Your greatest Beatleg moment

[MrMurphMcgee]

I think the most exciting moments were getting File Under and hearing unreleased tracks for the first time, and then a few years later Backtrack vol. 1.

[thewarpedvinyljunkie]

Discovered 'Wayne' (Rogers?) of R'n'R University and bought interview cassettes in '81

Yes, that was it! Wayne Rogers. Thanks for the memory jog!

[Egg_Crisis]

Mine was finding "The Complete BBC Sessions" (Great Dane, 9 cd's + bonus disc) at a record fair at the Griffin Hotel in Leeds in 1996 (I think the set came out in 1992/93 but I'd never heard of it until that day). It cost £120 and I didn't have that much money on me so I paid the guy a deposit so he'd hold it and I went away to get more money and came back an hour later and completed the sale.

Up until that point I had Live At The BBC and a number of other tracks on bootlegs. The problem with the bootlegs (as well as the quality) was they rarely gave the dates. You could look in Lewisohn and get a complete list of the shows and what songs were performed, but this was only of any use when a song was only performed once. When a song was performed a bunch of times you only knew it was from one of those dates, not which one. I'd had it in my mind that if I could find enough tracks they could be compiled into chronological order... but the task seemed impossible... then I stumbled on this box set where someone had already done the hard work!

[JPM7756]

Back in the early 90s I knew a guy that sold bootlegs out of his home. He showed me the Strawberry Fields Forever one on Nems. I decided to get it and I loved having these alternate versions including Piece Of Mind which even though it's an outfake I'm still intrigued by the mystery around it. Then I started ordering the Sapcor ones through a catalog called Golden Treasures. I loved the parody style. The rest is history

[billychildish]

When I first got into collecting CD boots, there was a guy who used to advertise in Goldmine, "Rip It Up!" His name was Neil and whenever Belmo's, the 910, or ICE Magazine mentioned a particular disc was available, I'd call him and he ALWAYS had whatever I was looking for and not just Beatles either. I heard he has since passed away. RIP. A great guy to talk to on the phone.

[Grackleflint]

Mine would have been the first time I found bootleg records in a store (I had already had some dubs on cassette made by a friend) - went shopping in Canton, Ohio sometime in late 1975, ending up buying several boots, including "Angel Baby" and "Live and Japan 1966" , felt like quite a haul lol

[Grackleflint]

Mine would have been the first time I found bootleg records in a store (I had already had some dubs on cassette made by a friend) - went shopping in Canton, Ohio sometime in late 1975 -or 76, ending up buying several boots, including "Angel Baby" and "Live and Japan 1966" , felt like quite a haul lol

[DrBombay]

Hearing the first four volumes of Ultra Rare Trax was mind blowing for me. I actually stayed home from a Saturday night party to listen to these tracks over and over again. I couldn't believe my ears!

[C90]

Three exciting Beatleg purchases, in chronological order:

1) 'Beatles At The Beeb, Vol.2' (LP) - all of the Beeb volumes dropped into record dealers' racks at the same time, and I had to weigh up which to buy since I could only splurge £12 on one, but Vol.2 got my vote on account of its marvellous cover photo (the band in session at the Playhouse Theatre, I think - a sweaty looking George at the 'BBC' labelled mic, John very casual in jeans and sweater) and the amount of new (to me) material, never used on the recent BBC specials - 'I've Got To Find My Baby' blew me away! A completely unheard song, in superb quality, as was most of the album. I got the bug and picked up 3 or 4 more of the volumes over the next year or so, finally completing the set thanks to eBay many years later.

2) 'Sessions' (cassette) - For impoverished students like me at the time, pirated cassettes of pricey boot LPs were a godsend, and for £3, I think, I got to hear the classic compilation. The 1963 version of 'One After 909' was amazing, I had no idea it was recorded then, and I was also pleased to finally hear 'How Do You Do It' after reading of its existence in various books. And (guilty pleasure) I thought 'If You've Got Troubles' was great too, a good rocker with a nice guitar sound - and in a weird mix where the stereo soundstage folded in, or was it out, for the guitar solo, then back again. The 'oh-oh' backing vocals also stood out really prominently, clearly overdubbed. The tape was quite hissy, no doubt duplicated en masse and at high speed, and I decided to upgrade to an actual 'Sessions' LP. I got one with the blue 'ripped photos' cover, and the upgrade was worth it, although 'Troubles' wasn't quite the same mix as my cassette for some reason, which must have been sourced from an alternate mix/pressing.

3) Ultra Rare Trax (CDs) - after reading rave reviews about them, and now working, with a bit more buying power, I bought one at record fair to try them out, Vol.2 I think. I was so astonished at the clarity, and the amount of studio chat, that I felt almost uncomfortable at eavesdropping on the band in such detail. I really felt like an intruder in the room, hearing such private, unguarded moments of them working, oblivious or at least unconcerned that the tapes were rolling. Of course, the music was fantastic and once I knew what to expect, I picked up more volumes, and the Yellow Dog Unsurpassed Masters, whenever I could find them. Those early CDs really were game changers.

[tdgrnwld]

One of many:
I was around 10 years old and visiting a playmate. He had an older sister, so his household was full of LPs that never would have appeared in my own home. We listened to them as we played ping pong or Monopoly or whatever. I first heard the White Album there, and The Beatles Again. One time, we were playing Abbey Road, and the second side came to a close. I had heard it before and wasn't paying much attention. We were on a lower floor, listening on a portable record player rather than the usual system upstairs. Then, suddenly, BOOM! "Her majesty's a pretty nice girl . . . " What he heck?! I had never heard that before. I looked at the album cover, but "The End" was the last song listed. Hearing Paul strumming this lovely tune that wasn't even listed on the album left me agog. Great song, great performance, great presentation as a hidden track left at the end of the album just to freak out people like me.