haha, i thought i was the only one. after spending the 90s listening to true bootlegs, i never could quite get into the official boots for those same reasons. only ever owned a handful, and didn't listen to them as much.

i'd also add that the official boots were too easy to acquire, whereas you had to hunt down the true boots, whether by b&p or by ordering them through your local independent record store. that was part of the fun and fulfillment.

hell yeah, when i had my record store i would have to call a number in germany to order the unofficial boots..its was great

hell yeah, when i had my record store i would have to call a number in germany to order the unofficial boots..its was great

Yeah, and then charging us 50 bucks for an incomplete Brixton 93. I'm sure it was great for you.

Yeah, and then charging us 50 bucks for an incomplete Brixton 93. I'm sure it was great for you.

oh man, you were the record store guy? we had this place in the town nearby called soundwaves; the dude and his old lady ran the place. he had binder catalogs of the boots by band, always being updated, that we'd sift through whenever we had the cash. germany, italy, japan, etc. $25 a disc, $50 if it was a double disc entire concert. he kept the live compilation boots on hand, but we usualy had to special order the full shows. it'd take a couple weeks for them to come in; the wait was excruciating.

I guess we're getting into intangible territory here, live music. On albums, the music and performances have to be on point. Cause it's gotta be good enough to make me want to go back and listen again and again. So, I'm totally honed in on the vocals and all that shit (although fuck me if I'm saying something like "hey they really should make the 2nd rhythm guitar higher in the mix"). The music either moves me, or it doesn't. Live in concert, it's a give and take, it's an energy, it's a ... yes .. a "vibe". Does it make me wanna jump around? Sing along? "vibe" out? I've got 3 or 4 minutes for a song, no take backs, no re-listening, I either feel it or I don't. Fortunately, I more than feel it with them these days, live they are on point, scratchy vocals and all cause the energy and effort is good enough to make me jam out for those 3-4 minutes per song for the most part.

I think the bootlegs have served their purpose. I don't need them now, and I don't think they're particularly good. I think they are a good relic of those "middle" years. I actually want one of those audience recorded bootlegs like the ones from the early 90s where you could hear someone yelling or puking in the background or whatever. Takes you closer to that "vibe" thing.

Oh man, we had a few Record Exchange's close by. I loved the days of the imports! Once I moved to Harrisonburg, VA, there was a shop there called Town & Campus that I made a daily ritual of frequenting. The owner was cool & turned me onto some really great bands. He kept a catalog and would order anything you'd want. He ended up getting sued over the Live Import section he had and the litigation bankrupted him. Fuck whoever ratted him out. I hope their karma has paid them back for that.

I would be glad to record myself talking and belching while a live PJ recording plays in the background and charge $50 for it, if that's gonna take you back. I got "vibe" like you wouldn't believe.

loved the unofficial boots with fake band names printed on the CDs ... then you put it in the CD player and, bam, it's PJ ... one of life's great thrills

I understand what he means. I never shared the feeling though. Nothing annoyed me more than spending $40 on a CD only to find some dickhead next to the taper had elected to talk through the entire concert.

I've still got a few of those. Nostalgia.

Boy, people sure will believe any old bullshit was wonderful, so long as it's from before they got old and fat.

You must be really fun at parties.