A friend of mine suggested that I make a page telling people which bootlegs have good quality sound, and the ones that don't. Since alot of bootlegs contain the same shows, but very different packaging, I'm hoping this page will help you choose which one you can better get for your money. This page will be short and sweet, but I won't lie on the quality. So here we go.....

Courtney Love & HoleVs.Seattle 1993 These two are similar to that of the Doll Parts and Ugly Demented World CDs. They're both the exact same show and same level of quality. The only difference is the artwork. These two have something else in common: They completely screw up the setlist and both get the date of the show wrong; both assume the show took place in Seattle 1993, when it in fact took place in 1991. Courtney Love & Hole's artwork is that of burning dollar bills and joined arms. Seattle 1993 has at least one picture of Courtney on its back cover, one taken at Reading 1994. So if you're picky about artwork and want the picture of Courtney, get Seattle 1993. The Amsterdam '92 CD is also apparently the same show as these; I don't have that CD to know about the quality so I can't comment on it. But that CD also got the show year and setlist wrong. Typical bootleggers. This is a common thing for most of the 1991-era Hole bootlegs; the tracklisting is always screwed up and the dates are usually off by two years.

DissedVs.Pretty in Pink Another show in late '94 that is placed on two CDs and is released as two separate bootlegs. Both Dissed and Pretty in Pink have excellent A quality. There are some exceptions though. Pretty in Pink leaves out the first two songs that were played at this show: "Plump" and "My Beautiful Son," while Dissed is the complete show. Pretty in Pink has no inserts of the band or Courtney, just a big pink dinosaur on the cover and inside (?!). This CD also has all of the inbetween song talking (with the exception of the talking between the first 2 tracks that were left off this CD). Dissed has all of the talking between Courtney and the audience too(including her big walk off stage moment). Dissed is a Australian KTS release, so it has a pic of the band on the back sleeve and an insert of Courtney on the inside. When deciding on this show, use the "complete show, or not-complete show?" line of thinking. If artwork is a major factor in deciding which one you want, the best choice would be to get Dissed.

Good SexVs.White Steel RoseYet another show from '94 that is placed on two CDs and released as two separate bootlegs. Good Sex has the flashy artwork and rare pictures of Courtney on the inside flap booklet, but White Steel Rose is better quality, a sure-fire A . Good Sex has the quality of roughly a B. White Steel Rose has no inserts of the band or Courtney, but this CD includes alot of the inbetween-song banter and talking with Melissa and Courtney that the Good Sex CD leaves out. Don't let the artwork influence your choice on which one to choose; if you want better quality with Courtney's talking to the audience, get White Steel Rose. If you hate bootlegs with no interesting pics inside, or if you hate Courtney's big mouth, or don't really give a damn about A quality, get Good Sex.

Asking For ItVs. Virgin MegastarAsking For It This bootleg has the best quality sound of a Hole show that was recorded indoors. The music is clear, free of that common bootleg fuzziness. Another bootleg called "Virgin Megastar" has the exact same show, but the music is barely heard over the fuzziness. You can make out the conversations of the record store audience better than the actual music on the "Virgin" disc. To put it mildly, the "Virgin" quality pretty much sucks. So if you want the better quality of the same show on one CD, buy Asking For It.

UngluedPlugged & UnpluggedPlug You & MoreLove Is A Punching BallPrincess of LoveSugar Coma

Ah, the Hole Unplugged show. A great show, but there are too many bootlegs being released based on this one performance. First off, Plugged & Unplugged beats all these other Unplugged wannabe bootlegs to a pulp; it has the best quality of all; probably because it is a Kiss The Stone bootleg. Plug You & More is ok, but it's just the slightest bit fuzzy. Same goes for Princess of Love.Sugar Coma and Love Is A Punching Ball fall in last place, however; the quality of both is way too fuzzy to stand to listen to for too long. Unglued seems to call itself the official Hole Unplugged bootleg. The sound is slightly fuzzy, especially when the songs get too loud. But if you want the best quality sound for a Hole Unplugged bootleg, either get Plugged & Unplugged or Plug You & More.

Ugly Demented WorldVs. Doll Parts Kiss Away The Darkest Day

These first two bootlegs are basically the exact same bootleg. Yet of course, the titles and the packaging are very different. Ugly Demented World and Doll Parts sound exactly the same, no quality differences. The quality could be given a B . But if you let your liking of album artwork decide which CD to get, you would most likely choose the Doll Parts bootleg. Both these bootlegs, plus Kiss Away the Darkest Day all have the Reading 1994 show. If you happen to like that show (it is the worst Hole show I've ever heard, but considering the circumstances at the time, that is understandable) it's on this disc too. Since it's a Kiss The Stone disc, the quality is A . So if you do like the August Reading '94 show, get Kiss Away The Darkest Day.

Email: frankie_82@yahoo.com