The Great White Wonders: The Story of Rock Bootlegs [Hardcover]

Clinton Heylin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1994

In the summer of 1969, in a small cluster of Los Angeles record stores, there appeared a white-labelled two-disc set housed in a black cardboard sleeve. This was "Great White Wonder", a motley collection of unreleased Bob Dylan recordings. It was the first rock bootleg, and spawned an entire industry dedicated to making available to the fans unofficial recordings, usually live performances or unreleased out-takes from recording sessions. In this book, Clinton Heylin tells the whole story, from what defines a bootleg and its complex legal status, to a full history of their production and distribution. With virtually no crossover into soul, punk or rap, or indeed into the more lightweight forms of pop-rock, it is the great figures of rock music who dominate the market: the five most bootlegged artists remain the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen and Dylan himself. Though the record industry claims that it has lost millions of pounds to the bootlegger, Heylin seeks to debunk this notion. This book tells a story of individual enthusiasm and creativity as much as big business. Clinton Heylin has tracked down and interviewed most of the important individuals involved since 1969 and the result is this account of the bootleg business.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Viking Pr (September 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670857777
• ISBN-13: 978-0670857777
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,517,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An informative look at bootlegging in the rock and roll era, September 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great White Wonders: The Story of Rock Bootlegs (Hardcover)

Heylin provides an informative look at rock Bootlegging from Dylans Great White Wonder to todays music including punk, etc. Great look at the players from around the world and the legalities of the pirate and bootleg industry. Hundreds of great illustrations. A must for anyone interested in collecting or even the casual listener.

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth A Read..., January 31, 2004

By 

Greekfreak (Pusan Korea (South)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great White Wonders: The Story of Rock Bootlegs (Hardcover)

I picked this up some time ago; and even though I'm through my 'bootleg' phase, it was still quite interesting and informative at the same time.

The book offers a lot of insight into the most bootlegged LPs of all time, and might be most artists' worst nightmare! But for those of us wanting to know the story behind Prince's "Black Album", the Beach Boys "Smile", the endless amount of Zappa boots out there, etc., this is a must read.

If you can still find it, that is...