1092. Judas Priest / The Complete Painkiller Tour [Live Bootleg]. 1991. 4/5

I didn’t become interested in tracking down bootleg concert recordings until the age of the internet, mainly because I had no way of finding a way into the network that went through such things in my pocketed little corner of Australia. Once the internet became an accessible thing it became something I was much more interested in, and especially from tours that we had not been fortunate enough to have seen here. Amid the reunited Judas Priest of the new millennium I began hunting for anything I could find from the tour promoting my favourite Priest album Painkiller, and that search eventually came up with this gem of a recording.
For the most part, what I was looking for was live recordings of the songs off the Painkiller album, and this doesn’t quite cover it, despite 

proclaiming to have every song from the tour.

As a matter of fact, both “Metal Meltdown” and “A Touch of Evil” were played but they don’t appear on either disc of this album. No big deal, but it still would have been good to have had them as a part of this collection.
Instead what we have here is two performances, one from the start of the tour and one from closer to the end. The first disc is compiled from radio broadcasts of the opening night of the tour in Los Angeles and as such is good quality. This includes the performance of “Better By You, Better By Me” that was at the centre of the court case that the band had spent much of the previous year fighting over the two kids who had claimed the song had backwards messages suggesting they commit suicide. It had delayed the release of the album and the start of the tour, and playing this song was no doubt a little stress reliever for them. Apart from this, the set list contains what you would expect, along with “Between the Hammer and the Anvil” and “Leather Rebel” from the Painkiller album. It’s a good listen.
The second disc is a great audience recording from their gig at Offenbach, Germany in February 1991. This is a true bootleg because the crowd are in the foreground and the band in the background, complete with the crowd nearby the recorder singing along in unison. This is what makes a great bootleg in my opinion, getting a great impression of how the crowd is enjoying the show, while still hearing the songs in there as well. The addition of “All Guns Blazing”, “Night Crawler” and “Painkiller” make this an excellent representation to what is a great disc.

This wasn’t exactly what I was looking for when I went searching for live performances of the songs of Painkiller, but it probably doesn’t exist anyway. What I found instead was an excellent bootleg of two complete gigs from the same tour, where Judas Priest are at the peak of their powers and showcasing their wares to the world. Those that enjoy bootlegs will get a lot from this double album. Those that prefer the crisp live recordings that comes from official releases will still be surprised just how good this sounds.

Rating: “Lightning in the dark!!” 4/5

855. Deep Purple / Locked in a Paper Cage [Bootleg]. 1987. 5/5

Way back in 1988, while wandering through record stores in the local area, I was perusing the massed basket of cheap cassettes at the front of one of these stores, and came across the live Deep Purple album Nobody's Perfect which had been recorded on The House of Blue Light tour the previous year. Brilliant! I didn't often buy cassettes, but I hadn't seen this anywhere on vinyl so I bought it. And it was brilliant, covering lots of great stuff from that album and Perfect Strangers that I hadn't heard live, as well as all the greats from the past.

After thousands of revolutions this copy died as all cassettes were wont to do, and I went searching for the album on CD. Unfortunately, the only version available at that time was one that had several songs removed in order to fit it on the one CD. While I still bought it, I had been disappointed and unfulfilled every time I listened to it, mourning the editing and lost tracks. Thankfully, in the early 00's, I came across this bootleg album. In all respects this is NOT a bootleg album. It is just a restoration of the original recordings as I remembered them, as well as adding other songs that were not a part of that original cassette I had bought, adding further great songs from that reformation era of the Mark II line up. So, in essence, it was an even better discovery than that original one back in the day!
Recorded live at Irvine Meadows in California on May 23, 1987, this album showcases everything that is great about Deep Purple in their live environment. You get the banter between songs between Ian Gillan and the audience, and Ian Gillan and his bandmates. You have Ritchie Blackmore play-acting throughout, throwing in his own flicks and flails whenever he feels in the mood. You have the places where he is allowed to express himself away from the basis of the song. You have Jon Lord doing a similar thing during his solo break. You have a great variety of songs from the two albums of the new era of Deep Purple, which all sound brilliant here. Songs such as "Perfect Strangers", "Nobody's Home", "Under the Gun" and "Knocking At Your Back Door" from the Perfect Strangers album are marvellous, and the selection from the touring album The House of Blue Light are just as terrific, with great versions of "The Unwritten Law", "Dead or Alive", "Hard Lovin' Woman" and "Bad Attitude". These are all mixed in with the living legends such as "Highway Star", "Strange Kind of Woman", "Child in Time", "Lazy", "Black Night", "Woman From Tokyo" and "Smoke on the Water". There's also the bonus that came on the original Nobody's Perfect album of the re-recorded version of "Hush" with Gillan on vocals, which I have always loved since its release.

As groundbreaking and timeless as Made in Japan is as a live album, I love this album just as much. It covers an era that is somewhat forgotten and bypassed in regards to Deep Purple. It was the reformation, and the band is on fire during this performance, covering both the first half and the second half of the great Mark II era. This records a significant moment in the history of the band. It was for all intents and purposes the end of this era, despite one final fling with The Battle Rages On... after Joe Lynn Turner's cameo for Slaves and Masters, and it is great to have this as a keepsake and memento of the greatness of this line up.

Rating:  Are you dead... or alive...  5/5

827. Dream Theater / Master of Metallica [Bootleg]. 2002. 5/5

Towards the end of February in 2002, on whatever music forums I was currently following and a member of, there began to be some interesting gossip concerning the band Dream Theater, and the possibility that they were going to do something "very special" at a concert they were performing in Barcelona in the coming days. Few details were being given, but as the day approached there was a rumour going around that they would be performing some songs that weren't necessarily their own. What that meant, and any significance, was never really touched on.
So the day, February 19, 2002, comes and goes, and then amazing reports are posted online everywhere. "DREAM THEATER DID THE ENTIRE MASTER OF PUPPETS ALBUM!!! LIVE!!!"

Wow. This is huge. I mean, bands had always performed cover versions of songs from artists they loved before, but this was on a massive scale. Not only had they performed an entire album live, it was actually an album that wasn't their own, it was someone else's! Amazing. And what's more -  everyone wants to hear it! OK. So, now the real ability of the internet at that time was about to be tested. Because with the advent of the internet, the tracking down and possessing of bootleg albums was suddenly becoming a lot easier than trying to trade with people from overseas. Now, with any luck, someone in the audience that night will have recorded the performance, and then hopefully someone will post it somewhere so that puerile novices such as myself on the other side of the world would be able to locate it and download it.
Well, surprising enough, a week later to the day Blabbermouth.com posted two links to where a bootleg of that performance had been uploaded online. So it was that only a little more than a week after the gig I was able to invite some mates around to listen to a performance we had been talking about for most of that time.
This is an amazing bootleg that records a significant moment in music history, and it does so brilliantly. Not only is it an excellent audience recording, it is enhanced by being so. The excitement of the crowd when they recognise the start of "Battery" is terrific, and their rapturous applause at the end of the song signifies that. But that pales compared to the roar when they hear the start of "Master of Puppets", and the singing from everyone is loud and raucous. Terrific. Then, when they hear the first two notes of "The Thing That Should Not Be", there is an awestruck "whoooaaa!!" as it finally hits home that the band is going to play the entire album!. The crowd's reactions are fantastic here, and you feel as though you are there.
As to the band's performance, I think it is superb. Many criticise parts of it, mostly James LaBrie's vocals, but I think he does a great job. No one expects him to be James Hetfield, just like anyone who goes to see a tribute band doesn't expect anyone in that band to be the epitome of the person they are paying tribute to. And obviously at times it doesn't feel as full as it could, with Jordan Rudess' keyboards replacing one of the guitars, but then you hear them play "Orion" and it actually fits the song remarkably well. And just think - this was the first time anyone had heard this entire album being performed live track-by-track - and it wasn't even by the band whose album it is! When my mates and I first heard it, we reckoned that we could hear a total of four mistakes during the performance. In hindsight of course we were wrong - now I think there was seven. Ever think about how ludicrous that is, learning these songs, no doubt in a reasonably short space of time, and only make a handful of mistakes, and not ones that anyone would really notice anyway! It is ridiculous.

This is one of the best bootlegs I own, not only for the historical nature of the performance, but by the great crowd interaction on the recording. if you can find it out there, it is worth tracking down.

Rating:  End of passion play, crumbling away...  5/5

776. Metallica / 11-6-2003 3rd Show Le Trabendo [Bootleg]. 4/5

A week after the worldwide release of their album St Anger, Metallica embarked on an inventive promotion ploy, playing three gigs on the same day in three separate locations in Paris, France at well known venues. Each gig lasted an hour before packing up and heading for the next gig.
This bootleg is from the third and final gig, played at Le Trabendo. Again, as with the La Boule Noire gig, the recording is good and surprisingly clear for an audience recording, though the tape and microphone do seem to pick up a bit of squelching or feedback, which would bring it back to be a B recording.

The set list again incorporates a mix of songs, which perhaps harps closer to the popular 'modern' era than the previous two gigs. Having started off with "Blackened" they crash into "Fuel" for the first time on the day, which is also probably their hardest song in recent aeons. This is then followed by two further songs from ...And Justice for All, being the brilliant "Harvester of Sorrow" and then "One". Was it a deliberate ploy to have three of the first four songs from that album?
The chosen piece from St. Anger for this gig is the title track, which again shows it's positives and negatives. The song still starts off terrifically, led by James' trademark intro of "Riff!" But once you get to the clear guitar, the high vocals overlaying that, and the weak-arse backing vocals of Rob and Kirk, the song is destroyed. Yikes.
So how do you recover from that? Well, you bring out the big guns, with "Enter Sandman" for the first time on the day, and that old staple of brilliance, "Master of Puppets". After a short drink, the band returns to complete their day with thrash, that being "Creeping Death" and "Hit the Lights".

This is another good bootleg, and together with the first two boots, it covers an interesting day in the history of Metallica. They are all worth a listen, if only to hear where the band was at the beginning of the Rob Trujillo era, and how they have progressed or fallen in your own eyes since.

Rating:  With all our screaming, we are gonna rip right through your brain  4/5

775. Metallica / 11-6-2003 2nd Show Bataclan [Bootleg]. 4/5

A week after the worldwide release of their album St. Anger, Metallica embarked on an inventive promotion ploy, playing three gigs on the same day in three separate locations in Paris, France at well known venues. Each gig lasted an hour before packing up and heading for the next gig.
This bootleg is from the second gig, played at Paris Bataclan. However, the audience bootleg sound is not as good as on the first gig, certainly it is a bit muddier and could probably be best rated as B- in this regard.

This second gig has a brilliant set list, and the high energy set is appreciated by the crowd in attendance. Once again, it is great to hear a bootleg that not only has a good recording of the band and each instrument, but also takes in the crowd's involvement, making you feel as though you are a part of it. Having started off with "The Four Horsemen", there is a brilliant performance of "Leper Messiah", driven along by the crowd's raucous singing. "Leper Messiah" is one of my favourite Metallica songs, and this version here is a cracker. This is followed by another of the band's thrash level songs, "No Remorse", with more brilliant crowd involvement, and the band appears to be enjoying it too. Too fast for you? Well, next comes "Fade to Black", which doesn't allow the crowd to let up for much more than a few seconds.

James then asks the crowd if they have St. Anger. General agreement ensues. Then he asks "who likes it?", and the crowd gets even louder. I wonder how many of those in that crowd that day would still say the same about that album now? Anyway, here they play the title track from the album, which much like most of the songs they played live from that album never really seem to come across as easily and enjoyable as the other songs in the set list. Only early days for those songs being played live I guess, and no doubt they improved a great deal, but "St. Anger" feels forced here. James introduces the band following this, with a huge reaction from the crowd on Rob Trujillo's introduction, as these were some of his first gigs having joined the band. They then charge back up again with a rollicking version of "Ride the Lightning", followed by a fingers-flying "Blackened", before an 'encore' of old favourite "Seek & Destroy" and "Damage Inc."

Once again, this is a brilliant bootleg, with a brilliant set list and a great balance between the band and the crowd.

Rating:  Honesty is my only excuse  4/5.

"Leper Messiah" at Bataclan

774. Metallica / 11-6-2003 1st Show La Boule Noire [Bootleg]. 4/5

A week after the worldwide release of their album St. Anger, Metallica embarked on an inventive promotion ploy, playing three gigs on the same day in three separate locations in Paris, France at well known venues. Each gig lasted an hour before packing up and heading for the next gig.
This bootleg is from the first gig, played at La Boule Noire. The recording is quite good for an audience recording, best rated as B+ in this regard. And the crowd really gets into it, which always makes a bootleg sound better when you can hear their enthusiasm, and cheering, and their singing along with the words.

The set list and performance is excellent. Mixing up a selection of great early hits, the only song to come from the new album is "Frantic", which frankly still comes across rather tinny here. It is also noticeable that Lars is using a very skinny kit, because there are a lot of things in these songs sound less full than they should be. No doubt the moving of gear quickly would have been behind it, but that's not to say it couldn't have been improved.
Rousing versions of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Master of Puppets" are followed by the crowd favourites "Harvester of Sorrow" and "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)", with the crowd being led enthusiastically in chorus by James. St. Anger's "Frantic" follows along with "Sad But True", before a trio of old school heavy hitters in "Battery", "Creeping Death" and "Motorbreath" round out the set in style.

The winners here are the generally pre-1988 set list as well as the crowd involvement. It lifts your enthusiasm while you listen along, and is the hallmark of all of the best bootlegs - hearing the crowd, but not having the two or three near where it is being recorded from dominating in conversation through the gig. Well done recorder!

Rating:  It is... going to... take your breath away!  4/5

Full bootleg

767. Metallica / 1983-03-05: The Stone, San Francisco, CA, USA [Cliff's 1st Show] [Bootleg]. 5/5

The availability of, and ability to track down, bootleg recordings of bands in recent years has increased remarkably with the advent of the internet and other various modes of recording and distributing such albums. Nowadays practically every concert played is recorded by someone, and the sharing becomes more widespread.
There are some real gems that can crop up from days past, ones that still hold up years later, ones that have recorded a piece of history. Some of these pieces of history can also be pieces of crap, depending on the quality of the recording, or the quality of the performance involved. This bootleg has the best of both, which is fortunate, as it marks a big moment in the history of Metallica. The band had just parted ways with original bass guitarist Ron McGovney, and had found a new guy named Cliff Burton to take his place. His first show with the band was on 5th March 1983 at The Stone in San Francisco, and the band had brought in their open air reel-to-reel to record the show. From that came this bootleg.

This really is a superb bootleg. It is raw, and it captures the band in their ultimate rawness. It's interesting to hear the vocals especially. They aren't note-perfect, which to be honest is refreshing given they were yet to release a studio album. You can hear early indications as to why James's voice eventually blew out, even from this point in time. Dave Mustaine takes the lead on the opening tracks "The Mechanix" and "Phantom Lord", both of which he helped to compose, before handing over lead vocal duties to James. The setlist is terrific, and the band doesn't sound all that different from the one that eventually led to the studio. Filling out the set came the band's three favourite cover songs, "Am I Evil" (with Mustaine's guitar cutting in and out during the solo) and "Blitzkrieg", both of which eventually made the B side of the single for Creeping Death, and "The Prince". Here you can also hear for the first time Cliff Burton's bass solo, which on the album was entitled "(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth". What an amazing sound he gets out of that bass guitar, and it's just amazing to hear it here for the first time with this band.

This show was just two months before the band entered the studio to record their debut album Kill 'Em All. Everything that ended up on that album appears here in their live setting, except for "Hit the Lights", and of course the re-working and re-naming of "The Mechanix" to become "The Four Horsemen". It was also just one month before the sacking of Dave Mustaine as lead guitarist, and the hiring of Kirk Hammett as his replacement. As such, it is one of the few bootlegs around that has this quartet performing. Have a listen to this, and then pull out Kill 'Em All and notice the differences. Apart from Kirk's solo's, there really isn't that much!

Rating:  Whoever thought she'd be better, at turning a screw than me.  5/5

Listen to the complete show here!

637. Queensrÿche / Halfway Jam 28-7-2012 [Bootleg]. 2012. 4/5

After all of the bickering, after all of the bad blood, after all of the court injunctions over who owned the rights to names and music and so forth... finally, it came back to the music. This bootleg album records the first official performance of Queensrÿche with new singer Todd La Torre, and for that alone it is an historical and significant recording.

The setlist is pretty much confined to all of their album up to 1991's Empire, songs that the band portion of Queensrÿche had claimed that Geoff Tate had no interest in ever revisiting. Whether that is accurate or not, the performance of these classic tracks gives La Torre a perfect opportunity to show off his wares to his new band's fan base. What it proves is that he has a pretty fair set of pipes, and his vocals are not unlike his predecessor, which while it may be limiting in some ways probably doesn't hurt him in this instance.

This is a particularly good audience bootleg of a B+ standard. While the vocals may be a little down in the mix, it still is good enough to appreciate both La Torre's vocals along with the performance of the band itself, and both are excellent. La Torre in particular makes very few key errors, and as a live performance it is excellent.
In the long run, it is great to hear Queensryche as a band can still play. Their most important duty from ll of the turbulence of the last few months will be to prove that they can indeed live up to their end of the bargain, and go back to writing material like what they have played on this bootleg. It has been the fans' biggest bugbear in the last 15 years. Now that the band itself believes they have identified what the problem was, they have to prove they are as good as their word.

The playlist here is as follows:

01 Intro (1:23)
02 Queen Of The Reich (4:18)
03 Speak (4:23)
04 Neue Regel (4:48)
05 Walk In The Shadows (3:39)
06 En Force (5:19)
07 I Don't Believe In Love (4:42)
08 Child Of Fire (5:56)
09 The Whisper (3:54)
10 Warning (4:52)
11 Spreading The Disease (4:28)
12 The Needle Lies (3:29)
13 Prophecy (4:06)
14 Take Hold Of The Flame (4:56)
15 My Empty Room (1:48)
16 Eyes Of A Stranger (6:44)
17 Empire (5:34)
18 Encore Break (2:58)
19 Wrathchild [Iron Maiden cover] (3:09)
20 Jet City Woman (5:51)
21 Roads To Madness (10:35)

Download link can be found here : http://turbobit.net/j72id6nsxsb4.html

606. Gamma Ray / 10-12-2006, Gaelic Club, Sydney, Australia [Bootleg]. 2006. 5/5

One of the best moments of the musical side of my life was when I finally got to see Gamma Ray live. To be honest, I never thought it would happen. It's a long way to come from the other side of the world. It was almost unheard of for European power metal bands to travel Down Under (Edguy being one exception), no doubt with the expense of doing so to bring all of their gear.
Then out of nowhere, they announced a fly-by stop over, and Sydney was one of only two gigs.

Flash forward six years, and out of nowhere, I discover a bootleg of the gig on my favourite bootleg site at Guitars101, and I am excited all over again. To hear the actual gig I went to once again!
This bootleg quality is amazing. Someone had some good equipment and a great position. It has it all. It has the minute mistakes, the minutest off keys, the crowd at its excited best. Just magnificent.
The band is truly on song, and Kai's vocals soar to the ceiling. The setlist is a wonderful combination of  songs from almost all of the Gamma Ray catalogue. It kicks off with the magnificent "Garden of the Sinner" before moving into a cacophony of newer tracks, "New World Order", "Man On A Mission", the brilliant "Fight", "Blood Religion" and the crowd pleaser "Heavy Metal Universe".
For the oldest fans, the Helloween trilogy follows. I almost wet my pants in excitement when they broke into "Ride the Sky", which was then followed by the staple sing along songs of "Future World" and "I Want Out".
"The Silence" is almost a rest period in this set list, but it is soon cranked back up to ridiculous levels with "Rebellion in Dreamland" and "Land of the Free", before they return with the encore of "Valley of the Kings", "Somewhere Out in Space" and "Send Me A Sign", which closes out the evening.

This is still very close to the best gig I have ever seen, and this bootleg is a magnificent testament to how good the band is in general, and how magnificent they were on this evening.

Now... when are you coming back again?!?

Guitars101 Forum - Gamma Ray, Sydney, 10-12-06

566. Dio / Donington Monsters of Rock Festival 22-8-1987 [Bootleg]. 1987. 5/5

Ah, Donington. If only we could all travel to England and see this festival. Well, and also travel back in time. One day I'll build that DeLorian...

This is a brilliant bootleg of Dio's set from the 1987 festival, taken from the Dream Evil tour, and is the first time I have heard anything from this tour. It is soundboard recording, meaning A+ sound.
It's great to hear the songs chosen from the album live - "Dream Evil", "Naked in the Rain" and "All the Fools Sailed Away". They all sound superb. In fact, the entire set list is awesome. Great versions of "Neon Knights", an absolutely blistering performance of "The Last in Line", which moves seamlessly through "Holy Diver" and "Heaven and Hell", a sensational rendition of "Rock 'n' Roll Children", the great Rainbow songs "Long Live Rock and Roll" and "Man on the Silver Mountain", and not forgetting "Rainbow in the Dark". Every song is at its peak.

Ronnie himself is is awesome form. I'm not sure he has ever sounded better on a live album that he does here. His voice is just so powerful and awe-inspiring, it sends chills down the spine. Backed by Craig Goldy, Jimmy Bain, Vinny Appice and Claude Schnell, this is a scintillating hour of some of the best music Dio has given us up until 1987. I don't have enough superlatives to praise this effort enough. If only I had been there in person. 23 years later, I can at least be happy with this recording, and to finally hear it in all its glory.

526. Judas Priest / Idaho Bootleg [Bootleg]. 2004. 4/5

After an absence of more than a decade, Rob Halford reunited with Judas Priest in the new century, and to celebrate the band went out and played a semi-world tour. This bootleg comes from that tour.
Containing a setlist comprising as many great Priest tunes as you can fit into a couple of hours, this was the reintroduction of Judas Priest reformed. Now, as good as this setlist is, it really is disappointing that everything in-between – i.e. the two albums the band recorded with Ripper Owens – looks as though it will now be confined to the “never to be played again” file. And that is a shame. I mean, wouldn’t you like to hear Halford singing some of Ripper’s songs?

Anyway – there is nothing out of the ordinary here, apart from the fact Rob doesn’t try to hit all those notes that he did twenty years ago. He is content to modify his vocals to almost-human levels.

Rating: An A grade bootleg recording of a band looking to reclaim the past. 4/5.

498. Gamma Ray / Holland 23-9-1990 [Bootleg]. 1990. 3/5

This is a B quality bootleg from Gamma Ray’s initial tour, following the release of their debut album Heading For Tomorrow. While the recording is not the highest quality, you can certainly feel the vibe of the crowd and the band throughout the performance.
Probably the best part of the gig and the album is hearing so many songs from that first album give a live treatment. “Free Time” and “Money” are both great live, along with the ‘bonus’ track from that album (from the CD version, not the vinyl I’m afraid…) “Look At Yourself”.

While my rating of it does appear low, that is only because of the sound quality alone, not for the songs nor the band’s performance. Bootleg-listening is an art form, and to enjoy this to the maximum you have to be in the right mood, and the right place. Doing invoicing in your work environment is not the best place to experience it…

Rating: Early prehistoric Gamma Ray. 3/5.

465. Metallica / Hammersmith 26-9-86 [Bootleg]. 1986. 4/5.

If only this bootleg was of a better quality, it would probably rate as one of the best ever, certainly with the setlist that is involved.
As it is, this is probably only a B quality sound recording, which is OK if you are in the mood for bootleg sound, and can get into it and past the faintness.
Still, from the Master of Puppets tour, and with Cliff Burton still banging away on the bass guitar, it is still worth a listen, despite the quality.

Rating: Only the sound marks in down. 4/5.

464. Iron Maiden / Hammersmith 1983 [Bootleg]. 1983. 5/5.

This is an A- quality bootleg from the World Piece Tour, and gives a pretty good perspective of the band at that stage of their career.

Although this carries only nine songs, it has a couple of major highlights and songs of interest. It kicks off with “Where Eagles Dare”, with Bruce Dickinson at his ‘Air Raid Siren’ best especially at the beginning and the conclusion of the song. The performance live of “To Tame a Land” is also superb, especially as it has not been done since this tour. It is a shame never to have seen it performed live. Also add another brilliant version of “Phantom of the Opera”, and you have a damn good album.

Rating:  The best bootleg I have of this tour.  5/5

450. Metallica / Great Western Forum 21-12-96 [Bootleg]. 1997. 3/5

One of the soundboard quality bootlegs that Metallica put up on their LiveMetallica site a few years ago, so the sound quality is exceptional. It is also from an era of Metallica that I find quite tragic, and thus you will see a rather low rating.

The rating simply comes from the material that is found here. The songs are not my favourites. The bootleg itself is interesting, for the fact that you get to hear so many of their songs live that - to be fair - are very average. Of course, when I first got the boot I thought that perhaps, in a live environment, they would improve. That was not the case, unfortunately.
Songs that find themselves here include "Ain't My Bitch", "Bleeding Me', "King Nothing", "Devil's Dance", "Until It Sleeps" and the deplorable "Kill-Ride Medley", which is an abomination to the Metallica legacy. Of all of these, "Until It Sleeps" at least holds its form. The others, along with my long time nemesis "Nothing Else Matters" are really nothing more than dust fodder.

The other tragedy is that the older material feels undervalued, both by the band's performance and Hetfield's clear vocals, with no emotion in them whatsoever. I think by this stage they really had lost what had made them great.

Rating: Sound quality is great. The mark is probably as high as it is just for that. 3/5.

449. Metallica / Gothenburg Sweden 13-2-87 [Bootleg]. 1987. 5/5

Another gem from the Metallica bootleg world, this A quality boot is on the Master of Puppets tour, and is one of the early gigs featuring Jason Newsted after the death of Cliff Burton.

The band are back on top and at their peak here. Leading off with the title track from the album, this contains the best of their material from their first three albums, and it is just a treat. Hetfield's vocals are superb, his goading of the crowd to join him all the more humorous because I am only listening to him here, and not actually trying to go with him for almost three hours like I did in 1989. Lars and Kirk are of course also superb, while Jason has fitted in nicely, and is already contributing to the backing vocals.

This is just about the best bootleg I have found from this tour, and it is always a joy to put it on and listen to it. Great performances of great material.

Rating: As good as bootlegs can get. 5/5

433. Helloween / Geisenkirchen, Germany 6-7-86 [Bootleg]. 1986. 5/5.

There are countless moments in life, in regards to music and concerts, when you wish that a band had thought to get a high-class recording of their work to share with the world. Thank goodness for bootleggers or many moments would have passed us by.
This is a B quality bootleg recording of Helloween on the Walls Of Jericho tour, with Kai Hansen on guitar and lead vocals, and the band in all of their glory. The copy I have has deteriorated over time, and the transfer to other media has somewhat affected it as well. However, once you adapt to the bootleg quality, and raise the level of volume a tad, it still sounds just awesome. More than anything else, it is great to hear songs like “Gorgar”, “Reptile” and “Guardians” live as they were at the time, along with the classics such as “Ride The Sky”, “Victim of Fate”, “Metal Invaders” and “Heavy Metal (Is The Law)”.
Everyone here is in top form. Kai is especially brilliant on vocals, but the dual guitars of Kai and Michael just sizzle, Marcus’ brilliant basslines are also at the forefront, and really take the breath away with what he does. Add in Ingo’s wonderful drumwork, and you have a sensational album.

Rating: The essence of what you want from a bootleg – a great band, great musicians and great songs. 5/5

427. Metallica / Garage Days Pt II [Bootleg]. 1998. 4.5/5

An excellent collection of cover songs recorded live in varying quality over the existence of Metallica.
Early highlights are “Mechanix” and “Killing Time” with Dave Mustaine on vocals, as well as “Let It Loose” and “Sucking My Love”, continuing their love affair with Diamond Head’s Lightning For The Nations album.
It also contains extra tracks from the birthday bash they played for Lemmy’s birthday, with additional Motorhead tracks such as “The Chase Is Better Than The Catch” and “We Are The Road Crew”, and a cover of Judas Priest’s “Rapid Fire” with Rob Halford dueling on vocals.

Rating: Another excellent collection of great quality bootleg tracks. 4.5/5

426. Metallica / Garage Days and More [Bootleg]. 1998. 3/5

Basically a collection of the demo versions of singles released in the 1990’s, which everyone will have if they bought all the single releases. Which I did. As with all demo versions, they are worth listening to once or twice to hear how the songs sounded while in production, but after the novelty wears off, you don’t really need to ever go back to them.

Rating: A somewhat interesting collection. 3/5.

425. Metallica / Garage Barrage [Bootleg]. 1998. 4.5/5

During the period when Metallica had either run out of inspiration or knew they were big enough now to decide what they wanted to do and when, they released the double CD Garage Inc. full of previous and new cover songs. They then went out and did a short tour, playing all of these songs live. From that came this A quality bootleg from their show in Detroit, which was broadcast on FM radio in the US at the time.

As I said, the sound quality here is perfect, radio broadcast quality. The setlist comprises songs from the double CD, and as can be noted from my review of that album, there is the brilliant mixed with the average. Most of the average doesn’t make the cut here. In fact, I probably have only two queries about the entire setlist. “Am I Evil” has been in their set for as long as they have been playing. While it’s still a great song and great version, surely they could have substituted something that they DON’T always play. And “Turn The Page” I just don’t like. Average.
Apart from that of course, it is quite brilliant. “The Small Hours”, “Mercyful Fate”, “Sabbra Cadabra”, “The Wait”, “Blitzkreig”. All just sensational.

Rating: Well worth grabbing, even if it isn’t their own songs. Or maybe BECAUSE it isn’t their own songs. 4.5/5.