U2 Traders Page

maintained by "JTree" Aaron

This page is dedicated to getting quality bootleg material out to people that would otherwise have a hard time getting it (like I did at first).

POPmart bootlegs are here!
Check out the new POP section in the bootleg list

Here's how it works.
First Way:
If you see a boot you want email me with a trade offer. If one of us is offering more tapes then the other we just throw in blanks to make it an even trade. Right now I'm only looking for soundboard concerts and rare material from U2. So please consider that when you offer a trade.
Second Way:
If you see a boot you want but don't have one to trade or I already have all the boots you do we can still trade with a 2 for 1 blank deal. Here's how it works: Send me an email telling me which boots you want. For every dub I make you pay me for two with postage. Since most of us are really impatient postage is $3.00 for priority 2 to 3 day mail (this is not per boot; the $3 covers your whole request). I use this because it's a fast flat rate and the postal people tell me the packages are treated more carefully. Also I buy Maxell XLII blank tapes in bulk so you get a good quality tape for a great price; $2 a tape. After you email I'll reply with the total cost and my address to mail a check (personal checks are ok..you don't have to send a money order or cash) and I'll start taping on them. From the time you mail the check to the time you receive the boots usualy varies from 14 to, rarely unless I'm swamped, 21 days. I do trade internationally, but this of course slows down the process and changes the cost of shipping; email me with your request and I'll explain in detail if your not from the United States.

Principles of this page and general trading ethics

First: I am not trying to make money from this. The cash from the extra blank tapes goes into buying more blanks and boots for this page. In other words I'm not trying to rip you off or pay for pizza at U2's expense.

Second: you are free to trade any of the boots you get from me; my purpose is only to get the material out there for everyone to enjoy.
DO NOT CHARGE PEOPLE TO MAKE A PROFIT, THOUGH.
Asking for extra blanks is a widely accepted thing in trading, but charging to make a profit is not. Basically don't do this.

MY FINAL NOTE ON THE LEGALITY OF BOOTLEGS: Bootlegs are illegal. You walk a fine line when dealing with them (especially by putting a page on the internet trading them). Basically the bands don't care about the fans getting ahold of concerts; they understand how we are always wanting new material. This last August Edge was directly asked about bootlegging and said he didn't mind the fans doing it; only the people who were ripping others off. The problem lies in the people going to the concerts and producing the bootlegs who steal the artistic creativity of U2's concerts and don't pay a penny in royalties. The bootleggers arguement is always look at how rich they are- this might be true, but they are rich because of the hard work and dedication to their music that the bootleggers steal. Make no mistake that bootleggers make a lot of money from the fans- this is what angers the bands the most and especially when as Bono said you pay a lot for something that's terrible quality. So what do we as fans do? When we buy bootlegs we are supporting the people who rob from U2, but even Bono admits to buying the Salome bootlegs. That's where trading comes in. In my collection I only have 1 CD bootleg that I bought from another fan; everything else are dubs from other traders. This is because I fell that if we can flood the market with dubs and have an easily accessible network, which the world wide web masterfully provides, we can greatly reduce the sales of CD bootlegs from the bootleggers and the stores that profit from them. The idea is simple: Why pay the recent asking price of $35 for a CD copy of the Sarajevo POPmart broadcast that you can get from me for the cost of some blank tapes. Now I'm not disillusioned to believe we are going to stop or even really hurt the bootleggers, but if we can form this kind of network simple economics says the demand will decrease for CD boots. I know if I didn't have my dubs I would have bought more CD's by now, but because of the people I have made contacts with now there is no reason to because I can get ANY boot I want for a few bucks.

ONE MORE THING TO ISLAND RECORDS & U2, (not to you- I promised I would stop so skip this part): I in no way want to steal your artisitic work. If you feel that this page is inappropriate or illegal I will remove it immediately. Please accept my appologies if this is true because I know I am walking a fine line.

Bootlegs available

Each Tape has a three digit boot # which you should include with the name when requesting a trade. I use a simple five point scale to grade quality. Other pages use an "A-F" scale, but all you see are "A" to at worsst "B+" ratings. I am rather tough on my bootlegs so you know exactly what you are getting. The number represents the overall quality of the boot; therefore a 5 might have one insidence of fading out, but over all it is top of the line. This scale does not represent my personal ratings of which concert is best, though; it is only a rating of quality. The scale is measured:

Once again these are not my personal ratings of the boots. I have 3's that I cherish and 5 that I almost never listen to. Anything 3 or above is going to be a pleasure to listen to. If you are interested in my personal favorites or are starting a boot collection these are the necessities I would recomend:
  1. At the Eleventh Hour. Dublin, Ireland 12/30/89 BOOT #001
  2. Outside Broadcast ZOO Radio. BOOT #006
  3. Salome BOOT# 025
  4. ZOOropa '93. Dublin Ireland 8/28/93 BOOT #005
  5. Keeping the Faith BOOT# 026
  6. The Rise and Rise of U2 BOOT# 013
  7. Chicago 4/29/87 BOOT #008

HERE'S THE LIST

ON CD:

  • 5 At the Eleventh Hour-Dublin 12/30/89 professional quality from the soundboard. 2 CD's. This is from the second to last show of the Joshua Tree/Rattle and Hum tour. Near the End Bono says "We need to go away for a while and dream this all up again." Of course a couple years later they came out with Achtung Baby. This a top rate boot and the first that I ever got. I had to pay $68 for it, but have never once regretted that decision considering the collection that I have ammased by trading this great bootleg. BOOT #001 (2 tapes)

ON TAPE:

  • 5 U2: Outside BroadCast Zoo Radio: mixes and interviews with the band and related Zoo material from a concert in Houston. Really fun to listen to and gives some insight into the whole ZOO TV concept. BOOT #006 (1 tape)
  • 4.5 No Surrender- Manchester, England 12/2/82: good soundboard source but they didn't mix it with the audience so it's sort of like the band playing live to no audience (kinda cool actually) BOOT #003 (1 tape)
  • 2.75 Lucille- Glaslow, Scotland 7/29/87: good boot from the audience (great sound for an audience recording, but the guy who taped it for me put a three second blank space in-between each track-still a good boot though) BOOT #004 (1 tape)
  • 5 Dublin 8/28/93: a 2 tape set of the full concert including all of ZOO introduction, confessions, and McPhesto's call to the United Nations. This was first recorded off an excellent FM broadcast so the boot is a great copy of a great show in their hometown that they were obviously going all out for. Highly recommend as my best ZOO TV tour boot. BOOT #005 (2 tapes)
  • 3 My Hometown- Dublin 6/29/85 : excellent audience source of a Dublin show so you know that U2 is going to give it everything when at home. BOOT #002 (1 tape)
  • 4 U2 at Chicago- 4/29/87 : good soundboard recording of an excellent show. This is one of my favorite boots overall and my only one from the pure Joshua Treee tour without Rattle and Hum material. BOOT #008 (1 tape)
  • 3 The Total Thing- Miami 3/1/92: takes 2 tapes. BOOT #009 (2 tapes)
  • 4.75 Mountains and Deserts: everyone on U2 Wire raves about how great this boot is. Taped during the Joshua Tree tour. Takes 2 tapes. BOOT #011 (2 tapes)
  • 3.5 Hallelujah! My Girl- Birmingham, AL 10/19/92: superb audience recording that losses no bass or clarity. Takes 2 Tapes. BOOT #012 (2 tapes)
  • 0.75 Acoustic TV: the single worst boot I have ever heard. It is from a variety of sources so there are some good tracts on it, but overall the quality is poor. If your looking for something acoustic in particular I can tell you if this has a good or bad recording of it. BOOT #007 (1 tape)
  • 5 The Rise and Rise of U2: an FM recording of a show done on Decemebr 28, 1987 detailing the history of U2 from the beginning to their current Joshua Tree album. A lot of rare demos and interviews that give you insight into the band itself and how they have progressed. If your interested in these kinds of informative boots also consider #036 which aired in 1997 and covers through POP. Both boots are highly recommended for people who haven't had a chance to learn about U2 behind the commercial albums. BOOT #013 (2 tapes)
  • 5 Demo's, Outtakes, and B-sides : studio recordings of material from 1977 to 1987. Another great boot to get an insiders look at the band's material. BOOT #015 (1 tape)
  • 5 Melon : This rare CD was given free- yes, that's right FREE- to all of the members of Propaganda: the official U2 fan group. It's 9 remixes of Achtung Baby material to mostly dance beats. This is a studio recording so the quality is as good as any commercial U2 album. Highly recommended if you like bass and dance music. BOOT #016 (1 tape)
  • 5 An Electric Company On Stage : This is an excellent soundboard quality boot from the December 6, 1982 show in London England. A great boot if you love pre-Joshua Tree material. BOOT #017 (1 tape)
  • 2-4 Odds, Demos, and Interviews : Another compilation of early U2 material from 1977 to 1987. Includes a lot of material that boot #015 doesn't. BOOT #018 (1 tape)
  • 2.5-4 Smile Jamaica and Unreleased Album : Smile Jamaica is three songs from a Rattle and Hum show and from best I can tell unreleased album is highlight material from the Achtung Baby Outtakes also named "Salome". There are some small sketches on this album that turn up on Achtung as masterpieces. One example is the B-side "Lady with Spinning Head" is on this album with completely different lyrics, but the exact same music (you can also hear small parts of "The Fly" developing). Recommended boot for Actung Baby fans. BOOT #019 (1 tape)
  • 2.5 Sun Devil Stadium at Tempe, Arizona : audience recording from a Joshua Tree show on December 18, 1987 BOOT #020 (1 tape)
  • 2.5 Manchester, England June 19, 1992 : audience recording of a decent show. I honestly don't get around to listening to this one too much. BOOT #021 (2 tapes)
  • 1.75 LSU Assmebly Center : a not so great audience recording from LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on November 26, 1987. You can constantly hear talking nearby and the frequency seems to be overall to high lacking bass and depth to the music. Not recommended unless maybe you go to LSU. BOOT #022 (1 tape)
  • 2.5 Christ Church New Zealand : an audience recording from a Joshua Tree show on August 24, 1987. It's not that the recording itself is bad, but during the show Bono comments on how hard it is to play this place because of the architecture's effect on the acoustics. BOOT #023 (1 tape)
  • 4 Salome : there is a long story about this one. These tapes were taken from the recording studio while U2 was working on Achtung Baby. The rumor is they went into the studio with very little new material and basically jammed for months trying to find the sound they wanted for their new album. All of these sessions were recorded and somehow 3 DAT tapes leaked out into the Berlin bootleg market. The band felt violated because they thought it would take away from the finished product which no one had heard yet. After you listen to the tapes you can understand where the guys are coming from. Most of the songs are rough and you can hear Bono giving commands trying to work through them. The bootleg itself contains many repitions of songs that seem to hardly chenge, but it is in no way boring. This is a rare insight into the creative process of U2- a chance to see how Achtung Baby developed. Highly Recommended! BOOT #025 (3 tapes)
  • 2.5-4 Keeping the Faith : This is a great collection of material, some of which of from concerts hard to come by, covering material from the Unforgettable Fire to Rattle and Hum tours. Great 3 tape set if your new to bootlegs or don't have material from this time period. BOOT #026 (3 tapes)
  • 5 ZOOropa Down Under : This is a bootleg I'm prety sure was taken off of the commercial video available from the Zoo TV tour in Australia. Is it excellent quality therefore and includes all of the confessions and phone calls from the band. Pretty much a great show because I think the band was putting a little more effort into it since it was being filmed. BOOT #27 (2 tapes)
  • 4 The Real Thing- Rotterdam Holland : Good bootleg from the soundboard with a little bit of frequency that seems to be missing, but all around a good show taped on June 15, 1992. BOOT #028 (2 tapes)
  • 2.75 New Orleans, LA February 11, 1982: U2 does the big easy back in the October days. Recorded from the audience. BOOT #29 (2 tapes)
  • 5 Favorite Mixes : This is a boot of 8 mixes of different material including Zooropa, New Year's Day, Until the End of the World, Night and Day, Numb, Even Better Than the Real Thing, Desire. BOOT #030 (1 tape)
  • 5 Papaya : This is know as one of the Propaganda remixes because the idea and name spun off from Melon. These are not issued by U2, Propaganda, or the mixers, yet are still commercial quality. Basically they are either remixes or b-side material that has been released commercially or to DJs all wrapped up onto one tape- rather convenient for us dance people. For a complete setlist refer to the "For Love or Money" discography link below. BOOT #031 (1 tape)
  • 5 Mango : This is another of the Propaganda remixes spun off from Melon. These are not issued by U2, Propaganda, or the mixers, yet are still commercial quality. Basically they are either remixes or b-side material that has been released commercially or to DJs all wrapped up onto one tape- rather convenient for us dance people. For a complete setlist refer to the "For Love or Money" discography link below. BOOT #032 (1 tape)
  • 5 More Melon : This is another of the Propaganda remixes spun off from Melon. These are not issued by U2, Propaganda, or the mixers, yet are still commercial quality. Basically they are either remixes or b-side material that has been released commercially or to DJs all wrapped up onto one tape- rather convenient for us dance people. For a complete setlist refer to the "For Love or Money" discography link below. BOOT #033 (1 tape)
  • 5 Kiwi : This is another of the Propaganda remixes spun off from Melon. These are not issued by U2, Propaganda, or the mixers, yet are still commercial quality. Basically they are either remixes or b-side material that has been released commercially or to DJs all wrapped up onto one tape- rather convenient for us dance people. For a complete setlist refer to the "For Love or Money" discography link below. BOOT #034 (1 tape)
  • 5 Pineapple : This is another of the Propaganda remixes spun off from Melon. These are not issued by U2, Propaganda, or the mixers, yet are still commercial quality. Basically they are either remixes or b-side material that has been released commercially or to DJs all wrapped up onto one tape- rather convenient for us dance people. For a complete setlist refer to the "For Love or Money" discography link below. BOOT #035 (1 tape)
  • 5 U2 in their own words : This is a 3 hour radio broadcast of the history of U2 from the early day all the way through POP. The last segment also takes an interesting view of how songs and decisions are made within the band and has a good bit of info going into the making of POP. Although I learned a lot from it music singles from past albums take up a good portion of the tapes. Recommended along with boot #013 for people looking for general history of the band. BOOT #036 (2 tapes)
  • 5 Denver, Colorado This was taken from the McNichols arena show November 7, 1987 while they were filming Rattle and Hum. You can hear Bono early in the show say "fuck the film!" Overall a great recording of a great show. BOOT #41 (1 tape)

POPmart boots

  • 3 Las Vegas, Nevada taped directly from a DAT to keep excellent clarity from the original audience recording this was the first show of the tour in Sam Boyd Stadium on April 25, 1997. Highlights included the band completely messing up Staring at the Sun so bad that they have to start over again; only to deliver an incredible version. BOOT #037 (2 tapes)
  • 3.25 Tempe, Arizona from the May 9, 1997 show in Sun Devil Stadium. Recorded from DAT to retain all the clarity of the audience recording. BOOT #038 (2 tapes)
  • 3 Washington, D.C. this is the show where Bono said "last time we were here I broke my shoulder; this time a storm broke our tele...what's wrong with you people?" Recorded May 25, 1997 at RFK stadium. BOOT #39 (2 tapes)
  • 3.25 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania excellent audience recording of the Three River stadium show May 22, 1997. The band seemed to be hitting on all cylinders this night of the tour. BOOT #040 (2 tapes)
  • 3.75 Sarajevo this was an FM broadcast so it's better than the audience recordings, but it's still not as good as most soundboards. There is a litle more audience noise than you would expect, but over all it's a good boot. The only problem is Bono's voice which was completely overworked at this point of the tour. He cracks on "With or Without You" and overall sounds like he had a cold that night. BOOT #42 (2 tapes)

Coming soon are POP boots from Clemson. I'm currently working on getting copies of New York, Foxboro, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Bookmark this page because every week another show will be added.

If you see something you like email me with a trade offer or tell me if you want to do the 2 for 1 trade and I'll email you all the details. I'm at joshtree@vt.edu

IMPORTANT LINKS TO THE BOOTLEG TRADER

This is the For Love or Money U2 bootleg discography. The most comprehensive list of boots available it offers track listings, ratings, and general information about many bootlegs. I would recommend checking it out before you buy any bootleg

This is the official U2 website. Pretty cool and POP arty (if that's a word??)

WIRE site. This is a group of fans that enchange messages every day about U2. Everynight around midnight you get a digest of all the messages from that day, usually about 100, talking about U2. It's free and an excellent way to get information about the band.

A huge archive of U2 pictures, sounds, movies and just about anything else you can download from the WIRE members.

Here's a little autobiography if you care

I'm Aaron, the guy who tries to keep this page up and running. I'm 22 and just graaduated from Virginia Tech with my B.S. in Psychology,
GO HOKIES
This is my senior year picture from four years ago- I still look the same. I like to rollerblade, play racquetball and tennis, and waste time on the web. I'm planning to go to graduate school in a couple of years to get a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment of eating disorders; that is if I can get in! When I'm not listening to U2, which is very rare, I also like to play Sophie B. Hawkins, The Police, Indigo Girls, Depeche Mode, Stone Temple Pilots, and occasionally (only when I'm totally in the mood) Pearl Jam. My favorite music, once again besides U2, is Classical, though. My favorite composers are Berlioz, Mozart, Dvorak, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and most importantly Beethoven. Also I just got married August 9, 1997 to the love of my life and high school sweetheart Joanna. Well that's enough about me; back to U2

U2 has always been one of my favorite bands, but it wasn't until I got on the internet and into the tons of info on the band out there that I became a fanatic. Then I saw a post in a newgroup for a bootleg a guy in Oregon wanted to sell. It was a 2CD set of the second to last concert of the Joshua Tree/Rattle and Hum tour in Dublin December 30,1989. Well I put down the $68 for the boot (much to my then girlfriend and checkbook's dismay) and bought it. After that I started putting post on the two U2 newsgroups I'm subscribed to and started trading boots. I already knew a bit about trading from other post I had seen, but nobody wanted to trade unless you had something to offer. Then I saw a post for a guy who was offering a 3 for 1 blank deal and Voila I got the idea for this page. I felt guilty about the 3:1 ratio though, because I have some multi-tape boots and that just seemed a little to much to ask for just taking the time to dub something an put it in the mail. Instead I decided on a 2 for 1 ratio.

Hope you enjoyed the page and please feel free to send me feedback because I'm always looking for ways to improve it.

"You give it all but I want more"

Aaron

So far fans have enjoyed the underground world of bootlegs. Well, hopefully this page will make it not so underground for a lot of people.

© 1996 joshtree@vt.edu
Member of...

The U2 Webring

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