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Audience 7.7 - Ever wonder what the opening act was like? OK, so this is a great example of that – a band that opened for Jethro Tull in 1970 and someone recorded them. Are they good? They are very competent and it’s easy to see why they got the slot. The recording is kind of one-dimensional but sufficient to allow you to hear it all, with clarity, just not a lot of dynamics. This is probably the only existing live recording of them so it’s worth grabbing.
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Audience 7.8 - A recording that slowly gets a little better after the first song or two but I have to tell you – for historical purposes this recording is the first time Brian Johnson appears on tape with the band (live, not studio). I think he does a fine job filling the spot too, but that’s up to every fan to decide.
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Audience 7.1 - One for completists only, but even then, this version has been given a touch of boost (recording levels were low), EQ and hiss reduction (very very lightly) making it an upgrade to previous versions. Good set list, band sound good (Ozzy in a great mood). I think it’s not a total loss of a recording, because the one thing it does also have going for it, is that it is not a garbled muddy mess (that is a deal breaker for me).
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Audience 8.6 - A strong recording that you know was done by people who were careful and prepared because right away you can hear them getting the recording levels set during the opening bars of the first song. They knew what they were doing! A lively gig, the band riding high and looking to prove that the hype was for real. Get this!
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Studio 8.7 - A little sonic degradation to these professional studio demos (the bonus tracks are abbreviated probably due to legal reasons at the time they were recorded). Some of the tracks are better quality, but the worst are still very good, just maybe a little loss of clarity and fidelity but nothing major. You’ll enjoy this if you are a fan.
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Audience 8.6 - A very early tape featuring the bands original guitarist. For those who have not heard anything like this before, well, it does not sound like the Police as we know them, it’s still good, but different. To my ears, the guitarist does not have the polish we have come to expect from this band, but he’s got quite a lot of spit!