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FM Broadcast 9.1 - A board tape that seems to have a more ambient quality to it, meaning it sounds like close mic’ing rather than direct into board. That means you do not hear the audience as is typical of a board tape, but you do get a “room” sound like the quality of an audience tape, albeit a very good one. This is a real good tape but it does sound somewhat dated and thankfully the remastered version (this one) brings more clarity and punch than before. Premiata Forneria Marconi Liberty Hall Houston, Texas, USA November 16th, 1976 Disc 1 01. -Intro & tuning 02. -Out of the Roundabout 03. -Left-Handed Theory 04. -Unknown Title 05. -Story in L.A. 06. -Unknown Title 07. -Jetlag Disc 2 08. -Four Holes in the Ground 09. -Celebration 10. -Interview LINE UP Franco Mussida - guitars Flavio Premoli - keyboards Greg Locke (?) - flute, violin Franze Di Cioccio - drums Jan Patrick Djivas (from Nice, France) - bass Bernardo Lanzetti - vocals -
Soundboard 9.4 - A terrific “live” sound and feel, it’s hard to tell even if it is a board tape because it just has too much “room” and atmosphere. It’s quite astonishing really, it’s a fantastic sound and mix, and feel, and of course there’s the band and their amazing material. What I can say is that you will love this and play it again…it is one of the best. Jethro Tull February 5th 1977 Apollo Theatre Manchester, England Disc 1 01 -Wondr'ing Aloud 2:29 02 -Skating Away 4:53 03 -Jack-In-The-Green 3:43 04 -Thick As A Brick 14:28 05 -Songs From The Wood 5:07 06 -Instrumental - Drum Solo 2:59 07 -To Cry You A Song 2:33 08 -A New Day Yesterday 2:49 09 -Flute Solo 7:18 10 -Living In The Past 1:37 11 -A New Day Yesterday (reprise) 2:49 12 -Velvet Green 6:57 Disc 2 01 -Hunting Girl 6:33 02 -Too Old To Rock'N'Roll 4:01 03 -Beethoven's Ninth Symphony 3:13 04 -Minstrel In The Gallery 5:22 05 -Aqualung 9:16 06 -Guitar Solo 3:05 07 -Wind-Up 4:41 08 -Back Door Angels 4:56 09 -Wind-Up (repise) 2:28 10 -Locomotive Breath 5:46 11 -Land Of Hope and Glory 2:24 12 -Back Door Angels (reprise) 1:34 Ian Anderson - vocals, flute, guitar Martin Barre - guitar John Glascock - bass guitar Barriemore Barlow - drums John Evan - keyboards David Palmer - keyboards, saxophone -
Audience 8.6 - Both recordings seem to sound quite similar and garner the middle 8 rating but don’t let that dissuade you – these are not bad at all. Considering the scarcity of live Omega recordings I would say these deserve some time in the player, and the ears will adjust and you’ll find them of redeeming value. The material is progressive and at times ventures into more risky territory for a prog band but the band can be forgiven for that as overall I appreciate the adventure. Omega Germany 77-78 Disc 1 Saarbrucken, Germany 1977-10-03 01. -Nyitány (Overture) 02. -A Névtelen Utazó (The Anonymous Traveler) 03. -Éjféli Koncert (Midnight Concert) 04. -Nem Tudom A Neved (I Do Not Know Your Name) 05. -Napot Hoztam, Csillagot (I Brought A Sun, A Star) 06. -Idorabló (Time-Consuming) 07. -A Buvész (The Dude) 08. -A Könyvelo álma (The Accountant's Dream) 09. -Finálé (Finale) 10. -Metamorfózis I (Metamorphosis I) Disc 2 Nijmegen, Netherlands 1978-11-18 01. -Névtelen utazó (Invitation) 02. -Metamorfózis I (Metamorphosis) 03. -Léna (Russian Winter) 04. -Start (Start) 05. -Napot hoztam, csillagot (House Of Cards part I)-Idorabló (Time Robber)-Ablakok (House Of Cards part II)-Éjféli Koncert (Late Night Show) 06. -Nem Tudom A Neved (Help To Find Me) 07. -Metamorfózis II (The Hope, The Bread And The Wine) 08. -Finálé (Finale) -
Audience 8.7/8.9 - Both recordings are really well done with the clear edge going to the 1975 stuff because it is a little bit more clear, although the synths and moogs and other keys are pushed way out front in the mix which is great because those sounds are otherworldly and mega heavy! A spot of mic dropout can be heard and it could easily have been edited out but it’s kept on the there but thankfully lasts only 2 seconds…otherwise what a show this is! Fantastic and mind blowing! Lard Free Paris, France 1974-09-08 and Paris, France 1975-10-02 Disc 1 01 -Improvisation 1 02 -Improvisation 2 03 -Improvisation 3 04 -Improvisation 4 Disc 2 1. -Improvisation 1 2. -Improvisation 2 -
Pro 9.6 - Sharpness, precision, dynamic, and beautifully clear. A tiny amount of tape noise barely perceptible unless the room is silent and trust me, that is just me looking for something to be critical of…there are no faults with this recording. RETURN TO FOREVER CALDERONE CONCERT HALL, HEMPSTEAD,NY,USA NOVEMBER 22,1975 CD1 1-INTRO 2-VULCAN WORLDS 3-TALK 4-SHADOW OF LO 5-TALK 6-ROMANTIC WARRIOR CD2 1-CHICK'S SOLO > LA FIESTA 2-AL'S SOLO 3-STANLEY'S SOLO 4-LENNY'S SOLO 5-OUTRO Chick Corea Al DiMeola Stanley Clarke Lenny White -
Audience 9.1 - Great sound and atmosphere, just as good as you want it to be. Some tape hiss present during quieter passages, which is being nitpicky though. This recording shines with just the right amount of headroom and the atmosphere is special as the crowd is LISTENING to every note you can clearly tell. Return To Forever Civic Auditorium Santa Monica, CA April 8, 1977 Disc 1 01 The Endless Night 02 The Musician 03 Hello Again 04 So Long Mickey Mouse 05 Musicmagic 06 Do You Ever Disc 2 07 Come Rain Or Shine 08 Serenade 09 The Moorish Warrior and the Spanish Princess 10 Spanish Fantasy 11 On Green Dolphin Street 12 Musicmagic (Reprise) -
Audience 9.3 - This is the result of tapers who CARE about what they are doing to the point of using the best gear, for starters, seating in the best location, and using the utmost care to successfully capture the event…then having the prescience to preserve the result for future generations to enjoy. This is AWESOME in every way. Fuck man, if you can’t appreciate this recording, and this artist, just do us all a favor and find some other thing because music ain’t it for you. Yes that is harsh, but you’ll understand once you’ve listened to this. Peter Gabriel The Roxy West Hollywood, CA April 10, 1977 Late Show Disc 1 01 -Here Comes The Flood 02 -On The Air 03 -Moribund The Burgermeister 04 -Waiting For The Big One 05 -A Song Without Words 06 -Excuse Me 07 -Solsbury Hill 08 -Ain't That Peculiar 09 -Band Introductions 10 -Humdrum Disc 2 11 -Slowburn 12 -All Day And All Of The Night 13 -Here Comes The Flood 14 -Modern Love 15 -Down The Dolce Vita 16 -Back in NYC 17 -Modern Love (reprise) 18 -Solsbury Hill (reprise) -
Pro SDBRD 9.5 - Recorded for broadcast this uses two different sources of the broadcast but you don’t really notice the transition. What you will notice is how amazing this is, and what makes it really cool is how much Peter addresses the audience. It’s an intimate feeling gig, everyone is so dialed in to what is happening in the room with Peter…imagine, no cell phones, no distracted idiots, just genuine love and appreciation for the performer and his craft. I miss that. Peter Gabriel The Roxy Los Angeles, California April 10, 1977 Early show Disc 1 1 -Here Comes The Flood 2 -On The Air 3 -Moribund The Burgermeister 4 -DJ Comments 5 -Waiting For The Big One 6 -Good Evening Roxy 7 -A Song Without Words 8 -DJ comments 9 -Excuse Me 10 -Solsbury Hill 11 -PG banter 12 -Ain't That Peculiar 13 -PG banter 14 -Humdrum Disc 2 1 -Story of Prunes and Prisms Mating Time 2 -Slowburn 3 -All Day and All Of The Night 4 -Here Comes The Flood 5 -Modern Love 6 -Band introductions 7 -Down The Dolce Vita 8 -Encore break - DJ comments 9 -Back in NYC 10 -Applause 11 -DJ outro -
Audience 9.0 - This is a really bold and vibrant recording, where you get this palpable “thwap” of the drums that feels like you are there. In very quiet passages there is the slightest of tape hiss but it’s actually kind of hard to find things to be critical of with this one. It’s really good! Peter Gabriel Tivolis Conzertsal, Copenhagen 09-Oct-1977 Disc 1 01 Here Comes The Flood 02 Slowburn 03 Moribund The Burgermeister 04 Modern Love 05 Indigo 06 Humdrum 07 White Shadow 08 I Heard It Through The Grapevine 09 Excuse Me Disc 2 10 Waiting For The Big One 11 Band Introductions 12 Solsbury Hill 13 Down The Dolce Vita 14 On The Air 15 All Day And All Of The Night 16 Here Comes The Flood 17 The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway 18 Soundcheck Peter Gabriel – Piano, Flute, Tambourine, Vocals Sid McGinnis – Guitars Tony Levin – Bass, Stick, Tuba, Backing Vocals Jerry Marotta – Drums Bayette – Keyboards -
Audience 9.0 - A very good recording, maybe a little “soft” but that is the house I think, bass is the predominant player, guitar is not as far up in the mix as one would prefer but it’s decent and all notes are audible. The drums are nice here, and the atmosphere is not pronounced but is present to some degree. It has the sense of just being a smaller venue, which it is, and so you sense that as you listen. Good players are joined up with Lenny, guys with plenty of jazz pedigree. Lenny White Golden Bear Huntington Beach, CA April 2, 1978 Early and Late Sets Disc 1 (Early Set) 01 Prelude: Theme For Astral Pirates (incl. intro) 02 Pursuit 03 talk / band intros 04 Mandarin Warlords 05 intros 06 And We Meet Again 07 Big City 08 Sweet Dreamer 09 Mating Drive Disc 2 (Late Set) 01 Intro, tuning, warmup 02 Chicken Fried Steak 03 talk / band intros 04 Universal Love 05 talk 06 Sunset Burgundy 07 talk 08 Theme For Astral Pirates (incl. Revival, Climax) 09 Assault 10 Sorceress Lenny White - drums, percussion Marcus Miller - bass Don Blackman - keyboards, vocals Jamie Glazer - guitar Nick Moroch - guitar -
SDBRD 9.5 - Expertly recorded and of course this show is pure gold if you enjoy genuine American blues because the guys on stage are THE BLUES personified. Incredible performance, amazing quality! Muddy Waters and his band with Johnny Winter Live at the Tower Theater Philadelphia, Pa. March 6, 1977 Disc 1 1. -Hideway 2. -Cotton Gin 3. -Last Night 4. -See See Baby 5. -Rocket 6. -How Long 7. -Slow Blues 8. -Done Got Over it 9. -Crosscut Saw 10. -Talk to Your Daughter 11. -Band Intros Disc 2 1. -Muddy Intro 2. -Hoochie Coochie Man 3. -Blow Wind Blow 4. -Walkin' Through the Park 5. -Deep Down in Florida 6. -Blues Had a Baby 7. -I Can't Be Satisfied 8. -Trouble No More 9. -Howlin' Wolf 10. -Mannish Boy 11. -Got My Mojo Workin' 12. -Oh Baby Muddy Waters Johnny Winter Pinetop Perkins Willie Smith James Cotton Charles Calmese Bob Margolin -
Audience 9.5 - Holy Moly this is RED HOT! The recording is right in your face but not distorted at all. It’s amazing how close this sounds, its super clear too. The only knock I have is that the bottom end is not as beefy as I would prefer. I really wanted more low end punch but if that is the only knock, then you probably should explore this one because not only is it great audio-wise but the playing is off the charts, and I mean seriously Jeff Beck and Stanley Clarke are at the absolute peak of Mount Everest here. JEFF BECK/STANLEY CLARKE BAND Live at Les Arenes de Fréjus Fréjus, France 10. July 1979 Disc 1 1. -Darkness - Earth In Search Of A Sun 2. -Star Cycle 3. -Blue Wind 4. -Journey To Love 5. -Freeway Jam 6. -Goodbye Pork Pie Hat Disc 2 7. -School Days - Jamaican Boy - School Days 8. -Diamond Dust 9. -Loopsy Lu - Scatterbrain 10. -Rock 'N Roll Jelly 11. -'Cause We've Ended As Lovers 12. -Superstition Jeff Beck: el.-guitar Stanley Clarke: el.-bass Tony Hymas: keyboards Simon Phillips: drums -
Audience 8.7 - So let me put it this way – the recording is not perfect, but is near perfect for someone who needs to try and understand what makes Iron Maiden special. This captures a night, just another night (in fact this was a stand of shows at the Radio City Music Hall) on a long, never ending tour for the band but they play as if it was their last show. It’s amazing how night after night, town after town, tour after tour, Iron Maiden never gives a bad performance. I love this capture even though it suffers a few bumps and bruises, because it’s in the trenches from the hardcore fans perspective, it’s as if the taper is working as hard to capture the gig as the band is in delivering it. I LOVE it, and once I started playing this, I could not stop. I think you’ll love it too. Iron Maiden World Slavery Tour - The Seven Dates Of Hell Radio City Music Hall NYC, New York January 18, 1985 Disc 1 01. Intro 02. Aces High 03. 2 Minutes To Midnight 04. The Trooper 05. Revelations 06. Wrathchild 07. Flight Of Icarus 08. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner 09. Powerslave Disc 2 10. Guitar Solo 11. The Number Of The Beast 12. Hallowed Be Thy Name 13. Iron Maiden 14. Encore Break #1 15. Run To The Hills 16. Running Free 17. Encore Break #2 18. Sanctuary 19. WNEW FM New York interview with Nico Jan. 22 -
All Soundboard 9.3 - This entirely depends on how much you want to hear blazing, inventive lead guitar and don’t mind if the bass sounds more like a rhythm guitar, That is what the bass sounds like to my ears, it’s there, but it’s not “low end” it’s more like a heavy rhythm guitar. It works for this style of rock though – and it’s all good stuff, if maybe a tad generic with the singing. BADLANDS Lost In The Shadows Disc 1 Richfield Coliseum Cleveland, Ohio 1989-09-23 1. -HARD DRIVER 2. -BALL & CHAIN 3. -DEVIL'S STOMP 4. -DREAMS IN THE DARK 5. -WINTER'S CALL 6. -Guitar Solo 7. -HIGHWIRE Palace Of Auburn Hills Detroit, Michigan 1989-09-22 8. -HARD DRIVER 9. -BALL & CHAIN 10. -DEVIL'S STOMP 11. -DREAMS IN THE DARK 12. -WINTER'S CALL 13. -Guitar Solo 14. -HIGHWIRE Disc 2 Hara Arena Dayton, Ohio 1989-08-30 1. -HARD DRIVER 2. -BALL & CHAIN 3. -WINTER'S CALL 4. -DANCING ON THE EDGE 5. -STREETS CRY FREEDOM 6. -JADE'S SONG - DREAMS IN THE DARK 7. -DEVIL'S STOMP 8. -Guitar Solo State Fairgrounds Du Quion, Illinois 1989-09-01 9. -HARD DRIVER 10. -BALL & CHAIN 11. -WINTER'S CALL 12. -DREAMS IN THE DARK 13. -DEVIL'S STOMP 14. -Guitar Solo 15. -HIGHWIRE -
Fillmore East 1969 Audience 8.4 - A bit of hiss is present, the music is not crystal clear until the guitar kicks in and then it comes alive. I’ll tell you what listening to this did for me: I started to understand why hippies tripped balls to Canned Heat, there is a very weird acid vibe going on, things get distorted and intense, and extremely psychedelic in a blues based presentation that is really kind of crazy. Maybe it was due to the band blowing up amplifiers, I don’t know but it’s intoxicating and you can’t stop listening to it, maybe it’s just this show, this weird recording that seems to do weird things…on purpose? You decide. Atlanta Pop Festival 1969 Audience 8.8 - A very interesting sounding old tape, with lead guitar and vocals quite present as if taper was real close but no distortion (although some tape hiss). The performance is bristling with acid blues rock electricity. It’s just palpable, I get these guys I really understand what the magic was. Canned Heat Fillmore East New York, New York, U.S.A. 02-07-1969 Disc 1 01 - Ain't That Lovin' You Baby 02 - Bullfrog Blues 03 - Sugar Mama - Bass solo 04 - Killin' Floor 05 - On The Road Again 06 - Bear Talking 07 - The Boogie Disc 2 1st Annual Atlanta Pop Festival Atlanta International Raceway Fulton County, GA July 4, 1969 01 -Going Up the Country 02 -Bring It on Home 03 -Number Nine Train 04 -When You're Twenty-Six 05 -Fried Hockey Boogie Line-up: Bob The Bear Hite - vocals, harp Alan Wilson - guitar, harp, vocals Henry Vestine - guitar Larry Taylor - bass Adolfo Fito de la Parra - drums -
Audience 8.8 - A very satisfying recording, with a great snare drum sound and I highlight that because it is often overlooked. Dio sounds clear and if I fault anything it’s maybe Toni’s guitar which is just slightly behind the overall sound coming from the mains but still it’s really not too bad and the solos really come across clearly. It’s a fine live sound all around and is comfortable on the ears. Black Sabbath 1981-01-20 Hammersmith Odeon London, UK Disc 1 101 Supertzar 102 War Pigs 103 Neon Knights 104 N.I.B. 105 Children Of The Sea 106 Sweet Leaf 107 Drums Solo 108 Sweet Leaf (Reprise) 109 Lady Evil 110 Black Sabbath Disc 2 201 Heaven And Hell 202 Iron Man 203 Guitar Solo 204 Die Young 205 Paranoid - Heaven And Hell (Reprise) 206 Children Of The Grave