Ever since I was given my first CD bootleg, I've been hooked -especially since the internet has made bootlegs more accessible than ever.
So, what exactly is a bootleg?
It's an unofficial release of a live concert (often recorded by an audience member or a band's FOH engineer). They drive the suits and labels crazy because the songs are licensed, but the recordings are not. Therefore, they fall into a weird gray area of only being able to take legal action if a bootleg is being sold. Consequently, bootlegs are readily available for free online -and most people w/ collections that aren't readily available online are cool about making a copy if you ask them nicely via email.
Crucial now more than ever, eh?
To put it simply, bootlegging used to be a difficult task. Imagine watching somebody try to sneak in a bulky tape recorder or camcorder into a concert and then nonchalantly try to affix it to a support beam in the venue in hopes of capturing optimal sound... Kind of weird to think about, right? Here's why it's crucial now more than ever... People have their phones out and record EVERYTHING. If your show is worth watching, IT WILL BE BOOTLEGGED! Maybe not in the traditional fashion, but if you end up on somebody else's YouTube Channel, SnapChat, Instagram, FaceBook, Twitter, etc... Congrats, my friend! You've been bootlegged!
Make your show rock with no exceptions! -rehearse hard and prep well!
My favorite part about listening to bootlegs is that you can hear what a band REALLY sounds like. It removes big studio production and it adds an audience. All musical integrity is at stake when a band is performing live -and bootlegs hide NOTHING!
As I write this, I'm listening to a Soundboard Recording of a Def Leppard show from 1983 -and it sounds AMAZING -maybe one of the BEST I've ever heard! The quality is OUTSTANDING, but the band... just WOW! This was right after Pyromania came out -the album was a mega-smash but still a precursor to their most famous album: Hysteria.
As a special treat for the readers of my blog, I want to share that Def Leppard Bootleg with you! The link is below -and connected to my DropBox. I'll only have it available this week, so if you want it -don't waste any time!
If you're interested in finding more bootlegs of your own, my recommendation is to find soundboard recordings -and pay close attention to ratings. Bootleg connoisseurs usually mean business if they rate something a "10" in quality (or an A+). Also, the internet can be an awful place sometimes, so only download from sites that are dedicated to presenting bootleg collections. Most of these sites have a list of artists on the right or left of the screen w/ a number next to them indicating how many bootlegs they have of each one.
Keywords: Bootleg, Live, "artist name", download, Soundboard,
I hope you enjoy this Def Leppard Bootleg as much as I do!
DEF LEPPARD - ROCK TILL YOU DROP (1983)
Are you a bootleg collector? Any favorites? What do you think of this one?!
Let me know in the comments below!
Until next time,
-T.