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Disc 1: The Bronx 1971 - Audience 8.3 - A huge upgrade to the old tape we know and love. It has been carefully remastered, speed corrected as well, and now is better than ever. Disc 2: Birmingham 1972 - Audience 7.1 - A rare find, but not the best quality. This too has been remastered and is now listenable and worth the price of admission for the very rare inclusion of the track After Forever.
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Audience 8.6 - This is a guitar-fest right here, the sound mix allows Jeff’s sound to cut through the bass which, if you have been collecting much BBA, you know bass is almost always WAY too loud! Well, it is understandable I guess, but this show features a more democratic mix and you will REALLY enjoy it for that reason alone. Besides for that, it’s a good show, the band sounds like they might not be beating the shit out of each other backstage…ahem.
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Audience 8.4 - This is a recording that is hard to figure out because on the one hand it could also be taped in a television studio which is my hunch. The tapers and those around them can be heard between songs but settle down once the music starts, it kind of adds a lot to the atmosphere. That being said, this is still pretty good, and what a gig, really, I mean amazing!
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Audience 8.4 - Tapers sitting kind of close it seems, and the recorder admirably managed to prevent too much over-saturation although there is a touch of it and the instrumentation gets cluttered up in the middle a bit at full volume. Overall this is simply a wonderful document of a band that seems to be very comfortable with the material (obviously) and firing on all cylinders.
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Audience 7.1 - One for completists only, but even then, this version has been given a touch of boost (recording levels were low), EQ and hiss reduction (very very lightly) making it an upgrade to previous versions. Good set list, band sound good (Ozzy in a great mood). I think it’s not a total loss of a recording, because the one thing it does also have going for it, is that it is not a garbled muddy mess (that is a deal breaker for me).
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CD 1 - Audience 8.4 - Surprisingly good, I’d never had this one in my collection until recently and I enjoyed it. CD 2 - Audience 8.7 - A very strong contender to be one of the best ’71 Audience tapes (along with the Copenhagen show). CD 3 - Audience 7.5 - The weaker of the three shows in this set, but it’s not crap, just not super clear or dynamic. A show your ears will adjust to, and you’ll have it in your collection all wrapped up in a nice package. A set that I recommend to get your fix on less common but good early performances.
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Audience 8.3 - Always nice to find another decent sounding 1981 show as there’s not an abundance of them compared to other years. The recording is a little bit cluttered in the very middle of the sound spectrum but thankfully does not suffer from the aud killers such as muddiness or distortion. All the instruments fight for the center but are clearly heard notwithstanding. Occasionally you may notice a bit of phasing which helps the recording to my ears because it’s almost like a cool effect that they meant to do! A good one to add to the collection.
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Audience 8.4 - A great find here! So few Power Windows tour shows out there, and this one, while not a “great” recording, is pretty clear and has a lot of atmosphere. Does sound maybe midway in the venue, so you get a little of that “wash” or stadium “verb” effect but to my delight the bass notes are distinct and not just a boominess. It’s maybe the guitar that is slightly lost, with Geddy also being a touch behind the sound rather than in front. Overall, it is still a good listen and well worth having.