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Soundboard 9.3 -
Audience 8.6 -
Soundboard 9.4 -
Audience 8.8 -
Audience 9.0 -
Soundboard 9.2 (late show) -
Soundboard 9.5 -
Soundboard 9.1 -
Pro radio broadcasts 8.8 some age showing but very clear. -
Audience 7.4 - Thin, AM radio like but good AM radio. -
Audience 8.5 -
Audience 7.8 - This is well worth getting if you want to know what was happening before the big time. Good big hall sound, not overly echoey or boomy at all. -
Audience 7.2 - Not a well defined sound, I think drums are fine with a nice staccato sound. The guitar has a particular bite to it though, I am probably too harsh of a judge here since 70’s ZZ Top recordings are few and far between. -
Audience tape of mediocre quality, about a 5.4 rating - maybe, but here's the thing - there are a handful of live tapes of this band from this vintage or thereabouts - until the band release what they have, this is all we will ever get. It's two discs worth of vintage ZZ Top before they made it big - I can deal with the mediocre sound. -
Audience 8.9 - A sort of mid-rangey tape without any kind of high end to speak of but because it is clean and warm, it is perfect to season to taste. It’s a recording that begs for personalization, because it is actually quite good, and could benefit from just minor EQ here and there. I like this one! -
Soundboard 9.4 - (with portions filled in with Audience 8.7) Most is Soundboard of excellent quality, including the mix, and with some great crowd response. Band is in high spirits, a great show! -
Audience 9.0 - Sourced from a 1st generation master - this show is quite friggin’ excellent. -
Soundboard 9.2 - Super clean if just a tiny little bit of over-driving happening in the extreme lows, which will probably be cool if you are playing through a very high end system that can filter that out a little. It’s not a real “spacious” board but 90% of the time board feeds are not going to be very atmospheric. -
Audience 8.8 - This is a smooth and clear recording without much on the bottom end but such a decent middle that it almost doesn’t matter…besides you can add bass if you feel it is needed. What makes this such an interesting document to me (and obviously once upon a time it made an impression on someone else enough to make an LP of it) is that contrary to just being another US tour stop in the middle of the country, it is an energetic show with the band being in good spirits and an impressive set list to boot. -
Audience 8.5 - Sounds typical of medium halls where there’s some atmosphere but not terrible echo, a nice balance. Sonically, this is a little above average maybe, you get everything in balance, no ultra high highs or deep throbbing lows either. -
Early Show - Audience 8.4 - Not a tape that delivers a lot of dynamic range but is clear and everything on stage is heard. Also, some slight tape hiss present. A good recording maybe slightly above average. Late Show - Audience 8.8 - A lot more dynamic and brighter than the early set, this is a well recorded show. -
CD 1 - Studio 8.8 - Some tape hiss present and the music can get a little bunched up when at full blast but this is a good and lively recording nonetheless. CD 2 - Studio 8.6 - Some tape hiss and mildly compressed but overall should make for a fun listen as the material is certainly more fleshed out here as opposed to disc one where songs are being dissected and worked on. * Bonus: The live bonus tracks sound great! -
Audience 8.4 - A weird sound mix on this show, the kick drum is up front, and then vocals, with an indistinct full band behind it all. A recording that lacks a lot of mid range kick, so an EQ boost in that range would help a lot. That all being said, it seems taper did eventually move to a better spot because it gets clearer as it goes, and Frank’s guitar does shine at many intervals as well. Note: Also features a pre show interview with Frank on WGRQ 97 Rock. -
CD 1 - Audience 8.7 - A good and vibrant sound with maybe a touch of tape noise, but not enough of it to ruin the experience at all. CD 2 - Audience 9.1 - A much crisper and clearer tape than the first set, Both are highly enjoyable, the second set is really well done! -
Audience 8.3 - A tape that desperately cried out for remastering finally got its wish, and man, what a difference! This show really deserved something to help it from what was a painful mid range boominess. It got that and more. A great show and a great set list is now a great addition to your collection thanks to some skilled handiwork in the art of re-mastering. -
Audience 8.7 - Clear, and a good mix with Frank at the front – performance here is stellar! -
Audience 8.2 (both shows) -
Audience 7.3 - Hissy, compressed leaning towards bottom end side and vocals are drowned out. Somewhere in the middle is where all the music is and you can actually discern pretty much all of it, mainly bass, keys, and some drums in there too (drums in the stew). -
Soundboard? I think it could be because there’s no audience noise here. It’s an OK board if it is, but quality is hovering around 8.6 so it is well worth getting. -
Audience 8.4 - Pretty darn good for a small club gig with amateur audience recording technique, if indeed it was done by an audience member. As you know, Frank sometimes recorded the band, not always through the board either. -
Soundboard 8.7 - It’s real good, but maybe needs boosting of some frequencies somewhere, and the mix does not favor drums or keys too much, but, um, loves the guitar so there ya go. -
Audience 8.8 - Someone did their homework on how to capture a great sound on their recording device. Guitar especially, very defined and crisp. Drums are somewhat behind the action but everything is still clearly heard. Good job! -
Audience 8.4 - Using a master tape source, this show has been remastered to reveal what is a very decent recording with flaws. There are occasional hiccups throughout mainly the 1st half then it evens out, but even those have been carefully edited for a smoother flow. Overall this is a great find, a band that seems to be enjoying every performance and especially when it is time to improvise. -
Soundboard 9.0 - Some piano trouble apparently began this show, and there’s some hissiness (not that bad) to contend with in the quieter parts. Still, a lot of fun. -
Soundboard 9.2 - Leaning toward treble but still a good, tight show again by Zappa and crew. -
Audience 8.4 - A somewhat narrow sound field but a thoroughly enjoyable 1973 performance nonetheless. There are one of two tape flips and a little audience conversation (in Norwegian) but that is to be expected. -
Soundboard 9.0 - Clean and tight but no atmosphere present. Rather dry, but mix is fine, quality is awesome. (late show) -
Soundboard 9.1 - Love the bass sound here, very defined, and good mix but I think keys could have been up more, but they are there. Guitars sound very present and living room live. -
Soundboard 9.4 - Crisp, with incredible detail on drums, A very tight punchy sound that is quite exhilarating. Wonderful! -
Soundboard - Sounds like it may actually be a close mic’d recording as there is little audience noise and yet there is a sense of the venue and atmosphere in the vocals especially. Very good! -
Soundboard 9.2 - Clear sound and great mix and very worth having. -
Audience 8.7 - Very direct sound, as if taper had great seats, but there’s some background hiss that is not too bad, and the sound is not exactly “full bodied” but it’s pretty darn clear. A good one, and 1977 was not a tour where there is an overwhelming amount of recordings for some reason. -
Soundboard 9.3 -
Audience 7.9 - This tape shows its age but the master source for this CD is actually an old vinyl boot long since lost to the mists of time. Glad to have it, although I think only hard core collectors will really see the value here. That is not to say its dogshit either, because at times its actually very decent, but it fluctuates also back to mediocre, and that may be due to the tapers having to move or hide their equipment. I still like this one, and I think most Sabbath collectors will appreciate it. -
Audience 8.8 - Another great Halloween show at the Felt Forum in NYC. This was Franks favorite Holiday and so I think he always enjoyed playing at his best and with the help of whatever line up he chose to have, the performance was always top notch. -
Early show - Audience 8.3 / Late Show - Audience 8.5 -
Soundboard 8.5 and Soundboard 8.2 - One half of the show is much clearer than the other for some reason. Both have been remastered but one can only do so much. Still, this can be appreciated and being a board tape, it is pretty easy to hear each instrument. -
Audience 8.4 - Technically a good tape since everything is clear, not very dynamic and levels are kind of low. That being said, it is a tape you will crank very loudly, and that actually helps immensely. Do that, and this show rocks out!