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FM Broadcast 9.2 - This was a real revelation for me because I had not known much about this band other than “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”. I find them to be similar in a lot of ways to maybe Marshall Tucker Band and Allman Brothers, where perhaps if Allmans were Southern Comfort then CDB would be Jack Daniels. This period of the band features Billy Cox (Hendrix/Band of Gypsys) on bass too, which I never knew about either (I would have lost on Jeopardy). -
2 Shows: CD 1 - Audience 8.3 - A very good, reasonably clear tape that does not showcase a wide dynamic range but doesn’t really need to, I mean to say, it’s an historic artifact that most fans and collectors of Love/Arthur Lee will be very happy to hear. CD 2 - Audience 8.1 - This tape starts off kind of rough but gradually gets better until it gets to a consistency that you can appreciate for what it is. It does not take much of the show before it gets better which is a relief because it is a good, strong show. Disc 3 is a video CD (MP4 file) of 6 minutes, very Rare, never before seen b/w video footage of Love a few days before the show on disc one. -
Officially reissued by ShroomAngel, this CD gathers together the 1977 demos recorded by a group of musicians based in the Canterbury section of London. The music is spacey, with Middle East overtones and occasionally reminds of a minimalist version of Steve Hillage. -
Soundboard 9.1 - The source used for this CD is a DAT tape made from a direct transfer of Joey Molland’s tapes of the show. Whether that means it is the same as what else is out there, I do not know, but it is possible that the radio station did their own recording for broadcast and other releases use the FM broadcast. This is not that! The sound quality is uneven at times while the levels are adjusted but after that it’s smooth sailing. -
Audience 8.8 & 8.7 - Same taper for both nights, and thankfully this is someone who knew what they were doing as you can tell they diligently set their levels and position to maximize the end results, and man, what end results these are! More probably for the outstanding performance and great house mix, but the tapes have held up well with just maybe a touch of overload in very loud parts that do not annoy, just you may notice it on occasion. Great performances by the band especially Craig who just rips on the guitar on practically every song and even Grace is in excellent form. A must! -
Soundboard 8.7 - A tape that is a little hissy, and some of the instruments are low in the mix (vocals) but, on the bright side, the guitar is pumped way up (and sounds killer), and the band is in a GREAT mood! -
Soundboard 9.1 and Audience 8.5 - Beautifully mixed, with some tiny over-sizzle on crash cymbals at times, which seems to get worked out on the mix, but more problems with vocals getting distorted, mostly is the “ssss’s” which isn’t a deal breaker because the problems are not a large percentage of the music. The second show is an audience recording that sounds a little distant until the guitars begin and then it sounds practically right next to you! Strange. -
Audience 8.2 - This is not the source used on Massed Gadgets, and ranks similar although each source features slight differences which are up to the listener to decide which they prefer. This source has more in the higher frequencies, but consequently slightly more hiss. It’s still very decent. -
FM Broadcast 9.5 - Both shows are professional radio broadcast recordings and are excellent. -
Audience 8.6 - A serviceable recording that I am thankful to have in that it captures an exceptional night where the band is simply on another level, especially Ronnie James Dio. The dynamics do not impress, and there’s a lot packed into that upper mid band frequency which is barely hanging on but the good news is that it does hang on, and you do get pretty much everything in a reasonably comfortable way. I welcomed this one, and the bonus is that taper recorded the opening act too, which is included here for completeness. -
Audience 8.1 - I’m always amazed that tapes keep turning up just when you think you’ve discovered them all. Here’s one that is new for me, and it’s not bad. Now, you aren’t gonna crank this on the hi-fi and use it to impress your buddy or anyone for that matter – but for those of us who understand what we are dealing with, I think you will appreciate this tape and find probably more good points than bad. For one thing, it is not a muddy mess, and your ears will adjust to it and you’ll get sucked into it like I did and find it to be a decent one. -
Audience 8.6 - This is a very fine recording that has recently surfaced, a tour that had the band displaying their absolute mastery of the ultra complex progressive rock extravaganzas that sometimes took up nearly the entire side of an LP. Audiences back then were fully engaged with such performances, unlike today.
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Soundboard 9.2 - Another fun show with the boys. Come on, really if you can’t get into this you just need to drink a couple of beers and relax, maybe smoke a doob or something. -
Sale!
Audience 8.1 - This tape is slightly overloaded but mastering has kept the distortion to a bare minimum so it’s actually pretty damn good. The sound is forceful, with drums and bass driving the beat home and guitar thankfully riding over the top of it in good clarity. A total jam fest it is, fans of UFO will love love love this early gig! -
Soundboard 8.8 - A solid early 80’s show, tape does show some slight signs of age in that it does not have a crystal clear sharpness as many have come to expect from Prince soundboards. Do not let that stop you though, like the rating indicates it is still a great board tape. -
Audience 8.7 - Is this the mother of Prince shows? It very well could be just that. A marathon to begin with, but even better, the band and Prince are in spectacular form as an audience that has waited some 19 years for Prince to return to their city literally explode as one hurricane caliber force. Perfect, intense, brilliant. Audio quality is VERY good too, some nice ambience and just enough of the crowd next to the taper to imagine yourself there at the show. Just a ton of fun listening to this, and missing Prince dearly.