Discography: Bootlegs

In this section of the Discography, we'll take a look at 'unauthorized' bootlegs. In this instance the focus will mostly be on that of live, or very rare music which was not available through normal, authorized distribution. And we'll break it down into the following types: Professional CDs, Live Shows, Digital Items, and Redundant Ripoffs. Due to the nature of these things, not everything can be covered, but we will try to list at least the most commonly known/desired.

High-Quality, Professional CD Bootlegs

Often referred to as "Pro Bootlegs", this category of physical media is exclusively on stamped audio CD. Given the time frame (late 80s~1990's), CD was where is was at; offering higher quality than cassette copies of live shows, and as recordable CD-R became available it made stamped "professional" CDs even more valuable. Many of the pro-boots were actually made by close friends of Sublime and had a sort of unofficial permission from Sublime management (but certainly from not MCA).

It All Seems So Silly In The Long Run

Silly 1996 [Junk Records]
(click for more info)




Memories

Memories 1996? [GP Records]
(click for more info)




Sinsemilla '86-'96

Sinse 1997 [Discos La Revancha]
(click for more info)




Firecracker Lounge

Fire 1997? [5B Records]
Recorded Live: 02.02.1995 at Cattleman’s Wharf in Anaheim, CA
Recording Method: MIC
at least 3 versions exist, the one marked "100% hemp" came first.


Bums Lie

Bums 1998 [OPM Records] (via Greg A)
Production:1000




The Black Album

Black 1999 [L.D.R.]
Production:1000




The Black Album II

Black 2 2001 [L.D.R.]
Production:1000




Lesser Quality, Semi-Pro Bootlegs

Here we've got some of the better known boots that just weren't up to the same standards as the above releases. Yet they still showed value above a traded CD-R or MP3. In addition, these disks were likely NOT endorsed by Sublime in any way (even unofficially).

Destroy

Destroy 1998 [Ready Go! Records]
very nice inserts, but with amateur CD-R disk
Recorded Live: 03.05.1994
Recording Method: SBD
Production:1000

Hollywood Swingers

Hollywood 1998 [Alternative Edge Productions] (one of many producer credits)
another CD-R, this time with poor art and inserts
(there may have been a CD version at one point, many versions exist)
Recorded Live: 02.17.1995
Recording Method: SBD->DAT
Production: ?

Contact Buzz

Buzz 1998 [no producer credit]
like "Swingers" above, a CD-R with sub-par inserts
Recorded Live: 10.21.95
Recording Method: SBD->DAT
Production: ?

War on the Blvd.

Blvd 2003 [Gorilla Press]
Hand-numbered 1-200
limited in quantity, and an actual CD (not CD-R), but kind of just a mish-mash of rare MP3s around at the time produced




Live Recordings

Any time someone managed to record a live show by Sublime and shared it with someone else we have a "bootleg". There are some fantastic recordings (and some kinda shit ones too). Also considering that the majority of these were dubbed from cassette to cassette (or VHS), the quality could easily be degraded. Because sometimes only a song or two can be found from a particular event, shown below are only the recordings where all (or a majority) of a concert was recorded. HUGE THANKS to SublimeWiki.com for compiling most of this info, a link to their site is included when available.

1991

  • 03.24.1991 Long Beach, CA - Long Beach Harbor "Rock The Boat"

1993

  • 10.09.1993 Colton, CA - Movieland Frontier Town "Showdown at The Ghostown"

1994

  • 03.05.1994 Irvine, CA - KUCI Ska Parade "Destroy"
  • 04.02.1994 Huntington Beach, CA - Golden West College Amphitheater "All Things Strange And Beautiful"
  • 09.09.1994 San Fransisco, CA - Komotion
    • "It All Seems So Silly..." (partial) & "Stand By Your Van"
  • 09.12.1994 Chico, CA - Juanita's Bar
  • 12.04.1994 Hollywood, CA - Las Palmas
  • 12.10.1994 San Fransisco, CA - Komotion
    • "It All Seems So Silly..." (partial)

1995

1996

  • ??.??.1996 Pomona, CA - The Glass House
  • 04.05.1996 San Fransisco, CA - House of Blues
  • 04.10.1996 Boston, MA - Mama Kin's "Shootin' Up in Beantown" & "Killin' It"
  • 04.11.1996 New York City, NY - The Wetlands
  • 04.13.1996 Washington D.C. - Capital Ballroom
  • 04.17.1996 Cleveland, OH - Peabody's Down Under
  • 04.20.1996 Chicago, IL - The Metro
  • 05.11.1996 Las Vegas, NV - Unknown
  • 05.24.1996 Petaluma, CA - Phoenix Theater "Play Nice In The Pit" LAST SHOW

Digital Items

Digitally distributed, unauthorized audio/video also falls under the category of a bootleg. These items, which are not directly from the live items shown above, include interesting clips or compilations which never made it onto a pro-bootleg and ended up simply being shared over the internet.
  • Pure Anus
  • Smokin' it Up: Bradley's Tokin' Days [Live Mix]
  • Rewind Selector

Redundant Rip-Offs

By definition, the nature of a bootleg is something unauthorized and potentially illegally produced (copyright infringement). Some available media take this definition to the max; simply out to make a buck, and often offering nothing really new to the consumer. These items are ripe for further counterfeit or false claims, so buyer beware! They may only have the semantic value of a JeLLy BEaN!

The value of these true bootlegs is highly subjective. On one hand, the limited production runs means they can be rare. Then again, "limited" in this sense is often only limited to how many they can sell. And of course anyone can find a one-of-a-kind rock in their backyard too... In the end it's all supply and demand. Where does the demand come from? People want something, maybe anything with the word Sublime written on it; or, people that are mistaken about the actual source/value of the item. Maybe they just think it looks pretty sitting on a shelf, who knows? We're going to list some of the known items and item types here.

Vinyl

40oz PD People think that somehow vinyl records = legit. That's just science friction. Plenty of vinyl pressers are in the hands of unscrupulous merchants (especially outside the USA). Be particularly weary of "test pressings", as they may have no identifying markings and could be easily faked, AKA: complete garbage.

Bootlegs of Pro Bootlegs

shooter Most of the pro-bootlegs listed above were re-created after the original version sold out. Some entrepreneurial person took it upon themselves to copy and sell it. Usually this was done under a different name, possibly to fool a collector into buying the same thing twice. A few of these are listed below for reference:

Original Boot Re-Boot Re-Boot
It All Seems So Silly (1996) Live Shooter (1997)
Sinsemilla Dog Gone Blues Hong Kong Phooey
Firecracker Lounge Bong Hits With Bradley

Counterfeit

sublime fake For anything that is rare and worth more than $10, there is the possibility that it's fake. People manipulate a common cassette to look like a rare version perhaps and pop it on Ebay or Craigslist. Or, maybe someone invents a completely non-existent item along with a back-story to make it sound like part of the Sublime history; yet in reality they hand-crafted it in their basement to look dated. Oldest one in the book is a fake autograph. TL-DR; BUYER BEWARE!

Unauthorized Merch

bad merch Clothing, Stickers, Surfboards, Guitars, whateva... really anything you can think of. If you find something with the word "Sublime" on it that wasn't endorsed by the band/family/record company, this is bootleg merchandise. And sometimes there were only like 50 of something made. If more than 50 people want this thing, then it becomes "collectible" and people pay more than the next guy to have it. Most of the time however, nobody notices and it's only worth what it would cost to have it without Sublime written on it. Consider if the item was licenced properly for true value.