I Love Bootlegs

[dsmith2904]

Why I Bootlegs: A Short Appreciation by dsmith2904

There is a very cool record store near me that I have been going to for years and years. They actually do sell records there (shock) and tons of used CDs. For the past little while, ever since by interest in U2 grew to a fever pitch, I have been browsing for bootlegs and have been quite happy with what I've gotten so far.

Today I went in with the express purpose of buying my mom the new Dixie Chicks CD (her birthday is tomorrow and I totally spaced) but figured I'd cruise the U2 section just in case. Smartest move of the day!!

In the used U2 section is a little two-CD bootleg called "The Complete Boston '83 Tapes," a bootleg of a couple of Boston shows the band did back in the "War" days. I hesitated because it was $30 but then I knew that if I changed my mind down the road, I would never be able to find the CD again so I bought it.

The guy at the register asked me if I wanted to listen to the CD before purchasing because, accorinding to him, some of these were collectible (you don't say), I declined. Thank God I did!! The second I put the first disk into my car stereo I freaked, literally. Song one was "Out of Control" and I was giddy, I had butterflies, it was ridiculous.

The sound on this thing is fabulous, does not have all the hollering and carrying on that some live bootlegs do. This was such unbelievable dumb luck!

I love this bootleg because it magically tranplanted me back to a U2 time that I never got to experience (I was only six then -- yikes!). Why couldn't I have been born a few years earlier? Why couldn't I have seen four kids from Dublin singing "Party Girl" and "Gloria" and "I Fall Down" in a small club?

So even though I can't travel back in time, I do have this amazing bootleg to help me feel like I was there.

Bootlegs rock! What cool gems have you happened upon?

 

[adamswildhoney]

Thats awesome! I have alot of Boots that I didnt have to buy, I got them from friends!

 

[Jayhawk]

I think I have close to over 300 of them and I distribute them freely when I have time. Fans should never have to pay money for bootlegs in this day and age.

dsmith2904---email me at ultraviolet_j@yahoo.com and I will send you some shows for free.

 

[AM]

that?s awesome, dsmith2904. I?d love to listen to your bootleg. Do you share?

I have a couple of bootlegs myself, and some of them I really love to bits. Especially a boot of Popmart in Sarajevo. This thing is just incredible, the emotions, the music. WOW!

 

[RickFly]

i have the boston bootleg also. it is a great boot. i have bought a lot of boots of the years but the recent ones that i have purchased have been the best. cleveland from elevation is amazing. also elevation rehearsals, and xmas at the point; which is from the lovetown tour.

 

[U2Lynne]

But why are you guys buying them? Jeremy is giving them away for free. I've given lots away for free both here and on other lists. All you really have to do is post about a show you want and believe me, someone will send it to you *for free*!

AM, if dsmith doesn't send you a copy, PM me and I'll send you the show.

 

[dsmith2904]

You all rock! The reason I've paid for bootlegs is out of the fear that I will never see these little gems again and not knowing who to contact to find this stuff.
I do share, make tapes and burn CDs for friends, but I am massively clueless about uploading files and doing anything really techie like that.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

i too love bootlegs. i've got quite a few U2 ones, and i'm looking to build on my dd bootleg list. if only i could find ftp sites for them

 

[Popmartijn]

Hello,

Two good mailing lists to start when you want to trade U2 live recordings are ElevaSHN and U2Trading. Both are Yahoo Groups, so you'll probably find them at http://groups.yahoo.com when doing a search for those names. There you find other U2 fanatics who want to trade (and not buy or sell) U2 live recordings.
Both these lists are friendly to off-line (snail mail) trades. The ElevaSHN list, however, is also active on the Internet, trading through Direct Connect. More information about this you can find at http://www.elevashn.net

Hopefully this helps in getting started in collecting U2 live recordings.

C ya!

Marty

P.S. Both these lists aren't very active at the moment as we're between tours now, but during the last tour they were full with activity (often with shows being available within 48 hours or so).

 

[teehee]

Both these lists are friendly to off-line (snail mail) trades. The ElevaSHN list, however, is also active on the Internet, trading through Direct Connect. More information about this you can find at http://www.elevashn.net

Hi highly recommend Direct Connect. There are loads of things, but they have one rule: No MP3's. Anyway, I just download videos

If you are interested, you can download Direct Connect ++, a better version of the program, from here http://dcplusplus.sourceforge.net/index.php?page=download

It's great!

 

[dizzy]

Oooohh, I bootlegs too! It's also one way of understanding the songs, as Bono always makes improvisations and sometimes explains the lyrics.

 

[Blue Room]

Dont ever buy bootlegs. Anything you can buy can be found easily for trade here and many other sites. Some will even do B and P (blanks and postage) or even send a few for free to get you started.

Also, I suggest you stay away from MP3 sourced shows if you really want to get into trading. Most people that trade heavily dont want any part of them (myself included).

Good luck!

 

[oliveu2cm]

I love bootlegs too! Where'd I be w/o them?!

I love bootleg videos tooooooo and am putting a shout-out for Prov2, Oct 31, 2001 just in case.



A little under-updated but here's my boot list if anyone wants anything or wants a trade.

 

[Sicy]

Dont ever buy bootlegs. Anything you can buy can be found easily for trade here and many other sites.

Yep.

I have about 70 U2 bootlegs and they are available for download or B&P.

 

[bloodysunday972]

ok Im the black sheep

Ive bought maybe 3 u2 bootlegs over the past put they were all the price of a brand new stor bought cd 15 bucks and 1 I got for 8 so thats not bad

also if anybody wants to trade shows my e-mail is Bggshow@aol.com Ive got a few rarities

 

[martha]

Jayhawk and Lynne are generous and wonderful folks. Light a candle for them.

Question: Why doesn't anyone like mp3 sourced stuff?

 

[Popmartijn]

Question: Why doesn't anyone like mp3 sourced stuff?

Hello,

There is a very short answer to this question: Because the sound quality of MP3 is inferior.
To elaborate, MP3 files miss a lot of the different frequency ranges, deteriorating the sound quality. This makes the file format unattractive for traders, because why spend so much time to get something that doesn't sound very good in the first place? And that while you know good sounding copies are available.
MP3 files also have other annoyances. At the end (or the beginning) some information (sound) is chopped off, leaving annoying small gaps between the tracks. This takes away from the listening pleasure and it is yet another step altering the original sound.

These are just some of the gripes many have with MP3 sourced recordings and why they do not want to trade those. For your personal pleasure they may be alright, but others may have different criteria for U2 live recordings.

C ya!

Marty

 

[martha]

As usual, Marty, you came through for me. I always wondered why people didn't like mp3s. Your answer cleared that up for me. Thanks.

 

[oliveu2cm]

A little under-updated but here's my boot list if anyone wants anything or wants a trade.

this is wrong, all wrong!!

here's the real list

Olive's Bootlegs

 

[groovcat]

Came upon this a little late but a couple of things to throw my 2? at:

dsmith2904 - I know what you mean about the pleasant surprise of finding an unexpected show. I think the thread took a turn to the topic why paying for boots are wrong but I think the theme was also what an adreneline rush a new bootleg can cause.

"real trader" debate: it seems there are 2 types of traders here: those that will trade mp3s as mp3s and those that thumb their noses at the file format; both, to me, should have more respect for each other.
I trade and share mp3s. I am always up front that thats the format and disclam that the receipient should not trade these unless it is understood with their trader they are mp3s. Alot of us are all good with this format. Its pretty easy to get and most of us are happy just to hear the music - the sound is not so degraded that it distracts me by any means.
I understand where Popmartijn and Blue Room are coming from - I know how boots are made and have respect for that work, but maybe respect the rest of us who honestly trade mp3s and even share with people who just want a reminder of a show they were at.

On that note my boot list is at www.themoonisamirrorball.com. I trade as well as burn data cds for people with nothing to trade. Yes everything on it is mp3. Spread the U2 love.....
sorry about that

 

[Blue Room]

Who said "real" traders??? My post said most heavy (volume) traders dont want Mp3 sourced material. That is absolutely true. I'am not making it up?? It was just a suggestion for someone who is just starting out. If you trade mp3 stuff to most of the trading community you are going to be blacklisted. Thats why I pointed that out. Most of the traders with the really good stuff do not want mp3 sourced stuff, its just the way it is. Its not trying to insult the mp3 crowd or anything. But why trade an mp3 sourced CDR through the mail and degrade the quality more when the other person can just as easily download it the same way you did?

 

[groovcat]

Who said "real" traders??? My post said most heavy (volume) traders dont want Mp3 sourced material. That is absolutely true. I am not making it up?? It was just a suggestion for someone who is just starting out. If you trade mp3 stuff to most of the trading community you are going to be blacklisted. Thats why I pointed that out. Most of the traders with the really good stuff do not want mp3 sourced stuff, its just the way it is. Its not trying to insult the mp3 crowd or anything. But why trade an mp3 sourced CDR through the mail and degrade the quality more when the other person can just as easily download it the same way you did?

OK - real traders - wrong term. I dont know what you want to call yourself. I am a heavy volume trader as well - this last 2 weeks trading about 30 shows with 6 different people - all mp3 traders. Alot of these people live in places without access to anything more than a 56k dial up modem or admittedly don't know much about how to download off the internet. So are we not a part of this "trading community?"

I guess, i've read several threads about this issue on here and always come out somewhat insulted. The bottom line is we're all trying to get a piece of U2 at their best - live - so why be snobby about this. U2 are gracious enough to give us their blessings when it comes to trading, so as long as you know what you're getting, leave it at that...

If you're just starting your collection out, decide which way you want to go - which "trading crowd" you want to be in, because there is more than just one choice. And realize that their boundaries can't overlap.

OK I'm done now.

 

[Blue Room]

OK - real traders - wrong term. I dont know what you want to call yourself. I am a heavy volume trader as well - this last 2 weeks trading about 30 shows with 6 different people - all mp3 traders. Alot of these people live in places without access to anything more than a 56k dial up modem or admittedly don't know much about how to download off the internet. So are we not a part of this "trading community?"

I guess, i've read several threads about this issue on here and always come out somewhat insulted. The bottom line is we're all trying to get a piece of U2 at their best - live - so why be snobby about this. U2 are gracious enough to give us their blessings when it comes to trading, so as long as you know what you're getting, leave it at that...

If you're just starting your collection out, decide which way you want to go - which "trading crowd" you want to be in, because there is more than just one choice. And realize that their boundaries can't overlap.

OK I'm done now.

Well, honestly (I'am not trying to insult here) if you trade mp3 you are not part of the bigger or largest trading community. If you look at most of the trading sites and trading webrings out there you will find most indicate they dont want mp3 sourced material. ALOT of tapers also are vehemently opposed to the recordings they made being put into mp3 format. If you are into downloading I would suggest the SHN route at the very least.

If you like mp3 sourced stuff that is fine. If you want to download it that way, fine. It is easy and you get the show instantly. What I dont like is people trading them on CDR. Because eventually someone is not going to know what they are doing and trade it as a regular show. Then it hits the fan and causes a problem.

Obviously I cant stop it, but it is my opinion and I dont think there is anything wrong with pointing out the potential problems of trading that way. There are MANY more recordings with MUCH better quality in non mp3 trading circles. So for that reason, IMO, it is the best option to not trade or deal with mp3 stuff.

 

[U2Lynne]

If you are going to be trading by snail mail anyway, why not trade non-mp3 sourced shows? I just don't understand why people would actually want to be trading mp3 sourced shows when there are so many people out here in the non-mp3 trading circles who are willing to get newbies started out.

 

[Blue Room]

If you are going to be trading by snail mail anyway, why not trade non-mp3 sourced shows? I just don't understand why people would actually want to be trading mp3 sourced shows when there are so many people out here in the non-mp3 trading circles who are willing to get newbies started out.

EXACTLY!

 

[u2julien]

I understand where Popmartijn and Blue Room are coming from - I know how boots are made and have respect for that work, but maybe respect the rest of us who honestly trade mp3s and even share with people who just want a reminder of a show they were at.

Hey Dude, don't tell us the usual crap about us not respecting you. How many times have you seen :

*** DO NOT ENCODE THIS SHOW INTO MP3 FORMAT! ***

********************
DO NOT ENCODE TO MP3
********************

*** RESPECT THE TAPER'S WHISES ***

97% of the Elevation recordings had this text. How many were encoded to MP3 ? 100%. When you'll show some respect to the tapers, you'll get the respect you deserve.

Until then, here is a tricky one for you: Why don't you find one old and experienced trader (that was trading in the 80's analog tapes) who trades MP3. There is NONE.

I am on board for sharing, but with respect for those who bring us the recordings.

Good luck.