Rocket from the Crypt Bootlegs
What do you get when a rock band gets big in the UK, Japan, and Australia? A shit ton of bootlegs. Rocket from the Crypt appeared on a good chunk of unofficial releases.
Super Ride 45
Cut It Loose b/w Boychucker
Unofficial 7", released 1993
This is one of my favorites of Rocket's bootlegs. Limited to 1,000 hand-numbered copies. Recorded during the band's legendary first trip to Japan in 1993. I was in Japan at that point, but did not learn about Rocket until a couple of years later. Black vinyl. The price was up and down for a while, but it is pretty stable these days.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 15-20 | 3 | Stable |
 |
| Sleeve | Paper foldover, hand-numbered |
|---|
This page was last updated on January 6, 2020.
Rocket Queen EP
10 Forward/Call It a Complex b/w Ballot Fire/I Turned Into a Martian (live), released 1995
Unofficial 7", released 1995
This record contained the three tracks that (for a while) could only be found on the original Japanese version of All Systems Go!, along with one live track recorded in Japan. This was (theoretically) originally pressed in an edition of 500. Many variations of sleeve colors (both paper and ink) exist for this pressing. Then, there was an additional pressing of 300 with a black & white, completely different sleeve. That one was hand-numbered. I am assuming these pressing numbers are accurate, but that is a dangerous game with bootlegs. The vinyl was identical for all versions: all translucent black (brown tint).
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Pressing - Black (500) | 20-30 | 5 | Stable |
| 2nd Pressing - Black (300) | 15-20 | 7 | Stable |
 |
| Sleeve | Paper foldover |
|---|---|
| Credits | rftc.com: blue, green, white sleeve images |
This page was last updated on January 6, 2020.
In the White Room (With Black Curtains)
Born in '69 b/w Young Livers/On a Rope
Unofficial 7", released 1996
This is the one of a wave of bootlegs that appeared along with Rocket from the Crypt's mid-90s takeover of the UK. Two 7"s and two 12"s surfaced, all around the same time. This one was recorded live at Westway Studios in London on 2/2/96. Black vinyl. Wegi tells me the band was selling this and the Star Search record on their 1996 European tour. According to him, the band said that they caught the bootlegger before he could get the records into stores, and they took over...which is awesome, if true.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 6-10 | 2 | Stable |
 |
| Sleeve | Full glossy |
|---|
This page was last updated on January 6, 2020.
Star Search
My Arrow's Aim/Rid or Ride b/w UFO UFO UFO/Light Me
Live at Maida Vale Studios, UK, January 1996
Unofficial SS909 7", released 1996
Another in the line of 1996 UK bootlegs. Black vinyl. As stated in the previous entry, word is the band caught the bootlegger and started selling these on their own, beginning with the shows of their 1996 European tour. Versions exist with either blank blue or blank red labels.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 8-12 | 2 | Stable |
 |
| Sleeve | Full glossy |
|---|---|
| Test Pressing | Black vinyl, white labels |
This page was last updated on January 6, 2020.
Radio and TV Broadcasts from the UK 1995
Unofficial LP, released 1996
Limited to 300 copies - this was a one-sided 12" that contained the same tracks that showed up on the In the White Room and Star Search 7"s. Plain black sleeve with a hand-numbered insert, which apparently came in a couple of different colors. Blue vinyl, one side of which has a very cool screen-printed Rocket image on it. It can sell for a few bucks, but has gotten cheaper over time.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 30-40 | 7 | Down |
 |
This page was last updated on January 6, 2020.
Split w/ the Misfits
Radio and TV Broadcasts from the UK 1995
Unofficial LP, released 1997/2009
This contained exactly the same recordings as the last entry...this one just had a 1981 Misfits set on the flip side. Also originally limited to 300 copies, with a plain black sleeve and hand-numbered insert. I have seen this record sell for a lot of money. Must be the Misfits collectors getting in on it. It came WAY down after it was re-pressed. These were all on white vinyl (as far as I know).
The test pressing was on black vinyl. For the test press, the inserts (the two on separate pieces of paper) were taped to the inner sleeve, and the 300 was crossed out and replaced with a number out of 15. If it were just the inserts that were altered, I would be skeptical, but the fact that it was on a different color of vinyl tells me that it was a legit test pressing.
Starting in 2009, a second pressing of this one started to surface with different inserts. That pressing also appeared to be of 300, and was also numbered (though, of course, rule number one of dealing with bootlegs is don't trust bootleggers...). As mentioned, this pressing caused the value of the original pressing to drop considerably. The new Rocket insert was a dead giveaway for it being a later pressing, as it stole some of the artwork from the RFTC album, which was released two full years after the initial pressing of this boot.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Pressing - White | 30-40 | 7 | Stable |
| 2nd Pressing - White | 30-40 | 7 | Stable |
 Test Pressing Insert |
 |
 Test Pressing |
This page was last updated on January 6, 2020.
Apeshit at the BBC
Lipstick/Break It Up/When in Rome/Watusi '98/Panic Scam
Unofficial CD, released 1998
The title pretty much says it all. This CD surfaced very soon after the band made its triumphant return to the UK to promote RFTC in 1998. Recorded in July, and I am pretty sure I got it in Japan in August of that year. Excellent version of Lipstick, and the instrumental "Watusi '98" is one of my favorite instrumentals of all time. Wegi told me that Rocket was selling these when they were on tour in Germany in 1998. So...did they actually catch a bootlegger, as the story went for the two earlier 7"s, or did they have a hand in the production? Mysteries of the universe.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| CD | 5-8 | 3 | Stable |
 |
This page was last updated on January 6, 2020.
| Scarcity Score | Definition |
|---|---|
| 10 | Near impossible: Fewer than 50 copies or publicly sold every few years |
| 8-9 | Very rare: 50-199 copies or publicly sold 1-2 times per year |
| 6-7 | Rare: 200-499 copies or publicly sold a few times a year |
| 4-5 | Medium: 500-999 copies or publicly sold ~10 times a year |
| 1-3 | Common: 1000+ copies, readily available, or publicly sold 20+ times a year |
Estimated values are based on recent auction results or online sales. Commercial use of images on this site is not permitted. Non-commercial use of images permitted, with attribution to Pette Discographies. All images copyright their respective owners.