvd, blu-ray, film stock, matte paintings etc. All put on HD Blu-ray audio/video. Painstakingly put together over a few years. Look into Harmy’s Despecialized Edition. For a true Star Wars fans!!!

My opinion on counterfeits: If an album e.g. from the 90s is sold for some crazy prices on Discogs and (and that's the actual problem) is actually bought by people at these prices but neither the artists nor the labels seem to care that you get the album for a normal price and do a repress, then I have absolutely no problem with counterfeits as long as they sound good.

My first record ever was a bootleg. It's a compilation of "world hits" starting with the Jaws theme as track 1 on side A (aaaaand I forgot the rest 😂). Oh, I think there's an ABBA track too.

Yes, I have only 2 bootlegs, one I bought for 10$ the other from a lot that I bought. Both in perfect condition so I was really happy : - Supertramp 1976 Amercain Tour (TAKRL905) - The Cure Forever (80-83), limited 300 copies

Enjoyed the vid. I had similar experience. Found a sealed copy of Tool - Ænima. Brought it home, opened it up. And noticed it had no etching on record or number on the jacket spine. So I now realize it’s “unofficial”. However it sounds pretty nice. And I’m happy to have it. Lastly what I’ve come to realize is. Certain tool albums official/unofficial are seeming to be pretty tough to find. So that being said...nice score!! Cheers!!

ahhhhh, we wanted to hear it!

Song of the day: Several species of small furry animals gathered together in a cave and grooving with a pict - Pink Floyd

I got two bootlegs, one from a Bruce concert that I love and one that’s a short Stones compilation

Started my vinyl journey just a month ago and bought a rammstein record and ACDC's Back in Black. Now that i'm learning more about bootlegs and stuff I realize my first 2 records both were bootlegs.. Oh well, They do look kinda nice, a purple ACDC record is unique haha

Live bootlegs are the best. I just like to have live records of my favorite bands to hear all the differences they do live or different set lists, crowd banter etc...The last record show I went to a guy had a whole section of Italian bootlegs of all the big 70’s bands that were recorded straight from the soundboard. The next show is on the Feb.27 and I hope he comes back because I regret not picking up a couple of them.

nice video keep going the good work

I have a couple of local radio dance mixes that I have come across at local thrift stores. White labels stations name, artist, title original release on one side then extended release on other side. I also have seen 12 inch singles labeled studio use only and property of the record label at thrift stores as well.

Song of the Day: Porcupine Tree - “Even Less” Addendum: I actually have one confirmed bootleg in my vinyl collection, the live album Octane Twisted from Porcupine Tree. But it’s finally getting an official vinyl release very soon so I can fix the issue.

I love bootleg LPs. My local record store always gets tons of them around November or December.

I have a Faith No More concert boot LP that cleverly took its barcode image from a specific Kerrang magazine issue that featured FNM on the cover. Thought that was a fun little easter egg.

Song of the day - Buffalo Stance by Neneh Cherry

I didn’t know thay can make booleg records! Thnx for the video

It's been a while, Jarrett. Welcome back!!

When was I getting into Jazz, I've bought a few of gray market records from labels like Jazz Images and WaxTime. They don't sound great, but one thing is that the gatefold covers from Jazz Images are so nice to look at 😁. But now that I know better, only stuff from like Blue Note, Prestige, Riverside, Pablo, Impulse and Verve fill my collection..

As a Mac Miller Fan, despite the dodgy quality of some bootlegs, it is a guilty pleasure of mine collecting these bootlegs. Some of his projects never were pressed on vinyl and likely never will be due to the sampling (like his "Faces" mixtape), so to get all his work that he has done in the vinyl format, the bootlegs are the only option. I don't mind, but some may totally be turned off from this route and I completely understand why. And great video as always! Your content is always fantastic to see pop up in my feed! :)

Jarrett, I hope you are doing well...I saw the Almost Famous Soundtrack for 34.99 at a record shop over the weekend. It actually had a sticker that said they could not guarantee the quality since it was "not made by the studio". On discogs, this record goes for stiff change so I passed since the quality might be low.

I have the 1985 3 record bootleg "Springsteen - Dancing in Dublin". Every once in a while I see a copy for sale in the $300 range.

Most of the BOOTLEGS I had/own my brother and friends from roughly my era (I’m 58 and in the UK) were of live recordings ,and mostly of IRON MAIDEN ,usually when they played live ,so someone had portable tape recorders,had/got a few where someone in the recording studio done his/her own recording with outtakes etc I also had Gary Numan,The Specials etc as well of lots of comedy tapes etc.

For song of the day I will toss my hat in the ring for a song that almost brings me to tears everytime I listen to it. Its 猫 シ Corp. - 8:46 AM off his album News at 11. The entire side A & B of the album uses samples from television ads and programs that ran on 9/11 right before the towers fell. Its almost an eerie and haunting experience to drink in. God Bless the United States of America.

Looks like rain- Alzo

All the bootlegs I have are from live shows. Mostly early 80’s U2. The sound quality can vary greatly depending on how it was recorded. But I think it’s really cool to have them even if the sound bad because it was from a live event. As opposed to buying a boot that’s a copy of a studio release.

Bathory’s official distruibutor label black mark makes notoriously bad remasters and sourced reiussues from remastered CDs etc. This along with the legendary nature of the band leads to origibal copies being very expensive, so when a fanclub bootleg of the first 3 albums got released with the audio sourced from the original master with a high gloss artwork and japanese obi strips aswell as a gold vinyl version I simply had to pick these up. Honestly some of the best records I own.

i have a few bootlegs and have never had a problem it has help me devlop my collection to album that have not been pressed on vinyl on or are very like blonde by frank ocea

Bootlegs are common especially back in the tape days. 8 Tracks and Cassettes boots could be found at every truck stop. I own some of the tapes and some Beatle boots as well. I do have a AC/DC that sounds really great actually recorded by a radio station in the 1970's and my Beatles ones don't sound terrible and of course the 8 tracks depended on the source material usually didn't sound much different from the original recordings.

Fantastic video Jared

I have a bootleg of Death Grips’ ExMilitary on 2x peach-colored vinyl. The original pressing is pretty expensive so I was able to find it on Discogs for about $25. I knew full well it was a boot but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. The sound quality is actually pretty extraordinary and the artwork is great! My only beef is the sleeve since it’s starting to tear from the bottom. Overall, however, I love it.

I own three Led Zeppelin bootlegs from live concerts. Two vynils and one CD. Of course the quality is not 100% good, but it is a great register of a moment in history that, otherwise would be forgotten.

I have a decent collection of Devo bootleg records. Like ten or twelve. I always get excited to find a new boot.

Song of the Day: A symphony of self - Gravity the Architect I love this song and it seems they are a new group so this could really help them

SMiLE is also a popular bootleg record. I saw they had about 5 different versions of SMiLE before it really came out in 2011. I've been trying to find those for a while but haven't gotten any luck.

The two bootlegs I've actually been looking for are both Pink Floyd ones: One is from 2017 called Live At Pompeii 1971, and the other is just any vinyl bootleg for Pink Floyd's The Wall tour from 1980-1981, preferably from a source where the band had an almost flawless performance

They actually never released 10000 Days on vinyl. But there was a bootleg with a black record, and a beautiful jacket, that is sold online for $50-$70

Record Fairs from the 70's, 80's. 90's. The sellers traveled from city to city. You'd hear about them on the radio. That's where you scored the rare Zep, Stones, Beatles, Pink Floyd, GDead (live/outtake) albums and VHS tapes.

Song Of The Day - "Wearin' That Loved On Look" by Elvis Presley

I have a Marilyn Manson one. Golden Age of Grotesque. Side A is fuzzy, distorted, the whole lot. But the rest doesn’t sound awful.