Those darn bootlegs (and how to get them)

[Yin Yang]

In the eighties there was no internet. Everything had to be arranged by mail or at fanclub meetings.
If you wanted to buy bootlegs you had to know who was selling them.
Usually these came from the USA so you had to go to the bank, buy dollars, send it in a registered letter to the seller and hope you'd eventually get the LP or LP's ordered.
Alternatively you could buy an international money transfer at the Post Office, send a photocopy of "proof of payment" to the seller and again hope to receive the ordered LP or LP's.
I am still awaiting 5 LP's I bought from Paul Lichter in the eighties.
By mail you would receive leaflets / flyers with information about new bootlegs if you'd be on the seller's mailing list or they would be included with the LP or LP's purchased.
Here a leaflet / flyer for "Behoind closed doors", one of the best bootleg releases ever, and "Elvis Presley Special" single with 2 recordings from the Dorsey Show. Seller was able to buy these and with the profit from sales of this single he hoped to buy the remaining 10 songs.
In those days the recordings from Elvis' 1956 TV appearances were not available yet!
When the parcel with your LP or LP's was delivered by the mailman, you'd have to pay import duties, making your purchase even more expensive.

z folder 2 a.jpg

z folder 2 b.jpg

[elvis-fan]

In the 80's and early 90's I used to use this magazine for tracking down bootleg sellers: (although it was a newspaper at that time more than the magazine it is now)



It was a god-send back in the day...

[Yin Yang]

I bpught that magazine and examined all advertisements for Lynn Anderson LP's. Only a few titles were for sale in The Netherlands so I had to import them. Got about 35 - 40. Unfortunately water leakage damaged most of the sleeves.

[scottwalker]

I bpught that magazine and examined all advertisements for Lynn Anderson LP's. Only a few titles were for sale in The Netherlands so I had to import them. Got about 35 - 40. Unfortunately water leakage damaged most of the sleeves.

Thats not correct. Ive bought many bootlegs through the Dutch fanclub ''It's Elvis Time'', directly or on meetings. Also in Utrecht there was a vinyl shop (De Grammophoon Winkel) where you could buy bootleg lp's by many artists, of course under the table. Which i did. And i'm talking late 70's and the first half of the 80's.

[TheKingForever]

When it comes to bootlegs the 1991-1994 period was good,the 1995-1998 was amazing and after that it was back to good for a few years and for the last 2 decades or so its been bad/boring.
IMO obviously
I didnt buy many titles in the 80s on vinyl but Laurel label released some really good ones.
In the 90s I got all my boot cds from Elvis Memories and Elvis Presley Record Club in the UK thanks to adds in
the Man And His Music magasine.(still active in 2024)
The Fort Baxter,Bilko,DAE and other labels period was amazing…..great memories.