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Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry
In Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry, Clinton Heylin examines the entire modern history of this underground culture: from what defines a bootleg and its complex and protean legal status, to a full history of bootlegs' production and distribution, to what's contained on some of the most notorious bootlegs and how to find them. Along with many illustrations of the creative packages, this is the whole story of the $250 million industry that sustains itself on the great figures of rock music and their biggest admirers.
448 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 20, 2016
A good chronicle of the development of the bootleg market, with enough direct quotations from 'interested parties' to be consistently interesting and informative. In addition, the book provides the author's informed and unvarnished opinions of the actions taken by record companies, industry groups, recording artists, and governments to combat bootlegs.
His comments on the merits of various bootlegs aren't quite as compelling and are sometimes downright wearying (OK, we get it: Led Zeppelin sucked, Page noodled endlessly and aimlessly on stage, and bootlegs of the band are generally worse than anal fistulae). I actually wish he'd provided more detail about the contents of various boots, but that would've threatened a loss of focus in the book, so I understand the restraint.
The most glaring omission is truly surprising. There is almost nothing in the book about how bootlegs are generated, particularly studio bootlegs. Sure, live tapes came from audience members, but the really good ones usually came from soundboards -- was there a general practice of paying off the mixers? Were some venues notoriously lax about taping by the soundboard people? Were there special relationships of some bootleggers with some sound mixers? How much was a mixer paid for a tape and what determined the rate?
As for studio boots (outtakes, alt. mixes, etc.), who stole these? Were they disgruntled lower-level clerks at big labels? Disgruntled A&R guys? Naming names isn't the point, but surely by now one could say something about how the Basement Tapes saw the light of day, or the big Beatles collections. Why wasn't everything by The Beatles in locked vaults at Capitol? If they were locked, who got in and why?
Overall, a good book that could've been excellent.
His comments on the merits of various bootlegs aren't quite as compelling and are sometimes downright wearying (OK, we get it: Led Zeppelin sucked, Page noodled endlessly and aimlessly on stage, and bootlegs of the band are generally worse than anal fistulae). I actually wish he'd provided more detail about the contents of various boots, but that would've threatened a loss of focus in the book, so I understand the restraint.
The most glaring omission is truly surprising. There is almost nothing in the book about how bootlegs are generated, particularly studio bootlegs. Sure, live tapes came from audience members, but the really good ones usually came from soundboards -- was there a general practice of paying off the mixers? Were some venues notoriously lax about taping by the soundboard people? Were there special relationships of some bootleggers with some sound mixers? How much was a mixer paid for a tape and what determined the rate?
As for studio boots (outtakes, alt. mixes, etc.), who stole these? Were they disgruntled lower-level clerks at big labels? Disgruntled A&R guys? Naming names isn't the point, but surely by now one could say something about how the Basement Tapes saw the light of day, or the big Beatles collections. Why wasn't everything by The Beatles in locked vaults at Capitol? If they were locked, who got in and why?
Overall, a good book that could've been excellent.
June 15, 2013
Sadly not as good as I wanted. Confusing characters, jumps around too much, probably too long... Admittedly, I probably am looking for some sort of bootleg guide, but he moves too quickly past the historic first era of vinyl bootlegs and gets too deep into the legal aspects.
February 12, 2013
I read this when it was published in 1994 and find myself equally bummed upon rereading. To me, it misses the most interesting parts of the story -- who was recording the shows, the taping/trading networks, and how the bootleggers distributed their wares. Some of this is probably due to Heylin's persistent anti-hippie bent (which serves him fine in his excellent punk history book, "From the Velvets to the Voidoids") but gets in the way here, missing out on the fact that bootleg LPs are inherently square, and that cassettes and fan-to-fan exchanges were the true underground recording industry.
January 14, 2018
While the book does provide a decent overview of the history of bootlegs, his over-reliance on one source means that a good deal of the story is skewed and some areas frankly just plain wrong.
February 21, 2022
Reading this in 2022, the fact that this book was written in 1994 becomes much more blatant. Particularly since so much has happened in the recording industry since the time represented at the end of the book. CD sales are reaching their zenith and the rise of digital bootlegs hasn't even happened. In fact, there is only a passing mention of CD-R's which were not in widespread use for a few years.
But, that said, the book frames the issue of ownership of recordings in a way that still applies today-- the differing perspectives of the artist, the consumer and the business of music. It's pretty interesting to hear about labels that I had encountered collecting bootlegs in the 80s and 90s-- Great Dane and KTS. I sort of expected there to be more detailed coverage of the bigger stories like U2's Berlin DAT theft of the Achtung Baby sessions and Prince's Black Album. But, the coverage of the early days of bootlegging is satisfactorily covered, I think.
The challenge of this book ends up being the later chapters which go into pedantic detail regarding the laws surrounding bootlegging, often quoting laws. I came away with a much better understanding about how these bootlegs were produced than I had. Back when I was buying them retail (or from the back of Goldmine Magazine) there were lots of rumors about when boots were legal and not and this book shows that in general this fuzziness existed at all levels, not just with the fans.
My initial impression is that it would be nice to have an update to this book to bring it up to date, but the ideas that propelled the ravenous collecting of bootlegs are somewhat passe in these times of digital streaming. But, as long as there are musicians working, there is always the desire for fans to get more music from them and the chances for unsanctioned works to make it to them.
But, that said, the book frames the issue of ownership of recordings in a way that still applies today-- the differing perspectives of the artist, the consumer and the business of music. It's pretty interesting to hear about labels that I had encountered collecting bootlegs in the 80s and 90s-- Great Dane and KTS. I sort of expected there to be more detailed coverage of the bigger stories like U2's Berlin DAT theft of the Achtung Baby sessions and Prince's Black Album. But, the coverage of the early days of bootlegging is satisfactorily covered, I think.
The challenge of this book ends up being the later chapters which go into pedantic detail regarding the laws surrounding bootlegging, often quoting laws. I came away with a much better understanding about how these bootlegs were produced than I had. Back when I was buying them retail (or from the back of Goldmine Magazine) there were lots of rumors about when boots were legal and not and this book shows that in general this fuzziness existed at all levels, not just with the fans.
My initial impression is that it would be nice to have an update to this book to bring it up to date, but the ideas that propelled the ravenous collecting of bootlegs are somewhat passe in these times of digital streaming. But, as long as there are musicians working, there is always the desire for fans to get more music from them and the chances for unsanctioned works to make it to them.
November 8, 2022
Most of the positive reviews say the book is wonderful because it provides a history of bootlegging in the popular music industry. It should be fine for popular readers who don't really know much about the industry. What the author has done is interview a few significant people who were involved with various aspects of bootlegging.
I find his "analysis" to be very wanting because he simply draws conclusions based on one or two interviews - really bad research technique. He doesn't really try to provide any overall judgements or observations, merely paraphrases what the interviewees have said. Thus he misses some of the bigger trends and most importantly, almost is almost totally oblivious to their meanings and implications (obviously these are much easier to see nearly 30 years later, but I saw them at the time).
In essence, the author functions like a news reporter: He states things from the superficial moment of the present, but avoids drawing conclusions from what he's extracted from his interviewees (supplemented by a smattering of newspaper articles).
I find his "analysis" to be very wanting because he simply draws conclusions based on one or two interviews - really bad research technique. He doesn't really try to provide any overall judgements or observations, merely paraphrases what the interviewees have said. Thus he misses some of the bigger trends and most importantly, almost is almost totally oblivious to their meanings and implications (obviously these are much easier to see nearly 30 years later, but I saw them at the time).
In essence, the author functions like a news reporter: He states things from the superficial moment of the present, but avoids drawing conclusions from what he's extracted from his interviewees (supplemented by a smattering of newspaper articles).
Read
July 22, 2021I read this a long time ago and intend on giving it a re-read soon. But my reason for writing this is to suggest something that may be of interest:
If you want a first-person account of the world of 70s bootlegging, the "Vic Colonna" story is available to read in its entirety online. "Vic" (real name William Samuel Theaker) and a partner specialized exclusively in Elvis bootlegs in the late 70s, and his recounting of the whole thing is very enjoyable so far! He covers all of it, from how he found such rare material to how he found customers to some of the technical (but not too technical) elements of remastering, creating cover art (those Vic Colonna covers weren't cut-rate), and even how he clandestinely recorded some rare tracks at a meeting with RCA.
https://altomelvis.dk/temaer/elvis-bo... (The text begins in English following a paragraph in Danish.)
If you want a first-person account of the world of 70s bootlegging, the "Vic Colonna" story is available to read in its entirety online. "Vic" (real name William Samuel Theaker) and a partner specialized exclusively in Elvis bootlegs in the late 70s, and his recounting of the whole thing is very enjoyable so far! He covers all of it, from how he found such rare material to how he found customers to some of the technical (but not too technical) elements of remastering, creating cover art (those Vic Colonna covers weren't cut-rate), and even how he clandestinely recorded some rare tracks at a meeting with RCA.
https://altomelvis.dk/temaer/elvis-bo... (The text begins in English following a paragraph in Danish.)
May 28, 2018
Excellent account, goes up to 1994 - the last three chapters do a terrific job of tying the whole story together with a succinct and accurate take on the greed of the corporate music industry - author had no way to see how it all shook out, but we now know the good guys, the artists, won -
July 16, 2020
A nice guide through the byzantine contours of the shadow recording industry. Typical Heylin - well written, a little show boaty, deeply researched and opinionated. Despite some sections which bog down this is a fun read for the true music geek.
January 5, 2021
This book is a comprehensive look at bootlegs and their history. I would have hoped for a more readable storyline. This definitely read like a college text book. However the information was excellent.
August 8, 2019
Good read, but it really needs to be updated - a lot has changed since the mid-90s (e.g., the Internet)
February 24, 2012
This book - which I'm pretty sure is a UK edition of Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry - is exactly what it promises: a history of bootlegs, those unauthorized records you sometimes come across in used CD stores, pawn shops and record fairs. It's highly researched, at times compelling and very opinionated.
Heylin starts his history well before the dawn of recorded music, with the original bootlegs: pirated copies of Shakespeare plays, transcribed by people in attendance, much like tapers at a concert! Eventually - there's more history to bootleg recording than you'd think - he gets to the first rock bootleg: Great White Wonder, a collection of unreleased Bob Dylan. GWW sparked a flood of hand-stamped covers, underground labels and legal battles, their story the backbone of this book.
When Heylin is recounting the history of bootlegs, it makes for great reading: enterprising people sneaking intentionally-mislabelled tapes into mastering studios, running truckloads of illicit LPs around at night to shady figures and trying to keep one or two steps ahead of the FBI and RIAA. It's a little like reading about Robin Hood, or at least someone who swindled a bunch of rich people and got away with it.
But the largest part of the book is devoted to copyright laws and various ways major record labels - especially Columbia - have tried to cut out unauthorized recordings, from bootleg LPs to home taping. There's a good selection of history and information here, but there's little casual fans would be interested in, especially 20 years after the fact (this was pre-CDR, let alone Napster). Still, it's interesting to see how little the RIAA has changed over the years: the way they treat people for downloading MP3s isn't all that new.
So the history sections of this book are good, but the portions where Heylin gets on a soapbox aren't. He presents something of a Marxist view of music: it doesn't belong to the performer or record labels, it belongs to those who hear it. He's not only supportive of bootlegs, he dismisses claims about where the money they make goes (organized crime, for exampe). He even goes as far as saying artists shouldn't be allowed to control what gets released! This line of thought kept me at arm's length of the point Heylin seemed to be making: big corporations are killing music! Suffice to say, he never mentions acts on small, indie labels getting bootlegged (The Minutemen, for instance).
Still, there's enough here to recommend it to music fans, especially those with an interest in classic rock. The stories are worth it and the past decade has proved Heylin right in some respects. It's a mixed read, sure, but I thought the war stories are worth it.
Heylin starts his history well before the dawn of recorded music, with the original bootlegs: pirated copies of Shakespeare plays, transcribed by people in attendance, much like tapers at a concert! Eventually - there's more history to bootleg recording than you'd think - he gets to the first rock bootleg: Great White Wonder, a collection of unreleased Bob Dylan. GWW sparked a flood of hand-stamped covers, underground labels and legal battles, their story the backbone of this book.
When Heylin is recounting the history of bootlegs, it makes for great reading: enterprising people sneaking intentionally-mislabelled tapes into mastering studios, running truckloads of illicit LPs around at night to shady figures and trying to keep one or two steps ahead of the FBI and RIAA. It's a little like reading about Robin Hood, or at least someone who swindled a bunch of rich people and got away with it.
But the largest part of the book is devoted to copyright laws and various ways major record labels - especially Columbia - have tried to cut out unauthorized recordings, from bootleg LPs to home taping. There's a good selection of history and information here, but there's little casual fans would be interested in, especially 20 years after the fact (this was pre-CDR, let alone Napster). Still, it's interesting to see how little the RIAA has changed over the years: the way they treat people for downloading MP3s isn't all that new.
So the history sections of this book are good, but the portions where Heylin gets on a soapbox aren't. He presents something of a Marxist view of music: it doesn't belong to the performer or record labels, it belongs to those who hear it. He's not only supportive of bootlegs, he dismisses claims about where the money they make goes (organized crime, for exampe). He even goes as far as saying artists shouldn't be allowed to control what gets released! This line of thought kept me at arm's length of the point Heylin seemed to be making: big corporations are killing music! Suffice to say, he never mentions acts on small, indie labels getting bootlegged (The Minutemen, for instance).
Still, there's enough here to recommend it to music fans, especially those with an interest in classic rock. The stories are worth it and the past decade has proved Heylin right in some respects. It's a mixed read, sure, but I thought the war stories are worth it.
August 2, 2010
Very enlightening book. I have a new perspective of the history of music bootlegs (and other bootlegs as well). I had never thought of the huge contribution bootleggers have made to the history of rock music since the late 60s. They may be reviled by the recording industry, but without their efforts many, many valuable and wonderful recordings could have been lost forever, and certainly some were, but they gave life to things that often were not meant to be heard by "the common man". The chapter "perfectsoundforever" was a blemish on the book because it seemed to be a narrative guide of bootlegs in the era it was discussing, early 90s, I believe. Also, some vocabulary (punters?) was confusing.
I came away with a very different perspective, or at least appreciation for, the massive amounts of music that I have diligently downloaded (legally) for the past 3 years, or so. We are pretty damn lucky to have access to music found anywhere in the world in anyone's collection who is willing to share.
I came away with a very different perspective, or at least appreciation for, the massive amounts of music that I have diligently downloaded (legally) for the past 3 years, or so. We are pretty damn lucky to have access to music found anywhere in the world in anyone's collection who is willing to share.
March 30, 2009
A staggeringly-detailed history of rock bootlegs from the first (a Bob Dylan title) until the CD explosion of the 1990s. Lots of personal anecdotes and some wild stories, though the sheer volume of information can get a bit overwhelming at times. You'd have to be a big fan of Beatles, Stones and Dylan to give this 5 stars. But as a general overview of the illicit genre, this is very well done. You strictly rok types may be a bit bored, as there are only brief mentions of Sex Pistols, Clash, Buzzcocks, etc and a single mention of the Misfits.
August 2, 2009
Heylin generally presents himself as a snivelling little jerk with an infalted opinion of his own "expertise" on the subject of Bob Dylan. And there's some of that here, too, but the good parts are GREAT.
July 15, 2008
Oh, how the teenage me got into this one...still trying to track down some of these records.
July 29, 2008
This book got me hot on the trail of one of the best vinyl scores: "Elvis' Greatest Shits."
August 7, 2008
drier than a box of pistachio shells, but where else you gonna go?
September 20, 2017
Recommended for both the casual and serious record collector.
I liked this Book!
I liked this Book!
April 4, 2017
Great book very detailed history, that actually could be made for a movie, if it wasn't for several record companies to be "sensitive" about the subject matter, very informative and concise.
Read
March 8, 2018Stopped about 1/2 way through b/c it got into 80s punk bootlegs and then cd bootlegs. Kornyfone blog is much better. Some decent background info and is often sited in Kornyfone but also has some mis-info. Understandable b/c of the "hidden history" of bootlegs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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