Let's try to find out what the FIRST Prince boot EVER released was.

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OUTTAKES:

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IDK exactly when TBA made it to stores after the cancellation but I guess as early as winter or spring 88.

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Thunderfunk just said in another thread that he's purchased his copy of Charade in 88 as well, so it may qualify.

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Discogs also says that Camille's Crystal Ball (with the track "Export Lover" ) and Crucial are from 1988: all are candidates and I think Chocolate Box may also date back to 88.

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Can't find anything older than 88.

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LIVE AND REHEARSALS:

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Also according to discogs, a British LP called Does Not Compute, featuring a rehearsal, goes back as early as 1984. EDIT: it seems to be a mistake for the back cover contains the words "New Power Generation" and "Glam Slam" so it's from muchy later than 84!

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So the first legit canditate, always according to discogs, is a French double LP called Live Rotterdam '86 released in 86.

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Then, starting with 1987, SOTT Tour boots flourish.

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I wasn't yet a fan then so I can't help much but I'm sure many here have found memories of the first bootlegs they purchased at the time (or even contributed to make happen).

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Please try and stay on topic and don't make this become a "when did u buy ur first bootleg" thread if it's not related to the very early years

[Edited 5/6/14 6:04am]

I didn't ever experience a boot until I borrowed a friends Black Album... I think that was in 1988. I had a vinyl version of the Intimate Moments recordings I think in '89, but it might have been earlier. Unfortunately I don't still have possession of either so I can't verify anything.

callimnate said:

And there was this...... From 1999 till now. [img:$uid]http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mwD7jBNcTVqU8ohsVZqk6oQ.jpg[/img:$uid] From 84/85 If I remember correctly, there were other boots that came out before the 88 boom. They had white sleeves with just mono coloured photocopied covers stuck on top. Ugly things which I never bought and regret now, as always.

More information here:

http://www.discogs.com/Pr...se/2264914

See also:

http://www.discogs.com/ar...Unofficial

TheDigitalGardener said:

Chocolate box, jewel box, charade, pink album with white spots....all early boots. Not sure exactly when they were released though. Charade and black album were the first boots I bought around 88-89.

Jewel Box is from muuuuuuuuuuuch later in 1992 and the second volume being from 1993. I remember one of my friends bought them in 1993 and made tapes for me: it was supposed to be the ultimate outtakes collection, compiling everything that was in circulation at the time or so. Very expensive and obsolete after a few years in terms of sound quality, but an awesom release at the time.

olb99 said:

olb99 said:

callimnate said:

And there was this...... From 1999 till now. [img:$uid]http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mwD7jBNcTVqU8ohsVZqk6oQ.jpg[/img:$uid] From 84/85 If I remember correctly, there were other boots that came out before the 88 boom. They had white sleeves with just mono coloured photocopied covers stuck on top. Ugly things which I never bought and regret now, as always.

More information here:

http://www.discogs.com/Pr...se/2264914

It's a fanmade remixes CD, that's yet another whole category of boots, but an interesting release nonetheless

databank said:

Also according to discogs, a British LP called Does Not Compute, featuring a rehearsal, goes back as early as 1984!

It doesn't seem to be from 1984:

http://www.discogs.com/vi...se=1861562

callimnate said:

olb99 said:

See also:

http://www.discogs.com/ar...Unofficial

Yep.. This is what I was talking about. http://www.discogs.com/vi...se=1861562 Ugly things.

I hadn't paid attention to the pics: look at them: "New Power Generation", "Glam Slam"... NO WAY this is from 1984

callimnate said:

Pretty sure Charade came out in 87.

Could that mean it was the true real first Prince boot ever released?

callimnate said:

And there was this...... From 1999 till now. [img:$uid]http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mwD7jBNcTVqU8ohsVZqk6oQ.jpg[/img:$uid] From 84/85 If I remember correctly, there were other boots that came out before the 88 boom. They had white sleeves with just mono coloured photocopied covers stuck on top. Ugly things which I never bought and regret now, as always.

Why?

databank said:

callimnate said:

databank said:

I hadn't paid attention to the pics: look at them: "New Power Generation", "Glam Slam"... NO WAY this is from 1984

Def not from 84. But they looked like this, with the photocopied cover and all. I just can't remember what they were or had on them. You'll notice on that page, that Live in Rotterdam was 1986. I bought this after hearing I on some Independant radio station!

Might be the oldest one indeed, both outtakes and live. Remember how sound quality was?

When did Small Club surface BTW?

"Charade" is listed as being from 1987:

http://www.discogs.com/Pr...se/1025764

I haven't found anything older (containing outtakes).

"Chocolate Box" doesn't have a release date:

http://www.discogs.com/Pr...se/3198874

I got my first bootleg in 1987 on a cassette. No title. Just a copy of a copy from a friend who knew someone who worked for Prince. It was Prince and the Revolution Purple Rain rehearsals that included Electric Intercourse, Wet Dream Cousin, and the likes.

databank said:

olb99 said:

databank said:

TheDigitalGardener said:

Chocolate box, jewel box, charade, pink album with white spots....all early boots. Not sure exactly when they were released though. Charade and black album were the first boots I bought around 88-89.

Jewel Box is from muuuuuuuuuuuch later in 1992 and the second volume being from 1993. I remember one of my friends bought them in 1993 and made tapes for me: it was supposed to be the ultimate outtakes collection, compiling everything that was in circulation at the time or so. Very expensive and obsolete after a few years in terms of sound quality, but an awesom release at the time.

the paisley park police wasn't as thorought back then as they are now:

i got both of them in a regular recordstore i couldn't believe my luck.

still remember sitting in the back of my parent's car, reading the booklets

on the way home.

they literally cost me my savings, my upcoming birthday and christmas $

and then some, but i couldn't care less. all those 'new' songs, i was about

to burst!

it was my first time hearing most of those outtakes, as i'd previously only

bought a copy of "the black album" through a tape trader and had a three

or four other songs.

good times!

olb99 said:

"Charade" is listed as being from 1987:

http://www.discogs.com/Pr...se/1025764

I haven't found anything older (containing outtakes).

"Chocolate Box" doesn't have a release date:

http://www.discogs.com/Pr...se/3198874

Awesome artwork for such an early boot, and from France too!

WHY IN THE WORLD did 4DF leave Heaven out of their Parade Demos release if it was on the same original tape?!

My CD version was much different with the tracklist all messed up: http://www.discogs.com/Pr...se/2012368

http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=2012368

"BOLA DISCO, Romero & Friends"

I'd totally forgotten this!

databank said:

WHY IN THE WORLD did 4DF leave Heaven out of their Parade Demos release if it was on the same original tape?!

Conspiracy, I tell you!

IstenSzek said:

databank said:

Jewel Box is from muuuuuuuuuuuch later in 1992 and the second volume being from 1993. I remember one of my friends bought them in 1993 and made tapes for me: it was supposed to be the ultimate outtakes collection, compiling everything that was in circulation at the time or so. Very expensive and obsolete after a few years in terms of sound quality, but an awesom release at the time.

the paisley park police wasn't as thorought back then as they are now:

i got both of them in a regular recordstore i couldn't believe my luck.

still remember sitting in the back of my parent's car, reading the booklets

on the way home.

they literally cost me my savings, my upcoming birthday and christmas $

and then some, but i couldn't care less. all those 'new' songs, i was about

to burst!

it was my first time hearing most of those outtakes, as i'd previously only

bought a copy of "the black album" through a tape trader and had a three

or four other songs.

good times!

More the police period than the purple police. Until about 1993 bootlegs were a relatively confidential market, reserved to specialized and small record stores and mail order. But the appeal was great and the bigger the demand the bigger the offer: there was a "bootlegs boom" in 1993-1994 and all of a sudden record stores were literally FLOODED by boots from every possible artists, I remember that in 1994 I saw some stores specialized in bootlegs ONLY and that some major French record store/chains started to put some boots in the middle of their regular records as if to test the water. Boots also became cheaper and prices soon were quite similar to the price of regular records. The music industry couldn't help but notice and, seeing that boots were becoming a threat to their regular sales (when quantity and distribution is so high some naive consumers may be fooled and the argument that only hardcore fans buy boots from their fave artists doesn't stand anymore because between an old Guns N' Roses album and a show from their last tour that goes with the album that made u love Guns N' Roses in the first place, you may chose the show), they asked the authorities to put an end to a phenomonon that they'd been tolerating so far and the big bootleg implosion was a done deal by the end of 1995: in a few months' time every possible record store was controlled, those who were selling boots were fined and threatened to be shut down if they would keep doing it and by 1996 finding boots in record shops had become nearly impossible. The chronology may differ depending on countries but I think the same story happened all over Europe and possibly in North America at the same time .

olb99 said:

databank said:

WHY IN THE WORLD did 4DF leave Heaven out of their Parade Demos release if it was on the same original tape?!

Conspiracy, I tell you!

This question arose in a thread here at the time of Parade Demos, and a mooted response was that Heaven wasn't actually on the original tape, and it was just another outtake tacked on to the end of the bootleg. I guess it might have been done to make the two vinyl sides seem more "even" in quantity given that the A side has eight tracks and the B only four. Given that 4DF don't have to think about things like running time it seems doubtful that they would purposely leave off a track.

i didn't know that, but you are absolutely right. the time frames you mention overlap

what was happening in The Netherlands very closely.
i bought those first two bootlegs in a 'regular' store which usually only sold the really

popular stuff. that was early 1993, i think.

then after that, it took me about a year to save up enough money to go hunting for

another bootleg, but i already couldn't find them anymore in the regular stores.

i always assumed that recordcompanies put a stop to it, but never realised how big

the whole bootleg 'problem' became for them or how intensive their shutdown was.

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only 2 stores in my commuting radius still continued to sell bootlegs well into the 00s

but they were both independent stores. no more bootlegs at chain stores.

but the prices went up dramatically. at one point a live bootleg would be about $80,-

and a third rate copy with 5 or 6 outtakes outtakes would go for the same.

i've been out of the loop since forever since the advent of the internet sharing.

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

olb99 said:

Conspiracy, I tell you!

This question arose in a thread here at the time of Parade Demos, and a mooted response was that Heaven wasn't actually on the original tape, and it was just another outtake tacked on to the end of the bootleg. I guess it might have been done to make the two vinyl sides seem more "even" in quantity given that the A side has eight tracks and the B only four. Given that 4DF don't have to think about things like running time it seems doubtful that they would purposely leave off a track.

4DF did stranger things than that, though...

databank said:

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

This question arose in a thread here at the time of Parade Demos, and a mooted response was that Heaven wasn't actually on the original tape, and it was just another outtake tacked on to the end of the bootleg. I guess it might have been done to make the two vinyl sides seem more "even" in quantity given that the A side has eight tracks and the B only four. Given that 4DF don't have to think about things like running time it seems doubtful that they would purposely leave off a track.

4DF did stranger things than that, though...

Fair enough. I have very sketchy knowledge of the various players in the Prince bootleg world, so I always just assumed that the received opinion of 4DF as heros, liberating the boots from the evil money grabbing bastards, was correct. What kind of stuff would they do? I'm familiar with the practice of adding stuff on to the end of bootlegs that doesn't really fit from Sabotage, who seem to do it quite often (I gather they weren't particularly liked in the fan community?) so it seemed plausible that the same trick might have been done years before with Charade.

I remember "Charade" and the Wembley show (with Sting and Ron Wood) from 1987 or 1988.