Jethro Tull Victoria Hall Staffordshire, England (Stoke On Trent) March 3, 1972 Disc 1 01. -Thick As A Brick Disc 2 02. -Cross-Eyed Mary                           03. -A New Day Yesterday                      04. -Aqualung                      05. -Wind-Up                       06. -Guitar Solo                           07. -Locomotive Breath                         08. -Hard-Headed English General 09. -Wind-Up (reprise)                     

New York 1968 Soundboard 8.7/8.5 - This is a strange old tape, don’t get me wrong I am very happy to get to hear it, but it is a tale of two tapes…to my ears. It’s starts off, the first few tracks, as a relatively “clean” board feed, perhaps an AM radio live broadcast even, because it has that sound to it – like if you were listening to a radio broadcast with headphones (and took the headphones off slightly). Then, the tape changes to what I have to believe is another source, and one that is considerably more raucous and menacing. I can’t even say for sure the second part is a board, might be, but my guess is an on stage reel to reel recording (possibly done by John Sinclair?). It’s ok for what it is, both “sources” are welcomed into my personal collection since there’s so little of the live five out there.

Hollywood 1971 Audience 8.6 - Despite the lowish rating, this is very listenable. The main issue for me, and hence the low quality rating, is the drop off in the vocals. It’s not out front of the mix enough, but then, guitar (and bass) is the highlight so maybe that’s not so bad!  Overall, I think if you love this band, this old tape is going to make you happy. One may wonder if a modern re-mastering would help this show come to life and the short answer is “maybe”, because it sounds like this one is already teetering on the edge of the bandwidth and to attempt sonic shenanigans might push it off the cliff.  I’d like to hear an expert give it a try though.

MC5 - Flyin' With The Five New York 1968 Unknown Location Disc 1 1. -Teenage Lust 2. -It's A Man's Man World 3. -Black To Comm 4. -Ramblin' Rose 5. -Kick Out The Jams 6. -Come Together 7. -Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa 8. -Born Under A Bad Sign 9. -Shakin' All Over 10. -I Want You Right Now Disc 2 Hollywood, CA. Unknown Location Sept. 9th, 1971 1. Sister Anne 2. Baby Won't Ya 3. I Want You Right Now 4. Tonight 5. Looking At You 6. Ramblin' Rose 7. Kick Out The Jams 8. Black To Comm

Studio Quality 9.5 - The average rating here in the mid 9.0’s because except for the occasional minor hiss, this material consists of professionally recorded, live in studio sessions. Good to have it all in a well constructed collection like this.

Faces BBC Collection

Studio Quality 9.3 - Is this actually the album/albums that George wanted to be released posthumously?  Probably not, but certainly they are based on the idea he had for his “Leg End” finale. Good stuff and interesting to listen to!  BTW the text on the back cover is rather difficult to read so best to use this information and save yourself from the squinty-eyes!

George Harrison Legend Of A Leg End Vol. 1

St. Austell 1980 Audience 8.4 - In the pantheon of early Maiden live recordings this one is far from the worst, in fact I would say it’s worth a good listen because one thing is a grimy, muddy old tape and another is a relatively good tape that is NOT muddy but maybe does not have a wide dynamic range…and I’ll take the latter every time.

Reading 1980 Soundboard 9.4 - A short but awesome recording that every Iron Maiden fan should have.

Iron Maiden Cornwall Coliseum St. Austell, England 1980-05-31 "Iron Maiden Tour" Disc 1 01. Intro (The Ides Of March) 02. Sanctuary 03. Wrathchild 04. Prowler 05. Remember Tomorrow 06. Killers 07. Running Free 08. Another Life 09. Drum Solo 10. Transylvania 11. Strange World 12. Charlotte The Harlot Disc 2 13. Phantom Of The Opera 14. Iron Maiden 15. Drifter 16. I Got The Fire Reading Festival Reading, England, UK 1980-08-23 17. -Prowler 18. -Remember Tomorrow 19. -Killers 20. -Running Free 21. -Transylvania 22. -Iron Maiden Lineup: Paul Di’Anno - vocals Dave Murray - guitars Dennis Stratton - guitars Steve Harris - bass Clive Burr - drums

Radio Broadcast 9.2 - Great gig here, in really nice quality with just very minor underlying signal noise (so you know it’s a radio broadcast). But the show itself is a barn burner!

Jethro Tull UNICEF Benefit Show Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Santa Monica, CA November 16, 1979 Disc 1 01 - Intro [1:59] 02 - Dark Ages [8:06] 03 - Home [2:50] 04 - Orion [5:13] 05 - Wond'ring Aloud [2:01] 06 - Dun Ringill [2:33] 07 - Elegy [3:59] 08 - Something's On The Move [4:58] 09 - Aqualung [7:53] 10 - Ian Thanks Crowd for UNICEF Gig [0:56] 11 - King Henry's Madrigal - Drum Solo  [6:24] 12 - Heavy Horses [6:16] 13 - One Brown Mouse [3:56] Disc 2 14 - No Lullaby [4:16] 15 - Flute Solo (incl GRYMG-Kelpie-Bouree)  [7:03] 16 - Songs From The Wood [3:50] 17 - Ian Introduces the Band [1:46] 18 - Jams O'Donnell's Jigs [3:45] 19 - Thick As A Brick [7:45] 20 - Too Old To Rock'N'Roll - Cross-Eyed Mary [2:59] 21 - Minstrel In The Gallery  [3:11] 22 - Locomotive Breath - Dambusters March - Hard-Headed English General - Minstrel In The Gallery (reprise) [7:01] 23 - Interview with JT - BBC Lively Arts Doc 1979 [15:56]

Dublin 1974 Soundboard 9.4 - This is a sweet one, it’s early in the new year (a year he would tour extensively during), and he’s in the beautiful city of Dublin, possibly thinking maybe this is how he’ll kick off the ambitious tour, and he just kills it!  I would rate the recording higher but for some sizzle on the highs (cymbal crashes, etc.) that don’t hurt the tape so much as they don’t belong on a professionally made for release recording, if indeed that is what this was for. So, that being said you can still dive into this with the full knowledge that it will live up to the rating and then some!

Limerick 1972 Soundboard 8.8 - Sounds like this originates from TV or local radio and suffers from some compression limitations and occasionally drop outs due to sheer age. It’s still professionally recorded, so it’s got bones to work with and you’ll be able to get into it but because it is made for TV (or radio?) there is interruption for interviews – so you have to take this short piece for what it is. It’s filler for the excellent Dublin ’74 and it is fine in that capacity.

Rory Gallagher Carlton Cinema Dublin, Ireland January 2, 1974 Disc 1 1. -Cradle Rock 2. -Tattoo'd Lady 3. -Hands Off 4. -Walk On Hot Coals 5. -Laundromat 6. -Too Much Alcohol 7. -A Million Miles Away 8. -As The Crow Flies 9. -Pistol Slapper Blues 10. -Banker's Blues Disc 2 11. -Unmilitary Two Step 12. -Going To My Hometown 13. -In Your Town 14. -Bullfrog Blues Savoy Theatre Limerick, Ireland May 11, 1972 15. -I'm Tore Down 16. -Interviews 17. -Laundromat 18. -Interviews 19. -Pistol Slapper Blues 20. -Interviews 21. -Patch Of Grey Cloud (AKA Don't Know Where I'm Goin') 22. -Interviews 23. -Bullfrog Blues

FM Broadcast 9.7 - A stellar sound with this over the air broadcast, no signal degradation, no interference, no compression, just smooth jazz sailing all the way.

Pat Metheny Group Festival International de Jazz De Montréal McGill College Ave. Montréal, Quebec, Canada July 4, 1989 CHOM-FM Broadcast Disc 1 01 Phase Dance  8:06 02 Have You Heard  6:08 03 Every Summer Night  6:57 04 Change Of Heart  7:20 05 Better Days Ahead  5:02 06 Last Train Home  5:11 07 First Circle  8:42 08 Scrap Metal  7:04 09 Slip Away  4:53 10 If I Could  6:19 Disc 2 01 Spring Ain't Here  6:44 02 Straight On Red  8:46 03 Are You Going With Me  8:53 04 The Fields, The Sky  4:17 05 Are We There Yet  9:33 06 (It's Just) Talk  8:15 07 Letter From Home  2:18 08 Beat 70  4:47 09 Minuano (Six-Eight)  9:08 10 Third Wind  9:04 Pat Metheny - Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Electric Sitar, Guitar Synth Lyle Mays - Piano, Keyboards Steve Rodby - Acoustic & Electric Basses Paul Wertico - Drums, Percussion Armando Marçal - Percussion Pedro Aznar - Voice, Miscellaneous Instruments

Audience 9.6 - After allowing the soundman to adjust during the first few minutes of the show, what you soon will discover is that this is one of the best ’77 shows ever. Not just for sound quality, but performance. Just amazing in every way…and an absolute must have.

Soundboard 9.4 - Anytime you can find a soundboard of this band you really ought to grab it. I think it allows the listener to get all the nuance, the sound effects so-to-speak that make Ghost a little bit better than the competition. Plus the songs are interesting, and the voice is perfectly matched to the style.

Audience 9.7 - Brilliant, clear, deep, good atmosphere, and even though it is pushing the meters it still has some headroom so crank this one up and hear for yourself why I always say a great audience tape beats a soundboard.

Don Henley Pacific Amphitheatre Costa Mesa, CA October 1, 1989 Disc 1 01 Drivin' With Your Eyes Closed 02 Dirty Laundry 03 The End Of The Innocence 04 Building The Perfect Beast 05 If Dirt Were Dollars 06 The Last Worthless Evening 07 Sunset Grill 08 New York Minute Disc 2 09 Shangri - La 10 Hotel California 11 Life In The Fast Lane 12 The Boys Of Summer 13 All She Wants To Do Is Dance 14 I Will Not Go Quietly 15 Band Introduction 16 Desperado

Soundboard 9.0 - Many people who collect this band’s live recorded works would probably all agree that the 80-81 period is the least favorite, but maybe that is because they never heard this one. This is new to circulation, and it is not without flaws (a few songs fade in, and it is a touch on the “hot” side) but I think it delivers where it counts. I particularly found the drums to be emphasized in a good way, you can feel them, and therefore it lends a heavier feel to the songs, including the seldom played songs they were showcasing from the latest album.

Allman Brothers Band Bell Auditorium Augusta, GA 11/18/1981 Disc 1 1. Jessica 2. Can't Take It With You 3. Straight From The Heart 4. Blue Sky 5. Leavin' 6. Crazy Love 7. Things You Used To Do 8. Midnight Rider 9. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed 10. Need Your Love So Bad 11. Melissa Disc 2 12. Never Knew How Much (I Needed You) 13. One Way Out 14. Southbound 15. The Judgement 16. Statesboro Blues 17. Whipping Post

Audience 8.8 - This is a “power” show, meaning the sound coming at you when you play this (hopefully on a decent system) is very forceful, like you really get a sense of the massive volume and power of a band in their prime. That being said, it is a different power than, say, a heavy metal band in that the sound itself is balanced to the degree you get good instrument separation. The other thing I like about this tape is the stereo pan, it’s nice when you are able to get a sense of the event in a more tangible way and this tape does deliver that effect. So, while not as clear as maybe the Radio City Music Hall show (for another example of a ’73 Aud), this recording delivers the goods and should be acquired.

Pink Floyd Maple Leaf Garden Toronto, Ontario, Canada March 11, 1973 Disc 1 01 -Echoes 02 -Obscured By Clouds 03 -When You're In 04 -Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun 05 -Cafeul With That Axe, Eugene Disc 2 01 -Speak To Me 02 -Breathe 03 -On The Run 04 -Time - Breathe (Reprise) 05 -The Great Gig In The Sky 06 -Money 07 -Us And Them 08 -Any Colour You Like 09 -Brain Damage 10 -Eclipse 11 -One Of These Days

Soundboard 9.7 - I give this a stellar and glowing review and consider it an absolute must have for any self-respecting ACDC….no, wait, any self-respecting rock music fan. Why?  Because, even though the old tape has an occasional drop out (rarely), it is so fucking electrifying, exciting, and pure that you can’t help but bang your head to it…the entire show!  The combination of the superb live mix that maintains 100% live energy, there’s no mixing the life out of this bad boy, and the amazing performance all contribute to must have status. I love how I can hear Malcolm so distinctly, and even the bass notes come through…but the drums, that insistent rat a tat snare just makes this tape a winner bar-none. The bonus concert on disc two is also a board tape, and it has a different feel to it but it is also amazing. Get it man!

ACDC Austin, Texas, USA Erwin Centre October 11, 1985 *Bonus Tracks: Dallas, Texas, USA Reunion Arena October 12, 1985 Disc 1 01 Fly On The Wall 02 Back In Black 03 Shake Your Foundations 04 Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap 05 You Shook Me All Night Long 06 Sin City 07 Jailbreak 08 The Jack 09 Shoot To Thrill 10 Highway To Hell 11 Sink The Pink 12 Whole Lotta Rosie Disc 2 01 Let There Be Rock 02 Hells Bells 03 T.N.T. 04 For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) 05 Back In Black * 06 Shake Your Foundations * 07 Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap * 08 You Shook me All Night Long * 09 The Jack * 10 Shoot To Thrill * 11 Sink The Pink * 12 Let There Be Rock * 13 T.N.T. *

Audience 8.9 - A recording that seems to “rise above” the din because literally it sounds like the mic was over the crowd. It makes for a more immersive experience, and the fact that the dynamics are good and the sound is clear…well it just goes to prove once again that a well made audience tape is more than welcome in any real live music collection.

David Gilmour Beacon Theatre New York City, NY May 23, 1984 Disc 1 01 Until We Sleep 02 All Lovers Are Deranged 03 Love On The Air 04 Mihalis 05 Cruise 06 Short And Sweet 07 Money 08 Out Of The Blue Disc 2 09 Let's Get Metaphysical 10 You Know I'm Right 11 Run Like Hell 12 Blue Light 13 Band Introduction 14 Murder 15 Near The End 16 Comfortably Numb

Audience 9.4 - I love these tapes that make you feel you are in very small area with the band, like sitting at a little table having a cocktail as the band plays just feet in front of you. That is what this tape feels like, and the separation of instruments is delicious, with your ear hearing this show as if you were right there (meaning there is a stereo separation going on, a real one).  So buckle up, because you are going to feel as though your actually at this show, it’s that good.

Frank Zappa Dortmund, Germany 5 May 1988 Disc 1 01. Instruments Check (1:07) 02. Intro (1:08) 03. The Black Page #2 (7:03) 04. Band Introductions (2:00) 05. The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing (3:08) 06. Alien Orifice (4:23) 07. Who Needs The Peace Corps (2:47) 08. I Left My Heart In San Francisco (0:36) 09. Outside Now (7:10) 10. Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue (7:59) 11. Bamboozled By Love (5:26) 12. Zoot Allures (6:25) 13. Cosmik Debris (4:51) 14. Stolen Moments (10:10) 15. Stick Together (1:54) Disc 2 16. My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama (3:38) 17. Willie The Pimp (2:58) 18. Montana (4:05) 19. City Of Tiny Lights (10:07) 20. Pound For A Brown (11:30) 21. Cruising For Burgers (9:19) 22. Instruments Check (0:25) 23. Dancin' Fool (3:29) 24. Whippin' Post (5:47) 25. I Am The Walrus (3:46) 26. Strictly Genteel (6:25) 27. Watermelon In Easter Hay (5:43)