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Audience 7.7 - While the ratings may show this to be an average sounding tape, let me reveal my own bias for a moment. This is Rush’s best tour. You may argue with that, I mean, the previous two tours were pretty amazing too. I find the set list and performances of the Permanent Waves tour to be exceptional, and this show, while maybe not the best of the lot, does reveal yet more of the Rush mystique. A recording that requires 10 minutes to adjust to but eventually begins to sound pretty decent apart from a guitar that sits behind the action a little (except during solos). A little boomy but not a deal breaker. A good, not great, tape. -
Audience 8.9 - This recording gives off a sense of massive power with Geddy’s bass sound being huge and round and dead on – with a great open expanse overhead allowing the music to breathe a little. This atmosphere allows the music to sometimes move around in the stereo field a little which is nice. I like this kind of recording when it comes to the larger venues. -
Audience 8.6 - This very decent old tape, previously ignored by collectors, takes a minute or two to get going so don’t be disappointed just hang in there. Once it settles in, it’s a very good tape that suffers maybe from some tape noise but really what I am going to tell you is that I would listen to this again because the performance here is among the very best, most ferocious I have honestly ever heard and I have heard MANY Rush recordings. Rush Liverpool Empire Liverpool, England 25 February 1978 Disc 1 01 - Bastille Day 02 - Lakeside Park 03 - By-Tor And The Snow Dog 04 - Xanadu 05 - A Farewell To Kings 06 - Something For Nothing 07 - Cygnus X-1 Disc 2 08 - Anthem 09 - Closer To The Heart 10 - 2112 11 - Working Man 12 - Fly By Night 13 - In The Mood 14 - Cinderella Man -
Audience 7.3 - Noisy, but a pretty huge bass crunch which will appeal to the those who like it heavier sounding. The size of the hall does confuse the frequencies and so you get too much mess in the middle and what not but you can hear this and get used to it and it will pull you in. A good performance! -
Audience 7.8–8.3 - Stick with this one all the way through. Taper finds the sweet spot eventually. I rather enjoyed this one! -
Audience 9.4 - Thankfully the final show of their last Tour features a superbly captured tape with good tight sound. -
Audience 8.4 - There’s some tape noise on this that should have been removed but I find this thin but pleasant, it’s not an annoying thin it’s just a limitation of the gear. Can EQ to taste, it will respond well I think. -
Audience 7.2 - Respectable audience capture if a little thin. You can enjoy this, add some bass though. -
Audience 7.6 - What really saves this tape is the fact that it sounds like a master source – very clean virtually no noise, but you are sitting with the crowd and the band is…hmmm…not distant but not in your face, somewhere in between, and it sounds like a small venue. It’s fascinating to be honest, I really like it. -
Audience 9.0 -
Audience 8.7 - So it’s kind of in the middle of the venue and so you sacrifice a little clarity in the low mid but man, somebody did know what they were doing here. It’s very clear in the upper end, there’s no real boominess or echo either. It’s the best middle of the floor aud tape I think I have ever heard, and the best part is the band is really cooking. I think you will be happy with this. -
Audience 8.8 - Man, why do we have to wait over 35 years for a new Rush tape to surface? Come on guys! Let’s get them out before we’re all dead! Ha ha! So, this is just fantastic! For one thing, it’s early Rush, just prior to the start of 2112, and there’s just not a lot out there that is listenable. This is listenable, and it ain’t perfect but it is perfect at the same time – how to explain that seemingly contradictory statement? Collectors will understand me…it lacks some of the niceties we’ve grown accustomed to nowadays but it also delivers things we do not frequently hear on Rush audience tapes and that is a very defined, well rounded and clearly heard bass sound. Geddy is in fine form, the band means business! Get this if you know what is good for you. Rush Randhurst Arena Mount Prospect, Illinois March 5, 1976 01 -Intro 02 -Bastille Day 03 -Anthem 04 -Lakeside Park 05 -I Think I'm Going Bald 06 -By-Tor & The Snow Dog 07 -Fly by Night 08 -Working Man - Drum Solo 09 -Finding My Way -
Audience 8.5 - There are some shows where the ratings numbers cannot tell the story. This is certainly the best example of that. I overlooked this show in the past, I did not, could not, get past the “wall of sound” factor. Now, thanks to modern mastering techniques, this recording has morphed into a real gem. Is it better? Yes! Is it perfect? No. But, perhaps while some would still find it too much to handle, other will find it to be a ton of fun. The tapers were real close to the mains, but managed to keep levels just low enough to prevent the dreaded distortion, but in so doing got a tape without dynamics, or at least one dynamic which is SUPER loud intense power – which if you are a hard core Rush fan, will REALLY tickle your fancy when you pop this on the stereo. It’s almost like a heavy metal concert! Unbridled fury, simply an intense concert and intense recording, let yourself get into it, and your ears will adjust and you will find that the audio frequency range here is comfortable to the ears even though it’s off the charts in massiveness. -
Audience 7.4 - A very thin recording, now it does come from a master source so it is as clean as it will ever be. I mean, I suppose you do hear it all, just do not expect much bottom end. -
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. -
Soundboard 9.6 - A most welcome addition to the amazing live Rush catalog, this recently discovered board tape is the upgrade to the pre-existing release of long ago, and THAT was also killer...just missing 6 songs. Now, we have this amazing document in its complete glory. Rush Madison Square Garden New York City, NY December 7, 1991 Disc One 1. Intro/Force Ten 5:02 2. Limelight 4:21 3. Freewill 4:02 4. Distant Early Warning 4:29 5. Time Stand Still 6:00 6. Dreamline 5:10 7. Bravado 7:01 8. Roll The Bones 6:03 9. Show Don’t Tell 6:17 10. The Big Money 6:16 11. Ghost Of A Chance 5:33 Disc Two 1. Subdivisions 4:07 2. The Pass 4:59 3. Where’s My Thing? 5:12 4. The Rhythm Method 7:28 5. Closer To The Heart 4:45 6. Xanadu 6:34 7. Superconductor 5:09 8. Tom Sawyer 6:06 9. The Spirit Of Radio 4:56 10. 2112: Overture 3:22 11. Finding My Way 2:08 12. La Villa Strangiato 3:17 13. Anthem 1:42 14. Red Barchetta 1:35 15. The Spirit Of Radio (Reprise) 0:41