Before I start, please note that this isn't a thread soliciting for bootlegs, just a general question regarding them.

Back in the early 90's I was an avid collector of pressed Bootlegs. I used to buy one or two every single week, buying pressed discs just for one unreleased track I hadn't got.

This carried on pretty much all the way up to around 98 or so. I fell out of favour with Prince back then for a few years, and when I got back into his music properly, the internet meant that I could download the odd few tracks I didn't have, rather than buy a new bootleg all the time.

Now, as we all know, pretty much all the boots that have been released have since come out in much better, clearer quality. Live shows that were audience recordings have come out as soundboard etc...

So what happens to these old bootlegs? I don't play them any more, due to the sound quality, but they were a massive part of my life back in the 90's. Stuff like 'Yellow', Jewel Box and the Glamslam Miami, etc live albums got played more than his released albums back in the day.

Do bootlegs increase in value? Is my CD rack simply holding worthless, outdated CD's or in a few years time, will they be a nice little nest egg?

They may be poorer quality, but I still prefer the sound of my Black album CD with the hiss and pops of vinyl )

Erik

no

but tnere are alot of gullible people out there

i still prefer the bootleg of joy in repetition..the hiss of it all!

jonylawson said:

The same thing that's making legitimate CD releases obsolete has made our cherished silver bootlegs even more worthless - but it's a blessing in disguise, since everyone has access to them and we don't have to wait for a bi-annual body odor infused record show to get the goods. I feel ya though, I've got a shit-load of 'em.

I was thinking about this the other day, trawling through my CD crates looking to rip some stuff and found a load of old bootlegs like Jewel Box and City Lights, loads of GREAT 1999/PR rehersals with the CHEAPEST tackiest covers.

I doubt they'd ever be worth anything, maybe a few of the really rare ones or box sets, but they're nice to have any way.

Many pressed boots fetch a nice price on e-bay. I've noticed this in my browsing - especially the Sab stuff. There still seems to be a market for them, even with the internet making the rare stuff so accessible.

I'm gonna go the other way with it. Every time I see a boot on E-Bay it goes for a decent price. Some people would rather have a nice pressed boot over a cold, lifeless mp3.

djdaffy1227 said:

This is sooo true. Some of the packageing on some boots is as good if not better than some of the released albums. Personaly i try to collect vinyl boots,which means there are many coloured vinyl's and picture disc's out there. Its always nicer to be able to hold or touch something you own. And as was said earlyer,NOT everything is on the web and stuff that is is often compressed.

I seem to sense the average Prince collector just disses these kind of vintage releases in favour of nowadays "free releases". Compared to other heavily bootlegged artists, there seem to be more interest for these old bootlegs from the 80's or 90's -even if the contents are obsolete in terms of quality or whatever. So who knows? ... If it feels aiight, keep it in your collection - If you don't feel it, send it to me

psyche2 said:

Do the right thing. Send it here:

Emale July, 2003

High NPGMC,

We need ur help. The NPG is looking 4 anything with a WB logo that was
UNOFFICIALLY released during Prince's tenure at that label. This includes all of the following:

"Back 2 Back" releases:
German CD-singles -
Little Red Corvette/1999 - 7599-21184-2 (1989)
Erotic City/I Would Die 4 U - 7599-21185-2 (1989)
Let's Go Crazy/Take Me With U - 7599-21186-2 (1989)
When Doves Cry/Purple Rain - 7599-21187-2 (1989)
Kiss/Girls And Boys/Under The Cherry Moon - 7599-21188-2 (1989)

"Back 2 Back" releases:
US 7" singles -
I Wanna Be Your Lover/Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad - GWB 0392 (1987)
1999/Little Red Corvette - GWB 0468 (1987)
Delirious/Let's Pretend We're Married - GWB 0476 (1987)
When Doves Cry/Let's Go Crazy - GWB 0516 (1987)
I Would Die 4 U/Take Me With U - GWB 0517 (1987)
Purple Rain/Raspberry Beret - GWB 0528 (1987)
Pop Life/America - GWB 0529 (1987)
Sign O' The Times/U Got The Look - 7-21938 (1989)
Alphabet Street/I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man - 7-10039 (1989)
Batdance/Partyman - 7-21859 (1990)
Diamonds & Pearls/Insatiable - 7-15990 (1993)
Cream/Gett Off- 7-15991 (1993)

"Back 2 Back" releases:
German 7" singles -
Anotherloverholenyohead/I Wanna Be Your Lover - 928521-7 (1986)
Girls And Boys/Under The Cherry Moon with She's Always In My Hair/17 Days -
928585-7 (1986)

"2-On-1" releases
US cassettes
Controversy/Dirty Mind - 4F-23953 (1982)
Controversy/Dirty Mind - 4-23953 (1982) [slightly different O-card]

"BackTrax" releases:
US cassette singles -
1999/Little Red Corvette - 4-00468 (1989)
Alphabet St./I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man - 4-21858 (1990)
1999/Little Red Corvette - 4-00468 (1993) [blue O-card]
Diamonds & Pearls/Insatiable - 4-15990 (1993)
Cream/Gett Off - 4-15991 (1993)

"BackTrax" releases:
US CD singles -
1999/Little Red Corvette - 2-468 (1992)
Diamonds & Pearls/Insatiable - 2-15990 (1993)
Cream/Gett Off - 2-15991 (1993)

"ep" Remix Samplers:
Japanese CDs -
Scandalous Sex Suite - WPCP-3199 (1989) [9 tracks]
New Power Generation - WPCP-4200 (1991) [9 tracks]
Gett Off - WPCP-4630 (1991) [12 tracks]
My Name Is Prince - WPCP-5149 (1989) [8 tracks]

CD box set:
German CDs -
Around The World In A Day / Parade / Controversy - 7599-25944-2 (1992)

"Royal Box" release:
UK CD-singles -
When Doves Cry, 1999, Let's Go Crazy, Kiss, I Would Die 4 U - IMC506002 (1999)
[Also includes a 1999 calendar, a golden guitar-shaped badge, a limited edition
certificate on 'Purple Rain' sheet music & a framed full color photo of Prince.
Comes in a gold & purple velvet box with a golden TAFKAP symbol print on the
cover. 4" x 8" x 10" in size.]

"Double Feature" releases:
UK home videos -
Purple Rain/Graffiti Bridge - PES 12544 (1992)

If u have copies of anything in the list above or anything with a wb logo on it that is not on this list that falls in2 this category, please send 2:

The Ways of the Pharaoh
PO BOX 169
Vermilion, OH
44089-0169

In addition 2 the list above, we r gathering 2gether all Prince bootlegs. Send them 2 the same address.

All member info will kept confidential. Ur help is greatly appreciated.

Love4oneanther,
The NPG Music Club

erik319 said:

Prince ain't about this, that, what, where, or how
Prince about the freaks doing everything they wanna do now!

send em 2 the dump




[Edited 12/8/09 13:26pm]

Collectors will always be buying but the last few years I've found some steals. If you have cash now you can get most anything dirt cheap

squirrelgrease said:

Good Lord, I remember this email. When I first read it, I was thinking that Prince had to be smoking something or having a "blonde" moment to actually thing that we would unass any music and send it to "The Ways of the Pharoah".

I wonder if "Small Club" on 4 LPs is worth anything?

some might argue the original cassettes added life to many a demo as they transfered from tape to tape distorting and fattening the bass ... i have no doubt the vinyl is worth far more than any of these modern cd releases anything taped with analog instead of these new lifeless digital recorders is certainly worth something. there is life in the pops hisses cut outs while a good sound is nice too much clean up can suck the charm out ,,, on the other hand distortion and pops on a digital recording are absolutely unbearable and make a strong arguement for ditching the digital recording method as an entire show can be ruined by a slightly high imput level ... not so on analog which will compress and fatten the sound

If someone is willing to buy them, they will always be worth money.

No.

I feel really old now. I thought pressed bootlegs meant vinyl. I have lots of those and lots on CD. I don't like MP3, so I still buy CD's.

squirrelgrease said:

I wonder if any fammys sent any in? I can't see any normal, sane people doing so.

If he was that desperate for us to send CDs in, he should have added 1999 the new master to the list. I know it was official, but I'm sure he'd have still been inundated

Erik