Pro Studio and Live 9.0 - Consistent, with some obvious age related issues present on some cuts but overall pretty much in the pocket.

Pro Studio 9.2 - Minimalism never sounded so catastrophic! But it’s cool in a subversive kind of way.

Audience 9.0 - The recording levels are a bit low, but there’s plenty enough headroom in the recording to allow max volume and it sounds killer.

Audience 8.9 - You can turn the volume way up and it gets better and better because the wise taper knew what he was doing.  The show is incomplete though but you won’t find me complaining. Thankful for what I have, and you will be too!

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).

Audience 8.6 - A strong recording that you know was done by people who were careful and prepared because right away you can hear them getting the recording levels set during the opening bars of the first song. They knew what they were doing!  A lively gig, the band riding high and looking to prove that the hype was for real. Get this!

Studio quality 9.0 with some variation of quality throughout but not getting anywhere below a solid 8.8.

T Rex Rare Rextacy Studio Demos of Professional studio quality 9.6 and live tracks 9.0 Clear, bright, and interesting…that is the key point when dealing with studio outtakes. These are well worth the listen!

Audience 9.0  - Nicely done! A good solid punchy middle, with enough headroom to allow the guitars to soar high above the audience landing onto your ear drums in the best of ways.

Soundboard 9.6 - A must for every Kinks collector!         The band was REALLY cooking on this tour, here’s some proof.

Audience 8.8 - This tape takes a minute to find a sweet spot, but when it does, it’s quite enjoyable with exceptional detail in the highs – and a good “thwacking” kick drum that anchors the whole thing. A good ‘un!

Stage Recording 8.7 - These kind of recordings are in a unique category – they are technically “audience” type recordings but the signal is sent straight to the recording deck or into a sub-mixer under the control of an engineer. A “professional audience recording” I suppose. So, you do not always have absolute control over the sound mix but this can be a good thing if you get lucky enough with ideal mic placement and ambience, and other things like that. In this case, well, it’s a fine recording limited perhaps by the mic and tape deck quality or ability to capture in high fidelity. It’s a great reference, a decent recording, and there’s plenty of interesting stuff here to make you want to find out what Zappa does next.

Audience 8.4 - This is a very rare glimpse at a short lived incarnation of Johnny Winter’s band, mainly the addition of his brother Edgar.  So it’s an interesting tape, sounds VERY close to the main P.A. system and consequently has some upper mid crowding which makes for a strange mixture of a tape that is both clear and bright, and overcrowded in the upper mid band. It’s good sounding but does not give you much separation of instruments. For collectors this has to be considered a very important tape though.

Audience 9.4 - This is just one of those very lucky evenings where all the elements came together for a great result – good taper location, excellent house sound, excellent music performed. Each instrument is articulate and exists within its own frequency so there’s no overcrowding, it’s a joy to listen to!

Audience 8.6 - A great job by taper to get center mic placement and not too distant from the stage. Good presence, good atmosphere, good tight show.

Audience 8.8 - Another great tape made by someone obviously knowing what they were doing. There are a couple of cuts here and there, not deal breakers by any means but full disclosure. Anyway, a solid, in the pocket recording of a sizzling gig with great interplay between Jobson and Beck.

Audience 8.6 - A “crisp” sounding tape, emphasis on drummer and vocals in the mix but you also can really hear the background keys which is nice. Not saying Joe is buried, just that this house mix seems very democratic in allowing all players to have a presence. I appreciate hearing how much the piano and keys helped shape this material. The audience is very respectful, and they love their Joe, that’s for sure.

FM Broadcast 9.2 - A professionally recorded and mixed production that does not seem to have much in the way of compression so it has a good spaciousness to it, it is crankable.

Audience 8.7 - a good recording with some signs of age, and a minor buzz that occurs only occasionally which is not related to the stage sound. Thankfully it’s not prominent during the actual music. The show itself is very tight, Beck is in good form. Very worthwhile!

Audience 8.1 - A tape new to circulation and it is decent sounding. It has some force behind it, although lacks some definition but with only a very few ’73 era Barnstorm tapes out there, this is a most welcome find.

Audience 8.3 -  Do not let the “average” sound rating prevent you from selecting this AMAZING rarity. I could write paragraphs on why this is a must have for any self-respecting Priest fan, but suffice it to say that this is why I even collect live music. The details of the recording are but one small part of the equation, but I will note that the tape suffers from two main problems – it’s a little muffled and it’s a little hissy.  There is also an unfortunate cut where the solo begins in Victim of Changes (could it not have happened on any other song?), I think this is the tape flip. The quality worsens a bit after that, but there’s also good news to report: The tape has been remastered, revealing much more music that was probably buried under muck and noise for decades. What you end up with is a very intense show, and an audience absolutely being blown to smithereens. I can imagine after having to deal with mediocre top 40 and disco music, new wave, etc. having a band like Judas Priest I mean, that had to be like a sledgehammer to the skull because let’s face it, for 1979 these guys were way heavy, and not in a punkish Motorhead heavy but a very competent, sinister kind of heavy. That does come through on this tape.  Without a remastering it would have been tough to listen to it, but it’s actually not hurtful on the ears, the actual frequency range is comfortable, and there are times where it is even very decent. Overall it is simply one of those you really have to just get and appreciate for what it is because it quite simply is DEVASTATING.

Audience 8.3 - A pretty clear recording that would benefit from some boosting here and there but that’s not to say you can’t just crank this one up a little. Very worthwhile!

FM Radio 9.4 - Pretty slammin’ stuff here. The band is pretty hot around this time, very confident, with a good set list. Occasional static does make a presence on this tape, but it kind of lurks behind the music rather than over the top of it.

Audience 9.0 - This band is certainly an acquired taste for many, but every ear can agree to the quality of this recording. Airy but right there in a very comfortable mid range with very detailed high end and a smooth, round bass. Terrific!