Bootlegs: Shit or Shat?

[Ars Magna]

Without going into the saga that got me to this point, I have about 20 copies of bootlegged shit. I'm not a fan of bootlegs now, nor will I ever be. While complaining to a guy at work about them today, he insisted that I was in the minority and that most people don't have a problem with bootlegs. I say he's wrong, but whatever. With that being said, what are your feelings on them? Yay or nay?

 

[skeptik]

I hate bootlegs. The only bootlegs worth a damn are those who actually contain material you're never going to find elsewhere, but even then I would rather download it than support bootleggers. I've been duped by a few bootlegs every now and then, most of which I've sold off to unsuspecting buyers...

 

[swizzlenuts]

I dislike bootleggers as well.

 

[Climb Thar Hill]

shat

 

[Ars Magna]

I'm trying to figure out what to do with these damn things. I thought of sending them out as freebies with paid orders (there's no way I will sell them), but that is almost offensive to the customer. I thought about trying to post them in a trade list, but I don't want people to think I support this shit. Damn shit damn. The worst part is that it was my own drunken shenanigans that got me here.

 

[swizzlenuts]

What album?

 

[Ars Magna]

BURZUM "Stemmen Fra Tårnet" various tracks and some video documentary
MAYHEM "Last Breath: Last Recordings of Dead" rehearsals and a promo
MOONBLOOD "Fur den Sieg" rehearsals
MOONBLOOD "Supreme Black Force of German Steel" demos
VLAD TEPES "Black Legions Spirits" no idea

The quality on the Mayhem is horrible. The Burzum sounds like someone held a tape recorder up to a speaker. The Moonblood and Vlad Tepes sounded pretty good. My wife said that this will teach me to mess with people when I'm drunk. I hate it when she's right (about my childish behavior).

 

[swizzlenuts]

Sorry man..

 

[EricT]

I love bootlegs of live material. Bootlegged studio material can suck a cock.

 

[Sanctums]

I love bootlegs of live material. Bootlegged studio material can suck a cock.

Fucking right.

 

[IOfTheStorm]

I've purchased various bootlegs from the infamous "Reborn Classics"... company, besides many others by "Old Metal" etc. Metal From Hell/Into The Mirror Live, Shadow Thief demo/Inner Ascendance demo, Chain Of Command demo/Majesty demo, Aslan-Psychotic Waltz demos/Mad Locust Rising ep (plus some Scepter shit), Soldier In Time (plus demo)/Under The Spell, Medieval Steel (plus demo)/Guilty As Charged and many others. What did you expect? The guy released stuff that was almost IMPOSSIBLE (or vastly expensive) to find in any other way, especially at a time when the term "mp3" was an unknown term. It was like digging for gold and suddenly discovering it. Couldn't bother to think if this is official or not. Therefore shat, as shat it gets. Of course OFFICIAL re-releases always win, but you know... they have to be available some way or another.

 

[Krilons Resa]

I've been duped by a few bootlegs every now and then, most of which I've sold off to unsuspecting buyers...

 

[skeptik]

Sorry for not giving a shit...

Actually that's not really true, most of them I marked off as bootlegs.

 

[Demilich]

I was rather frustrated when I bougtht a "reissue" of Infidel Art from Redstream or something and it turned out to be a bootleg. Fuck that.

 

[War Ensemble]

I love bootlegs of live material. Bootlegged studio material can suck a cock.

I agree. I don't support bootlegged studio material. I do enjoy the live concert bootleg occasionally.

 

[skeptik]

The only bootlegs that I support are the ones that the bands themselves support. But there are a few Greek labels out there today who continually pump out bootlegs of obscure classic 80s Metal records and sell them on eBay for insane prices, it's flooding the market with these knock offs where it becomes difficult to differentiate between it and the real thing. It's become a serious problem.

 

[Ars Magna]

It's good to know that I wasn't insane in thinking I wasn't the only one that thought bootlegs were crap. Then again, the dude I was talking to is still convinced it's 1989 and he owns everything from that decade on cd...many probably bootlegs of things only available on vinyl or cassette.

I agree with band-supported or "official" bootlegs. I'm just not cool with something someone did to make a buck regardless of the status of the band.

 

[skeptik]

Indeed. For example, I don't have a problem with King Fowley's Old Metal Records because, although he doesn't technically have the rights to most of what he releases from the record label, he gets permission from the bands to press small quantities of records to appease the fans. They're technically bootlegs, but only because King Fowley would have to pay thousands of dollars to get the rights to some of this shit, a lot of which the labels would likely never even sell.

 

[Carbonized]

Live boots I don't mind if there's no official release to be had. I almost prefer them (if the quality is good) to most recent offical live recordings that are over-produced and drained of all "live" feeling. Have any of you heard the last live Priest album? Awful, a eunuch couldn't be that sterile. Now, bootlegged reproductions of studio material I dislike. As someone else said, I'd rather d/l the stuff that was OOP than support bootleggers. Sometimes, if it's a lesser known band, they will burn you a cd-r from the source if you contact them for a small price and you can avoid compressed digital files.

 

[Evil_Legend]

Indeed. For example, I don't have a problem with King Fowley's Old Metal Records because, although he doesn't technically have the rights to most of what he releases from the record label, he gets permission from the bands to press small quantities of records to appease the fans. They're technically bootlegs, but only because King Fowley would have to pay thousands of dollars to get the rights to some of this shit, a lot of which the labels would likely never even sell.

Spot on for me too. As most of you know I hate bootlegs, but if it's Band vs. Greedy label holding the rights forever for no good reason... then Bootleg on!

But the problem is most bootleggers don't understand this and just think it's ok to bootleg anything... then get filthy rich on ebay.