-
Audience 8.8 - This is what we all look forward to as Rush collectors, another great, and rare, Rush show from one of their best time periods. While not quite as clear as the Boston 79, this tape gives us a great aural spectrum for our ears to delight in. Bright, and plenty of good atmosphere while retaining a tight focus even in a large arena. Rush Richfield Coliseum Cleveland, OH. February 3, 1979 Disc 1 1. -Anthem 2. -A Passage To Bangkok 3. -By-Tor And The Snow Dog 4. -Xanadu 5. -Something for Nothing 6. -The Trees 7. -Cygnus X-1 8. -Hemispheres 9. -Closer to the Heart Disc 2 1. -Circumstances 2. -A Farewell to Kings 3. -La Villa Strangiato 4. -2112 5. -Working Man 6. -Bastille Day 7. -In the Mood 8. -Drum Solo -
Audience 9.2 - A lovely, spacious, almost elegant recording even though it is originating somewhere in the middle I would guess. The sound feels slightly above you, but it’s warm and pleasant. The only knock is that taper missed a little of a couple of songs due to hassles from security. I can forgive that, at least they didn’t seize his gear. Good job taper! RUSH November 4, 1996 Gund Arena Cleveland, OH, USA Disc 1 01 Intro 02 Dreamline 03 The Big Money 04 Driven 05 Half the World 06 Red Barchetta 07 Animate 08 Limbo 09 The Trees 10 Red Sector A 11 Virtuality Disc 2 12 Nobody's Hero 13 2112: Overture 14 2112: Temples of Syrinx 15 2112: Discovery 16 2112: Presentation 17 2112: Oracle-The Dream 18 2112: Soliloquy 19 2112: Grand Finale 20 Intro 21 Test For Echo 22 Subdivisions 23 Freewill Disc 3 24 Roll the Bones 25 Time and Motion 26 Leave That Thing Alone 27 Drum Solo 28 Natural Science 29 Force Ten 30 The Spirit of Radio 31 Tom Sawyer 32 YYZ 33 Cygnus X-1 -
RUSH Cow Palace, Daly City, CA May 24th 1984 THE BAND Geddy Lee vocals bass keyboards Alex Lifeson guitar Neil Peart drums SETLIST 1 -Intro 2 -The Spirit of Radio 3 -Subdivisions 4 -The Body Electric 5 -The Enemy Within 6 -(Count Floyd Intro) The Weapon 7 -Witch Hunt 8 -(Intro) New World Man 9 -Between the Wheels 10 -Red Barchetta 11 -Distant Early Warning 12 -Red Sector A 13 -Closer to the Heart 14 -Afterimage 15 -YYZ 16 -2112 The Temples of Syrinx 17 -Tom Sawyer 18 -Red Lenses 19 -Drum Solo 20 -Vital Signs 21 -Finding My Way 22 -In the MoodAudience 8.6 - A recording that is very clear and bright but lacks low end…but do not take that as saying this recording is too thin. It’s got just enough in the middle and bottom to allow you to attenuate the recording to your liking and in that regard you will find yourself going with this one often. It’s not a one and done show at all. GREAT find and appreciated a little bit more being that it’s a Grace Under Pressure tour gig which for some reason there’s not a plethora of excellent recordings from this tour. -
Audience 9.0 -
Audience 8.6 - OK, so this is one you might not be too familiar with, but it’s from ’79 so you know you gotta have it…so what’s the catch? Does it suck? Naw man, this recording actually captures THE EVENT in a way that sounds so realistic you’d think you were there. Now, here’s the catch – poor taper’s gear just was not quite up to the challenge of the volume and so there’s the little tiniest bit of distortion that affects one very narrow piece of the middle bandwidth that thankfully is not the annoying kind of distortion, it’s not a deal breaker. It does mean you may not wish to crank this up too loud as the louder it gets the more that frequency announces its presence to your ears. That being said, if you want complete immersion this tape provides it and then some. For that reason I think you have to dive in, I did and I really do appreciate this kind of tape. Rush Date: May 27, 1979 Location: Stadhalle, Erlangen, Germany DISC 1: 01 - Anthem 4:27 02 - A Passage To Bangkok 4:01 03 - Bytor And The Snowdog 5:27 04 - Xanadu 12:32 05 - The Trees 5:00 06 - Hemispheres 11:34 07 - Closer To The Heart 3:26 DISC 2: 01 - A Farewell To Kings 5:43 02 - La Villa Strangiato 10:09 03 - 2112 17:53 04 - Working Man 3:59 -
Audience 8.8 - What happens when you take an already good tape and make it better?....This....MAJOR UPGRADE! -
Audience 8.6 - Go ahead and crank this, the louder it gets the better it sounds. -
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 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 6.6 – 7.0 - Noisy and one dimensional. The performance is special, Alex is inspired. There are moments of clarity on this tape, it is not complete garbage at all, but overall is not one of the best recordings out there. -
Audience 8.4 - Captures the PA sound in reasonable quality, as if you are midway back on floor, so you do get the special aspect, you get some hall verb for sure but I have heard worse. -
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 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. -
Soundboard 9.8 -
Audience 8.1 - A low generation tape used for this source helps immensely, as it sounds maybe recorded from middle of the floor, but it is actually quite good, a recommended addition to your collection. -
Audience 8.8 - A little bit one dimensional but at least that dimension is very good! Vocals a bit behind here, but only a little. Drums, guitar – aw yeah! -
Soundboard 9.2 - A warm sounding tape, very punchy where it needs to be, maybe if I can complain about anything it would be in the relative sterility of it but that’s a soundboard’s Achilles heel isn’t it ? I’d recommend this to anyone, it is what we like to call “a keeper” for sure! Disc 1 1-1 Subdivisions 1-2 The Body Electric 1-3 The Enemy Within 1-4 The Weapon 1-5 Witch Hunt 1-6 New World Man 1-7 Between The Wheels 1-8 Red Barchetta Disc 2 2-1 Distant Early Warning 2-2 Red Sector A 2-3 Closer To The Heart 2-4 YYZ 2-5 Drum Solo 2-6 YYZ (Cont.) 2-7 Temples Of Syrinx 2-8 Tom Sawyer 2-9 Red Lenses Notes: Live at Neil Blaisdell Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA 25th November 1984 [STEREO SOUNBOARD] (noiseless!) The last show of Grace Under Pressure Tour -
Audience 7.8 - A little bit rough but its incredible nonetheless…see, truth be told it took me 10 years to finally acquire this show. I have a special interest in it. I will say that, actual audio fidelity, while not hi-fi, is not lo-fi either – it has some power to it (without distortion!) and I LOVE the audience reactions throughout. A fiery gig! -
Audience 8.4 - Not a great one, but certainly indicative of the band and their sound in 1994, a year that I do not have a plethora of recordings from…also it is a Houston show and since I am from there…Good enough! Rush The Summit Houston, TX. January 26, 1994 1. -Roll The Bones 2. -Animate 3. -Stick It Out 4. -Double Agent 5. -Limelight 6. -Mystic Rhythms 7. -Closer To The Heart 8. -The Rhythm Method 9. -The Trees 10. -Xanadu 11. -Hemispheres - Prelude 12. -Tom Sawyer 13. -Force Ten 14. -YYZ -
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. -
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! -
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 8.8 - Warm sound, leveled off somewhere in the upper mid and stays there…with quality. -
Audience 8.6 - Very low gen (no noise) recording that is leaning much more towards the bright side, perhaps even a little bit crispy but a recording like this can be tuned to your liking. What prevents a recording from having any chance at all is muddiness, and thankfully there is no muddy quality to this tape. All in all, I have to rate this as a show that one notices first the performance (from the opening notes you know it is going to be a good one), and the ears do adjust to the concert hall sound very soon, notwithstanding the EXTREMELY excited audience…like, throughout the entire show. Can’t blame ‘em I guess, but damn let the band play! Rush Lakeland Civic Center Arena Lakeland, Florida, USA Sunday April 11th, 1982 Track List: Disc 1: 2112 (Overture/The Temples Of Syrinx) Freewill Limelight Beneath, Between & Behind Subdivisions (Early Version) The Camera Eye YYZ / drum solo Broon's Bane The Trees The Analog Kid (Early Version) Disc 2: The Spirit of Radio Red Barchetta Closer to the Heart Tom Sawyer Vital Signs Working Man Hemispheres (Armageddon) By-Tor & The Snow Dog In The End In The Mood 2112 (Grand Finale) La Villa Strangiato -
Soundboard 8.7 - Technically a clean board but the mix is great if you are a drummer. I exaggerate, it’s decent, but yes this is one to play for aspiring drummers as Neil is well recorded and mixed. There are some minor negative complaints I can make to the recording, but they are on technical levels and most ears will be receptive to this soundboard. -
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 8.9 - This recording gives off a sense of massive power with Geddy’s bass sound being huge and round and dead on – with a great open expanse overhead allowing the music to breathe a little. This atmosphere allows the music to sometimes move around in the stereo field a little which is nice. I like this kind of recording when it comes to the larger venues. -
Audience 8.6 - This very decent old tape, previously ignored by collectors, takes a minute or two to get going so don’t be disappointed just hang in there. Once it settles in, it’s a very good tape that suffers maybe from some tape noise but really what I am going to tell you is that I would listen to this again because the performance here is among the very best, most ferocious I have honestly ever heard and I have heard MANY Rush recordings. Rush Liverpool Empire Liverpool, England 25 February 1978 Disc 1 01 - Bastille Day 02 - Lakeside Park 03 - By-Tor And The Snow Dog 04 - Xanadu 05 - A Farewell To Kings 06 - Something For Nothing 07 - Cygnus X-1 Disc 2 08 - Anthem 09 - Closer To The Heart 10 - 2112 11 - Working Man 12 - Fly By Night 13 - In The Mood 14 - Cinderella Man -
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 7.8–8.3 - Stick with this one all the way through. Taper finds the sweet spot eventually. I rather enjoyed this one! -
Audience 9.4 - Thankfully the final show of their last Tour features a superbly captured tape with good tight sound. -
Audience 8.4 - There’s some tape noise on this that should have been removed but I find this thin but pleasant, it’s not an annoying thin it’s just a limitation of the gear. Can EQ to taste, it will respond well I think. -
Audience 7.2 - Respectable audience capture if a little thin. You can enjoy this, add some bass though. -
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 9.0 -
Audience 8.7 - So it’s kind of in the middle of the venue and so you sacrifice a little clarity in the low mid but man, somebody did know what they were doing here. It’s very clear in the upper end, there’s no real boominess or echo either. It’s the best middle of the floor aud tape I think I have ever heard, and the best part is the band is really cooking. I think you will be happy with this. -
Audience 8.8 - Man, why do we have to wait over 35 years for a new Rush tape to surface? Come on guys! Let’s get them out before we’re all dead! Ha ha! So, this is just fantastic! For one thing, it’s early Rush, just prior to the start of 2112, and there’s just not a lot out there that is listenable. This is listenable, and it ain’t perfect but it is perfect at the same time – how to explain that seemingly contradictory statement? Collectors will understand me…it lacks some of the niceties we’ve grown accustomed to nowadays but it also delivers things we do not frequently hear on Rush audience tapes and that is a very defined, well rounded and clearly heard bass sound. Geddy is in fine form, the band means business! Get this if you know what is good for you. Rush Randhurst Arena Mount Prospect, Illinois March 5, 1976 01 -Intro 02 -Bastille Day 03 -Anthem 04 -Lakeside Park 05 -I Think I'm Going Bald 06 -By-Tor & The Snow Dog 07 -Fly by Night 08 -Working Man - Drum Solo 09 -Finding My Way -
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. -
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 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. -
Soundboard 9.6 - A most welcome addition to the amazing live Rush catalog, this recently discovered board tape is the upgrade to the pre-existing release of long ago, and THAT was also killer...just missing 6 songs. Now, we have this amazing document in its complete glory. Rush Madison Square Garden New York City, NY December 7, 1991 Disc One 1. Intro/Force Ten 5:02 2. Limelight 4:21 3. Freewill 4:02 4. Distant Early Warning 4:29 5. Time Stand Still 6:00 6. Dreamline 5:10 7. Bravado 7:01 8. Roll The Bones 6:03 9. Show Don’t Tell 6:17 10. The Big Money 6:16 11. Ghost Of A Chance 5:33 Disc Two 1. Subdivisions 4:07 2. The Pass 4:59 3. Where’s My Thing? 5:12 4. The Rhythm Method 7:28 5. Closer To The Heart 4:45 6. Xanadu 6:34 7. Superconductor 5:09 8. Tom Sawyer 6:06 9. The Spirit Of Radio 4:56 10. 2112: Overture 3:22 11. Finding My Way 2:08 12. La Villa Strangiato 3:17 13. Anthem 1:42 14. Red Barchetta 1:35 15. The Spirit Of Radio (Reprise) 0:41 -
Audience 6.7 - 6.9 - Fluctuates, can hear everything but there's a slight rumbling underneath. Quieter passages 7.5 -
Audience 7.5 - What saves this is a rich bottom end that is surprisingly warm without overt boominess. Guitar is present but sometimes hides behind the noise. Sound tends to come in and go slightly out in a wave like fashion but it’s subtle. Sometimes this gets clear and decent and then sometimes it seems to be brittle and cluttered in the lower end of the midrange. The rating is pretty accurate. It’s not atrocious – it’s for collectors though. -
Soundboard 9.0 - Wow what a find this one is! Early Rush show in soundboard quality, oh man! Yeah, you gotta get this, I mean, what more can one say about it? Fantastic find, what a nice surprise for the loyal Rush fans! -
Audience 8.5 -
Audience 9.1 - Coming from the original master tape, this show circulated online claiming 1st generation source and let me tell you, just toss that one out because ladies and gentlemen prepare to ENTER THE PALLADIUM and be blown away! After adjusting position during first song, the rest of the show (with just one or two minor dropouts) really soars to great heights both sonically and performance-wise. A crisp, airy but tight sound very close up front and no distortion, tape noise, or artifacts. Simply put, if you are a Rush fan, you need this. -
Audience 8.8 - Clear and bright, and wide open enough to be able to get a realistic sense of what it was like at the venue. Maybe a little light on the bottom, but it’s hard to knock it as it’s so crisp and clear. Rush - Oakland 81 June 6, 1981 Oakland-Alameda Couty Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California, USA DISC 1: 01 - 2112: Overture / The Temples of Syrinx 6:18 02 - Freewill 6:10 03 - Limelight 4:49 04 - Hemispheres: Prelude 4:26 05 - Beneath, Between & Behind 2:49 06 - The Camera Eye 11:17 07 - YYZ 2:24 08 - Drum Solo / YYZ (cont.) 5:45 09 - Broon's Bane 0:53 10 - The Trees 2:46 11 - Xanadu 11:45 DISC 2: 01 - The Spirit of Radio 4:35 02 - Red Barchetta 7:03 03 - Closer to the Heart 3:20 04 - Tom Sawyer 5:00 05 - Vital Signs 5:12 06 - Natural Science 8:37 07 - Working Man / Armageddon / By-Tor & the Snow Dog / In the End / In the Mood / 2112: Grand Finale 12:08 -
Soundboard 9.3 - Very nice mix right in the sweet spot.