Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings
Encyclopedia
The Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings are a collection of audio
and video
recordings of musical performances by English
rock
band
Led Zeppelin
which were never officially released by the band, or under other legal authority. The recordings consist of both live concert performances and outtakes from studio sessions conducted by the band. Many hundreds of Led Zeppelin bootlegs exist, and are widely collected by fans.
performers, and to this day remain one of the most bootlegged artists in the history of rock music. In August 1999, the band topped the list of Britain's most bootlegged musicians with 384 bootleg titles, compiled by the Anti-Piracy
Unit of British Phonographic Industry
. This phenomenon was due partly to the popularity of the band, which has ensured a large and enthusiastic market for unauthorised recordings, and partly to the large size of the audiences who attended their performances, which made the effective detection of covert recording equipment at these concerts virtually impossible.
Led Zeppelin's manager, Peter Grant, sometimes took extraordinary measures to combat the practice of live bootleg recordings at Led Zeppelin concerts
. He is reported to have personally visited record stores in London
which were selling Led Zeppelin bootlegs and demanded all copies be handed over. He also monitored the crowd at Led Zeppelin concerts so as to locate anything which resembled bootleg recording equipment. At one concert at Vancouver
in 1971 he saw what he thought was recording equipment on the floor of the venue and personally ensured that the equipment be destroyed, only to find out later that the equipment was a noise pollution unit being operated by city officials to test the volume of the concert. Similarly, at the Bath Festival
in 1970, he personally threw a bucket of water over unauthorised recording equipment.
These efforts were not enough to prevent the release of a flood of Led Zeppelin bootlegs from the 1970s onwards. As is explained by Led Zeppelin archivist Dave Lewis:
, Dragonfly, Trade Mark of Quality, Condor and Toasted released unofficial recordings of several Led Zeppelin shows on vinyl. The following table includes a sample of these recordings. Most of them derived from audience tapes, though a few (such as Destroyer) were sourced from soundboard recordings.
, and then copied for underground release. Also stolen were copies of several rare studio out-takes, which were released under titles such as Jennings Farm Blues (featuring run-throughs of an electric version of "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
" recorded in October 1969) and Studio Daze (including different studio mixes of "Since I've Been Loving You
", "No Quarter
" and "All My Love
"). "Midnight Moonlight", a song later recorded by "The Firm", is available through studio bootlegs.
on labels such as Tarantura
and Antrabata. The most significant 90s label TDOLZ (The Diagrams of Led Zeppelin) has covered most of the circulating concerts for that period releasing over 100 titles. In 1999, the BBC
reported that the number of Led Zeppelin bootleg titles in circulation exceeded those of The Beatles
.
Some notable Led Zeppelin bootlegs released on CD include:
Since Empress Valley is the only supplier of new soundboard material for the moment, its issues are being cloned after initial release by numerous minor labels, sometimes with alternative titles.
became widely available, bootlegs (CD-R
s or Compact Cassette
copies) circulated mostly via snail mail
. Today all of the unauthorised Led Zeppelin material is available on the Internet, mostly on BitTorrent resources in lossless media formats. Decoding and redistributing audio in lossy formats (such as MP3) is strongly frowned upon among the trading community as it diminishes the quality of the audio and cam make it difficult for recipients to know if they are receiving the best available copy. During 2000s previously uncirculated audience recordings surfaced mostly on the BitTorrent resources.
Notable previously unheard audience recordings that surfaced on the Web from 2000's:
courtroom
to give testimony and observe evidence on behalf of Led Zeppelin against an alleged bootlegger. Robert Langley was charged with, and denied, twelve counts of producing and selling products without copyright
permission.
Page was shown hundreds of CDs and DVDs, ranging from his solo material to his time with Led Zeppelin
and the Yardbirds
, which Langley was allegedly selling in Scotland
during 2005. Many contain footage and audio from Page's personal collection, stolen from his home in the early 1980s.
The goods were found on sale as far away as New York
, where shop-owners thought they were official. Page later said "If you have something like this that appears legitimate then it is just not right".
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
recordings of musical performances by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
which were never officially released by the band, or under other legal authority. The recordings consist of both live concert performances and outtakes from studio sessions conducted by the band. Many hundreds of Led Zeppelin bootlegs exist, and are widely collected by fans.
Overview
Led Zeppelin were, throughout the decade of the 1970s, one of the world's most frequently bootleggedBootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
performers, and to this day remain one of the most bootlegged artists in the history of rock music. In August 1999, the band topped the list of Britain's most bootlegged musicians with 384 bootleg titles, compiled by the Anti-Piracy
Anti-piracy
Anti-piracy is a term used to describe countermeasures against maritime piracy but moreoften by some to describe the attempt to prevent copyright infringement, counterfeiting, and other violations of intellectual-property rights....
Unit of British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
. This phenomenon was due partly to the popularity of the band, which has ensured a large and enthusiastic market for unauthorised recordings, and partly to the large size of the audiences who attended their performances, which made the effective detection of covert recording equipment at these concerts virtually impossible.
Led Zeppelin's manager, Peter Grant, sometimes took extraordinary measures to combat the practice of live bootleg recordings at Led Zeppelin concerts
Led Zeppelin concerts
From September 1968 through the summer of 1980, English rock group Led Zeppelin were one of the world's most popular live music attractions, performing hundreds of sold-out concerts around the world.-History:...
. He is reported to have personally visited record stores in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
which were selling Led Zeppelin bootlegs and demanded all copies be handed over. He also monitored the crowd at Led Zeppelin concerts so as to locate anything which resembled bootleg recording equipment. At one concert at Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
in 1971 he saw what he thought was recording equipment on the floor of the venue and personally ensured that the equipment be destroyed, only to find out later that the equipment was a noise pollution unit being operated by city officials to test the volume of the concert. Similarly, at the Bath Festival
Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music 1970
The Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music was a music festival held at the Royal Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England on 27–28 June 1970.-Overview:...
in 1970, he personally threw a bucket of water over unauthorised recording equipment.
These efforts were not enough to prevent the release of a flood of Led Zeppelin bootlegs from the 1970s onwards. As is explained by Led Zeppelin archivist Dave Lewis:
Earliest bootlegs
During the 1970s, bootleg labels such as Smilin' Ear, KornyfoneKornyfone
The Amazing Kornyfone Record Label was one of the first bootlegging record labels in America. Kornyfone was based in Southern California in the 1970s....
, Dragonfly, Trade Mark of Quality, Condor and Toasted released unofficial recordings of several Led Zeppelin shows on vinyl. The following table includes a sample of these recordings. Most of them derived from audience tapes, though a few (such as Destroyer) were sourced from soundboard recordings.
| Title | Recording details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gonzaga |
The Gymnasium Charlotte Y. Martin Centre Charlotte Y. Martin Centre is an athletics center on the campus of Gonzaga University housing a 4,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Spokane, Washington. It opened on December 3, 1965 as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Pavilion, with a capacity of approximately 2,000 patrons... , Gonzaga University Gonzaga University Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga... , Spokane, Washington Spokane, Washington Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region... , December 30, 1968 |
|
| The Rising of The Zeppelin | Fillmore West Fillmore West The Fillmore West was an historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by concert promoter Bill Graham. Named after Graham's original "Fillmore" location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it stood at Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue and was formerly... , San Francisco, April 24, 1969 |
Falsely credited as January 9, 1969. The original LP LP album The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry... was released in a magnificent red, green and blue color. |
| Killing Floor | Boston Tea Party Boston Tea Party (concert venue) The Boston Tea Party was a concert venue located on 53 Berkeley Street in Boston, Massachusetts... , Boston Boston Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had... , January 26, 1969. |
|
| Don't Mess With Texas | Texas International Pop Festival Texas International Pop Festival The Texas International Pop Festival was a music festival held at Lewisville, Texas, on Labor Day weekend, August 30-September 1, 1969. It occurred two weeks after Woodstock... , Dallas, August 31, 1969 |
|
| We're Gonna Groove/Feel All Right | Montreux Casino Montreux Casino Montreux Casino ' is a casino located in Montreux, Switzerland, on the shoreline of Lake Geneva. It has served as the venue for the Montreux Jazz Festival and was rebuilt following a 1971 fire memorialized in the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water." It is a property of Groupe Lucien... , Montreux Montreux Montreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... , March 7, 1970 |
The Feel All Right version was released in 1984 by Audio Recording Corporation under an incorrect title of Live in Montreux 1971. |
| Mudslide | Pacific Coliseum Pacific Coliseum Pacific Coliseum is an indoor arena, at Hastings Park, in Vancouver, British Columbia.Completed in 1968, at the former site of the Pacific National Exhibition, the arena currently holds 16,281, for ice hockey, though capacity at its opening was 15,713.... , Vancouver Vancouver Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... on March 21, 1970 |
The first ever Led Zeppelin bootleg to be released. FM broadcast. Mudslide is a remake of the original first LP 'PB' |
| Live on Blueberry Hill Live on Blueberry Hill Live on Blueberry Hill is a bootleg recording of the English rock group Led Zeppelin's performance at the Los Angeles Forum on September 4, 1970, which took place during their Summer 1970 North American Tour.... |
Los Angeles Forum The Forum (Inglewood, California) The Forum is an indoor arena, in Inglewood, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. From 2000 to 2010, it was owned by the Faithful Central Bible Church, which occasionally used it for church services, while also leasing the building for sporting events, concerts and other events.Along with Madison... , Los Angeles Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... , September 4, 1970. |
One of the first Led Zeppelin bootleg LPs to be released. |
| Going to California | Berkeley Community Theatre Berkeley Community Theatre The Berkeley Community Theatre is a theatre, located in Berkeley, California on the campus of Berkeley High School. The Art Deco-style theater has 3,491 seats, including a balcony section... , Berkeley Berkeley, California Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington... , September 14, 1971 |
Audience recording. |
| JAPAN TOUR '71 | Budokan Hall, Tokyo, Japan, September 23, 1971 | Audience recording, distributed by BUG Recording Corp |
| Custard Pie | Offenburg Offenburg Offenburg is a city located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With about 60,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city and the capital of the Ortenaukreis.Offenburg also houses University of Applied Sciences Offenburg... , West Germany West Germany West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990.... , March 24, 1973 |
Audience recording. |
| Tympani for the Butter Queen | Tarrant County Convention Center Fort Worth Convention Center The Fort Worth Convention Center , is a convention center and indoor arena in Fort Worth, Texas. It includes an 11,200-seat multi-purpose arena.... , Fort Worth, Texas Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... , May 19, 1973 |
|
| Bonzo's Birthday Party | Los Angeles Forum The Forum (Inglewood, California) The Forum is an indoor arena, in Inglewood, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. From 2000 to 2010, it was owned by the Faithful Central Bible Church, which occasionally used it for church services, while also leasing the building for sporting events, concerts and other events.Along with Madison... , California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... , May 31, 1973 |
Audience recording (incomplete soundboard available). |
| Persistence | Kezar Stadium Kezar Stadium Kezar Stadium is a stadium located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. It is the former home of the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL, and of the San Francisco Dragons of MLL. It also served as the home of the... , San Francisco, June 2, 1973 |
Audience recording. |
| V-1⁄2 | Seattle Center Coliseum KeyArena KeyArena at Seattle Center , is a multipurpose arena, in Seattle, Washington. It is located north of downtown in the entertainment complex known as Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, the Century 21 Exposition... , Seattle, July 17, 1973 |
Audience recording. |
| Duckwalks and Lasers | Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the... , New York New York New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... , July 28, 1973 |
|
| 214 | Seattle Center Coliseum KeyArena KeyArena at Seattle Center , is a multipurpose arena, in Seattle, Washington. It is located north of downtown in the entertainment complex known as Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, the Century 21 Exposition... , March 21, 1975. |
Audience recording. |
| 207.19 | Seattle Center Coliseum KeyArena KeyArena at Seattle Center , is a multipurpose arena, in Seattle, Washington. It is located north of downtown in the entertainment complex known as Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, the Century 21 Exposition... , March 21, 1975. |
Audience recording. |
| Earls Court | Earls Court Arena, May 24, 1975. | Soundboard recording. |
| Destroyer | Richfield Coliseum, Cleveland, Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... , April 27, 1977 |
Soundboard recording. |
| Listen to This Eddie | Los Angeles Forum, Los Angeles, June 21, 1977 | Audience recording (taped by Mike Millard Mike Millard Mike Millard, nicknamed "Mike The Mike" was an avid concert taper in the 1970s and 1980s, recording mostly Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones concerts in California, especially at the Los Angeles Forum. He taped virtually every show at the Forum from 1974 to 1980... ). |
| For Badgeholders Only For Badgeholders Only For Badgeholders Only is a bootleg recording of a rock concert by English band Led Zeppelin, performed on June 23, 1977 at the Los Angeles Forum in Los Angeles, California, a show which came towards the end of the band's 1977 North American concert tour.... |
Los Angeles Forum, Los Angeles, June 23, 1977 | Audience recording (the original vinyl bootleg was recorded by an unknown taper, although it is commonly mistaken as having been taped by Mike Millard Mike Millard Mike Millard, nicknamed "Mike The Mike" was an avid concert taper in the 1970s and 1980s, recording mostly Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones concerts in California, especially at the Los Angeles Forum. He taped virtually every show at the Forum from 1974 to 1980... , who made a separate recording of the show). Keith Moon Keith Moon Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon... joined in on drum set for "Moby Dick" and the encores. |
The 1980s: the release of the soundboards
In the late 1980s the number of available soundboard recordings of Led Zeppelin shows increased significantly as a result of original soundboard tapes having been stolen from the home of their owner, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy PageJimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
, and then copied for underground release. Also stolen were copies of several rare studio out-takes, which were released under titles such as Jennings Farm Blues (featuring run-throughs of an electric version of "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
"Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is a song on English rock band Led Zeppelin's third album, Led Zeppelin III, released in 1970.-Song history:Jimmy Page and Robert Plant constructed the song in 1970 at Bron-Yr-Aur, a small cottage in Wales where they stayed after completing a gruelling concert tour of the United...
" recorded in October 1969) and Studio Daze (including different studio mixes of "Since I've Been Loving You
Since I've Been Loving You
"Since I've Been Loving You" is a blues-rock song in C minor by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on the 1970 album Led Zeppelin III.-Overview:...
", "No Quarter
No Quarter (song)
"No Quarter" is a song by Led Zeppelin that appears on their album, Houses of the Holy, released in 1973. It was written by bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant.- Overview :...
" and "All My Love
All My Love (song)
"All My Love" is a song on English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1979 album, In Through the Out Door. Credited to Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, it is a slow-tempo song that features a synthesizer solo by Jones and lyrics performed by Plant....
"). "Midnight Moonlight", a song later recorded by "The Firm", is available through studio bootlegs.
The 1990s: the CD era
The 1990s saw a multitude of Led Zeppelin bootlegs become available on the CD format, with limited-edition and higher quality releases being produced in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on labels such as Tarantura
Tarantura
Tarantura is a record label based in Japan which releases bootleg recordings. Since 1993 it has been specialising in Led Zeppelin and Page and Plant releases....
and Antrabata. The most significant 90s label TDOLZ (The Diagrams of Led Zeppelin) has covered most of the circulating concerts for that period releasing over 100 titles. In 1999, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reported that the number of Led Zeppelin bootleg titles in circulation exceeded those of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
.
Some notable Led Zeppelin bootlegs released on CD include:
- Burn Like A CandleBurn Like a CandleBurn Like a Candle is a bootleg recording of the English rock group Led Zeppelin's performance at the Los Angeles Forum on June 25, 1972. It was originally released on CD format in the 1990s by the Smoking Pig label....
: The complete show from the Los Angeles Forum on June 25, 1972. - Pigeon Blood : Recorded at Tampa Stadium, Florida on May 5, 1973.
- Knebworth : Both of the band's performances at the Knebworth FestivalConcerts at Knebworth HouseThe grounds of Knebworth House near the village of Knebworth in Hertfordshire, England has become a major venue for open air rock and pop concerts since 1974 when The Allman Brothers Band attracted 60,000 at the first large concert held at the venue....
in August 1979.
The 2000s and present: Empress Valley soundboard breakthrough
Numerous previously uncirculated complete high quality soundboard recordings were released by newly established Empress Valley label (also referenced as Empress Valley Supreme Disc) which is the semi-successor of retired Tarantura:| Released | Title | Recording details |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Zeppelin Express Physical Rocket | Earl's Court, London, UK on 25 May 1975; professionally shot live video from that concert was released subsequently on DVD DVD A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions.... , audio material was reissued by EV several times with different titles. |
| 2002 | Flying Circus | Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the... , New York City New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... , US on 12 February 1975 |
| 2003 | Florida Sunshine | Civic Auditorium, Orlando Orlando, Florida Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States... , US on 31 August 1971 |
| 2003 | Bringing the House Down | Capital Centre Capital Centre The Capital Centre was an indoor arena located in Landover, Maryland, unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland; a suburb of Washington, D.C. Completed in 1973, the arena sat 18,756 for basketball and 18,130 for hockey.... , Landover Landover, Maryland Landover is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, within the census-designated place of Greater Landover. The Prince Georges County Sports and Learning Complex is in Landover... , US on 26 May 1977 |
| 2003 | Chasing the Dragon | Memorial Auditorium Dallas Convention Center The Dallas Convention Center, originally the Dallas Memorial Auditorium, is a meeting hall, event/convention center and civic center in the Convention Center District of downtown Dallas, Texas... , Dallas, US on 4 March 1975; less complete recording circulated before. |
| 2004 | Conspiracy Theory | Sports Arena, San Diego, US on 14 March 1975; unknown date before bootleg release. |
| 2004 | St. Louis Blues | St. Louis Arena St. Louis Arena The St. Louis Arena was an indoor arena located in St. Louis, Missouri, that stood from 1929 to 1999... , St. Louis, US on 16 February 1975 |
| 2005 | The Dragon Snake | The Summit, Houston, US on 21 May 1977 |
| 2006 | Snow Jobs | Pacific Coliseum Pacific Coliseum Pacific Coliseum is an indoor arena, at Hastings Park, in Vancouver, British Columbia.Completed in 1968, at the former site of the Pacific National Exhibition, the arena currently holds 16,281, for ice hockey, though capacity at its opening was 15,713.... , Vancouver Vancouver Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,... , Canada on 19 March 1975 |
| 2007 | Days Confused | Memorial Auditorium, Dallas, US on 5 March 1975 |
| 2007 | Working Tapes | The Old Refectory, Southampton University University of Southampton The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed... , UK on 22 January 1973 |
| 2007 | The Powhatan Confederacy | Capital Centre, Landover, US on 28 May 1977 |
| 2008 | St. Valentine's Day Massacre | Nassau Coliseum Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, United States. Home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, the Coliseum is located approximately east of New York City on Long Island... , Uniondale Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a hamlet as well as a suburb of New York City in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead. The population was 24,759 at the 2010 United States Census.-Geography:... , US on 14 February 1975 |
| 2009 | Long Beach Californication | Long Beach Arena Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is a convention center located in Long Beach, California. It was built on the site of the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium beginning in 1962. The primary venues of the complex include:-Long Beach Arena:... , Long Beach Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257... , US on 11 March 1975 |
| 2009 | Rampaging Cajun | Louisiana State University Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name... , Baton Rouge Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South... , US on 28 February 1975 |
| 2010 | Magical Sound Boogie | Madison Square Garden, New York City, US on 7 June 1977 |
| 2011 | Haven't We Met Somewhere Before? | Seattle Center Coliseum KeyArena KeyArena at Seattle Center , is a multipurpose arena, in Seattle, Washington. It is located north of downtown in the entertainment complex known as Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, the Century 21 Exposition... , Seattle, US on 17 March 1975 |
Since Empress Valley is the only supplier of new soundboard material for the moment, its issues are being cloned after initial release by numerous minor labels, sometimes with alternative titles.
Bootlegs trading on the Web
In the 80s and 90s before broadband Internet accessBroadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....
became widely available, bootlegs (CD-R
CD-R
A CD-R is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony. CD-R is a Write Once Read Many optical medium, though the whole disk does not have to be entirely written in the same session....
s or Compact Cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
copies) circulated mostly via snail mail
Snail mail
Snail mail or smail is a dysphemistic retronym—named after the snail with its slow speed—used to refer to letters and missives carried by conventional postal delivery services. The phrase refers to the lag-time between dispatch of a letter and its receipt, versus the virtually instantaneous...
. Today all of the unauthorised Led Zeppelin material is available on the Internet, mostly on BitTorrent resources in lossless media formats. Decoding and redistributing audio in lossy formats (such as MP3) is strongly frowned upon among the trading community as it diminishes the quality of the audio and cam make it difficult for recipients to know if they are receiving the best available copy. During 2000s previously uncirculated audience recordings surfaced mostly on the BitTorrent resources.
Notable previously unheard audience recordings that surfaced on the Web from 2000's:
- Olympia Stadium, Detroit, US on 28 August 1970
- The CasinoMontreux CasinoMontreux Casino ' is a casino located in Montreux, Switzerland, on the shoreline of Lake Geneva. It has served as the venue for the Montreux Jazz Festival and was rebuilt following a 1971 fire memorialized in the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water." It is a property of Groupe Lucien...
, MontreuxMontreuxMontreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
on 7 August 1971 - The Spectrum, Philadelphia, US on 13 June 1972
- Chicago StadiumChicago StadiumThe Chicago Stadium was an indoor sports arena and theater in Chicago. It opened in 1929, and closed in 1994.-History:The Stadium hosted the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL from 1929–1994 and the Chicago Bulls of the NBA from 1967–1994....
, ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, US on 22 January 1975 - Riverfront ColiseumU.S. Bank ArenaU.S. Bank Arena is an indoor arena, located in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, along the banks of the Ohio River, next to the Great American Ball Park. Completed in September 1975, the arena seats 17,556 people...
, Cincinnati, US on 20 April 1977 - Freedom HallFreedom HallFreedom Hall is a multipurpose arena in Louisville, Kentucky, on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky...
, LouisvilleLouisville, KentuckyLouisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, US on 25 April 1977
2007 court case
In July 2007 Page appeared in a GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
courtroom
Courtroom
A courtroom is the actual enclosed space in which a judge regularly holds court.The schedule of official court proceedings is called a docket; the term is also synonymous with a court's caseload as a whole.-Courtroom design:-United States:...
to give testimony and observe evidence on behalf of Led Zeppelin against an alleged bootlegger. Robert Langley was charged with, and denied, twelve counts of producing and selling products without copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
permission.
Page was shown hundreds of CDs and DVDs, ranging from his solo material to his time with Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and the Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
, which Langley was allegedly selling in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
during 2005. Many contain footage and audio from Page's personal collection, stolen from his home in the early 1980s.
The goods were found on sale as far away as New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where shop-owners thought they were official. Page later said "If you have something like this that appears legitimate then it is just not right".
Sources
- Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4.
- Robert Godwin (1994) The Illustrated Collectors Guide to Led Zeppelin Volume 1,Burlington: Collectors Guide Publishing. ISBN 978-0-96957363-0
- Robert Godwin (1997) The Illustrated Collectors Guide to Led Zeppelin Volume 2,Burlington: Collectors Guide Publishing. ISBN 978-1-89652242-5
- Luis ReyLuis ReyLuis V. Rey is a Spanish-Mexican artist and illustrator, a 1977 graduate of the San Carlos Academy, . He is best known for his innovative work in the field of dinosaur paleoart, for example in conjunction with Robert T. Bakker, promoting awareness of the developing evidence for feathered dinosaurs...
(1997) Led Zeppelin Live: An Illustrated Exploration of Underground Tapes, Ontario: The Hot WacksHot WacksHot Wacks is a Canadian underground magazine that has been in circulation for over 25 years, featuring reviews of bootleg music releases. Reviews include information such as source, quality, track listing and packaging. It is commonly referred to as the 'Bootleg Bible' by bootleg collectors.It is...
Press. ISBN 0-9698080-7-0.
External links
- The Year of Led Zeppelin: A Quest to Listen to Every Led Zeppelin Concert in a Year
- Underground Uprising: comprehensive database of Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings
- BootLedZ.Com another label database with title comparisons.
- Ramble On Zep concert transcriptions.
- Led Zeppelin Live
- List of Led Zeppelin bootleg reviews
- Comprehensive list of Led Zeppelin bootlegs, included vinyl, CD, and visual material