Warner Bros are a bunch of Corksuckers!

[LoungeMachine]

I bought a VHS copy in a small Mom and Pop record store back in 1992 for $30.

Back in the early 80's I worked for a string of new/used RECORD stores near the U-dub campus called Second Time Around.

We had a section in the back called FAN CLUB DISCS where we kept all the boots.

[Terry]

I don't necessarily think throwing someone a few bucks for shipping is inappropriate.

Have went on sites that were designed as trade-only sites, seen titles I wanted yet had nothing on the sites wanted lists to trade with, and offered the site owner a reasonable production and shipping fee (usually less than ten bucks a title) in lieu of an actual trade.

There ARE a fair amount of straight-up bootleg selling sites that charge a ridiculous amount for rare and out-of-print pirated stuff, though. However, there are a lot of cool people out there that will send out copies for nothing if one says they really want something. I guess I was just lucky enough to meet decent people who were willing to send me a few free copies to get me started...

...just kind of funny that anyone would have trouble getting the US Festival performance...hell, when I was heavy into trading, seems like everyone and their brother had a copy of it they were willing to send to me in order to sweeten the deal on a trade; "and I'll also throw in a free copy of the US Festival, dude!"

[Terry]

Back in the early 80's I worked for a string of new/used RECORD stores near the U-dub campus called Second Time Around.

We had a section in the back called FAN CLUB DISCS where we kept all the boots.

I remember there was one small (rumored to be Mob owned and run) shop in my area in the early 1980s that wasn't a chain store, and the dude who owned it always had it stocked with imports and bootlegged vinyl. He kept it going until the early-to-mid 1990s. Last thing I got from him was a VH boot cd titled Dave's Back. He had the Steeler album when it first came out...titles by Accept before they broke in the states...Venom...shit the major record stores of the time wouldn't touch because they were too busy stocking 8 billion copies of Thriller on their shelves.

[chefcraig]

Back in the early 80's I worked for a string of new/used RECORD stores near the U-dub campus called Second Time Around.

We had a section in the back called FAN CLUB DISCS where we kept all the boots.

The biggest loss to music (aside from sound quality) since the advent of the CD has been the gradual disappearance of the independent record store. You could get bootlegs of Zeppelin, the Stones...hell just about anybody, and the content was usually superior to those artist's official live albums. You'd find import albums and singles from bands that would be the next big thing a year and a half later.

Not to mention the neat paraphernalia available as well. I remember walking into a store called Sid's East on Fort Lauderdale beach in the late seventies, and finding a huge Pat Traverse coke mirror for sale, complete with line troughs cut into it. Imagine finding something like that in these days of staid political correctness.

[Terry]

The biggest loss to music (aside from sound quality) since the advent of the CD has been the gradual disappearance of the independent record store. You could get bootlegs of Zeppelin, the Stones...hell just about anybody, and the content was usually superior to those artist's official live albums. You'd find import albums and singles from bands that would be the next big thing a year and a half later.

Not to mention the neat paraphernalia available as well. I remember walking into a store called Sid's East on Fort Lauderdale beach in the late seventies, and finding a huge Pat Traverse coke mirror for sale, complete with line troughs cut into it. Imagine finding something like that in these days of staid political correctness.

Or all those t-shirts in the early 80s in said stores with "Enjoy Cocaine", in the form of and a parody of the Coca-Cola logo.

Thing that sucks, is these chain stores now try to carry it all; dvds, cds, video games.

Virgin Megastore in Orlando does have a pretty vast collection of stuff, though. Not shabby for a corporate record store, I must say.

[chefcraig]

...Virgin Megastore in Orlando does have a pretty vast collection of stuff, though. Not shabby for a corporate record store, I must say.

Say goodbye to it as well...

Virgin Megastores to close remaining U.S. stores

[sadaist]

I have freely sent out tons of copies of the US Festival, for a lot less than the $8.00 you claim it is going to cost you. I don't give a fuck what you say, you will profit from something you don't own, and have no right to profit from.

So what's worse for Warner Bros & the band? If I sell one bootleg dvd, or you sending out "tons" of copies free? We both in essence are taking profits from them. Not that I care in this case since they refuse to release the material.

That was the whole reason Napster got targeted. Wasn't the one guy copying his buddies cassette anymore. Suddenly your one buddy was a million people.


Look at this shit. Nearly $100 for the dvd here...
Amazon.com: Used and New: Van Halen-"US Festival 83"DVD Rare Live

[LoungeMachine]

Look at this shit. Nearly $100 for the dvd here...
Amazon.com: Used and New: Van Halen-"US Festival 83"DVD Rare Live

PT Barnum is laughing his fucking ass off right now.....



Then again, who is the REAL douchebag there?

The dickhole getting $94, or the moron shelling it out when all he had to do was send you a set of Ernie Ball Slinkys?

[stringfelowhawk]

Oh Boy!

I also bought a copy of it on dvd from a mom and pop place back, I guess in maybe 99 or so. All I had at the time was freakin webtv so I couldn't download anything and even if I did have a computer I wouldn't have known where to look back then. I didn't get my first computer till 01. I think I paid like $20 for it and I'm glad I did. At the time I thought I had hit the motherload cause I had always looked for it but was told it was never released. I introduced my neice and nephew to it a few months ago. They love it.

When I left the military and moved back home I missed out on those types of places cause I've yet to find one here. It's all big chains or retail places like Target and Walmart and we all know they don't have the really great stuff. I used to go walk around Planet Music for hours in Va Bch just looking cause they have or had a great selection of stuff. It wasn't a mom and pop place but they carried alot of older stuff and if you love classical or jazz that's the place to go.

Maybe one day WB will release it in better quality than what we currently have.

[Panamark]

Dunno what the fuss is about anyway, this stuff is all over Bittorrent these days. With minimal digging you could have it on your PC today.

[Terry]

Say goodbye to it as well...

Virgin Megastores to close remaining U.S. stores

Yeah, heard about it a couple of months ago.

Sucks balls.

Oh well. Plenty of second hand, used vinyl/cd/dvd/vhs stores around here.

I guess Richard Branson must be liquidiating in order to hoard cash for his monthly dildo lube supply...and according to Savicky that stuff ain't cheap.

[ZahZoo]

The situation is utterly idiotic. A good segment of the audience is clamoring for the material, yet Time/Warner refuses to issue it. Yet if an individual does attempt to distribute some copies, they are slapped with a cease and desist injunction by the same company. Talk about having your cake and not eating it too. In the meantime, those thirsty for Van Halen product must be content to buy sneakers, guitar gizmos or even guitars themselves, made to EVH's personal specifications. The ultimate irony being the man himself has not used one to create anything worthwhile in over a decade (some would say longer).

I believe if a buck could be made... WB would have put out all kinds of live material from VH.

The root of the problem is Ed and Al won't allow any releases beyond what's available today.

[sonrisa salvaje]

How the hell do these people on Amazon get away with packaging up boots of the US Festival and selling them. I would have bought one already if there wasn't a bad rating stating that the quality was terrible.

[sadaist]

How the hell do these people on Amazon get away with packaging up boots of the US Festival and selling them. I would have bought one already if there wasn't a bad rating stating that the quality was terrible.

I know. Mine got pulled within two hours. Seems odd that these others remain for sale. As for the quality, they're all bad. If you know that going in, it's an awesome show to watch. It's still Van Halen headlining the US Fest in their prime.

[sonrisa salvaje]

It's still Van Halen headlining the US Fest in their prime.

I feel you on that. I guess i was holding out for a high quality production by way of a legitimate release. I should know better. I remember how tripped out i was when Van Halen vol 1 The Videos came out. When i went to the store to buy it, and i actually held it in my hands, i remember thinking how wierd it was to have something by Van Halen (and i mean the real Van Halen) on DVD. It was like - I have nothing by Van Halen on dvd until now. Sadly, that moment has never come again. For crying out loud, if WB won't put out anything else due to Ed and Al, put the DLR video catelog on DVD. If Ratt and Twisted Sister can do it, for fucks sake........