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.