This rough, tough and rowdy live album brings together 14 recordings from Aerosmith's 1977-78 tour, plus a couple of rarities from 1973 in the form of James Brown's "Mother Popcorn" and the Yardbirds' "I Ain't Got You".

The sound is very much live, with the loud, crunchy guitars of Joe Perry and Brad Whitford at the forefront, but it is also relatively clear, and not as cluttered as "A Little South Of Sanity". It is obvious that not a lot of overdubbing was involved to fix up the tracks, which results in a refreshingly authentic representation of Aerosmith at their best.

Almost every early Aerosmith classic is included: "Back In The Saddle" opens the CD, followed by "Sweet Emotion" and a seven-minute "Lord Of The Thighs".
The band's powerful version of John Lennon's "Come Together" is here as well, as is the superb "Walk This Way", the hard-rocking "Mama Kin", and one of Aerosmith's best and most overlooked songs, Richie Supa's catchy "Chip Away At The Stone".
And "Draw The Line" is here as well, although it is unlisted (probably to tie in with the casual "bootleg" design of the album, which includes fake coffee stains on the back).

There are a couple of lesser songs as well, but most of what is here is simply excellent. "Live Bootleg" is a must for fans of Aerosmith's seventies output.
4 1/2 stars.

Bootleg is a collection of live songs from their 77-78 tour (with the exception of Mother Popcorn from a 73 radio broadcast). For my money, Aerosmith is one of the greatest live bands ever, and this is a collection of some of their greatest songs, from the era before they were ever on MTV or even radio.

Some of the highlights:
Back in the saddle- Just a cool song. Sounds great live..what Tyler calls a "lusty cowboy song"
Sweet Emotion and Dream On-Two classics that are made to be played live
Last Child- Another great song...a little faster than studio versions, but full of energy
Walk this Way- More funky than on the album...real cool
Chip Away- Best track on the album...awesome crowd reaction
Train Kept a rollin'- I'll quote the liner notes on this one: "Loud and fast-speaks for itself"

Live Bootleg was released in 1978. Being Aerosmith's first live album, it included live versions of songs from all of their albums; AEROSMITH (Released in 1973, tracks that make an apperance on this album are Mama Kin and Dream On), GET YOUR WINGS (1974, included on this album are Lord Of The Thighs, SOS, and Train Kept A Rollin), TOYS IN THE ATTIC (1975, Toys In The Attic, Walk This Way, and Sweet Emotion), ROCKS (1976, Back In The Saddle, Sick As A Dog, Last Child), and DRAW THE LINE (1977, Draw The Line, Sight For Sore Eyes).This CD also includes a few songs not on these albums (The cover of the Beatle's Come Together, Chip Away The Stone, and two covers from an apperance at Pall's Mall in 1973 that is widely bootleged: Mother Popcorn and I Ain't Got You)

The original release on vinyl was on two records, and included a poster. The cover was meant to parody bootlegs of Aerosmith shows that surfaced. Infact, to make it seem more like a bootleg, they did not include "Draw The Line" on the tracklisting. This is from the 1978 show in Philadelphia at the Tower.

This is Aerosmith's at its raunchiest, rawest form. The band was heavily in drugs at the time and that is evident in the recordings. For example, in Dream On, Steven seems to struggle with the vocals in this song. But to me, this is what Aerosmith is. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Even the ugly is better than any music out there today. Aerosmith is up in your face for over an hour. Highlights of the album include a fast-paced Toys In The Attic, a 7+ minute Lord Of The Thighs jam, and the the two "club" numbers Mother Popcorn and I Ain't Got You. But really, the whole album is a highlight. Everything is so loose and rocking, it is the perfect defintion of what a live album should be. A lot of the tracks here are even better than their studio counterparts, for example, S.O.S., Walk This Way (which includes Joe Perry using the talkbox throughout the song), Train Kept A Rollin (incluiding Strangers in the Night), and Sight for Sore Eyes (which Stevens opens the song by asking "Are they gonna let you dance tonight?").

If you are only familiar with the new "polished" Aerosmith (see Just Push Play), you might have a little difficulty adjusting to the band as they were over 20 years ago. This is Aerosmith at its roots. This is Aerosmith before it was pressured by record companies to make pop songs. This is Aerosmith playing raw rock n roll. This is one album that should not be passed up by any fan of Aerosmith, or even rock music in general. This is one of the best live albums of all time and ranks at the top alongside Get Yer Ya-Yas Out and If You Want Blood.

I've never been all that thrilled about this live album.Even when it first came out as a 2-vinyl release,I think I probably listened to the other live records that were out at the same time,like the live lp's by Kiss,Frampton,Yes and Cheap Trick.Total of sixteen tracks with a running time of 71:09.'Live Bootleg' features tunes that were recorded from the band's 1977-78 tours.The sound is okay.Cuts I thought were decent include "Back In The Saddle","Toys In The Attic","Walk This Way",their timeless ballad "Dream On","S.O.S." and their Yardbird's cover "Train Kept A Rollin'".I remember in a Circus magazine interview,I read that Steven Tyler noted that EVERYBODY more or less bootlegs Aerosmith,heck that even the band bootlegs itself.After hearing this CD,you'll believe that.Not really a bad offering,just nothing to write home about.Aerosmith STILL rules!

This was the 70's! Though this was not put out when Aerosmith was going strong in 75/76 this was put out when they were goin down in a blaze of glory, but who ever gave this less then five stars isnt a Aerosmith. All the songs are great live, and even thought they dont sound perfect like they do now when the band plays them they still sound better then most live albums. This is a live album that was not fixed in the studio like Kiss did and like The Who and Peter Frampton did. You will love this, it has great sound quality you can hear it all. Someone said Aerosmith never could perform 'Back In The Saddle' live, what a stupid thing to say every time I have heard the band play it live Steven hits all the notes, Perry plays the six string bass perfect, its all perfect. This whole album is great for a live album that was never messed with in the studio, I think this is the best live album ever made! This is not just for die hard fans this is for anyone who was ever interested in the band. Aerosmith is the greatest live band of all time, I mean that no one even comes close to them. You will love yourself so getting this but you'll hate yourself for not getting it sooner!