Counterfeits of Smile
This page, currently in draft form, aims to look at the bootlegs of the single
and album released by Smile.
Earth/Step On Me
Most bootleg copies of the Smile single date from after the release of "Getting
Smile" in 1982 and are simply taken from the album. The real single has a
very slightly longer version of Earth with a slightly different fade at
the end. So if your single is the same as the album then it's a counterfeit.
There are also reports that the counterfeit copies of Earth have hand-written
matrix numbers in the runout grooves but that the proper copies of the single
have printed matrix numbers. It has never been verified whether this
is an accurate method of determining authenticity.
Reports of the existence of blue-label stock copies of the single have also
never been confirmed, and only the white-label promotional copies are
seen (many - or even most - of which will probably be counterfeits).
Getting Smile
Coloured vinyl copies of "Getting Smile" are always counterfeits. Black
vinyl copies are fakes if the insert is printed in black (it was printed in
gold for the original release, though this will become easier to fake as
copying technology improves)
Warning
The information is believed to be accurate as of February 1999. However, I
can't guarantee that more sophisticated counterfeits won't appear in the
future. Neither can I be sure that there aren't other variations that are
currently undocumented. Take care when buying records that have been (or may
have been) counterfeited.