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CD One - Ft. Worth 1980 Audience 9.4 - This recording is hard to definitely call an audience tape because it’s either really close to the main P.A. without much audience interference but the best guess here is that the mic is placed right in from of the P.A. and because of that the sound is direct and electrifying. It’s a terrific recording actually. CD Two - Lubbock 1980 Audience 8.8 - This recording is very decent and inside a small venue so it gets a little raucous at times but overall it’s a nice, dirty little gem. Stevie Ray Vaughan Blossom's Downstairs Ft. Worth, TX 1980-08-30 Disc 1 01 -Wham 02 -Guitar Hurricane 03 -The Sky Is Crying 04 -Empty Arms 05 -I'm Leaving You (Commit A Crime) 06 -Howlin' For My Darlin' 07 -Be Careful 08 -I'm Crying 09 -Collin's Shuffle 10 -Hideaway 11 -In The Open 12 -May I Have A Talk With You 13 -Tell Me 14 -Tin Pan Alley Disc 2 15 -Love Stuck Baby 16 -Crosscut Saw 17 -Texas Flood Lineup: Stevie Vaughan : Guitar & vocals Jackie Newhouse: Bass Chris Layton : Drums Fat Dawg's Lubbock, TX 1980 18. -Dirty Pool 19. -Instrumental 20. -Last Night 21. -I'm Cryin' 22. -Texas Flood 23. -Letter To My Girlfriend 24. -All Your Love I Miss Lovin' -
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 8.7 - This tape was made in an old Victorian styled theatre with what I imagine had to be decent acoustics but it all depends on where you sit and what kind of gear you use. This taper probably did not have the best at his disposal but he/she did an admiral job nonetheless. I can hear almost everything, sans the detail, and so I am able to get a good idea of what the Bee Gee’s were about before their superstardom. For one thing, you will notice right away the lack of ARP synthesizers! Yep, these are real strings folks…wowsers! The Bee Gees Paramount Northwest Portland, Oregon April 1, 1973 Disc 1 Early Show 01 New York Mining Disaster 1941 02 To Love Somebody 03 Really and Sincerely 04 banter 05 Lay It On Me 06 Saw A New Morning 07 I Can't See Nobody 08 Words 09 In the Morning (Morning of My Life) 10 Living In Chicago 12 Wouldn't I Be Someone 13 I Started A Joke 14 My World 15 Run To Me 16 How Can You Mend A Broken Heart? 17 I've Gotta Get A Message To You 18 Massachusetts Disc 2 Late Show 19 New York Mining Disaster 1941 (inst'l) 20 To Love Somebody 21 Really and Sincerely 22 Lay It On Me 23 Saw A New Morning 24 I Can't See Nobody 25 Words 26 In the Morning (Morning of My Life) 27 Living In Chicago 28 Wouldn't I Be Someone 29 I Started A Joke 30 My World Band line-up: Barry Gibb : vocals, guitar Maurice Gibb : vocals, guitar, bass, piano, mellotron, keyboards (died January 12, 2003 age 53) Robin Gibb : vocals (died May 20 2012 age 62) Alan Kendall : guitar Dennis Bryon : drums -
Audience 8.7 A small club vibe permeates this recording which has merits in that it offers a “fly on the wall” perspective, as if you are sitting next to the PA, which taps the meters of the taper’s gear just to the breaking point. There is the smallest amount of distortion in the cymbal crashes which are mitigated through careful remastering. When the music is at full tilt there’s some competition in the frequencies which drowns out the vocals a bit but you get a good, clear guitar which is essential with this band. It’s one of the only bands that has a horn player but I don’t classify as a “horn” band due to his judicious use of the instrument. Oh, did I mention the KILLER guitar work on this? Man, Mick Abrahams really delivers some very tasty hard rock riffing and lead work! Birmingham 1969 Audience 9.0 - The bonus material from 1969 is short but very good quality. A lot of on stage banter by Mick, I guess it gives you more insight into his character...but what a guitarist! I sure hope more of this tape is discovered. Blodwyn Pig Cooks Ferry Edmonton, UK 1974-05-27 Disc 1 01 -Blues of a Dunstable Truck Driving Man 02 -Where Did You Go 03 -I Know 04 -See My Way 05 -Cosmogrification 06 -The Leaving Song 07 -Cat Squirrel 08 -It's Only Love Disc 2 09 -Six Days On The Road 10 -Unknown Title 11 -Drum Solo 12 -Unknown Title The Band Andy Pyle - Bass Clive Bunker - Drums Mick Abrahams - Guitar, Vocals Jack Lancaster - Saxophone, Horns, Flute Mother's Birmingham, England March 22nd, 1969 13 -Sweet Caroline 14 -Talk 15 -Leave It With Me 16 -Talk 17 -Dear Jill THE BAND Mick Abrahams guitar vocals Jack Lancaster saxophone flute Andy Pyle bass Ron Berg drums -
Audience 8.6 - Legendary band that sadly ended up being one of those acts that people still talk about when discussing music industry fuck jobs. This recording is good enough for the listener to hear everyone on stage. It’s not going to give you a broad spectrum throughout the frequencies due to the limitations of the cassette recorder but my goodness the energy does come through! It’s a decent recording, it’s well worthy of being in a collection and I for one could not stop listening to it once I pressed “play” because it rocks! Creedence Clearwater Revival KB Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark April 20, 1970 01 Introduction 02 Born On The Bayou 03 Green River 04 Tombstone Shadow 05 Travelin' Band 06 Fortunate Son 07 Commotion 08 Midnight Special 09 Bad Moon Rising 10 Proud Mary 11 The Night Time Is The Right Time 12 Good Golly Miss Molly 13 Keep On Chooglin' Band memmbers: John Fogerty : lead vocals, lead guitar Tom Fogerty : rhythm guitar Stu Cook : bass guitar Doug Clifford : drums -
Audience 8.7 - The tape is new to circulation and it’s a good one. The rating reflects only that there is a lack of dynamics in the bandwidth of the tape but the clarity is decent and it is a comfortable listen – not harsh, not muddy, not brittle…it’s a good tape and I am glad it was discovered. Genesis Free Trade Hall Manchester, UK February 24, 1973 1. Watcher of the Skies 2. Musical Box 3. Get 'em out by Friday 4. Suppers Ready 5. Return of the Giant Hogweed 6. The Knife (encore) -
Audience 8.8 - A tape that sounds like it has been extensively worked on to try to bring out the tones and reduce noise. It’s a very old recording that has been preserved as well as could be expected although I feel like it has more life in it. Either way, it’s clean enough, in almost a soundboard way as you don’t hear any atmosphere except between songs where, quite honestly, it sounds like there’s nobody in the “crowd”. Strange. HUMBLE PIE - Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland; August 24, 1969 Humble Pie's 2nd ever gig 1. The Sad Bag Of Shakey Jake 2. Walk On Gilded Splinters 3. Desperation 4. Hallelujah 5. Wrist Job - Paradiso, Amsterdam, August 6, 1970 6. Walk On Guilded Splinters Steve Marriott - guitar, vocals; Peter Frampton - guitar, vocals; Greg Ridley - bass; Jerry Shirley - drums -
Audience 9.2 - This recording has a special quality to it, it’s not that it’s technically great – the instrument separation isn’t very good but the band does project well – the thing about this tape is it feels like you are sitting just above the audience, in the middle of the room, and you hear the space around you, you have a great sense of where you are and it’s weird but you can visualize this show. I give it a high rating because this recording captures the “essence” of this moment in time in an accurate manner that allows the listener to be transported. Iggy Pop Masonic Temple Detroit, MI 1977-03-25 01. Intro 02. Raw Power 03. TV Eye 04. Dirt 05. 1969 06. Turn Blue 07. Funtime 08. Gimmie Danger 09. No Fun 10. Sister Midnight 11. I Need Somebody 12. Search And Destroy 13. I Wanna Be Your Dog 14. Tonight 15. Some Weird Sin Band Members: Iggy Pop - vocals, guitar David Bowie - keyboards, vocals Ricky Gardiner - guitar Tony Sales - bass Hunt Sales - drums -
Soundboard 9.7 - Terrific in every way this one will melt your brain. The engineer mixes this on the fly and works it out during Brown Sugar but there are some cool moments while he figures it out – like some stereo panning, and you’ll hear him juggle the bass a bit, but he gets the mix right and off we go! The band is flying high…probably literally. THE ROLLING STONES Rock'n Roll Stew Royal Ranwick Racecourse Sydney, Australia February 26, 1973 1. Brown Sugar 2. Bitch 3. Rock Off 4. Gimmie Shelter 5. Happy 6. Tumbling Dice 7. Love In Vain 8. Sweet Virginia 9. You Can't Always Get What You Want 10. Honky Tonk Women 11. All Down The Line 12. Midnight Rambler 13. Band introductions 14. Little Queenie 15. Rip This Joint 16. Jumping Jack Flash 17. Street Fighting Man -
Studio quality 9.4 - There’s some strange audio artifacts on the first song but it also could be one of the vocal mics acting funny…I could not figure it out but it’s intermittent. The rest is spot on. The Rolling Stones Made In The Shade (The Alternate Album) 01 Brown Sugar (March 1971 On TOTP With Live Vocals) 02 Ain't Too Proud To Beg (Mono Promofilm Mix) 03 Dancing With Mr. D (Mono Promofilm Mix) 04 Silver Train (Mono Promofilm Mix) 05 Bitch (Alternate Mix) 06 Shake Your Hips (Basic Track With Early Vocal/No Overdubs) 07 Wild Horses (Basic Mix/No Overdubs) 08 Tumbling Dice (Montreaux 1972 First Rehearsal Take) 09 Hide Your Love (Alternate Mix) 10 It's Only Rock 'N Roll (Mono Promofilm Mix) 11 Brown Sugar (Another Alternate Mix) 12 Shine A Light (1970 Recording Taken Off A Leon Russell-LP) 13 100 Years Ago (Alternate Mix) 14 Sweet Black Angel (Early Instrumental Take Aka Bent Green Needles) 15 Dead Flowers (Alternate Mix) 16 Angie (Mono Promofilm Mix/No Strings) 17 Separately (Unreleased 1972 Instrumental) 18 Till The Next Goodbye (Mono Promofilm Mix) bonus 19 Hide Your Love (Very rare outtake) 20 Chuck Berry Blues (With Harvey Mandel) -
Audience 8.8 - A very clean, clear tape which to my ears only needs one thing – more “fatness” – but I found myself getting used to the more midrangey sound as I listened and then I realized it’s a very good recording that requires you to stick with it until it kind of normalizes. I mean, there’s bass here, and it’s actually somewhat detailed…that is what this tape offers more than anything is that each instrument is pretty distinct in this mix. That is what sucks you into the show and why I think it’s worth getting for the collection. Styx Ford Auditorium Detroit, MI 1976-11-29 01. Intro 02. Put Me On 03. Lorelei 04. Shooz 05. Madammoiselle 06. Light Up -> 07. Suite Madame Blue 08. Lady 09. Midnight Ride 10. Guitar Solo 11. 22 Years Band Members: Dennis DeYoung – vocals, keyboards, accordion John Panozzo – drums, percussion Chuck Panozzo – bass guitar, vocals James Young – vocals, guitar, keyboards Tommy Shaw – vocals, guitars, mandolin, autoharp, talkbox -
Audience 9.4 - Whoever did this one really knew what the heck they were doing so I am thinking it was someone who knew what they were doing…and the band was on board with it. It’s just too good to be a smuggled in their jacket tape machine job. Television Max's Kansas City New York, NY. 1975 1. Fire Engine 2. Judy 3. Marquee Moon 4. Friction 5. Torn Curtain 6. Breakin' In My Heart 7. Hard On Love 8. Prove It 9. Venus 10. Little Johnny Jewel 11. Foxhole 12. Kingdom Come -
Pro 9.7 - This is a professional recording and I am not sure if it is a board tape but an open mic seems more logical after hearing. It’s great, and the band is a happy, jangly, fun, rollicking, well-oiled machine producing songs that make you want to dance…and then slit your wrists. The Smiths Last of the English Roses Hammersmith Palais, London 12th March 1984 01. -Miserable Lie 02. -Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now 03. -This Charming Man 04. -I'll Never Make That Mistake Again 05. -Pretty Girls Make Graves 06. -Still Ill 07. -This Night Has Opened My Eyes 08. -Barbarism Begins at Home 09. -Back to the Old House 10. -What Difference Does It Make 11. -I Don't Owe You Anything 12. -Reel Around the Fountain 13. -Hand in Glove 14. -You've Got Everything Now 15. -Handsome Devil 16. -These Things Take Time -
Audience 9.3 - A very wide and airy recording that you instantly know the second you hear it that taper is no noob, this is a pro job and stands up to scrutiny well. I could not find that much to complain about except maybe it’s just a tad back in the seats but that just allows for more air and atmospherics which are all here and well captured. Genesis Sports Arena San Diego, CA April 15, 1978 Disc 1 01 Eleventh Earl of Mar 02 In The Cage 03 Burning Rope 04 Ripples 05 Deep In The Motherlode 06 The Fountain Of Salmacis 07 Down And Out 08 One For The Vine Disc 2 09 Squonk 10 Say It's Alright Joe 11 The Lady Lies 12 The Story Of Romeo & Juliet 13 Cinema Show 14 Afterglow 15 Follow You, Follow Me 16 Dance On A Volcano 17 Drum Duet 18 Los Endos 19 I Know What I Like -
Audience 9.3 - An excellent sounding recording right here, and for the time period that is more satisfying to listen to because of the tones you get. I love the beautiful sound of an old Les Paul running through tube amps…plenty of that here! Chicken Shack Marquee Club Soho, Westminster London, England 1973-06-26 Disc 1 01. -MC intro's band 02. -Have You Ever Loved A Woman 03. -Daughter Of The Hillside 04. –Prudence’s Party 05. -Dave’s Boogie 06. –Hideaway 07. -Crying Won’t Help You Now Disc 2 01. -The Thrill Is Gone 02. -Poor Boy 03. -Unlucky Boy 04. -Blue Suede Shoes 05. -Dave’s Blues 06. -You've Done Lost Your Good Thing Now 07. -You Know You Could Be Right -
Audience/Soundboard 8.5-9.0 - This tape only really presents the picture well during songs like Dazed and Confused, Since I’ve Been Loving You, and the acoustic tunes (I am referring only to the non-board songs) so, most of the show is very listenable and FIERY with Page just having himself a great show. It’s an old tape recently resurrected with some work done on it but I think it can be re-mastered again because the music is there – it’s actually pretty good (the other songs not mentioned just suffer a little from the massive volume crowding the audio spectrum and the tape machine struggling to capture it…but even those numbers are listenable. For me, the Dazed and Confused here is well worth the price of admission – just AMAZING! Led Zeppelin Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto, Ontario September, 4th, 1971 Audience + Soundboard Recordings Disc One 1) Immigrant Song * (Cuts In Slightly) 2) Heartbreaker * (Cuts Out) 3) Since I've Been Loving You * (Cuts In Slightly, Cuts Out) 4) Black Dog * (Cuts In, Cuts Out) 5) Dazed And Confused * (Cuts In, Cuts Out) 6) Stairway To Heaven + (Cuts In Slightly) 7) Celebration Day + 8) That's The Way + 9) Going To California + Disc Two 1) What Is And What Should Never Be + 2) Moby Dick + 3) Whole Lotta Love * (Medley) (Cuts In, Cuts Out) Includes: - Boogie Chillen - My Baby Left Me - Mess O'The Blues - You Shook Me 4) Communication Breakdown * ( Cuts In, Cuts Out) 5) Organ Solo * (Cuts In) 6) Thank You * *: Audience Recording +: Soundboard Recording