An Introduction
I have been selling music since 1965. The currently popular commercial phrase 'been there, done that' would probably apply to most of the music industry. That having been said, it never ceases to amaze me at the amount and type of music an artist will get from an instrument, what they will use for an instrument or what they will choose to sing (or rap) about.
First, a word about bootlegs. I live in the United States and this price guide was produced here. In this country bootlegs have always been illegal. In all fairness, some of the items listed here as bootlegs were legal in the country of manufacture at the time of their release. They have always been illegal in the United States. Under the Bern Convention they are now illegal everywhere except China. The releases are listed here because they have become so prevalent and because they provide music which may be historically important that would otherwise not be made available to the public. WE DO NOT CONDONE BOOTLEG MUSIC IN ANY FORM. WE DO NOT DEAL IN BOOTLEG MUSIC. WE DO NOT KNOW OF ANYONE THAT DOES. DON'T EVEN ASK. PERIOD. There, that should make the lawyers happy!
The following countries of release are referenced in this database. You will need to make reference to this list if you intend to search for recordings by country of release. The are:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Phillipines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scandinavia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe.
The following recording formats are referenced in this guide:
LP - long playing record album in analog format.
CD - three inch or five inch disc in digital audio format.
7 in. - 7 inch diameter record with no more than one song per side. May be 33 or 45 rpm.
12 in. - 12 inch diameter record with 1 to 5 songs (usually), but not a full length album.
EP - extended play 45 or 33 rpm 7 inch diameter record with 3 or more songs.
Gold CD - 16, 18, 22 or 24 kt gold plated disc. Provides superior audio playback over regular aluminum discs.
Picture Disc - generally a record with embedded graphics. May be 7 inch or 12 inch diameter. Will always be round. May also be a compact disc with special graphics on the disc rather than black print or a solid color.
Shaped Discs - any shape other than round. Usually with a 7 inch diameter playing surface. Overall diameter may be more than 7 inches. May be solid color, multicolored or may contain graphics including pictures.
Colored Vinyl - any color other than black, including clear. May be a solid color, two or more colors or have a 'marbled' appearance.
Bootlegs - unauthorized recordings usually from a live concert. May also contain studio outtakes or unreleased recordings.
Promos - recordings distributed to radio stations (generally) for on air play in advance of the regular release. Will contain phrases relating to this special status such as 'For Radio Station Play Only', 'Advanced Copy Not For Sale', 'Promotional Copy', 'Special Disc Jokey Record', etc. Most promo records will have a special label for these releases which is a different color or design layout. Recently it has been the practice of most record labels to provide copies of CDs to larger retailers for in-store play. These discs may have a sticker attached stating that ownership resides with the label. There is usually no difference between these disc and their regular release counterparts and they should not command an increased value.
10 inch LPs - 10 inch diameter long playing record.
Picture Sleeve - paper or cardboard cover for 7 inch or EP. Relates to a specific record release.
Radio Shows - records or CDs manufactured for on air play only. Usually contain live concert recordings but may also contain interviews, unreleased songs or studio outtakes. Usually manufactured for special occasions or one time use. This section also contains a group of discs known as the Century 21 discs. These titles were made in multi-disc sets for sale to radio stations only. Sets were made for various musical styles such as AOR, MOR or Country. All titles are various artist discs. Had the discs been sold individually they would have averaged $30.00 per disc. Sets came in red on silver, blue on silver or black on silver. Later releases used a special noise reduction system and were termed 'Gold Disc 2' or 'Gold Disc 3' depending on the noise reduction system used. Disc colors were black on gold on an aluminum disc. Many of these items have reached the collector's market. No distinction is made here for the various releases and most command the same price.
Recently, a record label salesman described their newest release as 'a post-industrial-techno-trip-hop-jungle-kinda-thing'. Honestly. If you can't describe it, don't expect me to! In a perfect world everything would have it's own niche. Soon, there would be so many styles no one could possibly describe them let alone catalog them. Some groups like the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin or Tangerine Dream don't really fit a catagory, they define it. The musical styles represented here are as follows:
Progressive
Jazz
Rock
Pop
Country (includes Blue Grass)
Blues (includes Cajun and Zydeco)
Reggae
Ambient
Heavy Metal
Hardcore (includes Punk)
Surf
Rap
Folk
Soul (includes Motown and Funk)
Alternative
Gothic
World
Industrial (includes Techno and Electronic)
Psychedelic
Rap
Comments are welcome. Constructive corrections are also welcome. However, flames are not. Don't waste my time. After more than twenty years writing price guides and music reviews, I still have a few feelings left. Rants, raves or other nasty behaviour is best left to your psychiatrist. One popular book states 'Vengance is Mine sayeth the Lord'. I'll get mine before he gets his.
Enough for now. This guide was written so you could enjoy it's contents. I hope you do.
Remember:
Nothing reamins the same forever (the universe favors randomness).
The only really consistent people are the dead.
And, in a 100 years, who's gonna care?
Terry Leonard
April, 1999
