We've talked about it in the past. Now let's do it.

Let's name the Top 5 bootlegs for each tour, with as many as 5 more suggestions. The sound has to be pretty damn good for a boot to make the list, but sound quality is not the sole criteria. We'll weigh in the performance (i.e., the energy level, the setting, the setlist, etc.) because that matters, too. Otherwise we'd all be listening to the Atlanta Rising boot, which won't even make the list.

I'll keep a running list here at the top of what the consensus seems to be for each tour. It will change, of course.
Anybody who wants other ideas can probably dig through this thread someday for suggestions that fell short. There are going to be a lot of excellent boots that don't make the list.
So let's get started.

This is the 'Studio Outtakes' thread.

Before The Fame
The Unsurpassed Springsteen Volume 1-6
The Ultimate "Born To Run" Remastered Outtakes Collection (Fanatic Records)
American Madness: Remastered Darkness On The Edge Of Town Outtakes
The Ties That Bind (original River album)
A Tear Must Fall (Remastered River Outtakes)
Alone In Colts Neck - Lost Masters I
Lost Masters Essential Collection
How Nebraska Was Born - Nebraska Remastered Outtakes
Born In The U.S.A Remastered Outtakes - Unsatisfied Heart
Murder Incorporated (Godfather Records)
Missing Tracks

I'd add The Other Side of the River. Some vocals aren't up to snuff, but a nice compilation of non-Tracks demos.

We really need a comprehensive set that covers his entire career. I started to put together the 70's. It's 11 discs total. So many of these sets are either incomplete or repetitive.

All the Godfather studio collections are horrible, and they don't offer anything we haven't heard previously. I'd use them to torture people.

Yes, 8 versions of one song do not a listenable disc make.

why wont we use the EV2 collections:

American madness for the Darkness.

A tear must fall for the river

unsatisfied heart for Bitusa

he had another one for BTR ,forgot the name.

each one has great artwork.they span all the important tracks/demos of each era.

if we add Alone In Colts Neck we are set.

most of the Lost Masters are useless .IMO.
Godfather just put everything known under their label.nothing new.

I think Zeke would use them for torture too, but if he's only torturing terrorists it's all good

Hard to say.

I must be the only one who has ever compared the Godfather collections to original sources. 99% of time original versions are much better. If someone prefer Godfather tradermark sound. Here is how it's done:

Listen original source, put microphone into empty oil barrel, press record, then convert the result to 32kbps real audio...voilà

That's what I think too, so the finnish hate those fucker assholes (thanks for selling my vietnam vets edit) and italians love them. And blancos.