BOOTLEG RECORDS


Category: Australian independent label

Date: 1973-78

Location: Melbourne, Vic.

Ownership: Subsidiary of Fable Records

Distribution: Tempo / Phonogram

    

History

Bootleg Records was the subsidary label of Ron Tudor's Fable Records, which was established in 1969. After its launch in April 1970, Fable quickly became the leading Australian independent label of the period, thanks to a series of hit singles, EPs and albums between 1970 and 1973. Ron established Bootleg in late 1971 in collaboration with musician Brian Cadd, who became the label's house producer and A&R manager, and who also put together a house band for the label, The Bootleg Family Band (which later became Avalanche).

The Bootleg label was launched in January 1972 and enjoyed an extraordinary run of success from the outset, notching up a string of national Top 20 singles and albums. Its first two singles were back-to-back hits -- "Kings of the World" by Mississippi made the national Top 10 in early 1972 and in the latter half of the year Brian Cadd's solo debut "Ginger Man" made the national Top 20, peaking at #16; then, in early 1973, The Bootleg Family Band's debut single "Your mama don't dance" went to #5, giving Bootleg three national Top 20 hits out of its first six single releases. Brian Cadd scored three consecutive Top 20 albums -- his self-titled debut reached #2 and charted for 20 weeks, his second LP Parabrahm reached #5 and his third LP Moonshine reached #16, making  unequalled three Top 20 albums. 

Cadd scored three more hits in 1973-74 with his popular theme songs from the movie Alvin Purple and the TV series Class of '74 and "Let Go", which made #14 in late 1974, while the Bootleg family Band scored a second hit Top 10 hit with "The Shoop Shoop Song". Other notable Bootleg releases included the superb self-titled debut LP by Kerrie Biddell, which was a Top 10 album, an album and singles by Stephen Foster (whose LP was also produced by Brian Cadd), the first recording by renowned bluesman Dutch Tilders, Phil Manning's Band of Tabalene, Bluestone, , a one-off single by Lobby Loyde, and singles by Fat Daddy, Taste and Avalanche. Among Bootleg's last releases were two singles by The Steve Groves Band, on which all four songs were co-written by Groves and Brian Dawe (of Clarke and Dawe fame), who was at the time a promotions manager with Astor Records.

With Brian Cadd's departure for the USA in 1976, Bootleg lost its driving creative force and the label soon went into decline. Only two singles were released in 1977, and the last Bootleg single (by Bluestone) was issued in 1978. Fable struggled on bravely into the 1980s, scoring one last monster hit with Mike Brady's "Up There Cazaly" in 1981.

Discography

All singles and EPs on both Fable and Bootleg were catalogued in the same numerical series, which started at "001", so the numbering for Bootleg releases is therefore not consecutive. Fable singles were prefixed "FB", EP's were prefixed "FBEP", while Bootleg singles and EPs were prefixed "BL" and "BLEP". Fable and Bootleg LPs (which were all issued in stereo) were likewise catalogued in their own series, also starting at "001" -- Fable titles were prefixed "FBSA" and Bootleg titles were prefixed "BLA", except for the last two released, which were preficed "BLAB-". The Milesago page on Fable lists all known releases on that label.

Singles

Cat. # Date Artist Title Top chart posn / weeks in chart
BL-136 Jan. 1972 Mississippi A: "Kings Of The World"
B: "City Sunday"
-
BL-138 Aug. 1972 Brian Cadd A: "Ginger Man" (Cadd)
B: "Fair weather Friend" (Cadd)
-
BL-143 Nov. 1972 Band of Tabalene A: "Herbert's Boogie"
B: "Tell It LIke It Is"
-
BL-151 Nov. 1972 Stpehen Foster A: "Frogs"
B: "Back Into The Country"
-
BL-152 Dec. 1972 Mississippi A: "Mr Moondog"
B: "All Thru The Day"
-
BL-155 Feb. 1973 The Bootleg Family Band A: "Your Mama Don't Dance"
B: "Honky Tonk Woman"
-
BL-169 Apr. 1973 Band of Tabalene A: "Oh, Darlin"
B: "Blind Man"
-
BL-170 Mar. 1973 Brian Cadd A: "Every Mothers Son" (Cadd)
B: "Pappy's Got The Blues" (Cadd)
-
BL-178 May 1973 Bluestone A: "Wind and Rain"
B: "Road To Nowhere"
#39, 2 weeks
BL-181 Jun. 1973 The Bootleg Family Band A: "Wake Up Australia"
B: "Ballad of Billy Clover"
-
BL-185 Jul. 1973 Mississippi A: "Early Morning"
B: "Sweet World"
-
BL-195 Oct. 1973 Bluestone A: "The singer sang the song"
B: "Sing me a rainbow"
-
BL-197 Oct. 1973 Brian Cadd A: "Keep On Rockin' "
B: "Handy Man"
-
BL-201 Nov. 1973 Brian Cadd A: "Alvin Purple"
B: "Sometime Man"
-
BL-206 Jan. 1974 Mississippi "Will I?"
B: "Where In The World"
-
BL-214 Apr. 1974 Brian Cadd A: "Class of '74"
B: "School Days"
-
BL-219 Jun. 1974 Bluestone A: "Stagecoach"
B: "Sing me a rainbow
-
BL-220 Jul. 1974 The Bootleg Family Band A: "Shoop Shoop Song"
B: "Walking Home in the Morning"
-
BL-223 Aug. 1974 Brian Cadd A: "Let Go"
B: "Think It Over"
-
BL-230 Dec. 1974 Brian Cadd A: "Boogie Queen"
B: "All in the way (they use my face)"
-
BL-231 Feb. 1975 The Bootleg Family Band A: "Green Door"
B: "Kenny"
-
BL-241 Feb. 1975 Bluestone A: "Hear the bang"
B: "Country fair"
-
BL-243 Jun. 1975 Mississippi A: "When You're Old"
B: "Do I"
-
BL-249 May 1975 Brian Cadd A: "Gimme Good Lovin' "
B: "Fire At Shepherd's Flat"
-
BL-251 Aug. 1975 Bluestone A: "Ride On"
B: "The only girl"
-
BL-256 Oct. 1975 The Bootleg Band A: "How Do I Try?"
B: "Rockin' Hollywood"
-
BL-261 Dec. 1975 Lobby Loyde A: "Do You Believe In Magic"
B: "Love Lost On Dreamtides"
-
BL-262 Feb. 1976 Fat Daddy A: "Roll Daddy Roll"
B: "Help Me"
-
BL-264 Feb. 1976 Taste A: "Rock'n'roll superstar"
B: "Tickle your fancy"
-
BL-266 Feb. 1976 Avalanche A: "Wizard of life"
B: "The climb"
-
BL-274 Jul. 1976 Bluestone A: "Cool clear air"
B: "Knowing you"
-
BL-281 Jun. 1976 Avalanche A: "Sweet baby brown eyes"
B: "Bermude Triangle"
-
BL-287 Aug. 1976 Taste A: "Degenerate Fool"
B: "Lone Ranger"
-
BL-288 Oct. 1976 Avalanche A: "Landslide"
B: "Overnight sensation"
-
BL-289 Nov. 1976 Fat Daddy A: "Fat funky rock and roll"
B: "Roxeen"
-
BL-291 1976 Taste "Boys Will Be Boys"
"Love Ya Babe"
Produced by Ken Murdoch, engineered by Ian Mackenzie
Recorded at Armstrong's Studios
-
BL-292 1976 Steve Groves Band "I'm On The Loose (Again)" (Steve Groves-Brian Dawe) 
"Star Maker" (Steve Groves-Brian Dawe)
-
BL-302 1977 Bluestone "Rock 'n' Roll Crazy"
"Say That You Need Me"
-
BL-305 1977 Steve Groves Band "Here I Am" (Steve Groves-Brian Dawe)
"Slippery Shoes" (Steve Groves-Brian Dawe)
-
BL-318 1978 Bluestone "One Step Out of Line"
"Baby Just Don't Change"
-

EPs

Cat. # Date Artist Title
BLEP-188 Aug. 1973 Brian Cadd Ginger Man
BLEP-221 Aug. 1974 Mississippi Will I?
BLEP-233 Feb. 1975 The Bootleg Family Band The Bootleg Family Band

Albums

Cat. # Date Artist Title
BLA-021 1972 Dutch Tilders Dutch Tilders
BLA-022 Sep. 1972 Mississippi Mississippi
BLA-023 1972 Brian Cadd Brian Cadd
BLA-024 1972 Stephen Foster Coming Home In A Jar
BLA-030 1973 Kerrie Biddell Kerrie Biddell
BLA-034 1973 Brian Cadd Parabrahm
BLA-044 1974 Brian Cadd Moonshine
BLA-045 1975 Bluestone Bluestone
BLA-047 1975 Brian Cadd The Magic of Brian Cadd
BLAB-1000 1976 Avalanche Avalanche
BLAB-5309 1978 Various Artists The Bootleg Special

References / Links

Hank B. Facer
"Fable-Bootleg labels"
Discography No. 12, Jan. 1980 (MIRL, Auburn NSW)

Globaldog Productions - Fable/Bootleg 45 discography
http://www.globaldogproductions.info/f/fable-oz.html

Rate Your Music: Bootleg Records
http://rateyourmusic.com/label/bootleg/

Stephen Foster official website
http://www.stevefostermusic.com.au/