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Sale!Soundboard 8.7 - The interesting thing about this particular board tape is that the bass is the “lead” instrument in the mix and thus allows you to hear the sometimes overlooked intricacies and interplay in that regard. I would say that even though I enjoy and appreciate this aspect of the recording, the average fan may lament the somewhat overshadowed guitar and vocals, but these are not issues that nullify a superb performance and decent recording.
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Sale!Soundboard 9.5 - Of course it is immaculate. The way that Prince orchestrates his bands, the sound is so dialed in, I could not imagine a bad sounding Prince show. This is also a show with an amazing setlist, pretty much most of his more well known tunes.
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Sale!Soundboard 9.2 - Taken from a television broadcast, but to my ears does not sound all compressed and one dimensional, so my guess it is a source not derived from the broadcast but tape possibly made of the gig separate from the TV production. Who knows for sure, but it sounds pretty good.
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Sale!Audience 8.4 - Let’s face it, ever since the movie came out, recordings like these take on new significance. I just find it fascinating to hear, knowing the back story a little more. This is a very decent recording with primary focus on vocals and drums, with guitar and bass a little behind them but present enough to be able to enjoy this. You can turn the volume up, levels are good - the taper was careful!
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Sale!Audience 8.9 - A really cool recording in that keys, drums and bass sound right next to you but guitar swirls above them, and over your head, and around your ears… VERY nice atmosphere and picked up extremely well by the taper.
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Audience 8.5 - This tape sounds very low generation if not direct from a master, very articulate high end but missing a good solid low end – that does not kill it though. It’s got a good amount of hall atmosphere without actual reverb effect which is fine. Listening to this, I realize that the Turbo tour was really damn good, a lot of good songs and great playing.
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Sale!FM Broadcast 9.4 - Excellent atmosphere (better than a pure, dry soundboard) and the band, what can I say, just great as always.
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Sale!Soundboard 8.8 - This recording, while being very clear and obviously recorded for a broadcast, is somewhat dated sounding…in a really good way. It sounds like a relic lost in time, but the band is good and tight. It’s the beginning of the 80’s, and their sound would soon get more FM friendly, here it’s still got that “proto metal” edge to it.
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Sale!Soundboard 9.3 - Takes a minute to get a mix, but then it’s off to the races. Interesting to hear this very early period of the band. Very much a good o’l fashioned American hard rock band.
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Sale!Audience 9.4 - Soundboard that manages to include enough audience to make me think this was a total pro recording meant for something else besides being shelved.
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Sale!Audience 8.8 - A surprising tape! Never knew of this one, it’s quite good and clear!
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Sale!Audience 8.8 - A solid and punchy recording that delivers bass and vocals in super detail. Drums come through real nice too, guitars and keys, while not as up front in this mix are still present in a stereo pan where they sit nicely because it gives the recording a balance. It’s easy on the ears and maybe more accurately replicates what you would have been hearing had you been sitting in the tapers seats.
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Sale!Audience 7.7 - Most of the unauthorized recordings of Uriah Heep with John Lawton as lead vocalist are only of fair audio quality. John's vocals are clear through most of the recording. The recording is a bit cut-up in places but the big upside is an unusual setlist featuring some tunes from Heep's Firefly album. Also John's bluesy vocals shine throughout.
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Sale!Audience 8.4 - Decent, maybe a little bit thin (needs more low end) but all highs are really there, so a bit of compression is not going to hurt this if someone wants to re-master it. A good one for the collection nonetheless.
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Sale!Soundboard 9.8 - Great presence on vocals and guitars, bass is completely in the pocket and the mix is flawless. I am glad the keyboards are not buried because they add so much to the sound.
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Sale!All Studio and/or pro live. Most of it is excellent quality, very little I would say is less than excellent. Interesting how it was compiled though, the producers opted to chronologically list the tracks according to their release date, not by actual performance date. That makes for an interesting listen. DISCLAIMER – to preserve the look of the original 6 volume set, I had to use materials available to me which were a little below the usual high standards we maintain with Wolfpodscd releases. Your purchase includes a print out of the track listing for the complete set.
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Soundboard 9.0 - Aside from a weird high frequency buzz that lasts for a few minutes at the beginning, and one or two minor tape faults this is a crisp, airy recording that EVERYONE is going to LOVE! Good bite on the guitar which seems to have a lot more “space” in the recording, yet maintains definition when it isn't too buried. Keyboards are really pronounced which helps this tape. Several cuts exist here and there, but it’s still a very interesting tape!
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Audience 8.6 - The best part of this tape to me is the richness of the bottom end, nice and round, deep, very very nice. The rest is good too, just maybe not as articulate as the bass sound, with some audience chatter during the show, and a spacious but not reverb drenched atmosphere. One of the great ones!
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Soundboard 8.7 - Signs of age on the old tape, it’s not from a master source but you know, it’s early Metallica in soundboard quality! You don’t have to be a metalhead to be able to appreciate what this band did, and listening to a decently mixed board allows you to hear more of the musicality and musicianship.
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Audience 8.8 - A large hall with a lot of atmosphere but the recording thankfully was handled with care by the tapers. Not super close, but not nosebleed, levels are perfect, and the stereo effect is nice. Audio quality is decent, giving you a pretty solid idea of what you would have been hearing with your own ears if you were there.
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Audience 8.4 - Somewhat one-dimensional and a touch thin but it’s pretty darn clear, with a pronounced emphasis on guitar (cool!). Historically I guess you place this high on the priority list as it is their last show, but as a collector you get it because it’s one of the better sounding recordings.
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Audience 8.4 - A great find here! So few Power Windows tour shows out there, and this one, while not a “great” recording, is pretty clear and has a lot of atmosphere. Does sound maybe midway in the venue, so you get a little of that “wash” or stadium “verb” effect but to my delight the bass notes are distinct and not just a boominess. It’s maybe the guitar that is slightly lost, with Geddy also being a touch behind the sound rather than in front. Overall, it is still a good listen and well worth having.
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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.
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CD 1 - Audience 8.4 - Surprisingly good, I’d never had this one in my collection until recently and I enjoyed it. CD 2 - Audience 8.7 - A very strong contender to be one of the best ’71 Audience tapes (along with the Copenhagen show). CD 3 - Audience 7.5 - The weaker of the three shows in this set, but it’s not crap, just not super clear or dynamic. A show your ears will adjust to, and you’ll have it in your collection all wrapped up in a nice package. A set that I recommend to get your fix on less common but good early performances.
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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).
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Audience 8.4 - Tapers sitting kind of close it seems, and the recorder admirably managed to prevent too much over-saturation although there is a touch of it and the instrumentation gets cluttered up in the middle a bit at full volume. Overall this is simply a wonderful document of a band that seems to be very comfortable with the material (obviously) and firing on all cylinders.
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Audience 8.4 - This is a recording that is hard to figure out because on the one hand it could also be taped in a television studio which is my hunch. The tapers and those around them can be heard between songs but settle down once the music starts, it kind of adds a lot to the atmosphere. That being said, this is still pretty good, and what a gig, really, I mean amazing!
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Audience 8.6 - This is a guitar-fest right here, the sound mix allows Jeff’s sound to cut through the bass which, if you have been collecting much BBA, you know bass is almost always WAY too loud! Well, it is understandable I guess, but this show features a more democratic mix and you will REALLY enjoy it for that reason alone. Besides for that, it’s a good show, the band sounds like they might not be beating the shit out of each other backstage…ahem.
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Disc 1: The Bronx 1971 - Audience 8.3 - A huge upgrade to the old tape we know and love. It has been carefully remastered, speed corrected as well, and now is better than ever. Disc 2: Birmingham 1972 - Audience 7.1 - A rare find, but not the best quality. This too has been remastered and is now listenable and worth the price of admission for the very rare inclusion of the track After Forever.