if only...

[Ted Jackson jr.]

> > Pearl Jam's bootlegs give others the boot
> > By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY
> >
> > Pearl Jam gets a leg up on bootleggers with the unprecedented
> > simultaneous release of 25 two-CD sets next month. The collection
> > contains a full live performance from each date on the band's summer
> > European tour. And to stoke competition with the thriving bootleg
> > underground, the discs are priced to move. Fans can order sets for
> > $10.98 each beginning Tuesday on the band's two Web sites:
> > www.pearljam.com and www.tenclub.net. The discs arrive in stores
> > with a $16.98 price tag Sept. 26. Affordability aside, nobody's
> > predicting a lofty chart reign.
> >
> > "Our expectations are low," singer Eddie Vedder says. "It's not for
> > everybody. But a lot of people out there buy bootlegs, and it's
> > risky, because you can spend a lot of money and get very poor
> > quality. I used to buy them online for 35 bucks and get lousy sound.
> > At least there's some consistency here. If you're going to hear our
> > mistakes, you might as well hear them clearly."
> >
> > Vedder, who as a teen avidly taped concerts, says the volume of
> > material and the tight deadlines prevented overdubs or editing.
> >
> > "Once we decided to release every show, it was a matter of letting
> > it go," he says. "It's all out there in some shape or form anyway.
> > We're just offering a better version."
> >
> > The sets, recorded digitally and mixed by engineer Brett Eliason,
> > "definitely won't be a moneymaking venture for anybody," band
> > manager Kelly Curtis says. "When we proposed the idea to Sony, we
> > got big raised eyebrows. Then they got excited because it was so
> > unorthodox. It's a gamble because nobody knows how big or small that
> > world is. We're not selling this to the average guy. It's more for
> > collectors who have been spending too much and getting low quality."
> >
> > The release entails manufacturing and shipping nightmares, plus the
> > likely predicament of consumer confusion. While many retailers
> > welcome the bounty, some balked at stocking 25 new titles,
> > especially in the busy fall season. Even Pearl Jam had reservations
> > initially.
> >
> > "The band didn't fully commit until halfway through the tour,"
> > Curtis says. Early on, the camp envisioned collecting and cataloging
> > the scores of illicit tapes in circulation for resale. "We thought
> > we could bootleg the bootleggers," Curtis says. "But it was a
> > daunting task to find every available bootleg, so we decided to make
> > our own."
> >
> > Pearl Jam, which has recorded all of its concerts during the past 10
> > years, is considering a second wave of discs featuring the current
> > U.S. tour. Although Vedder is unsure about public reception, he's
> > relishing the role as rock's bootleg titan. "Only a bootlegger
> > understands the mind-set of somebody trying to get a good recording
> > of an entire show," he says. "It makes for a neurotic concertgoing
> > experience."
>
> Hmm...Just imagine the possibilities.  Love 'em or hate 'em, I hope PJ
> can influence some other bands to get in on this...
>
> theo
>