In the comments section on the previous post by pipecock, one person recommended Ragtyme’s “I Can’t Stay Away”. It’s another much desired reissue on the excellent Clone Classic Cuts series, which officially licences hard to get Chicago/italo/etc classics. However, as many of us are aware, there’s a lot of “reissues” out there which are not official, ie bootlegs. Our man, Richard Brophy over at Test wrote an excellent article on this subject for RA and, if you haven’t already, I recommend reading it and getting informed.
My feelings on the matter are that I’m totally against bootlegging. However, I admit to buying them sometimes (knowingly and unknowingly) because I just can’t resist the temptation to get THAT tune. But it’s another matter for the supposedly reputable shops and distributors who are complicit in this dishonest practice. To me it shows a total lack of respect for the artists who make the music that provide them with something to sell/distribute. On top of that, I feel it shows a total lack of respect to the consumer (us!) to pass these bootlegs off as “reissues”. At the very least we should be able to make an informed decision as to what we buy.
Now, I’m all for reissues as long as they’re done properly. I’m not one of these hoarders who only wants a great record for myself, great music should be heard. One of the most inspiring examples of the lengths someone with a passion will go through to do things properly and with respect is a compilation of Afrobeat and funk from Benin and Togo called African Scream Contest on Analog Africa. Every artist was personally contacted and interviewed (except one who sadly died just before the meeting was due to take place), and they made sure that the artists got paid. That is a real love for music and respect for the artists who make it.
P.S. here’s a tip, if a rare record on an obscure label suddenly turns up as a reissue for normal prices, it’s probably a bootleg, no matter how convincing it looks.
Yeah, I’m surprised that some well-known European music stores (many of which run their own labels) stock bootlegs that were produced to fool collectors. It’s one thing if it’s an unauthorized repress with different label art, but I think the ones which can be mistaken for originals are even more harmful.
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yeah, ive been fooled these ways aswell. thanks for pointing us to that excellently written Richard Brophy article. it was a good read.
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african scream contest, along with the soundway releases have been some of the best rereleases of the year.
your west african mix from a few months ago has hardly left the aul walkman either. great stuff.
i’ve been meaning to track down that Ghanaian compilation too.
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gmos reply on November 15th, 2008 7:58 am:
thanks clom, glad you’re still digging it!
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i have to say that in a way, shops stocking boots is a blessing. thrn you know when buying a copy to be on the lookout! imagine if you didnt know, the kind of havoc one could run into on ebay would be insanity. youd be paying top dollar for something worthless.
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1st, from the retailer perspective, distributors don’t advertise items as bootlegs. You order an item expecting a legit reissue and open the box to find a coverless, white-label pressing or a high quality reproduction. So we pass the blame up the chain, all of the way up to the bootlegger, who, in turn, blames the record label for not keeping the title in print. Everyone gets to be self-righteously angry.
2nd. the idea that your record collection is worth anything more that the music contained in it is complete bullshit. I understand being against bootlegs because the artist isn’t fairly compensated, or because it’s of shitty quality, but the idea that you’re somehow losing out because you don’t have a collector’s item is just cosumerist fantasy nonsense. I hope your grandkids have a good time on Antique Roadshow with your precious first pressings.
Playing with plastic is a tricksy game.
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platinumray reply on November 13th, 2008 8:40 am:
But your forgetting about emotional attachment etc and that people prefer to have an original copy rather than a badly pressed recording off a compilation or bootleg. This a part of the listening experience and has nothing to do with monetary investments.
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How does a bootleg of an out of print title hurt the artist any more than selling secondhand copies on ebay? Either way the artist gets nothing
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meschi reply on November 13th, 2008 1:46 pm:
cause originally with the secondhand copies the atrist was paid. I know what your trying to say, but in the end, with one of those pressings the artist was paid… the other they werent.
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Jacob reply on November 14th, 2008 1:53 pm:
I think it’s more a question of supply and demand. If demand is met by a bootleg, there’s less chance of a legitimate repress by Clone Classic Cuts or some other real re-issue label.
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God, I hate these conversations, sorry for jumping in
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@Lina you hate thoughtful and reasoned debate?
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