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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. -
Soundboard 9.4 - Powerful, living room clarity in your face and just as good a mix as you can do. -
London 1978 Audience 8.5 - This is a show that has seen limited release as a bootleg CD but I have to assume one that only hardcore fans ever purchased. Now, many years later and thanks to the revolution in collecting shows, many of these sub-par recordings have re-emerged with the layers of muck and grime removed, and previously unheard frequencies and sounds uncovered. This is one such tape, and might I say it is really not that bad! I specifically highlight this tour because of the amazing set lists, so when “new” tapes surface, I think it is just great for the collectors as they rediscover this excellent period of Rush. Note: The filler on disc 2 is St. Paul 1978 which is only a fragment of the show as that is all that exists. Milwaukee 1978 Audience 8.3 - Another rare recording that would not have been given a second thought, due to the extremely poor dynamics and recording quality, has surfaced. This tape source has been thoroughly re-mastered and revealed itself to be listenable. Careful re-mastering is taking otherwise dismal recordings and making them to where you really have to stop and give pause, because it is yet further proof that we are living during an amazing time for collectors. The set lists during this time period are simply awesome, and the band is just firing on all cylinders, as they also were carrying over into 1979. Rush On Tour 1978 DISC 1 Hammersmith Odeon, London, England February 19, 1978 01 - Bastille Day 02 - Lakeside Park 03 - Bytor And The Snowdog 04 - Xanadu 05 - A Farewell To Kings 06 - Something For Nothing 07 - Cygnus X-1 08 - Closer To The Heart 09 - Anthem DISC 2: 01 - 2112 02 - Working Man - Fly By Night - In The Mood 03 - Drum Solo - Cinderella Man Civic Center, St. Paul, Minnesota December 9, 1978 04 - Anthem 05 - A Passage To Bangkok 06 - Bytor And The Snowdog Disc 3 Milwaukee Arena. Milwaukee, Wisconsin December 7, 1978 01 - Introduction - Anthem 02 - A Passage To Bangko 03 - Bytor And The Snow Dog 04 - Xanadu 05 - Something For Nothing 06 - The Trees 07 - Cygnus X-1 08 - Hemispheres 09 - Closer To The Heart DISC 4 01 - Circumstances 02 - A Farewell To Kings 03 - La Villa Strangiato 04 - 2112 05 - Working Man 06 - Bastille Day 07 - In The Mood 08 - Drum Solo -
Audience 9.7 - Almost as good as you can stand for an amateur capture. It won't even be apparent to you at first, it will be three or four songs in when you find you are completely captivated by this show. I mean, literally it sounds like you are right there. One of the best of the best for this tour without a doubt. Crisp clean and refreshing! -
Audience 8.8 - This is considered to be one of those recordings that every Rush collector should have, possibly because it is a great recording of arguably their peak performance year. I really do think 1979 was them at their best, and this recording shows clearly why that remains my opinion. -
Soundboard 9.4 - Killer, rehearsals for the Counterparts Tour. -
Soundboard 9.7 - If you can't get into this, you are dead from the neck up. Totally badassery here! Get it. -
Audience 8.8 - This recording features tons of atmosphere and sometimes struggles over a loud audience. It is, however, very clear, with the majority of the sound mix favoring drums and bass but most prominently, Geddy’s vocals – which is fine – but Alex needs to be LOUDER man! He’s there, he’s just not up as front here as I would prefer. In my quest to obtain every 2015 recording, I do not decide a preference for which ones I offer as most of them are very good to excellent and this here is no exception. Rush US Airways Center Phoenix, AZ July 27, 2015 Disc 1 01 -Video - The World Is...The World Is 02 -The Anarchist 03 -The Wreckers 04 -Headlong Flight (with “Drumbastica” mini drum solo) 05 -Far Cry 06 -The Main Monkey Business 07 -How It Is 08 -Animate 09 -Roll The Bones 10 -Between The Wheels 11 -Subdivisions Disc 2 12 -Video - No Country For Old Hens 13 -Tom Sawyer 14 -The Camera Eye 15 -The Spirit of Radio 16 -Jacob's Ladder 17 -Hemispheres- Prelude 18 -Cygnus X-1 (with drum solo #2) 19 -Closer To The Heart Disc 3 20 -Xanadu 21 -2112 (Overture - Temples of Syrinx - Presentation - Grand Finale) 22 -Video - Mel’s Rock Pile 23 -Lakeside Park 24 -Anthem 25 -What You're Doing 26 -Working Man (with Garden Road teaser) 27 -Video - Exit Stage Left 28 -Outro music - Closer To The Heart (polka version) -
Soundboard 9.4 - Killer! -
Audience 9.1 - Incomplete show but man, get this one now! Superb capture with a good tight bass, some airiness in the drums but maintaining lovely timbre both high and low, guitar good but maybe just behind bass and drums…overall yeah this smokes! -
Audience 8.8 - Most likely master tape source here, there’s no tape noise it is super clear. More emphasis on the upper mid and highs, but it’s not shrill or anything like that. This is a very good recording. Rush - Streets of Diversity Date: May 24, 1981 Location: Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island, USA DISC 1: 01 - 2112: Overture / The Temples of Syrinx 6:40 02 - Freewill 6:06 03 - Limelight 4:39 04 - Hemispheres: Prelude 4:26 05 - Beneath, Between & Behind 2:43 06 - The Camera Eye 11:22 07 - YYZ / Drum Solo 8:37 08 - Broon's Bane 1:38 09 - The Trees 4:32 10 - Xanadu 12:42 DISC 2: 01 - The Spirit of Radio 5:47 02 - Red Barchetta 6:58 03 - Closer to the Heart 3:54 04 - Tom Sawyer 4:55 05 - Vital Signs 5:10 06 - Natural Science 8:28 07 - Working Man 1:23 08 - Hemispheres: Armageddon 0:52 09 - By-Tor & the Snow Dog 3:57 10 - In the End 1:40 11 - In the Mood 1:33 12 - 2112: Grand Finale 2:38 13 - La Villa Strangiato 9:46 -
Audience 8.8 - A wide open and bright recording that highlights the fact that you are in a big venue. The show has that huge feel to it, the vocals sort of slightly echo off the walls (not in a bad way), and the P.A. system pushing out a massive wall of sound…not pinpoint accurate but it gets the job done. Rush Lawlor Events Center Reno, Nevada June 1, 1992 DISC 1 01 - Intro 0:45 02 - Force Ten 4:42 03 - Limelight 4:19 04 - Freewill 4:04 05 - Distant Early Warning 4:27 06 - Time Stand Still 6:13 07 - Dreamline 5:04 08 - Bravado 6:36 09 - Roll The Bones 6:15 10 - Show Don't Tell 6:16 11 - The Big Money 6:09 12 - Vital Signs 4:44 13 - The Analog Kid 5;16 DISC 2 01 - Ghost Of A Chance 5:47 02 - The Trees 4:50 03 - Where's My Thing? 5:30 04 - The Rhythm Method 7:44 05 - Closer To The Heart 4:41 06 - Xanadu 6:41 07 - Superconductor 5:05 08 - Tom Sawyer 6:06 09 - The Spirit Of Radio 4:46 10 - 2112 Overture 3:19 11 - Finding My Way 2:05 12 - La Villa Strangiato 3:15 13 - Anthem 1:44 14 - Red Barchetta 1:34 15 - The Spirit Of Radio Reprised 0:47 16 - Cygnus X-1 0:51 -
Audience 7.8 - Everyone knows of this one, it’s one of the MUST HAVE’S for Rush fans but that doesn’t mean it is perfect audio – there’s a bit of distortion (not too much) and some phasing here and there, and other little flaws but man oh man, just do yourself a favor and get it because it is one of the painfully few times the band performed The Necromancer and here it is in reasonably good quality and it does KILL in every sense of the word. Again, a MUST have! -
Sale!
Audience 8.8 - For the time, this is a wonderful sounding audience capture. Usually you get a very one dimensional and boomy sound but this one is refreshingly stereophonic and wide, warm, punchy with just that little touch of vocal reverb that allows you to get a sense of the venue. Really really good! (Atmospheric) -
Audience 9.0 - This recording, while captured from the wilds of the audience, is very deep, full-bodied and pleasing to the ears. You will have to deal with the fans, but they aren’t ruining this capture they are just present. I liked this one a lot, I listened all the way through in fact. You will appreciate the taper’s efforts as I did. Rush California Expo Sacramento, CA June 26, 1990 DISC 1 01 - Force Ten 5:22 02 - Freewill 3:51 03 - Distant Early Warning 4:14 04 - Time Stand Still 5:48 05 - Subdivisions 5:21 06 - Marathon 6:32 07 - Red Barchetta 6:38 08 - Superconductor 5:01 09 - Show Don't Tell 6:21 10 - The Pass 4:58 11 - Closer To The Heart 4:54 DISC 2 01 - Manhattan Project 4:57 02 - Xanadu 6:26 03 - YYZ 3:06 04 - Drum Solo 4:57 05 - Scars 4:33 06 - War Paint 5:36 07 - Mission 5:25 08 - Tom Sawyer 6:13 09 - The Spirit Of Radio 4:53 10 - 2112 Overture 3:12 11 - La Villa Strangiato 4:42 12 - In The Mood 2:05 13 - Pipeline - Jazz Bass 1:11 -
Sale!
Audience 8.6 - This recording straddles the fence a little. On the one hand, it’s got very defined highs and good overall acoustics but also a pretty rowdy audience that whoops and hollers (this is Texas after all). I can’t really blame them though, this is actually THE best Presto gig I have ever heard as far as the performance. Not all Rush shows are homogenous by the way. Listen to Alex rip on La Villa Strangiato for example. They are firing on all eight (with the lone exception being a marginal effort on the beginning of Xanadu).