Live Bootleg CDs - Are they legitimate? Good quality?

I’ve bought a few over the years.  The CDs tend to sound better than the vinyl I’ve had but the quality is always lacking to some degree.  Prefer getting copies of shows I’ve attended more for the memory than critical listening. 

Note that after 50 years, copyrights revert to public domain, which is why you see so many CD's these days of live shows from that era, mostly soundboards or radio broadcasts, on Amazon and many other retailers. If the broadcast sound was good, so will the sound of the CD's - I've got a number of them. 

Studio session bootlegs are usually of very high quality a favourite of mine is the Rolling Stones' Black Album top quality with sessions from Toshiba studios, Japan. Another favourite is Mick Taylor's Listen to this Ronnie a superb live performance. Steely Dan were not known for captivating live performances but check out Metal Leg. Another live performance that really captures the moment.

@larsman I have been retired from a regulatory affairs position working with legal counsel and my 70+ memory is not as sharp as when I was young and able to quote statute verbatim by codification numbers.  However, memory serves as follows on this complex issue that involves composition copyright, fixation rights, performers rights and broadcaster rights statutes.  
 

Composition copyright in both the US and EEU are life of the artist(s) + 70 years.  
Fixation copyright in the US is 70 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is longer.  
Fixation copyright in the EEU is 70 years from publication. 
Performers rights expiration period if not codified and disputes handled by the courts on a case basis. 
Performers rights in the EEU the expiration in 70 years from publication or communication (performance).  
Broadcasters rights in the US have no codified expiration and disputes are handled by the courts on a case basis.  It falls under anti bootlegging statutes which do not define an expiration period and copyright statutes explained above.  
Broadcasters rights in the EEU have a 50 year expiration period.  
 

Any lawyers out there, I will never be offended either a fact check since I am going from memory and my position as VP RA/QA/QE/Compliance was more of a paralegal position working with legal counsel.  

@jsalerno277 - I don't know all the technicalities, but I can tell you that 50 years after the fact, the live CD market from shows that long ago has exploded and there are loads of them available on Amazon and other legitimate retailers that had not been seen before; just look at Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, the Who, and most any other major artist. If these were illegal, the publishers and labels and artists would be on them like a ton of bricks, but almost any band you can think of has similar items available.