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Audience 8.3 - A fun and rowdy crowd who seem to really appreciate the band and their music…a lot! Recording is decent, not particularly detailed but it’s a lot like being thrown into the crowd so you get plenty of enthusiasm near the tapers. I found it to be kind of amusing and not a one and done. Apollo Theatre Manchester, England 1978-05-11 AUDIENCE 75 minutes TRACKS: 1. -The Grand Illusion 2. -Lorelei 3. -Mademoiselle 4. -Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) 5. -Suite Madame Blue 6. -Crystal Ball 7. -Lady 8. -Man In The Wilderness 9. -Come Sail Away 10. -Midnight Ride 11. -Miss America STYX DENNIS DEYOUNG - keyboards, vocals & synthesizers CHUCK PANOZZO - bass guitar JOHN PANOZZO - drums & percussion JAMES YOUNG - lead guitar & vocals TOMMY SHAW - electric, 12-string and acoustic lead guitars & vocals This is the first time of STYX in England and Europe as well. -
Long Beach 1978 Audience 9.3 - This recording could easily pass as a KBFH radio broadcast it is very well done, but my only complaint is one that probably has nothing to do with the tape itself but rather the stage mix. If you are a guitar guy, you will want more guitars in the mix – that being said you are going to be getting breathtaking keyboards, vocals, and solid drums and a bass that is there holding it together but not booming or rumbling. All in all, this one is quite different than other bootleg tapes of the era, it has a professionalism to it that you won’t hear often. I say this is probably a must have for Styx collectors. Oakland 1978 Audience 8.4 - Sadly, what tries to be a very good recording just doesn’t quite reach that status due mainly to what I believe is the wrong style of microphone used. To my ears, it sounds like a condenser mic, and consequently the audio is bunched up into the middle frequency leaving indistinct instrument separation. That being said, it’s “trying” to be very good and in spots it really is – mainly during quieter passages where you can tell the taper did bring pretty good gear. Almost but not quite, but still qualifying as a good addition to a Styx fan’s collection (and great as a “bonus” concert in this set). Styx Long Beach Arena Long Beach, CA January 27, 1978 Disc 1 01 The Grand Illusion 02 Lorelei 03 Mademoiselle 04 Fooling Yourself 05 Suite Madame Blue 06 Crystal Ball 07 Light Up 08 Lady Disc 2 09 Man In The Wilderness 10 Come Sail Away 11 Midnight Ride 12 Miss America 13 Born For Adventure Oakland Coliseum Arena Oakland, CA. October 19th 1978 Disc 3 1. -Great White Hope (7:01) 2. -Lorelei (6:39) 3. -I'm Okay (6:24) 4. -Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) (5:42) 5. -Suite Madame Blue (9:58) 6. -Crystal Ball (7:50) 7. -The Grand Illusion (4:58) Disc 4 1. -Renegade (10:59) 2. -Lady (4:25) 3. -Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) (6:15) 4. -Come Sail Away (9:40) 5. -Miss America (10:08) 6. -Midnight Ride (11:00) -
Audience 8.3 -
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 -
FM Radio Broadcast 9.2 - Very enjoyable, and tape runs stable and clean so you can blast this at your next gathering of friends (which is soon, hopefully). The bonus material (Kansas City 78) is very good also, an audience recording with nice atmosphere. All of the material in this set is prime era Styx, for me anyway. Styx Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL December 18, 1978 Band line up Dennis DeYoung - vocals, keyboards Tommy Shaw - guitar, vocals James Young - lead guitar, vocals John Panozzo - drums, vocals (passed away July 16, 1996, aged 47) Chuck Panozzo - bass, vocals Disc 1 01 -Intro - Great White Hope 02 -I'm O.K. 03 -The Grand Illusion 04 -Fooling Yourself 05 -Queen of Spades 06 -Acoustic Instrumental 07 -Crystal Ball 08 -Intro - Suite Madame Blue 09 -Renegade (incl. drum solo) 10 -Lady 11 -Blue Collar Man Disc 2 12 -Come Sail Away 13 -Intro - Midnight Ride (incl. guitar solo) 14 -Miss America Kemper Arena, Kansas City, MO November 21, 1978 15 Lady 16 Fooling Yourself 17 Suite Madame Blue 18 Come Sail Away 19 Midnight Ride 20 Miss America -
M Radio 8.9 - This is NOT the Mantra Studios 77, this is the concert from September of 1977 and it is GREAT! -
Audience 9.0 - High quality microphones placed in the right spot yield terrific results like this. Bravo! -
Audience 8.0 - Typical big rock sound. I like the Palo Alto show here, it’s the stronger of the two as far as clarity, but the San Francisco show sounds somewhat meatier ~ it’s a trade off. -
Audience 9.0 - Great low end and high end signal! Rare to find both intact, you can turn this up loud. -
Audience 8.2 - Kind of bass heavy and muddy mix, but its OK once your ears adjust. -
Originally released in 1978, this is a reissue on the Shadow Kingdom label. CD is SEALED. -
Audience 9.3 - This is a rock and roll show the way it used to be..and I mean WAY used to be! So the experience is well worth checking out especially because this tape captured lightning in a bottle in a very good way. Atmosphere combined with great sound you cannot go wrong here. Stray Cats Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, NY November 25, 1982 01 -Introduction 02 -Your Baby Blues 03 -Double Talkin’ Baby 04 -Rumble In Brighton 05 -Drink That Bottle Down 06 -Build For Speed 07 -Rev It Up And Go 08 -C’mon Everybody 09 -Stray Cat Strut 10 -Lonely Summer Nights 11 -Fishnet Stockings 12 -Rock This Town 13 -Runaway Boys 14 -Can’t Hurry Love -
Radio Broadcast 8.7 - A little generation tape hiss but a good and clear, solid broadcast with excellent instrument sound separation. The band is a hybrid jazz/prog and rock with certain influence by Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, PFM, and Gentle Giant. -
Audience 9.5 - This may be a pro audience recording because it has some of the hallmarks of it being managed by someone other than a concert goer. Not saying 100% certain, but it’s just too good and clean, and free of interference but who knows maybe it’s just a really astute taper? All I know is that this material and this quality make for a real revelation for people like me who glossed over the albums. Damn good stuff, with a stellar cast of characters. Same with the San Francisco 1977 tape which I include in this rating but is a soundboard…similar stellar sound quality maybe 9.6 but has a little more hiss present. Still, it is EXCELLENT! Stomu Yamashta's Go Royal Albert Hall London, England May 29, 1976 Disc 1 1. -Ghost Machine 2. -Surfspin 3. -Time Is Here 4. -Winner Loser - Band Introductions 5. -Solitude - Nature - Air Voice - Crossing The Line 6. -Man Of Leo Stomu Yamashta: drums, percussion Kevin Shrieve: guitar Ava Cherry: vocals Jess Roden: vocals Patrick Gleeson: synthesizers Michael Shrieve: drums Paul Jackson: bass Doni Harvey: guitar Brother James: percussion Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA September 26, 1977 7. -Prelude 8. -Seen You Before Disc 2 1. -Madness 2. -Mysteries Of Love 3. -Crossing The Line 4. -Wheels Of Fortune 5. -Beauty 6. -You And Me 7. -Instrumental Interlude 8. -Man Of Leo 9. -Wheels Of Fortune (Reprise) Stomu Yamashta - Piano, Percussion, Synthesizer Steve Winwood - Vocals, Keyboards Michael Shrieve - Drum Kit Al Di Meola - Solo Guitar Klaus Schulze - Synthesizers (Space Machine!) Jerome Rimson - Bass Pat Thrall - Guitar Brother James - Congas Karen Friedman - Vocals -
Soundboard 9.3 - I was unfamiliar with the live sound of Stevie Wonder having only heard his studio output, I was happy to hear that he and his band really could jam. I’ll be exploring more live Wonder because of this show. Stevie Wonder Brighton Theatre Brighton, England, UK July 4, 1973 01. -Time Of Contusions 02. -Drums - Instrumental 03. -Stevie Talking 04. -Higher Ground 05. -Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You) 06. -To Know You Is To Love You 07. -Signed, Sealed, Delivered 08. -Visions In My Mind - Stevie Preaches - Visions In My Mind 09. -Sunshine Intro 10. -You Are The Sunshine Of My Life 11. -Superstition 12. -Lot Of My Dreams -
Soundboard 9.2 - A nice and tight sound with excellent presence and tone on guitar, clear up front vocals, and nice placement of bass and drums just off to one side and behind adding to the stereo effect. Now, I may be mistaken about this being a board tape or not, for me the audience might be the clue here. I hear them in the background as if they were bleeding into an onstage or close mic from stage front. That being sad a competent and devoted taper may have made this capture and if that is true, that person should receive a medal of commendation! Stevie Ray Vaughan The Cascade Room The Knickerbocker Cafe Westerly, Rhode Island November 22, 1979 01. -True Love Is Gone 02. -Pride And Joy 03. -Love Struck Baby 04. -Hideaway 05. -Stevie's Blues 06. -Jeff's Boogie 07. -The Sky Is Crying 08. -May I Have A Talk With You 09. -So Exited - You Can Have My Husband 10. -TI-NI-NEE-NI-NU11. -I'll Change 12. -Oh, Yeah 13. -Natural Born Lover 14. -Hip Hip Baby 15. -If You Lose Me, You Lose A Good Thing 16. -Texas Blues Stevie Ray Vaughan - guitar & vocals Chris Layton - drums Jackie Newhouse - bass Guest: Lou Ann Barton - vocals (tracks 9-15)