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Audience 8.4 - This is a case of a show, actually let me re-phrase that, this WAS a show that many collectors lamented as being a superb performance marred by very marginal sound quality. Not anymore! Friends, this new direct from master source and re-mastered version of this totally excellent gig is simply a joy to get to listen to in this improved quality. Not that it is astounding, in fact it still has issues, but the jump from what it was (about a 7.3) to what it is now is too great an improvement to not shower heaps of praise upon it. Note: It doesn’t get good until about halfway through the first song, then there is a little cut in the tape, and then it gets noticeably better and better.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Audience 8.8 - This is a really nice one, pretty atmospheric without being reverby and hollow and the live sound mix is pretty right-on. The sound separation here presents itself as what feels like stereo to me, whether or not taper used two mics I do not know but it does sound like it. The band is really hot!
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Soundboard 8.5 - It’s really hard to tell but I think it’s a board because of the way the sound is mixed. Vocals are way up front, and then they get pushed a little back, and there’s a lack of surrounding noise. There is some tape noise present. The audience noise you do hear sounds like it is picked up from one of the stage mics.
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Audience 8.1 - Not that bad, but vocals a little back, and some tape distortion in the mid band somewhere that does not bother but it is there lurking. The Mellotron adds a nice sweeping atmosphere. Bonus disc - Audience 7.0 - Presents occasional tape flaws, so is something for collectors only. Spirit My Father's Place Old Roslyn, New York August 8th 1976, 1st and 2nd shows Disc 1 1st Show 01. Nature's Way 02. Veruska 03. Little Time To Fly 04. Like A Rolling Stone 05. Farther Along 06. Mr Skin 07. Stoney Night 08. Fresh Garbage 09. World Eat World Dog 10. 1984 11. It's All The Same 12. I Got A Line On You 13. Animal Zoo 14, Hey Joe Disc 2 2nd Show 01. Prelude - Nothing To Hide 02. Nature's Way 03. Like A Rolling Stone 04. World Eat World Dog 05. Mr Skin 06. Farther Along 07. Stoney Night 08. Mega Star 09. I Got A Line On You 10. Reelin' In The Night 11. Dark Eyed Woman 12. 1984 Original reunion with Neil Young, Santa Monica, Ca., August 28 1976 13. Just Like Thumb's Blues 14. Like A Rolling Stone
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Audience 8.4 - Some tape hiss present, and recorded from maybe midway back in the hall but if you turn up the volume a bit, this actually is very decent quality. Having relatively low recording levels means, essentially, they were conscience of overloading and distortion so they protected against that. You can turn the volume up as loud as you can stand, and it sounds better and better!
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Soundboard 9.0 - For those who want to know what Bruce Springsteen was about before he went all FM friendly singer songwriter, look no further than this hard and heavy hard rock jam fest from 1971. I do not like Bruce, I think he’s kind of a big douche, but damn you have to give him props because he is a rock and roll survivor and this early stuff smokes.