The system used to rate the sound quality of Eric Clapton bootlegs was created for the Eric Clapton Bootography in the early 1990s. A standard format for presenting the information was also developed for the bootography. Today, it is universally accepted as the way to present information about Eric Clapton bootlegs.
Eric Clapton bootlegs are listed like this:
LZ Was Here (Tarantura / SB6)
or
Back Again (RAH Music / 5)
Eric Clapton bootlegs are rated on a numeric scale of 1 (worst quality) to 6 (best quality). SB means soundboard; no letters before the number indicates it is an audience recording.
So, following the title of the bootleg in the above examples is the bootleg “label” (i.e. the manufacturer). Following the backslash is the sound quality rating. A “SB” in front of a number (i.e. SB5)indicates the bootleg is a soundboard recording. A number by itself (i.e. 4) indicates an audience recording. Both the label and quality rating are enclosed in parenthenses following the disc title. After that, website owners and collectors sometimes list the songs and band personnel for that particular show.
This rating system has been adopted as the standard by Eric Clapton bootleg collectors worldwide. So, if a CD is not listed in the Eric Clapton Bootography, the rating system will be applied by collectors in their personal lists, on other Clapton bootleg websites or in reviews of these recordings.
Please bear in mind that the bootleg label (manufacturer) can matter a great deal when CDs are issued with the same title.
This section of the Eric Clapton FAQ focuses on “commercially available” bootleg recordings (both CDs and CDRs) and does not include material that is exclusively the province of the trading community. You can discover the “best” or “core collection” of Eric Clapton bootlegs by simply clicking on the desired year or category in the main page of this section. In cases where a concert or session have been released by a variety of labels in nearly identical quality, multiple titles are listed along with the label that released the disc.
For further information on many of the CDs listed on this website, visit:
Eric Clapton Bootography
Those Were The Days: Cream Bootlegs
Where’s ERIC! does not encourage or condone the manufacture of bootleg recordings. They are illegal and artists do not receive royalties from their sale. However, Where’s ERIC! realizes that there are fans who collect these recordings. In that spirit, information about them is provided for fans’ research and guidance purposes. Where’s ERIC! does not sell, trade or provide free copies of bootleg recordings nor can we tell you how to obtain them.
