Bootleg Sound Quality

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). They  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). The label can matter a great deal when CDs are issued with the same title. 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 recording.

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.

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.