Before I start on this topic, the inspiration came from Alexnvrmnd777 Bootleg thread, I was posting something on there and realised this would probably make a better topic than simply a reply...

Seen as The art of bootleg collecting is being discussed here recently, are there other artists/bands that are as booted as Prince and do they have the same type of hardcore fans who collect everything possible?.

I am curious about this, as I have some friends who are hardcore U2, Bowie, Springsteen and Stones fans, so much so that these guys have been fortunate enough to have met them on various occasions, but I have never heard them talk about bootlegs of their concerts and never any word of a fansite or forum similiar to the Org or other various Prince fansites.

Is this just a Prince phenomenon?, if so, why? Is it simply that hardcore Prince fans tend to be more creative, unique or different to other fans...possibly/probably due to the influence of Prince.

I know Elvis, The Doors, Beatles, Nirvana, MJ etc have huge fanbases and there own sets of hardcore fans, but I have never come across any worthwhile forums on the net which would indicate anything other than a Fambase style loyality.

In 27+ years of collecting music and having met 1,000´s of music fans, I have never met a single music fan other than Prince fans, that are as obsessed collecting a particular artists music.

Even today in my 40´s, other music fans look at me when I tell them about the stuff I have, as if I have two heads or something, claiming that I obviously have OCD issues...My usual reply to this is, that my collection merely stratches the surface in comparison to other Prince fans, which leaves the majority of them dumbfounded.

Anyway, I am curious what you peeps think...

Interesting question.

Personally, I would not even be interested in other groups booted material except maybe Mint Condition or P-Funk.

This is a quite interesting topic, I've also thought about it.

Regarding web sites, I think the inexistence of an official Prince site has to do with it. I'm not saying prince.org wouldn't exist if there was an official site () , I'm just saying it has an influence.

Regarding bootlegs, the phenomenom of Prince's vault is certainly impressive. I can say that other artists I love, such as David Bowie, haven't that quantity of unreleased stuff circulating in boots. I remember seeing somewhere (can't give the exact reference) that Prince was the 4th artist regarding number of bootlegs. Number 1 were Led Zeppelin, and I think The Beatles and The Stones were also in that list. But that included also live boots, of course.

Hardcore Prince fans are crazy, just like Prince himself

There are loads of other artists/bands that have their own fan forums. I have joined a few, but some only seem to be active with people posting when the artist or band releases something new, or does a tour, unlike this place.

As for collecting other artists, I personally collect bootlegs and every official release of most of my favorite artists/bands, some of which I collect everything I can get my hands on, it just does not seem so obsessive beacuse they don't have as much material available as Prince. I don't think that such hardcore and/or obsessive collecting is exclusive to Prince or the other superstars you mention, at least to me anyway.

[Edited 8/30/11 13:49pm]

Prince is very protective of his material and as a consequence encourages the 'bootleg collecting' behavour. How many of you spend many hours searching through websites looking for video clips to download and keep in your own special vault. Sometimes a link will lead to an Aladin's cave of goodies. The inaccessibility of Prince's material makes it even more desirable. You also have to put it down to longevity and the vast range of material that Prince has produced. For those just discovering Prince now, it is well worth exploring the 70's, 80's and 90's era's. Prince is also quite unique in that his live performances are usually better than the recorded tracks, so it is worth seeking out the live performances if you can.

It does become a bit obsessive sometimes and like Whitnail, I don't think I have scratched the surface compared to some of you.....

It's the pied piper theory..his music (especially unreleased) especially the early prime years, is that special.

But Im sure there's the Miles or Springsteen fan who feels the same way about them regarding collecting etc. etc.

I don't think being boot-crazy makes Prince fans more creative or special... just more... crazy. I have to say that I've never seen another forum for another artist quite like this. Prince fans can chat about Prince for months, even when Prince isn't doing anything to chat about. I guess that's because he's given them so much to discuss over the last 30 years or so.

That said, I think you'll find that artists who tour a lot, reinvent their songs from show to show and have a cult-like group of dedicated fans will always be boot-worthy. Tori Amos -- although never in Prince's stratsophere of fame -- certainly meets these criteria. Her core group of fans are die-hard, which is why Tori decided to release a series of official soundboards in 2005 called "Legs and Boots" to stay a step ahead of the bootleggers.

Prince is who started my fascination with bootlegs. But I also collect Beatles bootlegs (though a lot of that was released with the Anthology series) and there is still a lot out there. And recently downloaded Led Zeppelin Ultimate Studio Sessions (amazing!). I've also recently download some Beach Boys bootlegs (mainly rehearsal sessions for Pet Sounds and the unreleased Smile album.) Pink Floyd have a lot of bootlegs too though mostly live stuff.

I'm fascinated more with unreleased studio cuts or rehearsal audio. It's like being a fly on the wall during the recordings of some of my favorite songs.

listening to prince's music is like being in a temple...& prince conducts his live shows like a rev. of funk...u cannot sit still...u must clap ya hands, stomp ya feet...and chant out loud...2 a greater/lessor degree on some of his releases ... like the song "The Ladder" he is able to replicate this valuable experience

As a bootleg collector for almost 24 years, I'd say that the only artists that compete with him in the bootleg market are: Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix & Grateful Dead. Others come close: Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis... Maybe Pearl Jam. Some of these, like PJ & The Dead allow recordings of shows which of course affects the amount circulating. Could you imagine how much more we'd have if Prince allowed this?

Certainly Prince wins in the category of unreleased studio tracks. I have never seen or heard of any other artist with as many unreleased outtakes as Prince. In fact, I like to say to non-fans, "Prince has more unreleased studio tracks in circulation then most artists have released tracks. I don't know if it's true, it just sounds good.

Sometimes when I am explaining my obsession to others, I use The Dead as an example (I know a lot of neo-hippies ) I'll say something like: "You know how Dead fans have boxes of tapes of shows and can talk about dates and venues like a sports fan talking statistics? Yeah, I'm like that with Prince." Most have a hard time wrapping their head around this...

It's the same with collecting official material. So many albums, singles, b-sides, side projects, associated artists, etc, etc... Most artists can't touch the volume and therefor their fans have much less to be obsessive about.

So, I think that's my answer to the obsession... VOLUME. There's so much stuff out there that I'm sure I'll never have it all. So, the fun is in trying to prove myself wrong.

djThunderfunk said:

As a bootleg collector for almost 24 years, I'd say that the only artists that compete with him in the bootleg market are: Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix & Grateful Dead. Others come close: Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis... Maybe Pearl Jam. Some of these, like PJ & The Dead allow recordings of shows which of course affects the amount circulating. Could you imagine how much more we'd have if Prince allowed this?

Certainly Prince wins in the category of unreleased studio tracks. I have never seen or heard of any other artist with as many unreleased outtakes as Prince. In fact, I like to say to non-fans, "Prince has more unreleased studio tracks in circulation then most artists have released tracks. I don't know if it's true, it just sounds good.

Sometimes when I am explaining my obsession to others, I use The Dead as an example (I know a lot of neo-hippies ) I'll say something like: "You know how Dead fans have boxes of tapes of shows and can talk about dates and venues like a sports fan talking statistics? Yeah, I'm like that with Prince." Most have a hard time wrapping their head around this...

It's the same with collecting official material. So many albums, singles, b-sides, side projects, associated artists, etc, etc... Most artists can't touch the volume and therefor their fans have much less to be obsessive about.

So, I think that's my answer to the obsession... VOLUME. There's so much stuff out there that I'm sure I'll never have it all. So, the fun is in trying to prove myself wrong.

positive vibrations appreciated

bobbyperu said:

You think there are a lot of Prince bootlegs out there? Try collecting Bob Dylan! His fan practically invented the bootleg record! Great White Wonder, 1969, the very first bootleg LP made by Dylan fans who rhought the world should hear these unreleased songs.

This is FACT.

At least it's the first of the modern rock era, and woke as many people (more probably) up to the bootleg market as the Black Album.

[Edited 9/1/11 10:06am]

The Beatles, Elvis, Hendrix have more devout fans, but since they do not tour and just about every bootleg or alternative take has been released, there is really not much "up to the minute" info to say about them on a fansite such as this that hasn't already been said.

Prince is a living working legend. We follow him as close as we do because we want to know about his latest projects and performances. There are not many living legends still as active as Prince. When he fully retires I think it will be a different story.

But none of this means we aren't just as crazy as Prince though. This goes double for those of us who post on PPR. Politics is a doozy of a category for a Prince fan site.