TheDigitalGardener said:

vitriol said:

^That one is official, not a boot...

DG, I noticed in one of the other threads that you said you liked 4DF's SOTT Rehearsals Vol. 1 better than Sab's (or just that you preferred 4DF's version period). Why is that? Just wondering.

alexnvrmnd777 said:

TheDigitalGardener said:

DG, I noticed in one of the other threads that you said you liked 4DF's SOTT Rehearsals Vol. 1 better than Sab's (or just that you preferred 4DF's version period). Why is that? Just wondering.

I find 4DF's SOTT rehearsals vol 1 & 2 to be much better sound quality than sabs versions. There is an obvious pitch problem with sabs versions too, which was one of the main things that were fixed on 4DF's version.

I prefer Vol 1 of the two.

Great releases.

[Edited 8/29/11 15:23pm]

^Correct.

Pitch on Sab's release is all over the place: sometimes too fast, sometimes to slow but virtually never right.

Apart from the pitch issues, they fixed a lot of glitches.

Same for the part of the City Lights shows 4DF reworked: they play flawlessly whilst there are tremendous gaps and glitches on the original Superhero versions.

Both Sab and Superhero deserve props for putting out their versions, but they definitely got a new polish once they underwent the 4DF processes.

Out here in Los Angeles, there were several great bootleg shops up and down Melrose. Bleeker Bobs and many others who were able to get the latest and (HA) greatest albums and then CDs came around and everyone thought they'd sound better. They didn't.

It was an event when new stuff came in. Going to the record shows and searching through the boxes for that one thing (Let's Work 12 inch, Let's Pretend We're Married single, etc.). Even Tower Records would put the latest Prince magazines in the bin. That was always cool.

I miss Prince Family News, UPTOWN, Controversy (before they put their tongue completely up his ass), and so many other mags. i miss the anticipation of the package you were expecting of 2-3 tapes. I miss they community of collectors who all knew each other. All of that was great but it really was, as someone said above, a 2nd job. Now that I have no time, the internet is fantastic for finding those nuggets, but I do miss the anticipation, and excitement. We had no idea what was in the vault and sometimes finding that vein of gold, or even finding that version of a song that was a few generations higher than what you had made all the difference.

I also miss hearing the demos of songs months before the album came out. Remember the Graffiti Bridge demos? Remember how cool it was to hear Diamonds and Pearl demos long before they came out? Man I do and those sorts of things make me miss that time. Great post!

TheDigitalGardener said:

Back to the topic at hand, I was thinking about The Black Album the other day, and I have to say that obtaining that particular boot on a TDK60 for £4 at a local record fair, is probably the most excited I have been about any bootleg that I ever purchased. The live boots on vinyl, tape and later on cd were (and a few still are) fantastic, but obtaining The Black Album on tape with it's grainy 3rd, 4th or whatever generation sound was a big thrill.

I remember the excitement that day, I bought that tape, then had a very quick scan round the rest of the fair and rushed home to play it. Back then I thought it sounded great, with it's big bass sound and gritty, dirty quality hehehe. I did not obtain a cd copy until the official release in '94 so I had that tape a long time. I rememeber making a back up copy of it just in case my "original" chewed up.

Good times indeed.

oh man, i had a tape recording of a tape recording.. i paid $20 for it... it was on fire in my hands going home... i could not wait.. and it sounded UNREAL! i think it sounded better on that crackley cassette than it did when i got the CD years later....

there was something very special about it all... and i still swear that all of it made me a deeper fan today...

The only boot I've ever paid for is a double 12" picture disc thing form the Sign o The Times tour. I think its called 'A Beautiful Night' - don't remember for sure. I know one side has a great Sheila E picture. Anyway, I just never thought boots could possibly be worth the price. Then I became a hippie and got into trading boots with other fans, or just straight donating boots to friends, and it seemed even more silly to pay $20-50 for a Prince boot.

Edit: I do have, I think, pretty much ever dang Prince boot ever now, though. Because, ya know, the interent is like that.

[Edited 8/29/11 21:31pm]

Taping is work. You make one click and got the whole fuckin show including covers on your PC! Nowadays for free!

And last but not least: a good audience recording is sometimes better than a SB!

... yeah and for me the aftershows aren't the same anymore. they used to be better.... gonna kick myself that 93 san fransisco DNA in my CD PLAYER! peez.

You've stolen Prince's money, haven't ya?

I'm OK with free bootlegs (although, obviously Prince isn't) but I'm totally against pressed boots. Prince should get paid, not you.

spitty said:

Taping is work. You make one click and got the whole fuckin show including covers on your PC! Nowadays for free!

*Offensive remarks from spitty removed*

When did I say it wasn't work?

[Offensive remarks altered by another have been dealt with - luv4u]

[Edited 8/29/11 23:02pm]

[Edited 8/29/11 23:03pm]

alexnvrmnd777 said:

Graycap23 said:

I remember those days....and the $1,000's of dollars spent.

I don't miss them.

So much money being spent on the man!! I remember it well. That's how you knew yo' ass was hardcore. Going into Dimensions In Music or some other "small, independent" record store to see if they got anything good in for the week. Yeah, free is better, believe me!! These days, though, these little teeny boppers are starting to have collections that rival ours in very little time and didn't put in nearly the amount of work to get it.

I think this may also be a symtom of why it is NOT appreciated as much these days.

Graycap23 said:

alexnvrmnd777 said:

So much money being spent on the man!! I remember it well. That's how you knew yo' ass was hardcore. Going into Dimensions In Music or some other "small, independent" record store to see if they got anything good in for the week. Yeah, free is better, believe me!! These days, though, these little teeny boppers are starting to have collections that rival ours in very little time and didn't put in nearly the amount of work to get it.

I think this may also be a symtom of why it is NOT appreciated as much these days.

Agree.

soulyacolia said:

It was also cool that back in the pre internet days you never knew what was due to be released there were no internet flyers to alert you to what was coming out. I'll never forget the excitement of getting my hands on a copy of the first aftershow I attended!

Really? I always thought it be rare 4 some1 2 have a show that they've been 2, I recently encountered the Musicology from here he per4med that I was at (loved the show, I went by myself), un4tunately, the audio was crap! I also have a lovesexy show that my father was at with his girlfriend! Did the audio sound better than the actual show? Did u relive any memories?

Drehova26 said:

soulyacolia said:

It was also cool that back in the pre internet days you never knew what was due to be released there were no internet flyers to alert you to what was coming out. I'll never forget the excitement of getting my hands on a copy of the first aftershow I attended!

Really? I always thought it be rare 4 some1 2 have a show that they've been 2, I recently encountered the Musicology from here he per4med that I was at (loved the show, I went by myself), un4tunately, the audio was crap! I also have a lovesexy show that my father was at with his girlfriend! Did the audio sound better than the actual show? Did u relive any memories?

@ drehova the aftershow was London Hippodrome in 98 the gig was in august and I got hold of the boot in November I believe. It was thunderball's 'exploding all over Europe' set. The sound quality is pretty good not quite the calibre of audience recordings these days but still pretty cool. Did it bring back memories? Oh yes he played 'the war' which was great to hear and ended the show with a sucession of hits. Fabulous aftershow.

alexnvrmnd777 said:

You know, I was sitting here thinking. These newbie Prince fans just don't realize and appreciate bootleg collecting!! Nowadays, all you have to do is go to a site, click a couple of things, and you have your video or audio boot (with artwork) in a few minutes. The ONLY work involved is finding what site to go to. And if the product or quality is shit, it's pretty easy to press Delete, and you're really no worse for wear.

Back in the day, we had to hunt around and scavenge for any little Prince goodie we could find. We had to find trader circles, and make VHS or audio taped copies of stuff to get it. And of course with each time it was taped (generation) the quality degraded just a bit. You had to make connections, often via "snail mail" or mailing lists. And, if you just started out or didn't have much of anything to trade, you were coming out of pocket. But you know what, that shit was worth it!!!! Seeing stuff like NYE 1987 show with Miles or the 1988 Dortmund Lovesexy show or the Birthday Parade show was all certainly worth it. Small Club and The Black Album absolutely blew my mind, and I was glad to fork over some cash for it, though usually people taped it for you or gave it to you out of the kindness of their heart or for a return solid down the line.

And then don't forget the pressed discs from Moonraker/Thunderball and Sabotage and Superhero Records and others! City Lights was like the Holy Grail, IMO!!! I just had to have that, gold sleeve and all!

We truly had to put in some work to be hardcore Prince fans, and if you bothered doing all of that, you definitely had the right to say you were a "hardcore". These days, you can get entire catalogs in one swoop, with no work at all. Yes, I'm glad a lot of the guess work and hard work has given way to easier methods of collecting, but there was a thriving, hard-working underground Prince community that I will never forget. And the new fans will never know what it's like to be a part of it or understand just how easy they've got it.

Walk down Memory Lane over...

I know what you mean

It's similar to going to the record store and searching thru the countless albums to find something

Or depending on when you became a fan you go and search and see Bsides & long version and it all opens you to protege music w/B sides of other artist like Sheena Eastons Sugar Walls

Of course it's easier by internet especially for people who can't get access to stuff

But it was very interesting

My first "boot" was actually Old Friends 4 Sale and the radio station got a hold of it and would play it as a promo for Under the Cherry Moon

the next was the Black album

Drehova26 said:

soulyacolia said:

It was also cool that back in the pre internet days you never knew what was due to be released there were no internet flyers to alert you to what was coming out. I'll never forget the excitement of getting my hands on a copy of the first aftershow I attended!

Really? I always thought it be rare 4 some1 2 have a show that they've been 2, I recently encountered the Musicology from here he per4med that I was at (loved the show, I went by myself), un4tunately, the audio was crap! I also have a lovesexy show that my father was at with his girlfriend! Did the audio sound better than the actual show? Did u relive any memories?

Of the 8 Prince shows I've been to, I have 2 on bootleg. 1 pressed CD, 1 I downloaded. Unfortunately, they both sound so bad they're mostly unlistenable.

I would LOVE to have a good sounding boot of a show I was at... oh, well... Murphy's Law, I guess.

soulyacolia said:

@ drehova the aftershow was London Hippodrome in 98 the gig was in august and I got hold of the boot in November I believe. It was thunderball's 'exploding all over Europe' set. The sound quality is pretty good not quite the calibre of audience recordings these days but still pretty cool. Did it bring back memories? Oh yes he played 'the war' which was great to hear and ended the show with a sucession of hits. Fabulous aftershow.

For some reason, I thought you were talking about something "old school".

alexnvrmnd777 said:

You know, I was sitting here thinking. These newbie Prince fans just don't realize and appreciate bootleg collecting!! Nowadays, all you have to do is go to a site, click a couple of things, and you have your video or audio boot (with artwork) in a few minutes. The ONLY work involved is finding what site to go to. And if the product or quality is shit, it's pretty easy to press Delete, and you're really no worse for wear.

Back in the day, we had to hunt around and scavenge for any little Prince goodie we could find. We had to find trader circles, and make VHS or audio taped copies of stuff to get it. And of course with each time it was taped (generation) the quality degraded just a bit. You had to make connections, often via "snail mail" or mailing lists. And, if you just started out or didn't have much of anything to trade, you were coming out of pocket. But you know what, that shit was worth it!!!! Seeing stuff like NYE 1987 show with Miles or the 1988 Dortmund Lovesexy show or the Birthday Parade show was all certainly worth it. Small Club and The Black Album absolutely blew my mind, and I was glad to fork over some cash for it, though usually people taped it for you or gave it to you out of the kindness of their heart or for a return solid down the line.

And then don't forget the pressed discs from Moonraker/Thunderball and Sabotage and Superhero Records and others! City Lights was like the Holy Grail, IMO!!! I just had to have that, gold sleeve and all!

We truly had to put in some work to be hardcore Prince fans, and if you bothered doing all of that, you definitely had the right to say you were a "hardcore". These days, you can get entire catalogs in one swoop, with no work at all. Yes, I'm glad a lot of the guess work and hard work has given way to easier methods of collecting, but there was a thriving, hard-working underground Prince community that I will never forget. And the new fans will never know what it's like to be a part of it or understand just how easy they've got it.

Walk down Memory Lane over...

Does anybody know if they were many quality soundboard boot recordings from 79-99? If so what are some must haves? Please help! I really preferr sound boards. I don't like alot of crowd noise on my boots. Plus I like guest appearance collaborations and rare tracks. From Dirty mind to SOT was my favorite eras.

jaimestarr79 said:

alexnvrmnd777 said:

You know, I was sitting here thinking. These newbie Prince fans just don't realize and appreciate bootleg collecting!! Nowadays, all you have to do is go to a site, click a couple of things, and you have your video or audio boot (with artwork) in a few minutes. The ONLY work involved is finding what site to go to. And if the product or quality is shit, it's pretty easy to press Delete, and you're really no worse for wear.

Back in the day, we had to hunt around and scavenge for any little Prince goodie we could find. We had to find trader circles, and make VHS or audio taped copies of stuff to get it. And of course with each time it was taped (generation) the quality degraded just a bit. You had to make connections, often via "snail mail" or mailing lists. And, if you just started out or didn't have much of anything to trade, you were coming out of pocket. But you know what, that shit was worth it!!!! Seeing stuff like NYE 1987 show with Miles or the 1988 Dortmund Lovesexy show or the Birthday Parade show was all certainly worth it. Small Club and The Black Album absolutely blew my mind, and I was glad to fork over some cash for it, though usually people taped it for you or gave it to you out of the kindness of their heart or for a return solid down the line.

And then don't forget the pressed discs from Moonraker/Thunderball and Sabotage and Superhero Records and others! City Lights was like the Holy Grail, IMO!!! I just had to have that, gold sleeve and all!

We truly had to put in some work to be hardcore Prince fans, and if you bothered doing all of that, you definitely had the right to say you were a "hardcore". These days, you can get entire catalogs in one swoop, with no work at all. Yes, I'm glad a lot of the guess work and hard work has given way to easier methods of collecting, but there was a thriving, hard-working underground Prince community that I will never forget. And the new fans will never know what it's like to be a part of it or understand just how easy they've got it.

Walk down Memory Lane over...

Does anybody know if they were many quality soundboard boot recordings from 79-99? If so what are some must haves? Please help! I really preferr sound boards. I don't like alot of crowd noise on my boots. Plus I like guest appearance collaborations and rare tracks. From Dirty mind to SOT was my favorite eras.

There have already been a couple of threads about this very subject in the past week or so. So, just Google "list of soundboard boots prince.org", and you should get an answer.

The old days of going to a record convention or travelling to some little record shop that stocked Prince boots was FUN!

It was like a game, and you would find new stuff every few months. It was so much fun flipping through all the cd's or records and all the weird art work and titles.

But it sure was expensive!

ufoclub said:

The old days of going to a record convention or travelling to some little record shop that stocked Prince boots was FUN!

It was like a game, and you would find new stuff every few months. It was so much fun flipping through all the cd's or records and all the weird art work and titles.

But it sure was expensive!

Exactly. You never knew what you were gonna find, if anything! But once you did find something, you couldn't race home fast enough! I know I couldn't!! Hell, I remember finding Chickengrease, and I was grinnin' from ear to ear, and that was just a mish mash of so-so audio quality live tracks. But it didn't matter (for the king was looking for... ) because it was great to find something "new".

Although you would have had to gone through alot of work to find the bootlegs and pieces of prince material I think the younger generation have really missed out. It seems like it would have been more exciting that way and it must have been amazing to be alive in P's prime, to grow up with his music and for the unbelievably lucky people-go to a concert. Why wasn't I alive in the eighties?!
[Edited 9/2/11 15:59pm]