Re: Whatever happened to...

[TangerineMan <TangerineMan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gore-met:

> Speaking of vinyl, and to remain topical, has anyone run across any 
> Zep
> boot records recently, and if so, what kind of prices were they 
> going
> for?

There are only two stores that I know of here in Montreal where you'll
still see vinyl boots; the only other possibility is when the record
collectors' convention comes through town.

There's one store in particular that has had, for about two years 
running,
a single-disc truncated version of the Bonzo's Birthday Party gig 
called
"Children of the Moon," going for C$50, I believe (about US$33), and 
the
triple-LP "Melancholy Danish Pageboys Get It On" (first Copenhagen 
warmup
gig, 1979--might even be the same copy I re-sold 20 years ago; it was 
my
first boot and I was disappointed with it). That one is $60, same 
price I
paid way back when--so yeah, the prices haven't really changed in 20
years. They also had a 1983 Plant show (titled "Other Arms," maybe?) 
last
time I looked.

The other used-CD store has in the past had a version of one of the
Knebworth shows (can't recall the details) and a version of 04/27/69. 
They
had no Zep the last time I looked, but had some Genesis (Lamb Lies 
Down
live), Beatles and Stones boots.

Boot CDs used to be quite easy to find at these same stores. I picked 
up
No License, No Festival (09/09/70) for C$38 (US$25), Seattle 
Supersonic
(03/21/75) for C$50 and Long Beach Arena Complete (03/12/75) for C$50
three years ago. That marked my reintroduction to Zep boot collecting.
Around the same time I bought a few titles new from Rock en Stock, the
(in)famous retailer and ex-bootlegger (he was involved in 
distributing the
original Montreal '75 boots) who got busted big time by the RCMP a 
couple
of years ago. Eighty percent of his freaking inventory was boots. My 
best
purchase from him was "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," used, for C$120. The 
day
I bought that one, he offered me "Grandiloquence" for some insanely 
high
price, telling me he'd just sold "The Campaign" (complete 1972 Japan 
tour
box set) for C$1500 and that it had been a real bargain. I spent 
close to
$1000 buying original silvers those first few weeks, before 
discovering
the joys of trading.

The used-CD stores who used to stock boots stopped doing so at the 
same
time Rock en Stock got busted. No coincidence there, I'm sure. Btw, 
last I
heard those thousands of boot CDs were still being held as evidence at
Montreal RCMP HQ. I've often wondered if there are any Zephead cops 
there
who've raided the stash. Then I realized, there are no Zephead cops.

Oh, and btw, no, the RCMP don't ride horses and wear the silly red 
suits
and brown hats any more. Only for ceremonial stuff. And no, we don't 
live
in igloos up here. And no, we're not part of the United States. But 
yes,
our beer is better.

Vinyl boot rarities I own: "Going to California with Led Zeppelin"
(09/14/71, probably a reissue 'cause it's on flexible vinyl, not the 
stiff
stuff that it would have been pressed on in the early 70s; paid C$30 
for
it 20 years ago); "Copenhagen Warmups: The Second Night" (C$60, 20 
years
ago); "Early Jitters" (umpteenth reissue of the BBC Paris Theatre 
show,
single LP with a bonus 45-rpm single to cover WLL and StH! C$15, 20 
years
ago).

Legit rarities (not all that rare, I guess): "Lord Sutch and Heavy
Friends"; "Death Wish II"; "Scream for Help"; "Guitar Boogie"; "No
Introduction Necessary"; "The Song Retains the Name."

An original Knebworth poster, somewhere. Same one repro'ed on p. 487 
of
Luis Rey, final edition. At least I hope I still have it. An 
autographed
picture of Robert Plant at the height of his hockey-hair phase (won 
Merit
Adventures trivia contest). Used to have an original one-sheet movie
poster of TSRtS, but my first roommate's cats destroyed it.