Bootleg of the Week: Re:Boot Rochester, New York CD-R

After a bit of a hiatus/holiday...we shall return to the world of 242!

Here we have another of the many bootleg discs/recordings from the Re:Boot tour era. This was probably the first tour in an era where bootlegs became much easier to obtain, create, and circulate.

This is another fine recording made by a fan, as advertised as an "Audience Recording: CSC --> WMD-3 --> CDR from Master" from the show in Rochester, New York, August 14, 1998.

The sound quality is very good and is on par with other bootlegs from this tour and the official Re:Boot release itself.
The fan-made art is exceptionally well-made and captures nicely the Re:Boot theme and images of this era in 242 history. The noted exception being that the disc image itself is borrowed from the "Tyranny Tour" era!

Track Listing:

1. Happiness
2. Masterhit
3. Motion
4. Moldavia
5. Melt
6. Soul Manager
7. Im Rhythmus Bleiben
8. Crapage
9. Religion
10. Head Hunter
11. Welcome To Paradise
12. First In/First Out
13. Punish Your Machine

Re:Boot Rochester, NY Picture Sleeve

Re:Boot Rochester, NY Jewel Case Insert

Re:Boot Rochester, NY Disc

Bootleg of the Week: The Tyrany Never Stops

Another common bootleg which, misspellings aside, is rather good is:  "The Tyrany Never Stops." From the start, with the misspelling of "Tyrany" you know this one may have a few mistakes! This disc is a recording made live at Offenbach, Stadthalle (Germany)  http://www.stadthalle-offenbach.de/   on March 25, 1991.

The "label" is "Experience In Word & Music" and is catalogue number EWM 008. It features 12 tracks from the Tyranny Tour. The color picture sleeve artwork is directly lifted from the Never Stop single. Although in booklet format, the inside of the actual booklet is blank. The back artwork duplicates the same. The disc itself is rather plain. The sound is average, with much audience participation. As with any live 242 performance, it is always a treat to see how 242 will perform variations of their songs. No performances are ever the same! My personal favorite from this disc would likely be the U-Men/W.Y.H.I.W.Y.G. medley. "Mixed By Fear" is somewhat unique with Richard signing the chorus "DSM One..." Although it seemed much more rare "back in the day," I see this one a little more common now and it usually retails between $25.00 - $50.00

The track listing follows, with corrections in parenthesis:

Rhythm of Time  10:21
Masterhit  5:02
Soul Manager  4:28
The Untold  4:44
Until Dead  4:29  (Until Death Us Do Part)
Mixed By Fear  12:52 (This World Must Be Destroyed/DSM01/Moldavia medley)
Im Rhythmus Bleiben  3:45
U-Men W.Y.H.I.W.Y.G.  5:05
Gripped By Fear  5:04
Tyrany For You  4:39  (Slo-Mo)
Never Stop  4:44
Headhunter  4:55

Bootleg of the Week: Kampfbereit

One of the more enjoyable and relatively easier-to-find (as far as 242 bootlegs go) is "Kampfbereit." There are actually two versions available, both identical regarding content, differing only in artwork and "label."

The earliest version is on "Bundy Records" and is designated as SE 314.
The track listing is riddled with mistakes, from misspelling the first track ( "S. Fr. Nomenklklatura") and listing the final track incorrectly (The final "Take One" track is actually With Your Cries) AND all the track list times are incorrect! Interesting enough, on back is a bar code ( 5 450162003145) but my bar code scanner does not reveal any other information. The artwork is very simple, with the primary image being the top half of a moustached man with electrodes attached to his forehead. The disc itself is quite plain.

The disc states that all tracks were recorded live at Amsterdam and Bruxelles in 1985.
The sound quality is excellent and it a good representation of the early Front 242 concert scene, complete with audience clapping and 242 interaction.

Note: I have listed the correct track times in bold parenthesis, following the mistaken times.

The second version is identified as "Dead Dog Records V. Terranova" and is also listed as SE 314. The disc states "Live in Belgium 86". The spelling of the tracks is correct this time, but the track listing is mistaken. This time, Track #4 is listed as "Lovely Day" (it is really No Shuffle), and it gets the last track wrong as well. No track times are listed. The artwork on the later is much more menacing. It has a fold out jewel case insert with another picture of the artwork.

Prices are not usually steep on this one. Most hard-core 242 collectors have one form of it in their collection. I've seen it go for $25.00 - $50.00 range to 35 Euro on eBay.

Final Note: (with apologies to German-speaking fans if I get this wrong) a dictionary google reveals that "Kampfbereit" means "Battle Ready" or "Ready to Battle" etc.

1. "S. Fr. Nomenklklatura" 4:14 (4:20)

2. "Don't Crash" 4:01 (4:10)

3. "Lovely Day" 6:30 (6:45)

4. "No Shuffle" 3:40 (3:43)

5. "Body To Body" 3:28 (3:32)

6. "Take One" 5:01 (5:25)

7. "Funkahdafi" 5:06 (5:17)

8. "U-Men" 4:22 (4:28)

9. "Commando Mix" 5:53 (6:01)

10. "Operating Tracks" 4:43 (3:44)

11. "Body To Body" 2:10 (2:19)

12. "U-Men" 3:10 (3:15)

13. "Take One" 4:25 (4:35)

14. "Kampfbereit" 3:12 (3:17)

15. "In November" 2:35 (2:41)

16. "Take One"(With Your Cries) 2:38 (2:36)