Invented to capture live sound from remote locations during filming, the portable tape recorder could also double as a device to record a live concert. But how would it compare with a professional recording? The father of the modern bootleg, "Dub", answered any doubts on quality when he and his partner Ken issued Live’R Than You’ll Ever Be, on their TMoQ label [Trademark of Quality]. On Live’R was the second set The Rolling Stones played at the Oakland Coliseum in November, 1969, on the US tour that made their fame.
The quality made Rolling Stone magazine endorse the bootleg as a legitimate recording with a proper album review. Did the bootleggers have access to the soundboard and were the tapes bought from an insider?
"Dub acquired a Sennheiser 805 shotgun microphone and a UHER 4000 5-inch reel-to-reel recorder." This was state-of-the-art recording equipment at the time. Dub placed the equipment on stage in front of the onstage monitor speakers to capture the show as the Stones themselves heard it. Listening to it today, you can guess it was not too close to Charlie Watts’ drum kit, sparing us an ear-splitting headache. The guitars and Mick Jagger’s vocals carry the show from strength to strength. Mick Taylor’s fluid solos are a delight to hear.
The speed with which Dub issued his vinyl bootleg in December 1969, about a month after the show, and the enthusiastic reception it received among fans and music critics shocked the Stones’ record company. Decca had also recorded the Nov 27 and 28 shows at Madison Square Gardens in 1969 but had no plans for a release date. But with demand for live shows on the Stones US tour, Decca finally released their own Rolling Stones live album, Get Your Ya Ya’s Out on Sept 29, the following year, 1970. It was rumored to have been heavily doctored in the studio by The Stones for sonic perfection. It would have been an embarrassment to publicly acknowledge the bootleg’s quality. It had 10 tracks compared to the bootleg’s 16 which was the complete show from start to finish.
THE ROLLING STONES –
FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO PARIS2001 Vinyl Gang Product
live at Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California November 9, 1969 (2nd show)
1. Jumpin' Jack Flash 4:25
2. Carol 3:41
3. Sympathy For The Devil 6:23
4. Stray Cat Blues 4:15
5. Prodigal Son 3:52
6. You Gotta Move 3:14
7. Love In Vain 5:22
8. I'm Free 5:06
9. Under My Thumb 2:45
10. Midnight Rambler 7:41
11. Live With Me 3:30
12. Gimme Shelter 4:16
13. Little Queenie 4:20
14. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction 5:58
15. Honky Tonk Women 4:02
16. Street Fighting Man 4:35
Comments: Contains original Oakland '69 2nd show versions of Jumpin' Jack Flash with sound drops and a partial version of Under My Thumb. Cover is a copy of the original Toasted (TMoQ) 2LP.
See here for more information on this most famous of recordings
Thank you so much for sharing! Interesting read too, bootlegs are a very warm welcome to the sometimes muffled, compressed and altered official live releases. According to wikipedia some sources claim this to be the first bootleg.
ReplyDeleteAs you say the boots tell it like it is no overdubs, or fixing mistakes in the studio like many supposed live albums.
ReplyDeleteI think Dylan's the Great White Wonder was perhaps the first but this and Zeppelin's Blueberry Hill and also the Beatles Get Back were primarily responsible for kicking off the bootleg industry.
Some modern live albums are very harsh sounding because of the mastering techniques and fashion for loudness.
Yes, I don't get this "loudness war" at all. If you want it to sound louder, you just put the volume up...and then it should sound louder but still acceptable to the ears. A wall of sound does NOT make the music any better in my opinion. When I want to rock out, i'll put it on ten, but if want to listen closely to the different instruments and dynamics, I prefer to listen on a good pair of headphones.
ReplyDeleteIt's like some mad competition to see who has the loudest volume on their cd and never mind the quality of the music. Doesn't make sense does it?
ReplyDeleteJust some food for thought- the account of the recording I believe is correct but I'm almost positive that the recording position is not. The accounts I'm familiar with this famous bootleg have the taper somewhere in the audience pointing the shotgun mic at the stage, not ON the stage. The recording while very good indeed is not consistent with the sound quality capture that would have occurred had he been actually on the stage. Just my two cents....
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback Tommy. I would say you are correct, I can't see someone being able to just place their recording equipment on stage without any questions being asked. I've also read that the recording was obtained from a 'sweet spot' out in the audience which is definitely more likely.
ReplyDeleteAs a dealer in Bootleg records at record fairs throughout the U.K it is my recollection that the `First` Booleg that circulated for sale was `H-BOMB` by Deep Purple, this came in a rough plain white cardboard sleeve with a `H` hand stamped on the sleeve.
ReplyDeleteOther than that Dylan`s `Great White Wonder` is usually accepted as the first.
Thanks for the feedback, the Deep Purple show was recorded at Aachen in July 1970 and according to the "Smoke On The Water, The Deep Purple Story" by Dave Thompson "Dylan was followed by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who... and Deep Purple?"
ReplyDeleteSo certainly one of the very first. I'm sure Led Zeppelin should also be placed in their somewhere
You must have some stories to tell, if you have the time and want to contribute one for the blog please feel free. I'll remove it from the comments section and make a new post for it.
Thanks...I`ll consider it.
DeleteI traded at Record fairs for over 20 years....so i must remember something :)
I do recall that one of the most prized Boots was `Destroyer` by Led Zep, you may want to to look out for that for the Blog, Though you probally already have it?
Great work by the way....can`t wait to see what comes next.
Thanks for your positive comments, much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI have Destroyer not an original copy but downloaded from the net.
I'm sure some of those old boots that you sold could fetch a fair old price now.
thanks for your wonderful work
ReplyDeleteThanks man
ReplyDeleteActually, the first bootleg was Mozart walking out of the Sistine Chapel with Allegri's closely guarded Miserere recorded in his head.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/works/allegri/miserere.php
12 years old too, what a genius.
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