A Led Zeppelin Bootleg Mystery. Can Anyone Help?
Here’s another assignment, dear reader. It comes from Dave who sent me this email.
Hi Alan,
I was wondering if you might be able to supply me with some information. Specifically, about a very curious bootleg I came across this weekend.
At my local used record store, I found a Led Zeppelin live in Europe ’75 bootleg, but it was pressed with a label for “Bruce Dillon – Spindizzie” which somebody scratched out and listed the actual LZ tracks. The matrix number engraved in the runout is definitely for a LZ bootleg, and it has a different matrix number on the label.
Looking up the label number, it lists all sorts of different boots, including Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Elvis and The Rolling Stones. But this Bruce Dillon person doesn’t seem to exist.
Finally, the album had a loose piece of paper with it acting as a cover, with the matching LZ matrix number and track listing. It also has the name of the “record label” it on which it was released : Ze Anonym Plattenspeiler.
Have you ever heard of the “label” or this Bruce Dillon person or album? All I’ve been able to find is other bootlegs with this label on the record, and I’d love to learn more about it if possible. I suspect that whoever was pressing these boots, was using this fake label to hide what they were doing. Would love to get your take on this too, when you have the time to look into it.
I’ve included a couple of photos so you can see more of what I’m talking about.
Thanks for any info you may have, or if you can point me in the right direction to learn more.
Cheers!
Dave
For extra reading, take a look at this article into the fascinated world of bootleg records.
http://www.ledzepconcerts.com/concertdates/index.php?m=cdlz-1975
Maybe he could upload audio?
This bootleg comes from one of the five dates Zep played at London’s Earl’s Court Arena in May 1975. They resurrected “Tangerine” specifically for those shows, and it was the only time they performed the song in a full band arrangement. Can’t say offhand which night it’s from, but best guess is May 23, which was the most bootlegged of the run prior to CDs.
You’re correct that bootleggers often used fake labels to fake out pressing plants, so in all likelihood “Bruce Dillon” doesn’t exist.
Hope that helps.
I have an ELVIS PRESLEY bootleg also on this label credited to Bruce Dillon.
Here is your answer:
https://www.discogs.com/Led-Zeppelin-On-Stage-In-Europe-1975/release/4238035
Some more info: The Z-A-P label was operated by Ken Douglas, who along with Dub Taylor had founded the first “legit” bootleg label Trademark Of Quality (TMOQ), which put out the famous first Rolling Stones bootleg Live’R Than You’ll Ever Be in 1969. After Ken and Dub split up in the early ’70s, Ken used many different label names for his product in order to keep the authorities guessing. I recommend finding a copy of Clinton Heylin’s great book on the history of bootlegs for the full story.
That book sounds fantastic! I’m the Dave that submitted this email to Alan after finding this album. Doing some research into the ZAP label, and Ken and Dub has opened up a great rabbit hole, and this book will definitely become part of it. Thanks for the recommendation.
I found a bootleg DVD , live at earls court May 24 1975 full concert. It’s called Court Of The Kings
This album, pressed & released in Los Angeles by Ken Douglas, was a copy of a German bootleg with a full colour cover