The sudden rise to fame of Sheryl Crow came at exactly the right time for bootleg enthusiasts, as so-called "protection gap" bootlegs flourished, manufactured (or, at least, supposedly manufactured) primarily in Italy and Australia, where, from 1993-1995 there were copyright loophole which allowed the manufacture of unauthorized records in their country.
This page takes a roughly chronological look at bootlegs released in those much simpler days, before CDRs and MP3s, when, if you wanted a bootleg, you had to go out and find it. Here you can find reviews, tracklistings, and catalogue numbers for the most significant boots of the 1994-95 period. In red is my editorial note as to the sources of the tracks below it, and in blue is my usual effervescent commentary on the disc. In green you will find my overall disc ratings, one for quality, one for material. Enjoy, and, as usual, happy hunting!
Wednesday Night State Theatre (Home Records HR 5983-0, 1994)
[Nashville, TN 12/15/93; (there is a knock off called “Las Vegas” with the same tracks)]
Cant Cry Anymore
All I Wanna Do
Leaving Las Vegas
Father Son
Solidify
Na Na Song/I’ve Got A Feeling
Strong Enough
Run Baby Run
What I Can Do For You
I Shall Believe
No One Said it Would Be Easy
Happy
--------------The very first Sheryl bootleg (which was knocked off way more than once) features a moderately well taped show, apparently recorded from a local radio broadcast. Still, the bootleg pressing of it is not broadcast quality, but remains immenently listenable. Interesting stuff here is her cover of "Happy", the Rolling Stones track, and the inclusion of "Father Son", from the year-since cancelled original Sheryl Crow LP. Sheryl is on top-form on this night, and, still being a pre-fame artist, has a certain rapport with the audience that she would not have only a few month later. And, noticably, no one asks her to marry him, which seems to be a constant feature of later live recordings. Well worth seeking out, for anyone who is interested in Sheryl's early years. In fact, in my book, this release is a lot more "Sheryl" and insightful as to her pre-fame years than the 1992 LP could ever be.
OVERALL RATINGS
SOUND: B-.
MATERIAL: A. There's no way it would get less than an "A", considering the inclusion of a live "Father Son" and the earlyness of the tape.
Run Baby Run (Kiss The Stone KTS 348, 1995)
[from a late 1994 VH1 special, don’t remember the name of it, it was done at Disney World]
Reach Around Jerk
Cant Cry Anymore
Run Baby Run
Na Na Song
Strong Enough
No One Said it Would Be Easy
Leaving Las Vegas
What I Can Do For You
I Shall Believe
-----------------The first "professional" Sheryl boot was released by Kiss The Stone, an Italian company who, before the "protection gap" was filled, released some of the best live boots of the 1990s. THeir first SHeryl product is more than a little bit boring, though, just a swipe of a VH1 broadcast small venue concert at Disney World. The quality is quite good, and there are no choppy edits or any other signs of the source actually being the TV broadcast, so they may have had access to a soundboard. If they didn't, they certainly got rid of any signs that it came from TV.
OVERALL RATINGS
SOUND: A+. Excellent sound. If not soundboard, then digitally recorded off-air.
MATERIAL: B-. Nice to have, but with all of her legitimate import releases with similar versions of the songs, this one is a bit superfluous.
Even Angels Rock (Why Not?, BKCD 093, 1994)
[Shepherds Bush Empire, London June 1994]
Reach Around Jerk
Cant Cry Anymore
Run Baby Run
Na Na Song
Strong Enough
No One Said it Would Be Easy
Leaving Las Vegas
What I Can Do For You
I Shall Believe
[Miami, 1994]
Live With Me
---------------This disc is the first of what was to become an absurd amount of releases (both legitimate and bootleg) of Sheryl's June gig at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London. Taken off-air from the BBC's November broadcast of the show, and in broadcast quality. The worst part of this disc is that, of the Shepherd's Bush tracks, only "Run Baby Run", "The Na Na Song" and "Strong Enough" would not be legitimately issued by A&M within the next year. The "Live WIth Me", opening for the Stones, was included as almost an afterthought, and since it is widely available on other boots, it ain't that important.
OVERALL RATINGS
SOUND: A. Great sound, clearly digitally recorded off-air.
MATERIAL: C-. Little could Why Not? have known at the time, but this is one of the most widely distributed Sheryl shows ever. And the fact that their single disc distillation of the show happens to include mostly stuff later issued or easily available elsewhere means that it is extremely pointless.All I Wanna Do (calls itself KTS of Australia KTS 009 B, 1995)
[from a reasonable quality audience tape, 10/17/94 no location listed]
What I Can Do For You
I Feel Happy
All I Wanna Do
Volvo Cowgirl
I Shall Believe
[not so great quality tape of WXRT Idiots Delight radio appearance, 3/6/94]
Interview
Leaving Las Vegas
Interview
On The Outside
Interview
All I Wanna Do
Interview
Run Baby Run
Interview
Strong Enough
More talk
----------------This disc, in a cheap looking blue cover with an indiscriminate picture of Sheryl, and very little info, holds the promise of something fantastic. The partial audience recording (in pretty decent quality for an audience tape) which tops off the disc is not the reason to buy, but rather the radio show is. Here we hear Sheryl for the better part of a half hour, playing acoustically (and informally) with Al Kooper. The early version of "On The Outside" is great, and seems to lend credence to the TNMC outtake theory. Unfortunately, the CD is sourced from a tape of a tape of a tape of the off-air broadcast. A great tragedy, but still well worth the purchase.
OVERALL RATINGS
SOUND: C-. So much potential in the material is not lived up to in the quality. Sounds like a third generation tape dub of the radio stuff.
MATERIAL: A-. If only this one was in sharp sound quality, then it would be the best of the lot. The radio material is the meat of the disc, but is weighed down by bad sound quality.
As The Crow Flies (Capricorn Records PF 900, 1995)
[LA, 12/10/94?]
Love Is A Good Thing
Leaving Las Vegas
The Na Na Song
All I Wanna Do
[San Diego, 11/94]
Can’t Cry Anymore
Reach Around Jerk (CD says Shattered, but it aint!)
Love Is A Good Thing
Solidify
The Na Na Song
Strong Enough
Leaving Las Vegas
All I Wanna Do
I Shall Believe
-----------------Another one of the myriad of partial recording CDs that appeared in the Spring of 1995. This one boasts two different partial recordings, otherwise unavailable. The first is a four song soundboard which is excellent. The second is a audience recording with a surprisingly clear Sheryl, and relatively muted fans (well, at least the ones near the mike!). Still, the main reason to get this one is the two versions of "Love Is A Good Thing" credited on the disc as "Easy Good Thing". Funny how, after she finally released the track, she seemed to stop playing it.
OVERALL RATINGS
SOUND: A/C+. The soundboard part gets the A, the audience recording gets the C+. I just can't enjoy audience recordings as much as others, so I'm hopelessly biased. .
MATERIAL: C. DOn't bother unless you have some kind of an unnatural obession with "Love Is A Good Thing", or with completeness.
Dyer Maker Open Your Heart (Asian Trading SW 506277, 1995)
[Chicago Aragon Ballroom, 10/14/94.]
Reach Around Jerk
Can’t Cry Anymore
Love Is A Good Thing
Leaving Las Vegas
Run Baby Run
The Na Na Song
Dyer Maker
Strong Enough
Rodeo
I Feel Happy
All I Wanna Do
I Shall Believe
---------------ACK!!! No!!! Apparently bent on proving that the RIAA is right when they say that bootlegs are shoddily put together and sound horrible, Asian Trading (not surprisingly, not heard from before or since) released this one in mid-1995. It is a partial audience recording from what sounds like the very back of the hall. It is not that you cannot hear Sheryl, but that she sounds like she is bellowing out of a gaint cavern or pit. This disc should have stayed in tape trading circles, and not been thrown at the general boot public like it was. The only real points of interest on this disc are the unreleased tracks "Rodeo" and "I Fell Happy" (miscredited as "I Feel Lucky"), but both of them can be found in much better quality on other shows.
OVERALL RATINGS
SOUND: D-. This audience taoe sounds like something my cat left in the corner.
MATERIAL: C-. All that's here can be found in infinitely better quality. Only masochists need purchase..
Love Is A Good Thing (no label DU CD 03, 1995)
[Shepherds Bush Empire, London, June 1994]
Reach Around Jerk
Love Is A Good Thing
Solidify
Strong Enough
All I Wanna Do
What I Can Do For You
Leaving Las Vegas
Na Na Song/Ive Got A Feeling
On The Outside
Cold Turkey
I Shall Believe
--------------Here we go again. More Shepherd's Bush, but again in excellent sound quality. This one is quite a great deal better than "Even Angels Rock", as this actually features several songs unbroadcast and unreleased. This is Sheryl's only version of John Lennon's "Cold Turkey" to have made it to a CD, and is worth hearing. Also, here is a fantastic quality "Love Is A Good Thing", broadcast, but unreleased. On the down side, the art leaves a great deal to be desired, like spelling Sheryl's name in the following fascinatingly unique manner (sit down for this one): "Sheril Crow". Nothing like our good old Sheril!
OVERALL RATINGS
SOUND: A+. Excellent soundboard recording.
MATERIAL: A. Gets its rating solely for the inclusion of "Cold Turkey", as much of the rest of this was commercially issued. .
Acoustic (Kiss The Stone KTS 427, 1995) there are tons (at least 4) of knock offs of this one
[Unplugged, Brooklyn Academy Of Music, 2/95]
Leaving Las Vegas
Strong Enough
All I Wanna Do
Na Na Song
Dyer maker
[Grammies, 3/1/95]
All I Wanna Do
[Disney World, 1/95]
Cant Cry Anymore
Leaving Las Vegas
Strong Enough
Na Na Song
All I Wanna Do
-----------------
THE source for Sheryl's 1995 MTV Unplugged appearance. THe Grammies track is an added bonus, though the other stuff ain't so amazing. If ya got $20 to either eat or listen to Sheryl, get this one, and have her fantastic blues reworking of "All I Wanna Do", which was debuted on this program.
OVERALL RATINGS
SOUND: A+. Excellent sound, recorded off-air.
MATERIAL: A. MTV Unplugged. 'Nuff said.
Tuesday Night Live (Chrome Hearts CH 018, 1995)
[a fantastic soundboard of Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, 10/25/94]
Reach Around Jerk
Cant Cry Anymore
Love Is A Good Thing
Leaving Las Vegas
Run Baby Run
On The Outside
Na Na Song
Strong Enough
Rodeo
I Feel Happy
All I Wanna Do
I Shall Believe
------------------This soundboard show blows all other SC soundboards out of the water. The whole concert is mixed extraordinarily well, and the tour tracks "Rodeo" and "I Feel Happy", which never found their way to the 1996 LP, are just spell-binding here, particluarly the former. This is one of the must-haves, as "Rodeo" (accidentally listed as "Angel" on the artwork) is without question the "great lost Sheryl song"!
OVERALL RATINGS
SOUND: A+. Holy sensational soundboards, Batman! This one's a keeper.
MATERIAL: A+. You'll never hear "Rodeo" or "I Feel Happy" better than this.
Eating Crow (Kiss The Stone KTS 482, 1995)
[Nashville, 12/15/93]
Happy
[Shepherd Bush, 94]
Cold Turkey
[Miami 11/25/94]
Live With Me
[Sydney Australia (sounds like a TV show) 4/95]
Keep On Growing
Dyer Maker
[WXRK Idiots Delight 3/6/94 sounds better than the “All I Wanna Do” CD]
Run Baby Run
Strong Enough
[LA Radio Show “The Difference” 1994]
All I Wanna Do
[WNEW Mixed Bag, 5/94]
Leaving Las Vegas
Can’t Cry Anymore
[Milwaukee, 10/94]
Rodeo
I Feel Happy
[Beacon Theatre, NY 3/17/95]
Hard To Make A Stand
Maybe Angels
[Nashville, 93]
Father Son
[Milwaukee again]
Volvo Cowgirl
[LA Hard Rock Cafe, 4/94]
All I Wanna Do
-------------------This disc is amongest the couple SC boots that deserve some sort of official release (though, admittedly, with some track selection changes). SOme of this stuff sounds quite good, and is unavialable elsewhere (like the Sydney tracks and a couple of the radio tracks), but other material is easily available elsewhere. The Milwaukee and Beacon Theatre stuff are audience tapes, but it is nice to hear these versions as something different from the regular boot fare. The radio stuff is great here, and the "Idiot's Delight" sound is a noticable upgrade from the "All I Wanna Do" bootleg, though here it is incomplete.
OVERALL RATINGS
SOUND: B+. Sound varies. SOme stuff (like the Sydney TV stuff) is A+, while some of the audience stuff is closer to C-.
MATERIAL: A+. The best Sheryl Crow boot for variety and rarity of material.
Unwired (Mirage MIR 203, 1995)
[Unplugged]
Leaving Las Vegas
Strong Enough
All I Wanna Do
Na Na Song
Dyer Maker
[Las Vegas Hilton, 1994]
Cant Cry Anymore
Leaving Las Vegas
Strong Enough
Na Na Song
All I Wanna Do
[LA House Of Blues, 1/27/95]
Run Baby Run
What I can Do For You
[Miami, 11/25/94]
Live With Me
----------------This one has a few interesting performances in the middle, all in great sound quality, but is generally a pale substitute for the "Acoustic" disc released by Kiss The Stone. THe MTV tracks sound a little less clear here than on the KTS disc, so go with it for the best presentation of the historic (and inexplicably unreleased) Unplugged show.
OVERALL RATINGS
SOUND: A+. Soundboard, and off-air.
MATERIAL: C+. Just an Unplugged knock-off with different bonuses. Still, if you can't get the KTS CD, don't do without, get this one!
Monday Monday? (No Label, also on I Feel Happy, both are 2 CD sets, 1995)
[Osaka? Japan, 4/16/95]
(as she walks out, the Stones Factory Girl plays in the bckgrd, and is the first track on CD)
Leaving Las Vegas
Love Is A Good Thing
Cant Cry Anymore
Run Baby Run
Hard To Make A Stand
Keep On Growing
Solidify
Na Na Song
All I Wanna Do
Coffee Shop
Strong Enough
Dyer Maker
What I Can Do For You
All I Wanna Do
I Shall Believe
I’m Gonna Be A Wheel Someday
I Feel Happy
----------It is very disheartening to have to tell you that the last TNMC era boot is, in many ways, the worst, and in one very important way, a crucial CD. This is an audience recording of Sheryl obviously not too entertained in Osaka. The levels on the CD are quite low, and there is some distortion at times, with the bass recorded impossibly loud in comparison to the treble. And, worst, there is a faulty mike which occasionally makes VERY jarring pops and other noises as its wires getr messed up. However, this disc incldes "Coffee Shop", another lost classic early Sheryl track, otherwise totally unavialable. also, there is a live "I'm Gonna Be A wheel Someday", otherwise undone live, and her slow bluesly Unplugged-style remake of "All I Wanna Do:. . "Coffee Shop", thankfully, is only plagued with about 5 bad pops, so it stays listenable.
OVERALL RATINGS
SOUND: D. A decent (if too bassy) audience recording, marred by technical difficulties.
MATERIAL: A. The only way to hear "Coffee Shop". Period. And thus, a definite one to get if you can find it, unless the fact that there are technicaly troubles would keep you from enjoying the fact that she does an exclusive track.
The Unreleased Album (lots of different ones, some add three unidentified locale live tracks, "Leaving Las Vegas", "Happy" and "Can't Cry Anymore", while others have “The Real Life”, and even others have “The Real Life”, Ways Of Love”, “Destiny, and ”Stolen Moments”, all 1992 outtakes.
-------------I have no idea why I am putting this here, except that this LP acquired an almost legendary status during the TNMC era, and fans everywhere sat around just praying that the next boot to come their way would be the 1992 LP. However, that didn't happen. That is, unless you were a damned lucky tape trader or something close (like the owner of an original cassette). The 1992 LP didn't show up on CD until early 1997, thus (combined with the release of the new Sheryl Crow LP in 1996) symbolically closing the door on Sheryl's early career. I've got a page specifically devoted to the various and sundry aspects of this tape (and its bootleg CDs), so there's no point in me saying much more here. For more detailed info, check the 1992 LP page.
OVERALL RATINGS
SOUND: Varies. If you get a CD of the best boot, A. If you get a CDR of it, B-, and there is a version put out by Media Detox that runs way too fast, and rates a D- gfor that easily corrected error.
MATERIAL: A+. It is not the best LP she ever made, but then, why else would it have been cancelled? Still, its historical import and the inclusion of "All Kinds Of People" and "Father Son" put it damned high up there on any Sheryl most-wanted list.
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Changes last made on: Thu Jul 29 09:18:31 1999