Bootlegs and Rock Stars
 

So for many years I read/hear about famous musicians going to other countries (Japan for example) and how they love shopping at record stores because they can find bootlegs of concerts/demos etc. that are hard to find.

Now why is it if we (just fans) want to do it (say online) it is wrong but they can act like kids bragging about finding some rare bootleg to purchase? Am I missing something here?

Reason I ask is I just read an article about Jimmy Page talking about having a friend pick up a bunch of bootlegs for himself.

I've always considered bootlegs of concerts, etc. a whole different animal than bootleg copies of legitimate product. I don't buy $8 CDs at the flea market with poorly duplicated, washed out covers, but I do enjoy bootleg concert recordings. A lot of it is crap, but many fan made ones really aren't that bad, and give a different perspective on things than a tightly edited pro release.

Okay, I see that point, not a 'proper' recording, BUT if I put up a web site of bootlegs I can be damn sure I will get a CEASE letter from their lawyers....I have seen it happen.

Ironic, considering that back in the 70's, Led Zep was one of the bands who most aggressively tried to prevent bootleggers from taping their concerts. If manager Peter Grant and his goons saw someone in the audience with a microphone, they would drag the guy backstage and beat the shit out of him. Didn't do much good though, because there were tons of Zep bootleg albums released. :lol:

Many bands are ok with "bootlegs" (A term most tapers don't like). Live Recordings are collected by many folks including many people on here. We just don't talk about it too much here.

But are they really? Like I said if I put up boots on a web site I will be asked to take it down. Not by all bands of course...but some would....same ones that would go out and by other boots. And yes Led Zep is famous for this till recently.

if you posted a site of concert MP3s ... I'm there dude

Why was zepplin famous for this till recently? Did they let there fans record the shows audio wise, or was it the greatfull dead? some band have special sections just for the tappers, metallica and dave mathews band come to mind. You have got to love pearl jam. they record almost every show and release it on cd for about 10.99-13.99, it's show great to buy a double disc of a show that has excellent production value, i remember the days of going to record shows and flea markets to buy live bootleg concerts, now i love it when bands put there own ones out as long as they dont do post production to them, just mix them properally just like pearl jam does.

I do know Zep was very protective of their music (or from what I understood). It was rare (if at all) that you would here a song in a movie. Now they are in car commercials. I could be wrong about this though. I remember Cameron Crowe talking about Led Zep when making Almost Famous.

And yes...there are bands that are very friendly to tapers. Dead was obviousely the big onesas well as some of the others mentioned.

I think it is more to do with management than the actual artist.
Maybe it is not as bad as i thought either...that's why I am really asking vs. making a statement. ;) But if you go to shows, many/most will state that no recording of the event is allowed.
However you can find that many are and bought and sold.

What PJ did is great for people who like to collect live recordings or as a memory of a show that you went to.

Cameron was a friend of the band. He was one of the only people at Rolling Stone who thought LZ was good.

Because of this, he has had pretty much exclusive rights to their songs in movies including Fast Times at Ridgemont High (which he wrote).

Yeah, I think Crowe's films were the only ones ever able to use Zeppelin songs. But, he still wasn't able to convince Dreamworks to put up the cash for the use of "Stairway to Heaven" in ALMOST FAMOUS.

But after all their "integrity", its sad to hear their songs in commercials now. :(

From Jason:
You're absolutely right, Jason, couldn't agree with you more. I've been buying/creating and sharing (with friends, for free, or at cost of recording materials ) boots for about 25 years. In that time I've noticed that, for the most part, only idiots who normally wouldn't buy a legit release anyway are buying the "$8 CDs at the flea market ", while the fans who purchase concerts/unreleased versions/rehearsals, etc., are fans who have either A) all of this artists catalog on legit releases already, or B) all of this artists catalog that they want on legit releases already.
Anyone else agree?

"Immigrant Song" was used in School of Rock. A funny little extra included on the DVD is Jack Black's plea to Zep for them to give their permission for the song's use.

The thing about bootlegs that I've found funny is when an artist/label releases an "official bootleg." I know it's just a marketing term, but by having the label put it out automatically keeps it from being classified as a "bootleg." I just find it silly.

When Tom Waits released "Alice" and "Blood Money" a few years ago, I read in an interview with him that he ended-up buying a bootleg of "Alice" (which was a play Waits put on and did the music for before the album came out) because he'd apparently lost, had stolen, or something like that (I don't remember the specifics) some or all of his tapes of the songs. How sad is that?!

I am still trying to find the "***** the Mummies" boot where the Mummies actually used studio equipment to record. Hard to find.

Actually, Crowe seems to have an unusually hard time getting Zeppelin for his films. (Was there Zep in Fast Times? I don't remember any right now, but that doesn't mean much).

There's an extra on the extended Almost Famous DVD where Crowe explains that he REALLY wanted Stairway for this one scene, and the band just wouldn't let him use it. He had to include the scene in the deleted scenes section on the DVD without the song in it, and tells you when to start playing your copy so that you can watch the scene the way he intended.

After seeing that, I've always been surprised at all the Zeppelin that's in TV ads. Why would they allow that but not Almost Famous?

Jack Black's video begging for the Immigrant Song for School of Rock was pretty funny, btw...

There is a clip where Rat was driving the girl and they play Led Zep in the car. If I remember it is not the album (or side) that Damone told him to play ...

'And five, now this is the most important, Rat. When it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV.'

...and Rat played the wrong side of the wrong tape in the car...

The song featured was "Kashmir".

I love trading live concerts with friends on CD.

I don't understand why artists would be against it as long as people weren't charging money for it. Most of the people who buy bootlegs already have all the offical releases anyway and casual fans who just want the hits are likely not to be interested in a low qaulity live recording.

does anyone know a good web site that has 70's and 80's hard rock and metal mp3 concerts? I used to love using Napster to find rare live shows and unreleased demo tracks. shame it was shut down because stupid 12yo kids were downloading teeny booper acts like Britney Spears, Nsync and Metallica.

http://www.bootleg.freakin.nl/

Lots of stuff here, not sure about 70s and 80s, though. Maybe?

great stuff thanks... but I cant seem to get any of the bands I'm into to work

I realize that, I have the Almost Famous:BE. But of out all the people who have wanted to use Led Zeppelin in films, Crowe has had the easiest time. Led Zeppelin is not going to allow Stairway to Heaven on movie soundtrack, it just isn't going to happen (unless the band is flat broke). They don't want to further dilute and overexpose the song.

On the "School of Rock" DVD there is a funny extra with Jack Black and a crowd of people begging Led Zeppelin to use "The Immagrant Song" (which they did get clearence to use)

It's dead Jim...

It's back.