How about these?

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZbumblebee_zombieQQhtZ-1

Look pretty suspicious to me.

piano632, March 8, 2007; 2:22 AM

Woah, thanks for the tip! A friend and I almost wanted to bid on some of his CDs.... :-(

davegaumann, March 9, 2007; 9:21 AM

The guy mentionned above who "almost" bought a CD from diamond666 is me, and... I DID buy a CD from him (3 days ago, not shipped yet). Thanks for the "tip", but from what I read here, this is just random paranoia, not based-on-facts accusations...

fireatheart, March 8, 2007; 6:53 AM

What's American.Nightmare just saying is: if this ebay seller enjoys selling bootlegs, he might also just be selling CD-r with a perfect artwork photocopy so we wouldn't notice the difference looking at his titles, on ebay... so even if it's a legal release, it might be a CD-r...
It might be some kindda paranoïa, but a seller's 100% feedbacks won't always be a true way to trust a seller...

ebay, ebay, ebay, my friends... :-)

davegaumann, March 8, 2007; 10:49 AM

Mr davidknowitall, I don't think custoumers who paid good money thinking they're getting the real thing and receive CD-Rs would give the guy positive feedback.

fireatheart, March 8, 2007; 11:44 AM

"from what I read here, this is just random paranoia, not based-on-facts accusations"

Dear fireatheart,

My "accusations" are not based on paranoia but on experience. I can spot a bootleg a mile away. By the way, what CD did you buy from him?


American.Nightmare, March 8, 2007; 12:24 PM

"I don't think custoumers who paid good money thinking they're getting the real thing and receive CD-Rs would give the guy positive feedback."

Perhaps they would if they *cough* are unable to discern between a bootleg and an official release.


American.Nightmare, March 8, 2007; 1:56 PM

To American.Nightmare (terrible nickname, by the way: are you trying to turn into mine? lol): the CD I bought (and that means paid for, with Paypal) is "Dragonslayer" by Alex North. Considering the situation, what would your course of action be? Wait to receive the CD and denounce the guy if necessary? Ask for my money back before shipment? (That doesn't seem like a possible option to me).
You say you can spot a bootlegger a mile away: please elaborate...

In your initial post, you accuse him outright of selling "some pretty convincing bootlegs": if you mean bootlegs from never officially released CDs, well, duh, OBVIOUSLY they're bootlegs (I'll go and check how he describes those).
As for the others (I read the ad for "Dragonslayer" carefully) he makes no claim that it's shrinkwraped or brand new or anything like that...

fireatheart, March 8, 2007; 2:02 PM

An amazing coincidence! I happen to be listening to Dragonslayer at this very moment. Unfortunately yours will probably be a bootleg. If you want to e-mail some pics to me once the CD arrives I'll let you know if it's legit or not. Otherwise you're on your own.

American.Nightmare, March 8, 2007; 2:28 PM

P.S. If you go back and reread my post you'll see that I wrote 'I can spot a BOOTLEG' a mile away, not a BOOTLEGGER. If the shoe fits, however...

American.Nightmare, March 8, 2007; 2:01 PM

Huh... :o( I stand corrected to some degree... His add for "Escape..." reads:

" This limited collector's edition ... (etc...)
This rare CD is highlighted by excellent stereo sound and colorful packaging.
Condition is guaranteed MINT and still sealed in the original shrinkwrap."

So, huh, ok....



fireatheart, March 8, 2007; 2:09 PM

fireatheart,

Did you even bother to read my original post? If so, please do so again because now you are just repeating things that I wrote. I'll cut and paste for you to make it easier:

'Many of the titles that he is selling were never officially released on CD (Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Howard the Duck, etc.), so they're obviously boots, but others HAVE been officially released and are now out-of-print (3 Worlds of Gulliver, Poltergeist), so I wonder: of the CDs that did at one time have an official release, is he selling the actual original CDs or just bootlegging copies of the originals?'

Like you just have, I acknowledged that he is selling some obvious bootlegs. Then I voiced my concern that if he is willing to sell boots of unreleased scores then maybe he's also selling boots of officially-released scores. At no time did I state that the CDs that he is selling that had had an offiicial release were bootleg copies. I merely stated that I would be suspicious of the 'official' releases since they're mixed in with obviously unofficial releases.

I think that you are lashing out because you're afraid you may have wasted your money. Perhaps if I'd posted this warning earlier you could have avoided getting jacked. To be completely honest though I hope that the CD that you receive is official and not a bootleg. I don't like to see anyone get ripped off. That's why I posted this thread in the first place.

American.Nightmare, March 8, 2007; 2:28 PM

If there is any question of the legitimacy of something, I say pass it by.

If you have any doubts I say trust your suspicions.

Learn from the animal world. The male in a pack of rodents will let the females take the first bite of a food substance and wait to see if it's poison.

Watch the birds fly above. If they circle more than three times there is a good chance the meat is too decomposed to consume.

Climb the mountain and ask Baba Fats what he thinks this shit is all about.

Last but not least... Don't take any wooden yen.

victoravalentine, March 8, 2007; 5:16 PM

piano632,

Those are also definitely bootlegs, without a doubt.



coma,

As they say, no good deed goes unpunished! ;-)


American.Nightmare, March 8, 2007; 7:01 PM

Well, Scott Thompson who bought 'Stepford Wives' from him will certainly be able to see if it is a real-thing (which I doubt also) or a very nice produced boot.

Is he a member here ??

But, whatever it is ...
The whole scenario that a buyer registers here to - more or less -
speak for the seller looks quite weird to me !

So, carpe diem ...


goldsmithsonian, March 8, 2007; 7:07 PM

I'm sure those sellers are ecstatic that you've provided a free link to their auctions, Mr.
Nightmare, especially considering that many of the scores being offered (ie. Top Gun) are highly
desirable amongst soundtrack collectors. Therefore, you're probably doing more harm than
good. And in defense of the dealers, if you read the descriptions more carefully, it's obvious that
many of the cds listed are pressed originals, though still bootlegs, like the Off World Blade
Runner and The Bounty, 3 Worlds of Gulliver. And how can a seller have a 100% feedback
rating and still sell faulty products?

stroogo, March 8, 2007; 9:41 PM

diamond666 has actually bid on some of my auctions over the last few years and has won a few items, so I know he has to have some real pressed CD's in his collection. I never bought anything from him that I can remember, however.

piano632, March 8, 2007; 11:29 PM

"how can a seller have a 100% feedback
rating and still sell faulty products?"


Very easy, considering that ONLY THREE out of those 200 positive feedbacks are from recent buyers, and two of those three are for the same bootleg 'Journey Back to Oz' CD. That leads me to believe that either the buyers don't know any better or just don't care that what they're receiving is not officially licensed merchandise.

As for providing a 'free link' to their auctions, I don't think that that is doing 'more harm than good' because I'm warning potential customers about this fraudulent activity, and considering the reaction that I've gotten in defense of this perfect stranger, it seems that there is a lot more ignorance regarding illegal bootlegging and pirating in soundtrack collector circles than I'd originally thought.



American.Nightmare, March 9, 2007; 5:01 AM

American.Nightmare: since you have an original "Dragonslayer", may I ask what's the item code on it? I asked the Ebay seller to provide the item code on his and what he answered back wasn't consistent with other "Southern Cross" CDs I have in my collection. So, either his is a fake, or... not all "Southern Cross" releases have similar codes. (The item code can be either found on the sleeve -upper right corner- or engraved on the inner ring of the CD itself.)
BTW: Anyone who has that CD may answer as well. Thanks!

fireatheart, March 9, 2007; 4:13 AM

The CD that I have is from the first pressing (limited to 2000 copies, as opposed to the second 'gold CD' pressing that was limited to 750, I believe), and the label # is SCSE CD-4. The following information is printed on the inner area of the disc, in the silver area just outside the clear inner ring:

**SCSECD4** 116355-D8-2038-2 DISCTRONICS USA

(you have to view the CD at a certain angle to see these inscriptions)


American.Nightmare, March 9, 2007; 4:50 AM

"Mr davidknowitall" also hope you didn't get "punked"! ;-)
Good luck, anyway and let us know what's up with this matter

davegaumann, March 9, 2007; 7:59 AM

Huh, first: Sorry for writing you have a terrible nickname earlier, that was uncalled for (it was a joke, but still).

Second: the code the seller gave has very little or nothing in common with the one you're giving me here. (it was something like "10515-05", I'll check my mails...). About the gold pressing, I guess this means it would have a different code, but I imagine similar to the one you're giving here...

Thanks, anyway!

fireatheart, March 9, 2007; 8:04 AM

"Mr davidknowitall" also hope you didn't get "punked"! ;-)

To the rest of you: davegaumann is actually a friend of mine, and the "punked" bit is long due retaliation on his part!
Just wait, dave! ;o)


fireatheart, March 9, 2007; 8:08 AM

(Please, don't tell other forumeurs we're friends) ;-)

What could have been funny is that you should have tell this "evil" diamond guy (666, the number of the beast, remember your rock standards?? Hehehee) that you wanted number 3-4-55HSLD (fake number)... like you were pretending that you knew the correct number of this release and ask him: "is this it?" and see what he would have answered you :-)

Ahahah, paranoïa drives my thoughts crazy too! ;-)

Dave

P.S. By the way, no offense to Diamond666, I don't know this seller and he might still be a nice dude after all these "bad reviews" on him on this topic... some bootlegs are "great", until we finally get legal releases!

davegaumann, March 9, 2007; 8:56 AM

I'm sure diamond666 is reading this! Lol

What if American.Nightmare IS in fact diamond666 ?!? :o))

fireatheart, March 9, 2007; 8:59 AM

I just checked the items out. I feel there's a pretty good chance they are all genuine bootlegs from the Soviet Onion.





victoravalentine, March 9, 2007; 4:27 PM

Soviet Onion: is that where red onions come from? :-P

American.Nightmare, March 9, 2007; 4:40 PM

The Soviet Onion has been a hotbed for bootlegged recordings since the mid 70's when 8 track copies of The Village People and Charlie Pride with blurred cover art began showing up on Truck Stop racks in the deep South.

victoravalentine, March 9, 2007; 4:50 PM

Are the De Angelis brothers also from there? ("Oliver Onions") :-)

davegaumann, March 9, 2007; 6:09 PM

Huh, I've got news: I received my Dragonslayer CD !!!

Bottom line: I believe what I'm holding (and listening to, but that's beside the point) is legit. I therefore believe I owe diamond666 an apology.

Yes, he sells bootlegs on Ebay, he shouldn't be doing it and we shouldn't be discussing it here, but what the hell: if that's what I'm looking for, I'll buy it.

He also sells official limited releases and if he says he does, you can believe it.

My only last minor hesitation is this: the code inside the inner ring is NOT precisely the one given by American Nightmare BUT a local friend of mine gave me the code to his... and it wasn't exactly the same as American Nightmare's either. So, I give up. There's one element I don't understand, but I can live without.
(My CD says: "disc nfg inc. W. O. 15858-1 SCSECD3")

Now, if you don't mind, I'll go enjoy the music.

(P.S.: I forgot to mention that as a special bonus diamond666 included an extra gift in the package, the nature of which... I won't discuss here. Diamond is a gem.)

fireatheart, March 17, 2007; 2:57 PM

Glad to hear it, fireatheart. That clears up my initial question then ('...of the CDs that did at one time have an official release, is he selling the actual original CDs or just bootlegging copies of the originals?').

By the way, is yours the silver or gold pressing? That might explain the discrepancy between the batch numbers.

Thanks for the follow-up info and congrats on obtaining this rare gem and musical masterpiece!

American.Nightmare, March 18, 2007; 1:51 AM

No, no, it's the 2000 copies silver limited edition.

Truly amazing music. I can't say I love it YET, but I strongly feel I will soon.
The first cue to blow me away so far is 5° "The Lair". It reminds me of some parts of the marching band cue (and possibly others) from Shire's "Return to Oz". Did one inspire the other or... do they both have a common inspiration?

As a side note, I received many other scores these past few days, and I was still trying to "digest" Barry's "Lion in Winter", Friedhofer's "Seven Cities of Gold" (the biggest surprise of the lot) and (non score) John Williams' Concerti for violin + flute.

fireatheart, March 18, 2007; 3:31 AM

Well, Well..........

Seems American.Nightmare rised the insults and trashed another ebay user.....but then WITHOUT EVEN GIVE AN APOLOGY to the poor diamond666, he now wants to be smartass talking about silver and gold printings.......

Shame on you American.Nightevacuation!


nicolas28, January 3, 2010; 5:51 AM