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Studio and Live - Excellent source material used, especially the studio stuff. The June 10, 1979 performance is perhaps the weakest tape here but one can still hear all the action from the stage even if it sounds a little far back. Fans consider the Accolades set to be a classic piece, it’s easy to hear why. -
Audience 8.8 - Very well recorded, superb atmosphere! -
Audience 8.8 - Captured live at his home away from home, Fitzgerald’s Club in Houston, this is perhaps one of the very best small club gigs ever recorded. It has a certain vibe, perhaps that is why this show has a very special place in the hearts of SRV collectors. -
Soundboard 8.7 - Sounds like it comes from a video source, with some of that compression factor present. For such a major stadium act, there are surprisingly few tapes out there of him. -
Audience 9.0 - A very clear and atmospheric recording, no stage banter is lost, in fact this is pretty much in your face presence all the way. Good stuff! -
FM Radio Broadcast 8.6 -
SDBRD 8.8 - Good quality broadcast with some static in places, maybe some old school FM radio compression but nothing that really offends the ears. This is quite good. -
Radio Broadcast 8.7 - The organ sounds killer on this. Vocals up front, mixed for radio. -
Various sources, all generally very good to excellent. Well worth picking this up. -
Audience 8.6 - Clean, and solid dynamics make for a great listen. -
Audience 8.5 - Taken from the master source, this high energy show reveals a band on the rise. Captured from the balcony, the sound is pretty much what came from the house P.A. system and is, as could be expected, insanely loud and therefore not clear and distinct but certainly forceful and once the ears adjust, is pretty realistic. Coming from a master source, it is free of tape noise and other artifacts. -
Audience 8.3 - A serviceable tape that presents a very round bottom end but has a good solid middle during less frenetic jams, and in turn this also reveals great snappy highs. What I think it is, it’s a loud kick drum that intrudes during active sections, not too badly, but it does push itself too far into the mix. Still GREAT stuff and highly recommended. -
Audience 7.2-7.6 - From various locations (taper tries very hard and sometimes moves equipment to a better spot, so quality varies). -
Audience 8.7 - Actually not bad but it’s very close to the main PA and thus loud and noisy. There’s an annoying frequency somewhere between the mid and high that needs to be compressed. At first I thought this was a soundboard, it might be mistaken for one. It’s so close to the speakers, I mean this recording puts you in the front row. I do like it despite my concerns. -
Audience 7.4 and 8.4 -
CD 1 - Soundboard 8.6 - Sounds very low gen but the tape seems somewhat compressed, but very clean, and thankfully can be turned up loud without breaking up. CD 2 - Soundboard 8.6 - A lot like disc one, occasional phasing on one or two tracks, but again it is pretty clean and a mix that reveals how good each player is in this band. CD 3 - Soundboard 8.4 - A step down from the first couple of discs but it has a little more brightness to it, and a little more noise and a strange sort of echo on the guitar which does not bother me, it is just different than the other discs. All in all, collectors will find much to like here. -
Audience 8.8 - This is a really nice one, pretty atmospheric without being reverby and hollow and the live sound mix is pretty right-on. The sound separation here presents itself as what feels like stereo to me, whether or not taper used two mics I do not know but it does sound like it. The band is really hot! -
Soundboard 8.8 - A good and clear tape. -
Soundboard 9.4 -
Audience 7.7 - While the ratings may show this to be an average sounding tape, let me reveal my own bias for a moment. This is Rush’s best tour. You may argue with that, I mean, the previous two tours were pretty amazing too. I find the set list and performances of the Permanent Waves tour to be exceptional, and this show, while maybe not the best of the lot, does reveal yet more of the Rush mystique. A recording that requires 10 minutes to adjust to but eventually begins to sound pretty decent apart from a guitar that sits behind the action a little (except during solos). A little boomy but not a deal breaker. A good, not great, tape. -
Audience 8.6 - Sometimes, a rating cannot reflect the magnitude of a recording. I can specifically say that this one is only an 8.6 in a sonic sense, which means it is very good and worthwhile, but man, let me tell you what this show REALLY is – it’s an 11. Why? Because this is, quite simply, Rush in an unbelievable fine form playing their (arguably) best stuff, and the recording has captured that and a very palpable atmosphere at the same time. A little clarity is lost in the bass/guitar separation as they seem to sound as one unit which is not such a bad thing as it creates a sonic roar, a lion’s roar it is too, but it does get a little crowded in that frequency range. But, it captures an amazing power those two had on stage, the sound is ferocious and menacing. -
Audience 8.4 - This is a case of a show, actually let me re-phrase that, this WAS a show that many collectors lamented as being a superb performance marred by very marginal sound quality. Not anymore! Friends, this new direct from master source and re-mastered version of this totally excellent gig is simply a joy to get to listen to in this improved quality. Not that it is astounding, in fact it still has issues, but the jump from what it was (about a 7.3) to what it is now is too great an improvement to not shower heaps of praise upon it. Note: It doesn’t get good until about halfway through the first song, then there is a little cut in the tape, and then it gets noticeably better and better. -
Audience 7.4 - A very thin recording, now it does come from a master source so it is as clean as it will ever be. I mean, I suppose you do hear it all, just do not expect much bottom end. -
Audience 7.6 - I have it in my mind to collect every single performance the band did in Toronto. That means I am gonna get some good, some bad, some in between. This is probably some in-between. Not horrible but not great either. Now, I will say this, let your ears adjust and you get a reasonably clear but phasing sound. Recorded from somewhere pretty well back of the auditorium, sounds like. -
Audience? Hard to tell if this is an audience or soundboard, it is really good. If it is audience, then it was done very close to the mains but no distortion at all, but I doubt that because there is very precise stereo panning on some of the effects (such as intro to 2112). If it is a soundboard, it is a good one because it allows some bleeding in of the crowd and atmosphere. -
Soundboard 8.7 - An oldie but goodie – tape does show some age but it is a classic nonetheless. Bonus here is a rip from the first single released, quite rare actually. -
Audience 7.3 - Noisy, but a pretty huge bass crunch which will appeal to the those who like it heavier sounding. The size of the hall does confuse the frequencies and so you get too much mess in the middle and what not but you can hear this and get used to it and it will pull you in. A good performance! -
Audience 7.9 - Low levels but pretty clear when you turn it up. Some lack of distinction, but a straightforward audience recording with nothing to offend but not going to blow anyone away. -
Audience 7.5 - Some depth for a one dimensional middle of the stadium recording. Bass is in a good place, relatively clear but somewhat distant. -
Audience 8.7 - A little lack of definition in the bottom, but at least it has bottom end. There is also some atmosphere, so you feel the arena somewhat. A strong recording! -
Audience 7.6 - What really saves this tape is the fact that it sounds like a master source – very clean virtually no noise, but you are sitting with the crowd and the band is…hmmm…not distant but not in your face, somewhere in between, and it sounds like a small venue. It’s fascinating to be honest, I really like it. -
Audience 7.8 - A must have for any serious Rush fan. One of the best early shows you will ever hear, and I mean on many levels not just sound quality – this one is good but not great – but man oh man, just get this and you will know why I rave about it. -
Soundboard 9.4 - Killer, rehearsals for the Counterparts Tour. -
Audience 7.8–8.3 - Stick with this one all the way through. Taper finds the sweet spot eventually. I rather enjoyed this one! -
Audience 9.4 - One of the most exciting tapes, the sound leaps at you in amazing clarity and detail where you just get the sense that you are right there watching the gig. Great job by the taper, wish I could thank them personally. -
Audience 7.2 - Oh how I wish these mid 70’s Toronto shows were well recorded, because the band was always fired up about playing there. This one suffers from a lack of sonic clarity and separation of instruments, has background noise, and occasionally drifts over to one channel and back again. A flawed jewel for collectors only. -
Audience 7.4 - Someone mastered this, it sounds so much better than what I remember. Good Job! -
Audience 8.7 - Pretty straightforward recording, has good center balance, good mix, everything loud and clear and makes for a pretty enjoyable listen. -
Audience 7.2 - A rare show, but sadly no Necromancer. -
Audience 7.3 - Probably once sounded atrocious but someone did a great remaster here. The sound occupies one thin frequency band but they got a lot out of it. I can hear everything, even though at full volume the sound breaks up a bit. -
Audience 7.2 - Respectable audience capture if a little thin. You can enjoy this, add some bass though. -
Audience 6.7 - 6.9 - Fluctuates, can hear everything but there's a slight rumbling underneath. Quieter passages 7.5 -
Audience 9.3 - I find this to be one of the best of the tour recording-wise. Once you get past the first song, it opens up dramatically and completely thrills. No need for Equalizer or boost on this one, it's quite great the way it is. -
Audience 8.2 - Not the very best capture of the tour so far but at least it has plenty of room to add your own flavoring. It's a recording that does need a masters touch to bring out the detail but that being said I did enjoy the show and found I adjusted to the recording. A good audience with room for improvement but worth picking up, complete the collection, and love the artwork! -
Soundboard 9.5 -
Audience 9.3 -
Pro Radio Broadcast 9.5 -
Soundboard 9.0 - Great guitar tone, but when did Rory ever not have that? But, it just leaps outta the speakers here. A really tight gig, the band is HOT HOT HOT!