I first got into listening to bootlegs – unofficial recordings – when I went through my Beach Boys phase. This was mostly to do with the album Smile, unreleased in its original form for many years, eventually seeing two official releases in 2004 and 2011. I was obsessed with finding all the little parts that were meant to make up a very American journey of discovery and weird riffs on the health food craze. This started with songs like He Gives Speeches, later re-recorded and completed under the title She's Goin' Bald for the Smiley Smile album. Here was a little piece, a little over a minute long that held some serious magic. It gave a hint at what was lost when Brian Wilson canned the album. Heroes and Villains was like an album in itself: Nearly endless variations on a theme all constructed to be swapped in and out given the mood of the creator. Wonderful in all its forms was a beautiful thing, even the slightly goofy Rock With Me Henry version.

Some people argue that bootlegs do harm to the creators. This may well have some credibility. In the case of The Beach Boys however it only did good. The swell of interest in Smile increased many times over in the 1980s when the first bootlegs of the album circulated. This led to the release of much of the material on the Good Vibrations Box Set, followed by Wilson completing the album for a series of concert performances in 2004 and finally an exhaustive archival release in 2011. If it had not been for the level of interest in this “lost” music, it is highly unlikely anything would have ever come of it. It is in this spirit that I present you with some of my favourite bootlegs.

Prince – Crystal Ball

This is my favourite Prince album. Prince was at his peak in 1986. He had enough material to fill half a dozen albums. Crystal Ball – not to be confused with the outtake compilation in the late 90s – was a triple LP, utilizing the material recorded for the Camille project, as well as the bulk of what would make up Sign O The Times. I love this recording for many reasons, but the main ones are to do with its stunning range of styles and sounds. Anyone, anyone who has even a small interest in the Purple One should seek this album out as soon as possible. It is better than Sign O The Times, and as a result is probably the very best album ever recorded by Prince Nelson. It is easy enough to compile yourself, so long as you have in your possession Sign O The Times and Camille. Not readily available in its completed form for some reason. Better than Dream Factory by a large margin.

Side 1
"Rebirth of the Flesh"
"Play in the Sunshine"
"Housequake"
"The Ballad of Dorothy Parker"


Side 2
"It"
"Starfish and Coffee"
"Slow Love"
"Hot Thing"


Side 3
"Crystal Ball"
"If I Was Your Girlfriend"
"Rock Hard in a Funky Place"


Side 4
"The Ball"
"Joy in Repetition"
"Strange Relationship"
"I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man"


Side 5
"Shockadelica"
"Good Love"
"Forever in My Life"
"Sign o' the Times"


Side 6
"The Cross"
"It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night"
"Adore (Until the End of Time)"


Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks New York Sessions

I have talked about this before but I'll just say quickly why this has such a special place in my music history. When I was a young Muggins, my Dad would play A LOT of Dylan. Every day for a long time, I heard albums like Blonde on Blonde, The Times They Are a Changin' and Blood on the Tracks. It was my Dad who first bought me Blood on the Tracks. He rightly claimed that it was the very best Bob ever did. It had an emotional honesty to it that is not present in much of his work and as a result creates a very special bond between the listener and the artist. I found out through my old Smile Shop friends that this was not in fact the original album, that it had been severely altered prior to release. I was hooked up with a copy of the New York sessions and I fell in love again. Here instead of the bombast of the full band version of Idiot Wind, there was a contemplative, regretful mood that was more interested in personal guilt than in dealing out blame to other parties. Tangled Up in Blue is likewise altered, as is You're a Big Girl Now, Lily Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts and If You See Her, Say Hello. An intriguing look into the development of one of the most iconic albums of the 1970s, and more over a brilliant work in its own right.

The Beatles – The Esher Demos

The White Album – yes it's okay to call it that – was perhaps the last time when the group were functioning on all cylinders. This bootleg is, like the New York sessions, a beautiful glimpse into the writing process of some of the best musicians of the 1960s and almost certainly the best Rock N Roll band to ever exist. Highlights include the original version of Jealous Guy, under the title of Child of Nature as well as an extra sleepy version of I'm So Tired. Definitely worth seeking out.









Anyway, more Bootleg recommendations please!