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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. -
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 -
Audience 6.7 - 6.9 - Fluctuates, can hear everything but there's a slight rumbling underneath. Quieter passages 7.5 -
Audience 7.5 - What saves this is a rich bottom end that is surprisingly warm without overt boominess. Guitar is present but sometimes hides behind the noise. Sound tends to come in and go slightly out in a wave like fashion but it’s subtle. Sometimes this gets clear and decent and then sometimes it seems to be brittle and cluttered in the lower end of the midrange. The rating is pretty accurate. It’s not atrocious – it’s for collectors though. -
Soundboard 9.0 - Wow what a find this one is! Early Rush show in soundboard quality, oh man! Yeah, you gotta get this, I mean, what more can one say about it? Fantastic find, what a nice surprise for the loyal Rush fans! -
Audience 8.5 -
Audience 9.1 - Coming from the original master tape, this show circulated online claiming 1st generation source and let me tell you, just toss that one out because ladies and gentlemen prepare to ENTER THE PALLADIUM and be blown away! After adjusting position during first song, the rest of the show (with just one or two minor dropouts) really soars to great heights both sonically and performance-wise. A crisp, airy but tight sound very close up front and no distortion, tape noise, or artifacts. Simply put, if you are a Rush fan, you need this. -
Audience 8.8 - Clear and bright, and wide open enough to be able to get a realistic sense of what it was like at the venue. Maybe a little light on the bottom, but it’s hard to knock it as it’s so crisp and clear. Rush - Oakland 81 June 6, 1981 Oakland-Alameda Couty Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California, USA DISC 1: 01 - 2112: Overture / The Temples of Syrinx 6:18 02 - Freewill 6:10 03 - Limelight 4:49 04 - Hemispheres: Prelude 4:26 05 - Beneath, Between & Behind 2:49 06 - The Camera Eye 11:17 07 - YYZ 2:24 08 - Drum Solo / YYZ (cont.) 5:45 09 - Broon's Bane 0:53 10 - The Trees 2:46 11 - Xanadu 11:45 DISC 2: 01 - The Spirit of Radio 4:35 02 - Red Barchetta 7:03 03 - Closer to the Heart 3:20 04 - Tom Sawyer 5:00 05 - Vital Signs 5:12 06 - Natural Science 8:37 07 - Working Man / Armageddon / By-Tor & the Snow Dog / In the End / In the Mood / 2112: Grand Finale 12:08 -
Soundboard 9.3 - Very nice mix right in the sweet spot. -
Soundboard 9.4 - Powerful, living room clarity in your face and just as good a mix as you can do. -
London 1978 Audience 8.5 - This is a show that has seen limited release as a bootleg CD but I have to assume one that only hardcore fans ever purchased. Now, many years later and thanks to the revolution in collecting shows, many of these sub-par recordings have re-emerged with the layers of muck and grime removed, and previously unheard frequencies and sounds uncovered. This is one such tape, and might I say it is really not that bad! I specifically highlight this tour because of the amazing set lists, so when “new” tapes surface, I think it is just great for the collectors as they rediscover this excellent period of Rush. Note: The filler on disc 2 is St. Paul 1978 which is only a fragment of the show as that is all that exists. Milwaukee 1978 Audience 8.3 - Another rare recording that would not have been given a second thought, due to the extremely poor dynamics and recording quality, has surfaced. This tape source has been thoroughly re-mastered and revealed itself to be listenable. Careful re-mastering is taking otherwise dismal recordings and making them to where you really have to stop and give pause, because it is yet further proof that we are living during an amazing time for collectors. The set lists during this time period are simply awesome, and the band is just firing on all cylinders, as they also were carrying over into 1979. Rush On Tour 1978 DISC 1 Hammersmith Odeon, London, England February 19, 1978 01 - Bastille Day 02 - Lakeside Park 03 - Bytor And The Snowdog 04 - Xanadu 05 - A Farewell To Kings 06 - Something For Nothing 07 - Cygnus X-1 08 - Closer To The Heart 09 - Anthem DISC 2: 01 - 2112 02 - Working Man - Fly By Night - In The Mood 03 - Drum Solo - Cinderella Man Civic Center, St. Paul, Minnesota December 9, 1978 04 - Anthem 05 - A Passage To Bangkok 06 - Bytor And The Snowdog Disc 3 Milwaukee Arena. Milwaukee, Wisconsin December 7, 1978 01 - Introduction - Anthem 02 - A Passage To Bangko 03 - Bytor And The Snow Dog 04 - Xanadu 05 - Something For Nothing 06 - The Trees 07 - Cygnus X-1 08 - Hemispheres 09 - Closer To The Heart DISC 4 01 - Circumstances 02 - A Farewell To Kings 03 - La Villa Strangiato 04 - 2112 05 - Working Man 06 - Bastille Day 07 - In The Mood 08 - Drum Solo -
Audience 9.7 - Almost as good as you can stand for an amateur capture. It won't even be apparent to you at first, it will be three or four songs in when you find you are completely captivated by this show. I mean, literally it sounds like you are right there. One of the best of the best for this tour without a doubt. Crisp clean and refreshing! -
Audience 8.8 - This is considered to be one of those recordings that every Rush collector should have, possibly because it is a great recording of arguably their peak performance year. I really do think 1979 was them at their best, and this recording shows clearly why that remains my opinion. -
Soundboard 9.4 - Killer, rehearsals for the Counterparts Tour. -
Soundboard 9.7 - If you can't get into this, you are dead from the neck up. Totally badassery here! Get it. -
Audience 8.8 - This recording features tons of atmosphere and sometimes struggles over a loud audience. It is, however, very clear, with the majority of the sound mix favoring drums and bass but most prominently, Geddy’s vocals – which is fine – but Alex needs to be LOUDER man! He’s there, he’s just not up as front here as I would prefer. In my quest to obtain every 2015 recording, I do not decide a preference for which ones I offer as most of them are very good to excellent and this here is no exception. Rush US Airways Center Phoenix, AZ July 27, 2015 Disc 1 01 -Video - The World Is...The World Is 02 -The Anarchist 03 -The Wreckers 04 -Headlong Flight (with “Drumbastica” mini drum solo) 05 -Far Cry 06 -The Main Monkey Business 07 -How It Is 08 -Animate 09 -Roll The Bones 10 -Between The Wheels 11 -Subdivisions Disc 2 12 -Video - No Country For Old Hens 13 -Tom Sawyer 14 -The Camera Eye 15 -The Spirit of Radio 16 -Jacob's Ladder 17 -Hemispheres- Prelude 18 -Cygnus X-1 (with drum solo #2) 19 -Closer To The Heart Disc 3 20 -Xanadu 21 -2112 (Overture - Temples of Syrinx - Presentation - Grand Finale) 22 -Video - Mel’s Rock Pile 23 -Lakeside Park 24 -Anthem 25 -What You're Doing 26 -Working Man (with Garden Road teaser) 27 -Video - Exit Stage Left 28 -Outro music - Closer To The Heart (polka version)