In a House With Unlocked Doors… Part Twenty
Officially Unofficial
By Sharon Mitchell
In response to the band’s new found world popularity, several live albums appeared around this time, many of them recorded in Japan. They were almost regarded as official album releases, especially as they appeared on the Reprise label, but technically, they are listed as EPs because of their shortened track lists.
These bootlegs include Live Tracks – recorded in March 1994 in Florida, Foot In Mouth (April 1996, recorded in Sweden, Florida, Japan and Poland!), Bowling, Bowling, Bowling, Parking, Parking (July 1996, from shows in Prague, Florida and Tokyo) and Tune In, Tokyo, (which was actually recorded in three different Japanese cities and released in October 1997.
In recent years, these have become pretty expensive – in the UK the going price is around £25 for BBBPP when a regular cd costs between £10 and £15 – although I found mine in a High Street record shop for a very reasonable price, just before American Idiot was released.
The Japanese edition of Tune In Tokyo has, very unusually, no extra tracks, although it does include a lyric booklet, which is in itself unusual for a live album. Their issue of Bowling, Bowling, Bowling, Parking, Parking does have an extra track – Dominated Love Slave. I also have that on cassette tape, sealed, and this one is just the basic track listing, with no added Tré! I have never found alternative versions of the other two titles, although I do look from time to time.
The other major issue between Insomniac and Nimrod was the legendary boxed set of seven singles. This includes Longview, Basket Case, Welcome To Paradise, When I Come Around, Geek Stink Breath. Stuck With Me and Brain Stew/Jaded.
The first issue included a phone strap with the band logo on it, but later issues had just a piece of filler card to pad out the box. I was looking at a late issue one on eBay, where the bidding had started slowly, but, with two days to go, went up to $140.
With added postage and packing, it would have been way out of my league. Then a friend messaged me. He had found one, from the first issue, in perfect order and complete with its obi-strip, although not factory sealed, and offered it to me for £60, post free! I jumped at it, but still watched the eBay auction, which was up to $180 an hour before ending. I always wondered what it finally went for, but I am more than delighted with my early one. A few weeks later, I managed to find a pair of Japanese flyers advertising the box, which I bought and added to my collection.
