Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings
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Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings are audio and/or video recordings of musical performances by English rock band Led Zeppelin which were not officially released by the band, or under other legal authority. The recordings consist of both live concert performances and outtakes from studio sessions conducted by the band. Many hundreds of Led Zeppelin bootlegs exist,[1] and are widely collected by fans.
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[edit] Overview
Led Zeppelin were, throughout the decade of the 1970s, one of the world's most frequently bootlegged performers. This phenomenon was due partly to the immense popularity of the band during this era, which ensured a large and enthusiastic market for unauthorised recordings, and partly to the massive size of the venues they played at, which made the effective policing of the audience for covert recording equipment virtually impossible.
Led Zeppelin's manager, Peter Grant, sometimes took extraordinary measures to combat the practice of live bootleg recordings at Led Zeppelin concerts. He is reported to have personally visited record stores in London which were selling Led Zeppelin bootlegs and demanded all copies be handed over. He also monitored the crowd at Led Zeppelin concerts so as to locate anything which resembled bootleg recording equipment. At one concert at Vancouver in 1971 he saw what he thought was recording equipment on the floor of the venue and personally ensured that the equipment be destroyed, only to find out later that the equipment was a noise pollution unit being operated by city officials to test the volume of the concert.
[edit] Earliest bootlegs
During the 1970s, bootleg labels such as Smilin' Ear, Kornyfone, Dragonfly, Trade Mark of Quality, Condor and Toasted released unofficial recordings of several Led Zeppelin shows on vinyl, including:
- Gonzaga '68 : Recorded on December 30, 1968 in the Gonzaga University Gymnasium in Spokane, Washington.
- The Rising of The Zeppelin : Recorded at the Fillmore West, San Francisco, January 9th, 1969. The Original LP was released in a magnificent red, green and blue color.
- Killing Floor : Recorded at the band's legendary Boston Tea Party show on January 26, 1969.
- Don't Mess With Texas : From the Texas International Pop Festival, recorded live in Dallas on Sunday, August 31, 1969
- We're Gonna Groove/Feel All Right : Recorded in Montreux Jazz Festival on March 14, 1970. The Feel All Right version was released in 1984 by Audio Recording Corporation under an incorrect title of Live in Montreux 1971
- Mudslide : From Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada on March 21, 1970.
- Live On Blueberry Hill : One of the first Led Zeppelin bootleg LPs to be released, containing the Los Angeles Forum performance on September 4, 1970.
- Going to California: From the Berkeley Community Theatre performance on September 14, 1971.
- BBC Broadcasts
- Custard Pie : From an audience recording of the Offenburg, West Germany show on March 24, 1973.
- Tympani for the Butter Queen : A recording of the performance at Tarrant County Convention Center (Fort Worth Convention Center), Fort Worth, Texas show on May 19, 1973.
- V-1⁄2 : Audience recording of the Seattle Center Coliseum show on July 17, 1973.
- Duckwalks and Lasers: A recording of the performance at Madison Square Garden, New York, on July 28, 1973.
- Earls Court : Recording from the Earls Court Arena, 1975.
- The Destroyer : The soundboard recording from Richfield Coliseum in Cleveland, Ohio on April 27, 1977.
- Listen To This Eddie : An audience recording of the show at the Los Angeles Forum on June 21, 1977.
- For Badgeholders Only: An audience recording of the show at the Los Angeles Forum on June 23, 1977 with Keith Moon, who joined in on drum set for "Moby Dick", but otherwise played other percussion instruments.
Most of these recordings derived from audience tapes, though a few (such as The Destroyer) were sourced from soundboard recordings.
[edit] The 1980s: the release of the soundboards
In the 1980s the number of available soundboard recordings of Led Zeppelin shows increased significantly as a result of original soundboard tapes having been stolen from the home of their owner, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, and then copied for underground release. Also stolen were copies of several rare studio out-takes, which were released under titles such as Jennings Farm Blues (featuring run-throughs of an electric version of "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" recorded in October 1969) and Studio Daze (including different studio mixes of "Since I've Been Loving You", "No Quarter" and "All My Love"). "Midnight Moonlight", a song later recorded by "The Firm", is available through studio bootlegs.
[edit] The 1990s: the CD era
The 1990s saw a multitude of Led Zeppelin bootlegs become available on the CD format, with limited-edition and higher quality releases being produced in Japan on the Tarantura and Antrabata labels. In 1999, the BBC reported that the number of Led Zeppelin bootleg titles in circulation exceeded those of The Beatles.
Some notable Led Zeppelin bootlegs released on CD include:
- Burn Like A Candle : The complete show from the Los Angeles Forum on June 25, 1972.
- Pigeon Blood : Recorded at Tampa Stadium, Florida on May 5, 1973.
- Led Zeppelin's Flying Circus : A soundboard recording of the Madison Square Garden, New York City performance on February 12, 1975.
- Knebworth : Both of the band's performances at the Knebworth Festival in August 1979.
[edit] 2007 court case
In July 2007 Page appeared in a Glasgow courtroom to give testimony and observe evidence on behalf of Led Zeppelin against an alleged bootlegger. Robert Langley was charged with, and denied, twelve counts of producing and selling products without copyright permission.
Page was shown hundreds of CDs and DVDs, ranging from his solo material to his time with Led Zeppelin and the Yardbirds, which Langley was allegedly selling in Scotland during 2005. Many contain footage and audio from Page's personal collection, stolen from his home in the early 1980s.[2][3]
The goods were found on sale as far away as New York, where shop-owners thought they were official. Page later said "If you have something like this that appears legitimate then it is just not right".[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Led Zeppelin rock bootleg chart. BBC Online Network - Entertainment. BBC (1999-08-17). Archived from the original on 2002-08-11. Retrieved on 2007-12-15. “"Led Zep" have overtaken previous chart-toppers The Beatles, in the latest list compiled by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).... The BPI Anti-Piracy Unit identified 384 bootleg titles featuring Led Zeppelin performances. These albums typically contain plundered studio out-takes and amateur recordings made at concerts.”
- ^ a b Star Page witness in bootleg case. BBC News. BBC (2007-07-26). Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
- ^ Jimmy Page Testifies In Bootlegging Trial. blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records (2007-07-26). Retrieved on 2007-12-15. “The star told the ongoing court case that the discs had never been authorized for manufacture, distribution or sale.”
[edit] Sources
- Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4.
- Luis Rey (1997) Led Zeppelin Live: An Illustrated Exploration of Underground Tapes, Ontario: The Hot Wacks Press. ISBN 0-9698080-7-0.
[edit] External links
- Led Zeppelin Sessions Bootleg Database
- Led Zeppelin Live
- The Year of Led Zeppelin: A Quest to Listen to Every Led Zeppelin Concert in a Year
