Some announcements over the weekend included new PINK FLOYD sets from Sirene...they are continuing their 1977 catalog with "Wolfsschanze", a 4CD set featuring 2 Animal Tour shows at Olympiahalle in Munich on February 27th and 28th 1977...the 2CD set, "Prog King", is recorded at Madison Square Garden in New York on July 2nd, 1977 and is a widely circulated recording but an excellent one at that! Empress Valley is getting set to unveil a nother weighty box set in with their December/January Release Schedule...look for LED ZEPPELIN the Limited Edition Deluxe Box "Great Chicago Fire", a 9CD+DVD featuring the Chicago audience sourced tapes from April 7th, 9th and 10th with the amateur-shot footage from at least 2 of the shows featured on the DVD. It amazes me that it's taken this long for somebody to give these shows special treatment.  I sure hope they consider doing the same for the New York '77 tapes. Another new Japanese ZEPPELIN release to expect shortly is "Soul Brother", coming from Tarantura very soon...it will feature another stab at the nice Stoke-On-Trent soundboard from January 15th, 1973. Empress Valley is apparently issuing a couple of new ROLLING STONES titles in the coming weeks as well...look for "Welcome To Boulder" (October 3 & 4th, 1981) and another '81 show recorded in Chicago. At this time I cannot confirm which Chicago '81 gig we are to see, perhaps it will be the November 23rd concert at the Rosemont Horizon?!?...it could be, because DAC have announced that soundboard to arrive as "Des Plaines 1981"... Both Vinyl Gang and Dog 'N Cat Records have released the common November 24th gig, however those are audience-sourced recordings. Speaking of the STONES... there was a recent DVD issued from Devil Productions, "Tour Of The Americas At The Forum 1975"...the pro-shot show from Los Angeles on June 11, 1975.  PATTI SMITH collectors should seek out the very limited title from Sea Monkey called, "Perfect Moon"...it's a single disc with excellent recordings of Patti and band on back-to-back December nights in Philadelphia...December 15th & 16th, 1995 to be exact. 

In some Japanese CDR boot release notes...Trial is releasing BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS "Stockton '71", a double-disc set from Stockton, California on May 27th, 1971...also, BOB DYLAN enthusiasts may be challenged to get their hands on Trials' two new strictly limited DYLAN sets..."Blackness Was A Virtue" is a 6CDR set featuring his November 22nd, 23rd & 24th, 2005 concerts at London's Brixton Academy in audience quality..."From Bash To The Clash" is also a 6CDR set, from the Birmingham NEC on November 18th and the Brixton Academy dates on November 20th and 21st, 2005.  Oh yeah, did I say they were "strictly limited"?...to just 20 Numbered Sets each, good luck.  Perhaps even more attractive is the new BOB DYLAN title from Thinman, "Border Beneath The Sun -Definitive Edition"...this is truly one of his best shows, certainly up there vying for his best 1978 performance and this 2-disc set looks great...it's from The Pavillon in Paris on July 6th, 1978.  And finally, Power Gate has introduced a new BLUE OYSTER CULT live soundboard recording from the Coach House, in San Juan Capistrano, California...taped on New Year's Eve 1995.

Well, it certainly seems that our membership here doesn't visit the site to interact!  Remember the old Message Board we had last year?  Seventeen posts in 6 months and now...nobody wants to throw their 2 cents in for the best or favorite bootleg releases for 2005.  C'mon, it doesn't hurt to play!  I want to hear about what you've been listening to and what has really had impact on you this past 12 months.  There have been some really great recordings, packages and titles issued.  Please?  You send 'em, I'll post 'em.  Shoot 'em to me at sb@hotwacks.com

Have a great week and good luck getting your Christmas Shopping done!  I suppose I could post my Christmas List instead of my Top 10 Bootlegs of 2005...Happy Holidays.  And thank you for all your support in 2005 and making it another fun year of collecting.  I've still got the bug.

Svengi - December 13, 2005