Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry [Paperback]

Clinton Heylin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 1996

In Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry, Clinton Heylin examines the entire modern history of this underground culture: from what defines a bootleg and its complex and protean legal status, to a full history of bootlegs' production and distribution, to what's contained on some of the most notorious bootlegs and how to find them. Along with many illustrations of the creative packages, this is the whole story of the $250 million industry that sustains itself on the great figures of rock music and their biggest admirers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this exhaustively researched and absorbing volume, Heylin (From the Velvets to the Voidoids) traces the byzantine history of the bootleg record industry?and copyright law's attempts to keep up with it?from its origins in Southern California in 1969 to the CD era. There is an astonishing wealth of information, as well as a generous sampling of classic bootleg covers, on display here, even if Heylin's repetitive prose may at times make readers feel as if they are trapped in a listening booth. And while Heylin is as critical of shoddy bootleg operations as he is of official record companies, he has surprisingly little to say about the music that bootleggers have helped rescue from oblivion, beyond a generally persuasive defense of the fan's right to hear material that corporations and perfectionist artists would rather suppress. An exception is his enlightening if brief chapter on British punk, whose anarchic message found its perfect medium in illegal cassettes and vinyl. This history should be of great interest to industry lawyers and aging hippie collectors?even today, acts from the 1960s and '70s remain the most heavily bootlegged. Illustrations.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Music journalist Heylin (The Penguin History of Rock & Roll Writing, LJ 12/92) has written a sympathetic, fascinating, and path-breaking history of the rock bootleg industry. After a brief historical introduction that distinguishes between bootlegs (live or unreleased performances) and pirates (counterfeits of official releases), he describes the making of and reaction to the first rock bootleg: Bob Dylan's Great White Wonder. The author continues with the growth of rock bootlegs, the impact of the 1976 Copyright Act, and the beginnings of British bootlegging, spurred by punk rock. He ends with a discussion of the attempt by record companies to block DAT (digital audio tape) in the hopes of curbing home copying and the appearance of compact disc bootlegs. Considering the topic, Heylin provides an especially well-researched book and in the process offers a provocative examination of the legal, financial, and musical implications of a fan-based, Sixties-inspired rock bootleg industry. Highly recommended for both general readers and experts in the field.?David Szatmary, Univ. of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (June 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312142897
• ISBN-13: 978-0312142896
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,103,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An obscure little slice of pop history, March 15, 1999

By 

Ben Calvin - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry (Paperback)

I really like this imperfect book about the beginnings of rock and roll bootlegging -- as distinguished from the jazz and opera boots which are another, equally interesting story.

This story will have resonance with those who know the theology of rock music from the '60s and '70s -- why Dylan or the Stones were so "important" to so many people. If you know what I'm talking about, you will enjoy this tale of serious fandom.

In the interest of full disclosure I must admit I know a couple of people written about in the book -- their reaction to it was a good deal more ambivalent than mine, and I'm sure the author did get some things wrong. After all he wasn't there, and they were.

But if you are at all interested in this topic (there must be a few out there) by all means buy this book.

P.S. I'm happy to see from the last (and only!) comment that Scandinavia remains a bastion of serious pop music fanatics.....

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fell a Bit Short, April 28, 2004

By 

Kelly Irish (PDX, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry (Paperback)

I was excited when this book came out, but it fell short of my expectations. I was hoping for some great stories from the good old days of bootlegging, but this reads more like a history book and is, sadly, written by someone who wasn't even involved in the business.

This book is good for someone who is interested in learning a bit about bootlegging, but I'm holding my breath for the day that a first person account of the world of early bootlegging comes out!!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, in need of a 21st-century update, May 24, 2003

By 

David Goodwin (Westchester, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry (Paperback)

_Bootleg_ is a fascinating, enthralling book, which I expect would be interesting to anybody regardless of their particular position on the morality of bootlegging. To be sure, Heylin comes solidly in the corner of "let the music be free," but is hardly obstrusive about that fact. Small research errors aside, Bootleg is an amazing look at a once-thriving musical subculture.

Which is, I guess, my one point of reservation here. The bootleg scene has changed so massively and, perhaps, immeasurably, during the past ten years that _Bootleg_ begins to read as more of a pure history book on days long past than as a record of something vibrant. The advent of CDRs, in particular, has totally changed the dynamic in which bootleg recordings are distributed and manufactured. A 21st century update which recognizes the birth of these trends would be very appreciated.