Led Zeppelin Bootlegs

[JTM]

First one I heard? Berlin 1980, taped from a friend. Circa 1984 or so...at the time I thought Zeppelin sounded like a completely different band on that show from what I was used to hearing. Don't think I was totally wrong, mind you

First one I bought? Actually it was a double LP of The Rolling Stones' first Baton Rouge show from 1975, recorded by none other than Freezer, of course...first Zeppelin bootleg I bought was the Dragonfly For Badgeholders Only LP sets for $70 in 1985.

Freezer must have gone ballistic  when he found out his tape was used by a bootlegger, no wonder in the end he stopped giving out his recordings.

[gcczep]

I must say that the bootleg LPs being sold on eBay are now priced more than twice and in some cases three times as much as they were before.

[Nutrocker]

Freezer must have gone ballistic  when he found out his tape was used by a bootlegger, no wonder in the end he stopped giving out his recordings.

If memory serves those two Stones Baton Rouge shows he taped getting bootlegged (which happened shortly after the gigs took place) were what started his hatred of bootleggers...but, as I've said before, knowing what I know about the guy you can't help but wonder if Freezer despised bootleggers because they didn't give him proper credit/homage for his work or if they weren't willing to pay him what he reckoned his recordings were worth...should I meet him in the afterlife, I'll have to ask him

[Miracle_Muffler]

Any Zeppelin vinyl bootleg collectors here? I have a couple of old and rare ones that I'm considering parting with. If interested, drop me a line.

[Nutrocker]

Any Zeppelin vinyl bootleg collectors here? I have a couple of old and rare ones that I'm considering parting with. If interested, drop me a line.

Well, which ones? There's quite a few Zep vinyl folks around here.

I'd like to find a decent copy of the old Destroyer vinyl boot...the April 28 show. Without having to take out a goddamn second mortgage on my house, thanks. I've seen some of the prices on eBay and such places- my old Badgeholders LP's -which I still have, and play quite a bit- I only paid $70 for now goes for like $300. I'm an old school vinyl guy, but I wouldn't pay three hundred smackers even for an original Beatles "Butcher cover"...I can't hardly believe the price of records nowadays, compared to when I bought most of mine.

[Melcórë]

I'd be interested in any of the very early LPs...but most of them have only been bettered by later releases/fans who were able to get their hands on the tapes (or close enough).

[Miracle_Muffler]

I have two 80s boots: Fillmore West 1969 on Jester Productions, numbered box with t-shirt, limited to 100 copies and Radio 3AK Kooyong Tennis Courts 2LP, original Japanese pressing with no matrices on one of discs. 

[CSamuel84]

This is a great thread! I remember vividly the first Zeppelin bootleg I ever purchased. This was in maybe 1998. I was 14 years old. Little mom and pop CD shop not too far from my house. At that point, I had all the studio albums and TSRTS. Went into the shop and noticed a Zep CD I had never seen or heard of before. It was Arabesque & Baroque - The Second Night. Earls Court 5/18/75. Antrabata label. How that ended up at a little shop in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1998...I have no idea. It was 40 bucks for the 4 disc set, which at that time was really pretty cheap for a silver disc bootleg set. Spent all my grass cutting money I had saved for a few weeks on it. Got home and put it on and thought I had been had. It sounded absolutely abysmal to my untrained bootleg ears. My dad came upstairs, and I asked him what the hell was wrong with the CD. He says, "Son, you bought a bootleg." He then explained to me what a bootleg album was. And, that was all it took. 20+ years on and still trying to hunt down those old Tarantura, TDOLZ, Antrabata, and Jelly Roll titles. I also grew to really enjoy and appreciate that 5/18 audience recording. Just took a little time and some more listens to train my ears:)

[Strider]

The first bootlegs I ever heard were Bob Dylan "The Great White Wonder" and the Rolling Stones "Liver Than You'll Ever Be". My dad bought them in 1970.

The first live Led Zeppelin I ever heard was the local radio broadcast of the April 1, 1971 Paris Theatre BBC session...that was either late-1971 or early-1972.

The first Led Zeppelin bootlegs I got were the double-vinyl sets of "Blueberry Hill" (9.4.70 Forum) and "Going to California" (9.14.71 Berkeley) at this independent record shop in Huntington Beach in late-summer 1972. I think I paid $6 or $7 total.

I was hooked immediately.

A month later I picked up the Rubber Dubber version of 9.4.70 called "Live at the L.A. Forum" and the original "Pb" (3.21.70). 

I have never stopped since then, accumulating and re-accumulating (as some got lost or stolen) hundreds over the years.

It will always be one of my main Led Zeppelin pleasures.

 

Edited April 10, 2020 by Strider

[duckman]

Being 14 years old and already an avid Zep head, my first Live Zep experience was a 60 minutes compilation on a reel to reel tape culled from the BB Hill 2LP. Traded it with a class mate for a Woodstock live poster.

I must admit it was a mixed bag of excitement and minor disappointment (Whole Lotta Love sounded thin compared to LZ2, Bonzo sounded 'boxy' and muffled). In 1976 I bought my first Zep boot (Earl's Court on LZL Europe), followed by the (BBC sourced ) Stairway to Heaven on TMOQ. These were much better, in my book. By the time TSRTS came along, my main intrest became....girls😍 and Mighty Zep moved to an honorable second place until the late 80's when I became obsessed again.

After reading the Chris Welch' "Led Zeppelin The  book" in 1990, I was wondering how to acquire this avalanche of great  live material... I was surprised those 'illicit' live Zep CD's were readily available in most record stores. The infamous 'legal loophole 'period here in Europe when enterprising (German, Italian,...) labels were rehashing American and Japan releases. My first copy was Bonzo at Last (Seagull) covering the last Berlin show. A sheer endless string  of live silvers followed: Fillmore 4/27/69 (wow; Train kept a rollin', As Long as I have You,...), BBC Paris Theater 71, Dallas 75, , Zurich 80, Destroyer and my favorite: Osaka 1971.

Other stand out moments;

• the discovery of Texas Pop on Whoopy Cat. Luis Rey 'LIVE' only mentioned a sub par AUD recoding, but discovering this new, superior SB source in my trusted record store was MAGIC
• After two, three  years finally tracking down the original silvers of Studio Daze (Scorpio), Bombay Sessions (Tecumseh), V1/2 (Dynamite),...my first Tarantura's
• The soundboard revolution
• the internet of things: discussing Zep with the Dave Lewis, Hugh Jones, Leo Ishac, Eric Sachs and  the late Gerard Sparaco  😢
• getting acquainted with Neil, Robert and William here on the forum. wonderful.

In the meanwhile dozens from my original silver collection left the building for better versions, but I still do cherish my humble collection. Even more so in COVID 19 times

fingers crossed for more discoveries and updates

 

[Zep Hed]

Great thread indeed! I'm all about the vinyl. Got a library of about 2500 LPs - rock and pop from the 50s to the 80s. One shelf alone of a few hundred reserved for Zeppelin.

Zeppelin became my faves not long after I was first turned on to rock music - had all the official LPs + TSRTS film - but knew nothing else of them live until I got to college. First boot I found was Going To California 2LP. Based on the setlist, obviously had to be after LZ IV but didn't know anything else. The guy in the store guessed LA Forum, a good enough guess.

I was fortunate early on in my collecting to get my hands on Luis Rey's and Robert Godwin's books to guide me through. Never got burned buying a show I already had and could ID a few that had little if any details on them. Like the Central Park 69/Milan 71 picture discs. I was able to listen to Central Park Part One in the store and based on Rey's description (Woody Woodpecker!), ah that's Central Park! Part Two, which includes Milan, was nothing more than the LZ III wheel pic disc in a clear sleeve, but I knew what it was based on Godwin's guide which had photos of each LP.

I recall getting Melancholy Danish Pageboys 3LPs; great atmosphere, superb audience recording! "Complete" BBC Recordings 4LPs, nearly all the BBC material in one package. Brilliant! Lots of nice boot videos as well. One's called California Film Strips + more. Mainly from the 75 and 77 tours but some nice extras like the 85 Live Aid set and Robert performing Little Sister w/ Rockpile at McCartney's 79 charity show. Seeing live footage from 1980 for the first time - even if silent - was memorable too.

After some years I wasn't finding anything I didn't already have in the local stores. I'm from Eastern Massachusetts and went to school in Western Mass. I started taking drives from school down to NYC, mainly the West Village. Got some nice stuff there too.

Then came the internet and shopping from retailers the world over. Original European releases and those Japanese acetates I thought I would only read about (Yahoo Japan Auctions!). First acetate I acquired was West Allison State from a guy in California. He sent it in a humongous box for safety sake! I probably have at least one vinyl version of every show represented in the vinyl section of Godwin's book. I never started collecting CDs or DVDs. I stuck with vinyl + VHS. I suppose I should feel vindicated since we seem to have passed through the CD/DVD era straight through to DLs and disc space.

Now? Well it's easy enough to merely bookmark an upload if disc space is limited. Bath Festival on at the moment, and yes it sounds better than Knock Oneself Out, the 2 Japanese acetates. Won't ever diminish my affinity for the records, though.

Thanks for the thread. Great stories. Fun to read!

[CSamuel84]

Duckman,

I remember my first Tarantura. Got it on Ebay years ago. Physical Vancouver Farewell. I think I paid 100 bucks for it. Always loved the packaging for that set. The plastic hanging bag designed to resemble a pack of Ernie Ball super slinky guitar strings. I also remember the day I won the TDOLZ Power & Glory box on Ebay in the last 5 seconds of the auction. That was a thrilling day! I think I got that for just under $200.

[Xolo1974]

15 hours ago, duckman said:

Being 14 years old and already an avid Zep head, my first Live Zep experience was a 60 minutes compilation on a reel to reel tape culled from the BB Hill 2LP. Traded it with a class mate for a Woodstock live poster.

I must admit it was a mixed bag of excitement and minor disappointment (Whole Lotta Love sounded thin compared to LZ2, Bonzo sounded 'boxy' and muffled). In 1976 I bought my first Zep boot (Earl's Court on LZL Europe), followed by the (BBC sourced ) Stairway to Heaven on TMOQ. These were much better, in my book. By the time TSRTS came along, my main intrest became....girls😍 and Mighty Zep moved to an honorable second place until the late 80's when I became obsessed again.

After reading the Chris Welch' "Led Zeppelin The  book" in 1990, I was wondering how to acquire this avalanche of great  live material... I was surprised those 'illicit' live Zep CD's were readily available in most record stores. The infamous 'legal loophole 'period here in Europe when enterprising (German, Italian,...) labels were rehashing American and Japan releases. My first copy was Bonzo at Last (Seagull) covering the last Berlin show. A sheer endless string  of live silvers followed: Fillmore 4/27/69 (wow; Train kept a rollin', As Long as I have You,...), BBC Paris Theater 71, Dallas 75, , Zurich 80, Destroyer and my favorite: Osaka 1971.

Other stand out moments;

• the discovery of Texas Pop on Whoopy Cat. Luis Rey 'LIVE' only mentioned a sub par AUD recoding, but discovering this new, superior SB source in my trusted record store was MAGIC
• After two, three  years finally tracking down the original silvers of Studio Daze (Scorpio), Bombay Sessions (Tecumseh), V1/2 (Dynamite),...my first Tarantura's
• The soundboard revolution
• the internet of things: discussing Zep with the Dave Lewis, Hugh Jones, Leo Ishac, Eric Sachs and  the late Gerard Sparaco  😢
• getting acquainted with Neil, Robert and William here on the forum. wonderful.

In the meanwhile dozens from my original silver collection left the building for better versions, but I still do cherish my humble collection. Even more so in COVID 19 times

fingers crossed for more discoveries and updates

 

Very kind, thanks Eric

[John M]

First bootleg I heard was BBC 1971 on FM radio in the late 70s.  Recorded it on cassette, then made a back up copy since cassettes don't last.   A few years later I was browsing the "import" section in a record store and saw an album with a black cover and the four symbols in white on the front, no other text anywhere.  I asked if I could check it out on the store turntable.  They said sure.  When I dropped the needle I was blown away.  Later I learned it was BBC Playhouse Theatre June 1969.

My next two were For Badgeholders Only June 23 1977 and Knebworth.  The Knebworth had a very cheap paper cover glued to a white cardboard sleeve, and it didn't sound right to me.  I think that version was running too fast and the sound was thin.  The Badgeholders was a treasure.  This was back when I had no idea what boots were good or what to look for.  I think the next one after that was Persistence - Kezar 73 - with that very cool cover sending up Presence.  

Edited April 11, 2020 by John M

[Strider]

22 hours ago, duckman said:

Being 14 years old and already an avid Zep head, my first Live Zep experience was a 60 minutes compilation on a reel to reel tape culled from the BB Hill 2LP. Traded it with a class mate for a Woodstock live poster.

I must admit it was a mixed bag of excitement and minor disappointment (Whole Lotta Love sounded thin compared to LZ2, Bonzo sounded 'boxy' and muffled). In 1976 I bought my first Zep boot (Earl's Court on LZL Europe), followed by the (BBC sourced ) Stairway to Heaven on TMOQ. These were much better, in my book. By the time TSRTS came along, my main intrest became....girls😍 and Mighty Zep moved to an honorable second place until the late 80's when I became obsessed again.

After reading the Chris Welch' "Led Zeppelin The  book" in 1990, I was wondering how to acquire this avalanche of great  live material... I was surprised those 'illicit' live Zep CD's were readily available in most record stores. The infamous 'legal loophole 'period here in Europe when enterprising (German, Italian,...) labels were rehashing American and Japan releases. My first copy was Bonzo at Last (Seagull) covering the last Berlin show. A sheer endless string  of live silvers followed: Fillmore 4/27/69 (wow; Train kept a rollin', As Long as I have You,...), BBC Paris Theater 71, Dallas 75, , Zurich 80, Destroyer and my favorite: Osaka 1971.

Other stand out moments;

• the discovery of Texas Pop on Whoopy Cat. Luis Rey 'LIVE' only mentioned a sub par AUD recoding, but discovering this new, superior SB source in my trusted record store was MAGIC
• After two, three  years finally tracking down the original silvers of Studio Daze (Scorpio), Bombay Sessions (Tecumseh), V1/2 (Dynamite),...my first Tarantura's
• The soundboard revolution
• the internet of things: discussing Zep with the Dave Lewis, Hugh Jones, Leo Ishac, Eric Sachs and  the late Gerard Sparaco  😢
• getting acquainted with Neil, Robert and William here on the forum. wonderful.

In the meanwhile dozens from my original silver collection left the building for better versions, but I still do cherish my humble collection. Even more so in COVID 19 times

fingers crossed for more discoveries and updates

 

Sparaco died? When did this happen?

Always liked his bootleg reviews on Collector's Reviews. Seemed very fair.

[duckman]

34 minutes ago, Strider said:

Sparaco died? When did this happen?

Always liked his bootleg reviews on Collector's Reviews. Seemed very fair.

Hi Strider,

Yes he passed away in 2013, Cancer I presume

Strange you missed the notification on Collector's Reviews at the time. Ger was a marvelous man, devoted to his profession as a pastor and to music. Zep in particular.

https://www.collectorsmusicreviews.com/in-memory-of-gerard-sparaco/

In more recent reviews the people at CR often still refer to Gerard's reviews. 

Edited April 11, 2020 by duckman

[Strider]

49 minutes ago, duckman said:

Hi Strider,

Yes he passed away in 2013, Cancer I presume

Strange you missed the notification on Collector's Reviews at the time. Ger was a marvelous man, devoted to his profession as a pastor and to music. Zep in particular.

https://www.collectorsmusicreviews.com/in-memory-of-gerard-sparaco/

In more recent reviews the people at CR often still refer to Gerard's reviews. 

Thanks for the info. I wasn't exactly a regular on the CR site and often when I came across a new bootleg title and wanted to get the score, I would just google the title and collectors reviews and it would send me directly to the review bypassing the site's homepage. So that may be why I missed the notice.

[duckman]

10 hours ago, CSamuel84 said:

 

I remember my first Tarantura. Got it on Ebay years ago. Physical Vancouver Farewell. I think I paid 100 bucks for it. Always loved the packaging for that set. The plastic hanging bag designed to resemble a pack of Ernie Ball super slinky guitar strings. I also remember the day I won the TDOLZ Power & Glory box on Ebay in the last 5 seconds of the auction. That was a thrilling day! I think I got that for just under $200.

Yep, that super slinky guitar strings cover was incredibly cool... The original Tarantura was quite inventive in the art department. It's a great pity Empress's latest releases weren't particularly inspired most of the times.

[Moby_Dick_Ale]

On "CD Museum Pb" Twitter: a new Led Zeppelin box by the end of April. Knowing CdMuseum sells Tarantura (and related) stuff, this is probably a new Tarantura2000 box. Mastered by the mysterious "Enigma" ??

And what concert it will be?

[Tainted cheese]

1 hour ago, Moby_Dick_Ale said:

On "CD Museum Pb" Twitter: a new Led Zeppelin box by the end of April. Knowing CdMuseum sells Tarantura (and related) stuff, this is probably a new Tarantura2000 box. Mastered by the mysterious "Enigma" ??

And what concert it will be?

I believe Its a new remaster of Detroit 1973, the first night, w/ two separate sources, 6cd

[Autumn Moon]

10 hours ago, Moby_Dick_Ale said:

On "CD Museum Pb" Twitter: a new Led Zeppelin box by the end of April. Knowing CdMuseum sells Tarantura (and related) stuff, this is probably a new Tarantura2000 box. Mastered by the mysterious "Enigma" ??

And what concert it will be?

 

8 hours ago, Tainted cheese said:

I believe Its a new remaster of Detroit 1973, the first night, w/ two separate sources, 6cd

Really looking forward, but it might take a little time as EMS & airmail shipping from Japan is currently suspended.

 

 

 

 

 

[Reqx]

I really love this thread - some great stories and actually quite diverse.

I was 16 in 1990, and just starting my obsession with Zeppelin.  It is kind of goofy but I actually first liked the band in the early 80's, although I didn't realize it yet, when I saw the SCTV parody of "Stairways to Heaven" featuring 30 different stars doing their rendition of the song (it is just a K-Tel style commercial, but Google it and enjoy if you've never seen it).  Anyway, a buddy of mine tried to capitalize on my obsession by playing me a single-LP version of the Baton Rouge 2/28/75 show, thinking I'd pay him a hundred bucks for it.  I scoffed, but found myself going to the record store he got it from.  I instantly found a goldmine (pun intended as I scoured Goldmine magazine constantly after that).  My first purchase is still my favorite show - the "207.19" and "214" release of the Seattle 3/21/75 show.  When the soundboard came out I was ecstatic to say the least, but I still like to listen to that INSANE Dazed and Confused.  After that I was mostly into the CD versions, going to local record shows around Milwaukee on a monthly basis. 

 

[Moby_Dick_Ale]

I ordered "The Starship" box!!  😄🤘

[Autumn Moon]

22 hours ago, Moby_Dick_Ale said:

I ordered "The Starship" box!!  😄🤘

Yes, there´s no time to lose. Unfortunately, I have to be patient as my source for Tarantura boots orders from Japan and there is currently no EMS available.

I prefer the "Starship" cover over the other version, too. IMO version "A" shows rather a barrage balloon than a Zeppelin.

I wonder how long it will take til you receive your box- fingers crossed.

[Santa Cruz]

On 8/4/2009 at 10:50 PM, lzzoso said:

Can you remember when or where you first "discovered" any kind of "live" Led Zeppelin recordings? I became a die-hard LZ fan when I was 13 years old and living in St. Louis, Missouri. Back around then I used to go to record conventions or record shows with the guy that actually turned me on to Led Zeppelin (he was around 16). It was there that I first found and first bought my first LZ bootleg album. To be completely honest I actually cannot remember what that record was. Maybe "Persistence" from San Francisco 1973. Nonetheless, since that first bootleg, I have amassed at least 150+ bootlegs of the "Mighty Led Zeppelin" over the past 25 years. This include albums, tapes, cd's, videos, and dvd's.

 

After St. Louis, my family moved to Hillsborough, New Jersey (about an hour outside of New York City). I was 17 then. Some of my fondest memories are of me going to NYC by myself or with some friends, drinking beer, smoking joints and walking around Greenwich Village. The Village has some of the best record stores I have ever been to. During most of those "trips" I would always come home with at least one or two new LZ bootleg cd. It was there that I also discovered the once popular ZOSO magazine.

 

Anyway, that is my little story of how I discovered the power of the live LED ZEPPELIN experience. To this day I am still seeking and searching for all that I can find. Remember, back then there was no Internet or Google or YouTube like there is today.

 

What are your great stories of how you discovered your own collection of LZ bootlegs?

My Dad turned me into Led Zeppelin , telling me about the shows that he and my mother went to at the Fillmore is 69.  My first Boot was Plays Pure Blues . I would drive all over the Bay Area and sometimes as far South as San Louis Obispo . They had some really cool record shops . But the thrill and anticipation of driving and hunting for Zeppelin bootlegs was and is an amazing feeling . I spent a small fortune on them , but also buying an book and publication I could find . When I started to realize that by the end of the 1990’s you could get them for free I was bummed to say the least . When I saw bootlegs that I had searched for that had numbers like 235 of 1000 , and then it was just posted online for free . As the years went by I realized all the amazing shows that were being posted that I otherwise maybe would have never found . And the 100 plus CD’s and record boots that I have , still have the same meaning to me . Great topic as well .