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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.
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Audience 8.4 - I’ve heard many tapes from this venue and none of them sounded good, except for this one. It has a very good spectrum, the highs are very intact and it has a solid mid range, is not annoying at all, in fact this recording is satisfying! I think the weakness is maybe it gets a little brittle sometimes but not in any kind of distracting way really.
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Audience 7.7 - Gives you a pretty good idea of what going to a Roxy Music show would have been like in these early days. Not a super duper crystal clear expertly mixed experience, but not a terrible sounding amateur recording and one can only applaud the tapers for making the effort. Does this help?
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Audience 8.3 - Whenever you come across any 70’s ZZ Top, your instantly going to ask “how does it sound”? because we all know how rough most of them are – but this one reveals layers of the band previously lost in a dense fog of distortion and volume – an articulate bass. Billy’s tone is lovely as ever but only his solos soar above the rhythm section who are LOUD but not distorted. One to pick up!
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Soundboard 9.3 - The venue is unknown as is the exact date, but here’s what we do know – the show smokes! It captures the imagination, and is what I love about collecting. Do you remember what you were doing in May of 1973? I am sure the band played this gig and quickly forgot about it as they traveled to the next town, but it never ceases to amaze me how here they are in some college town probably, completely engaged and engulfed on this tour, yet manage to produce exemplary performances over and over again like it’s no big deal. Then, move on to whatever is next…it’s almost a little melancholy.
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Audience 8.8 - This is the exact kind of audience tape I love the most. It’s taped from pretty close to the stage, is not overloaded, but it is overloaded with manic energy and intensity. Steve Vai brought out the best in Frank, you can hear it on full display here. A wonderful show (open air), a great tape, a must have. Also there are fewer 1982 shows recorded than you might think.
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Audience 9.1 - Every now and then you get a tape you knew nothing about and it just blows you away. This is one such. Epic performance for starters, but it’s also got a great, lively energy and a totally in-the-pocket sound. The whole band is inspired, the songs just sound incredibly fresh, every solo is a thrill, and the crowd seems to be aware that they are witnessing an inspired concert performance.