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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 - 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 8.4 - 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 8.9 - Most of the recent tour recordings are excellent and all offer something different for the ears in terms of atmosphere, intensity, and clarity. This one I find has less of an emphasis on separation of instruments and more on depth of bass and overall sound. The guitar comes right at you, and the bass is nicely anchoring the bottom, drums are not as clear but still nicely placed. So, overall I like what this recording delivers.
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Soundboard 9.6 - This rating reflects what I feel about this recording in the way that the guitar and bass come across in the mix. So, what you get is a well rounded, brassy bass sound that is articulate and not lost in the low end wastelands or overshadowed by Pete. It sounds like two guitar players playing in perfect harmony, and a lot of Who recordings you do not get that effect so much as just a wall of power and volume. This one is just so good in that sense and deserves a special acknowledgement.
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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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Audience 8.4 - A great find here! So few Power Windows tour shows out there, and this one, while not a “great” recording, is pretty clear and has a lot of atmosphere. Does sound maybe midway in the venue, so you get a little of that “wash” or stadium “verb” effect but to my delight the bass notes are distinct and not just a boominess. It’s maybe the guitar that is slightly lost, with Geddy also being a touch behind the sound rather than in front. Overall, it is still a good listen and well worth having.
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Audience 8.5 - There are some shows where the ratings numbers cannot tell the story. This is certainly the best example of that. I overlooked this show in the past, I did not, could not, get past the “wall of sound” factor. Now, thanks to modern mastering techniques, this recording has morphed into a real gem. Is it better? Yes! Is it perfect? No. But, perhaps while some would still find it too much to handle, other will find it to be a ton of fun. The tapers were real close to the mains, but managed to keep levels just low enough to prevent the dreaded distortion, but in so doing got a tape without dynamics, or at least one dynamic which is SUPER loud intense power – which if you are a hard core Rush fan, will REALLY tickle your fancy when you pop this on the stereo. It’s almost like a heavy metal concert! Unbridled fury, simply an intense concert and intense recording, let yourself get into it, and your ears will adjust and you will find that the audio frequency range here is comfortable to the ears even though it’s off the charts in massiveness.
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Audience 7.4 - A scratchy, distant, and cluttered recording of an energetic show (band and audience). Is it worth getting? It’s on the ragged edge if you ask me, but as a completist you will find that it is not unlistenable muck, thankfully. It is interesting to hear a veteran touring band giving it 100% effort even if the city is other than New York, LA or Chicago. Just another tour stop, in the deep south no less, but there’s Rush giving their fans their all, night after night. God Bless Rush!
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Audience 8.8 - A warm and inviting recording that spreads the audio spectrum out very evenly. May be from midway back in the hall, as it is not super sharp, but likewise it is also not too echoey or bassy either. It is a pretty atmospheric sound, with guitar leads swirling above and around adding to the liveness of the recording.
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Audience 8.4 - Somewhat one-dimensional and a touch thin but it’s pretty darn clear, with a pronounced emphasis on guitar (cool!). Historically I guess you place this high on the priority list as it is their last show, but as a collector you get it because it’s one of the better sounding recordings.
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Soundboard 8.9 - A good one, if slightly below the expectations of perfection you might be anticipating with a mid 70’s board tape. Occasional phasing, and sometimes a little volume fading as the sound man adjusts things on the fly but it’s greatness is derived from the spectacularly cohesive performance by all the musicians and the sometimes disparagingly different styles they run through in the set.
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Audience 8.8 - A large hall with a lot of atmosphere but the recording thankfully was handled with care by the tapers. Not super close, but not nosebleed, levels are perfect, and the stereo effect is nice. Audio quality is decent, giving you a pretty solid idea of what you would have been hearing with your own ears if you were there.
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Soundboard 8.7 - Signs of age on the old tape, it’s not from a master source but you know, it’s early Metallica in soundboard quality! You don’t have to be a metalhead to be able to appreciate what this band did, and listening to a decently mixed board allows you to hear more of the musicality and musicianship.
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Audience 8.6 - The best part of this tape to me is the richness of the bottom end, nice and round, deep, very very nice. The rest is good too, just maybe not as articulate as the bass sound, with some audience chatter during the show, and a spacious but not reverb drenched atmosphere. One of the great ones!
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Audience 7.9 - This is the complete concert from the 23rd and NOT the officially released Dec, 24th Rainbow show. The problem with it being unofficial, or course, is that it was not recorded professionally, and in this case the audio is a little on the muddy side. I don’t think it is ruined though, because it’s not “thick” mud, it’s just missing something on the high end.
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Audience 8.6 - Talk about being in the crowd, this recording is total immersion if ever there was immersion! But, here’s the good news – it’s a BLAST! The crowd is really an integral part of this performance, the band senses they have a great audience and they really play to them. It’s rather fun and gives you a tremendous feeling of nostalgia. A great ride!