Goofy story with a twist ending: I wrote a three-page article for Mix Magazine about this book earlier this year—and never got to actually SEE it! The book wasn’t out yet, the publisher didn’t have physical copies and also wouldn’t send a digital version. Flummoxed, I did my best to interview the authors, which was a moderately cagey experience given the book’s topic, and then did a lot of my own research on bootlegs at other sources to fill in the gaps. It resulted in a good article but it was still a frustrating experience. Even when the book came out, I still didn’t see it around — it’s with a small publisher, so it’s not like you stumble over it at Barnes & Noble (they don’t carry it), and let’s not ignore the cover price: $75 for a paperback. Admittedly a heavy, glossy paper, full-color paperback, but even so—yikes! So here’s the twist: My in-laws gave me a copy for Christmas, mail-ordering it direct from the publisher. The book arrived at their place all beat to hell—certainly readable, but you wouldn’t give it as a gift. So they called up the publisher and, providing them with excellent customer service, he said “Ah keep it; I’ll send you a new one.” And he did—so I received not one but two copies of this thing! From famine to feast. And it’s a pretty good tome, too. The history of a 1970s bootleg record label is esoteric reading, to be sure, but it’s deeply illustrated and is told in a very ‘10PM at the far end of the bar,” nonchalant style. If you love classic rock, dig bootleg records and enjoy a true-crime story told a little slowly (and have $75 burning a hole in your pocket), it’s definitely worth a read.
