The Great White Wonders

Written to celebrate 25 years of bootlegging. This book is both a history of the activity of bootlegging, an appraisal of the bootleg as artefact and art form, and an examination of the questions thrown up by its continued existence.

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Since 1969, with the appearance of the first rock bootleg, "Great White Wonders" (a collection of unreleased Bob Dylan recordings), bootleggers have been giving the fans what they want despite the protests of the rock music industry. This book, written to celebrate 25 years of bootlegging, is both a history of the activity - the legendary companies like Takpl and Rubber Dubber, and their equally legendary products, an appraisal of the bootleg as artefact and art form, and an examination of the questions thrown up by its continued existence in the face of all attempts to outlaw it. It also reveals what rock artists themselves have to say for and against the bootleg's ongoing role.