Bootlegs with a Canadian connection

   
Beatles' bootlegs came into their own in the mid 1970's through the mid 1980's.  In the early 1970's demand for Beatles recordings remained strong while the break up of the Beatles indicated less new material going forward. Bootlegs helped address the imbalance between supply and demand becoming widely available at independent record stores in most Canadian cities.  The majority of the content was made up of live performances, studio outtakes, demos, interviews and broadcasts. The audio quality ranged from poor to excellent.

The first Beatles' bootleg (1970) 

It is generally accepted the first Beatles' bootleg was "Kum Back", released in 1970, which consisted of outtakes from the "Get Back/Let It Be" sessions.  Most first generation Beatles' bootlegs were issued in a plain cover with a stamped title or a one colour mimeographed title sheet.  The labels were often blank with no track listing or had misleading artist information and track listings. 

Many Beatles' collections omit bootlegs as they are unofficial releases, illegal and have questionable audio and production quality.  The Beatles are probably the most bootlegged band of all time.

Despite their generally poor quality and questionable legal status bootlegs have a place in the Beatles' story as they supplied "new" content to fans at a time when official releases offered mainly repackaged material.  Bootlegs also have historical interest as they capture important moments in the history of the Beatles and in Pop and Rock music in general    

On Twickenham Jams the cover identifies Canada as the place of manufacture. This is unlikely as the pressing ring is similar to the Tobe milo E.P. bootlegs and they were pressed in Los Angeles.

Cover or label information indicate a few bootlegs were pressed in Canada, although there was no way to confirm this.  Starting in the early 1980's bootlegs took on the appearance of "legitimate" releases offering commercial quality full colour covers, labels, liner notes and graphics.

The complete Vancouver concert - 2 LP set.

Vancouver Concert: Early original 2 LP
 set issued by the Trade Mark of Quality label. 

A hard to find bootleg of the Vancouver
concert with the Beatles as Mounties.

The double LP "Vancouver 1964" is a note worthy Canadian related bootleg as it includes the live Vancouver concert, radio coverage of the press conference and the interruption of the concert by a near riot.

The Beatles 1964, Montreal concert can be found on CD, but not on vinyl. 

In 2016 a CD/DVD titled "The Beatles - On Tour in Canada" featured 1964 concert recordings from Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.    

Made in Canada?

Two bootlegs often cited as being of Canadian manufacture are "The Beatles Spicy Songs" and "The Beatles Virgin+3 Get Back Sessions 2".

For about 15 years, starting in 1975, an annual bootleg catalogue titled "Hot Wacks" was published in Canada.  The same group, based in Kitchener, Ontario, also published the full colour "Hot Wax Quarterly", a magazine that reviewed newly released bootlegs and legitimate imports.  It has been suggested the Canadian group behind the publication was connected to the "Amazing Kornyphone" bootleg label although the records were probably not pressed in Canada.           

Hot Wacks annual catalogue (left) and quarterly magazine (right)

In the late 1970's and early 1980's bootlegs shed their white generic jackets and mimeographed insert for a more commercial look.  As a result some bootlegs found their way into mainstream record shops. One example is "The Beatles and the Rolling Stones" on Joker Records (Italy) which featured Beatles' live cuts from the Hollywood Bowl along with a couple of studio tracks on Side 1 and The Rolling Stones BBC performances on Side 2.  While some maintain it was a legitimate release in Italy it was clearly a bootleg elsewhere, although sold as a legitimate import in Western Canada in the A&A chain of record stores among others.        

With the official release of Beatles' outtakes and alternate versions that started with Anthology I in 1995, the landscape for bootlegs changed dramatically.  The officially released material had superior audio quality, was pressed on better vinyl, was better packaged and was widely available.  As a result the demand for bootlegs and their value tapered off.

In recent years a new generation of bootlegs have appeared.  While mostly recycled material from older issues the newer bootlegs come with improved packaging and many are available in heavier vinyl or coloured vinyl.  An even larger selection of bootlegs is available on CD and CD/DVD

Most single LP bootlegs sell in the $25 to $40 dollar range and doubles a bit higher.  For a variety of reasons a few vintage bootlegs command much higher valuations.  Examples are original Wizardo and Trade Mark of Quality pressings, especially those on coloured and splatter vinyl, "The Black Album" 3 LP set, "Rarities", "Collector's Items", "The Get Back Journals", "Scraps" and the Tobe Milo E.P. series, to name a few. 

Currently a new wave of bootlegs consisting of recycled tracks or re-engineered tracks with commercial quality covers and labels and pressed in heavier coloured vinyl have made an appearance.  These  bootlegs, which seem to originate in the E.U. and are aimed at a new generation of vinyl buyers.  

Below is a rare multi-coloured copy of a bootleg featuring "Three Cool Cats" backed with "Hello Little Girl".  Both recordings were from the Beatles' Decca studio audition and are in excellent mono.  Bootlegs featuring tracks from the Beatles 1962 Decca audition in  both 7" and 12" formats were widely available in Canadian independent record stores in the 1980's. 

  

The "Original Greatest Hits" was an illegal pressing of Beatle tracks released in the Eastern U.S. in April-May 1964. Capitol successfully and quickly stopped its production through court action. While not sold in Canada the disc was compiled using needle drops from Capitol of Canada singles including She Loves You, I'll Get You, Roll Over Beethoven, Please Mister Postman, Love Me Do (Ringo version), Please Please Me, From Me to You, I Want to Hold Your Hand, All My Loving, Twist and Shout, Can't Buy Me Love and and Do You Want to Know a Secret.

Current values for Beatles bootlegs.