Aud 7.6 - decent all around without a lot of dynamics but strong |
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Audience 8.6 - This is a very fine recording that has recently surfaced, a tour that had the band displaying their absolute mastery of the ultra complex progressive rock extravaganzas that sometimes took up nearly the entire side of an LP. Audiences back then were fully engaged with such performances, unlike today.
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Soundboard 9.1 - The source used for this CD is a DAT tape made from a direct transfer of Joey Molland’s tapes of the show. Whether that means it is the same as what else is out there, I do not know, but it is possible that the radio station did their own recording for broadcast and other releases use the FM broadcast. This is not that! The sound quality is uneven at times while the levels are adjusted but after that it’s smooth sailing.
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2 Shows: CD 1 - Audience 8.3 - A very good, reasonably clear tape that does not showcase a wide dynamic range but doesn’t really need to, I mean to say, it’s an historic artifact that most fans and collectors of Love/Arthur Lee will be very happy to hear. CD 2 - Audience 8.1 - This tape starts off kind of rough but gradually gets better until it gets to a consistency that you can appreciate for what it is. It does not take much of the show before it gets better which is a relief because it is a good, strong show. Disc 3 is a video CD (MP4 file) of 6 minutes, very Rare, never before seen b/w video footage of Love a few days before the show on disc one.
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FM Broadcast 9.2 - This was a real revelation for me because I had not known much about this band other than “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”. I find them to be similar in a lot of ways to maybe Marshall Tucker Band and Allman Brothers, where perhaps if Allmans were Southern Comfort then CDB would be Jack Daniels. This period of the band features Billy Cox (Hendrix/Band of Gypsys) on bass too, which I never knew about either (I would have lost on Jeopardy).
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Sale!Audience 8.5 - A significant evening for the band as they headline their first show, just after being booted from ZZ Top tour. Sounds fine, taper does maneuver at times and the movement is picked up on the sensitive mic, but overall this is very listenable if not overly dynamic. Good to have it, a very important show in Black Crowes history.
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Sale!Audience 9,6 and Audience 8.4 - The UK 78 material is fantastic! Vibrant and dynamic, should be released officially.
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NEW SOURCE Audience 8.7 This is a major upgrade to the previous version (see old review below for comparison) and as such we felt that it had to be offered here as a replacement. If you purchased the previous version (the artwork is untouched, only the music has been replaced in this set) than you are entitled to receive replacement discs without charge (pay postage cost only). Just reach out to us and we will take it from there. If you have never bought this title, than consider this one worthy of the collection. I will offer this caveat though - it is a recording that still shows its share of shortcomings, such as maybe a touch of overload during more bombastic passages (not nearly as bad as previous!), and the last track is incomplete (better an incomplete but listenable track than a totally un-listenable mess). OLD SOURCE Audience 7.2 This one is rather mediocre, although it is not “unlistenable” at all, but compared to other 1977 recordings it is what I would classify as “for completists only”. That being said, I can point out a few moments of this concert that I found interesting in a lot of ways. Like, during Pigs On The Wing Pt.1 you hear large explosions from the audience (possibly fireworks or maybe PA problem?) and you immediately think of Roger and how he’s probably disgusted with the whole thing by this time. Pink Floyd Spectrum Theater Philadelphia, PA, USA 29 June 1977 Disc 1 01 Sheep 02 Pigs On The Wing, Part 1 03 Dogs 04 Pigs On The Wing, Part 2 05 Pigs (Three Different Ones) 06 Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) Disc 2 07 Welcome To The Machine 08 Have A Cigar 09 Wish You Were Here 10 Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX) 11 Money 12 Us And Them
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Sale!Audience 7.3 - A tape new to the collectors, it is not without its limitations but it is audible. Without the re-mastering I would not recommend it on any level but for its rarity, however, it is now listenable (as if a layer of grime was wiped away).
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Sale!Audience 7.5 - Technology has done wonders for the collecting world, this tape is a classic example of going from unlistenable muck to actually hearing what the band was doing. You will still place this one in the “fair to average” category but in the pantheon of Sabbath shows this is one hell of a barnburner. I wish we had something a little better, but this tape is MUCH better sounding now than it was 10 years ago.
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Sale!Audience 9.1 - Truly an immersive listening experience, literally you are in the crowd close to the stage but the sound is probably better than what your ears were hearing at the show simply because massive volume tends to ruin your ability to decipher anything remotely close to “music”. This tape allows you to hear the actual music, and mayhem too! Sounds like it was a real blast to have been there.
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Audience 8.6 - A gem of a show, and a recording that thankfully is pretty decent although it does highlight Halford at the expense of the rest of the band. That actually works well here because Rob is just killing it, hitting every high note and wowing the audience. The musicianship is as always a cut above the rest, hence the reason this band lives on to this day. A keeper!
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Audience 8.4 - Not super dynamic but pretty clear, a decent ’74 tape where you can hear and enjoy everything (including the crowd) quite clearly but without a wide palate of audio spectrum. Not saying it is thin, not saying it is one-dimensional either, just that from highs to lows you aren’t going to have much depth although you can EQ and probably adjust to your specific needs. A good tape.
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Sale!Audience 9.3 - This recording effectively conveys the power and volume of the gig, with pretty much a direct blunt force to your brain. There’s not a helluva a lot of headroom in the recording meaning the levels are at peak (no clipping or distortion) so if you plan to crank it loud, just be prepared for a lot of neighborhood complaints.
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Sale!Soundboard 9.4 - As can be expected this is professionally done and the source is low gen as it sounds fresh and crisp with minimal tape noise.
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Sale!Audience 8.9 - Taper sitting very close, and manages to get a great recording without distorting or invasive shouting and screaming into the mic during the songs (well, maybe at the beginning of some songs). A good one, an old fashioned in your face bootleg recording of the Stones!
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Sale!Audience 7.8 - I love these little time capsules, maybe it’s not the best fidelity, but I can hear pretty much everything here and the bass is fat without distorting so it’s got some balls to it. You know, listening to things like this makes one really wish they had an actual time machine.
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Sale!Soundboard 9.7 - I love the way they recorded the vocals, it has a very cool quality to it, such that it lends that sort of electric spark to the proceedings. This is very energetic set by the band.
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Sale!Audience 7.7 - A distant recording, and some hiss present, but the music can be discerned. Not going to have a lot of dynamics, but for collectors out there, you can enjoy this one for what it is…and it continues to fill in the missing pieces of the Keith Moon years.
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Sale!Audience 8.7 - A decent tape that documents the first show of the ’77 Euro tour. There is a little bit of overcrowding in the mid to upper band, it’s not horrible but it prevents some of the detail in the guitar from being clearly heard. Bass sounds round and brassy, vocals are up front and clear.
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Sale!Audience 8.7 - An interesting tape, the recording is very lifelike and captures one of the best keyboard dominate performances I have ever heard. What I mean is, the keys really come to life on this one, as opposed to being merely “sound effects”, and the rest of the band is great too. A keeper!
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Sale!Audience 8.8 - This is a huge stadium and the sound is very atmospheric, you can hear the music swirl above your head giving you an amazing sense of space. It’s actually very cool! I feel like I am there, and I missed this concert so I am so happy to get to experience it.
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Audience 8.7 - I think this is an onstage recording, the audience sounds distant from the atmosphere as opposed to the band which sounds VERY close to the mic. It sounds like the mic is placed near the drummer and Roy’s amp, not the house mains (vocals are very low). This could also actually be a board tape, sometimes you get all the instruments and vocals are nonexistent because they are pushed exclusively through the main P.A. and the instruments usually have their own amplification. It’s hard to tell – sometimes you will swear this is a board tape, and other times a stage recording. It’s pretty good, a little muck in the middle when loud but mostly very good on your ears.
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Sale!Soundboard 9.5 - I believe this originates from an ALD recording, so yeah, it’s real good.