Goofy story with a twist ending: I wrote a three-page article for Mix Magazine about this book earlier this yearâand never got to actually SEE it! The book wasnât out yet, the publisher didnât have physical copies and also wouldnât send a digital version. Flummoxed, I did my best to interview the authors, which was a moderately cagey experience given the bookâs topic, and then did a lot of my own research on bootlegs at other sources to fill in the gaps. It resulted in a good article but it was still a frustrating experience. Even when the book came out, I still didnât see it around â itâs with a small publisher, so itâs not like you stumble over it at Barnes & Noble (they donât carry it), and letâs not ignore the cover price: $75 for a paperback. Admittedly a heavy, glossy paper, full-color paperback, but even soâyikes! So hereâs the twist: My in-laws gave me a copy for Christmas, mail-ordering it direct from the publisher. The book arrived at their place all beat to hellâcertainly readable, but you wouldnât give it as a gift. So they called up the publisher and, providing them with excellent customer service, he said âAh keep it; Iâll send you a new one.â And he didâso I received not one but two copies of this thing! From famine to feast. And itâs a pretty good tome, too. The history of a 1970s bootleg record label is esoteric reading, to be sure, but itâs deeply illustrated and is told in a very â10PM at the far end of the bar,â nonchalant style. If you love classic rock, dig bootleg records and enjoy a true-crime story told a little slowly (and have $75 burning a hole in your pocket), itâs definitely worth a read.
