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Audience 8.8 - Sonically it sits in a good place. Although separation of instruments is a little quirky to my ears, the signal is very strong, as if right in front of the main PA system, but Plant is crystal clear, and the guitar/bass combo is super fat right behind him. It makes for an interesting experience, really giving a sense of being in the front row.
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Audience 7,8 - It’s hard to get across the reason why Ozzy/Randy era collectors really ought to get this even though the rating seems low. Well, it was lower until it got remastered, and that helped highlight what is good on this tape, which is that the guitar is nicely in front, and that you can actually hear everything and it is not distorted or too muddy…except when taper seems to have to hide his mic, which thankfully is not often. But, yes, it’s got issues like most stadium rock bands that played at high volume, where the tape deck just cannot get the hugeness of the sound onto the old magnetic tape. Now, let me just say, when Randy solos, you get that clear and center here, and especially during his solo part in Suicide Solution where it’s just him. It’s kind of like pulling off the bed sheets, it really opens up. A good tape for collectors that has a lot to offer, the bonus being it is not a common tape at all.
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Audience 8.8 - Solid right in the middle, with perhaps a little bit of “darkness” in the mix towards the low end that causes a fractional amount of over saturation but this is a fine recording. Let me put it this way, something like this seems to have been “authorized” or at least recorded with the knowledge of the artists. It’s placed too well in the venue, and no audience interference you have to think they knew it was being recorded.
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FM Radio Broadcast 8.5 - The tape source shows its age, and then there’s the telltale radio compression as well so you get a reasonably clear sound with a lack of high end clarity, occasional minor drop outs, that sort of thing. It’s not that bad, I expect better of an FM broadcast but there’s not much out there from this station, this is a pretty rare thing, and the band, while very good, never achieved a lot of commercial success. They are traditional AOR rock that sometimes reminds me of Bob Seger or Meatloaf.
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Audience 8.3 - This has been mastered, because where the sounds are placed actually helps better define this recording – the vocals “should” be buried deep but they aren’t, and the bass and the drums are in their own space too. Remarkable to get this so clear because it sounds like at one time it may have been a mess. Bochum 1987 - Audience 8.7 - Wow the bass is kicking, and so defined!
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Audience 7.0 - Ultra loud, no clear separation except the drums actually do have some distinction and this tape has a much broader sound spectrum and is not stuck in a very lo-fi mid band position. I like this tape, it features more raw energy than the others and even though is still “rough”, it gets the blood pumping and is quite exhilarating to hear. What a find! A rare show recently surfaced.
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Audience 7.8 - Too bad this is not better quality because certainly it demands the attention of music collectors being one of the few times Jeff Beck jammed live on stage with John McLaughlin. I mean, you have to believe Jeff was pushed to try things he hadn’t even thought of yet, so to get to hear all that is a real treat regardless of the average audio quality. I should be specific and tell you that indeed you will hear all the guitars reasonably clear as those instruments thankfully come through the best.
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CD 1 - London 1975 - Audience 7.2 - Sound is a little muffled but vocals and guitar cut through the murkiness, taper seems to also be moving to find a better spot and sometimes he catches a sweet spot and the sound clears a little. Overall I think fans will appreciate this recording for what it is, a good solid performance. CD 2 - Salisbury 1975 - Audience 8.0 (solid) - Sounds a lot cleaner and brighter than disc 1, so enjoy!
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Stockholm 1968 - Audience 8.7 / London 1968 - Audience 8.2 Both fantastic considering the time period, and the significance cannot be understated. That being said, the London material suffers from some artifacts present either in the master or in the transfer to digital. My guess is that it probably originated from an acetate or from an AM Radio Broadcast taped onto a cheap cassette deck but it is still decent enough to get into.