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Soundboard 9.3 - I was unfamiliar with the live sound of Stevie Wonder having only heard his studio output, I was happy to hear that he and his band really could jam. I’ll be exploring more live Wonder because of this show. Stevie Wonder Brighton Theatre Brighton, England, UK July 4, 1973 01. -Time Of Contusions 02. -Drums - Instrumental 03. -Stevie Talking 04. -Higher Ground 05. -Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You) 06. -To Know You Is To Love You 07. -Signed, Sealed, Delivered 08. -Visions In My Mind - Stevie Preaches - Visions In My Mind 09. -Sunshine Intro 10. -You Are The Sunshine Of My Life 11. -Superstition 12. -Lot Of My Dreams -
Audience 9.5 - This may be a pro audience recording because it has some of the hallmarks of it being managed by someone other than a concert goer. Not saying 100% certain, but it’s just too good and clean, and free of interference but who knows maybe it’s just a really astute taper? All I know is that this material and this quality make for a real revelation for people like me who glossed over the albums. Damn good stuff, with a stellar cast of characters. Same with the San Francisco 1977 tape which I include in this rating but is a soundboard…similar stellar sound quality maybe 9.6 but has a little more hiss present. Still, it is EXCELLENT! Stomu Yamashta's Go Royal Albert Hall London, England May 29, 1976 Disc 1 1. -Ghost Machine 2. -Surfspin 3. -Time Is Here 4. -Winner Loser - Band Introductions 5. -Solitude - Nature - Air Voice - Crossing The Line 6. -Man Of Leo Stomu Yamashta: drums, percussion Kevin Shrieve: guitar Ava Cherry: vocals Jess Roden: vocals Patrick Gleeson: synthesizers Michael Shrieve: drums Paul Jackson: bass Doni Harvey: guitar Brother James: percussion Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA September 26, 1977 7. -Prelude 8. -Seen You Before Disc 2 1. -Madness 2. -Mysteries Of Love 3. -Crossing The Line 4. -Wheels Of Fortune 5. -Beauty 6. -You And Me 7. -Instrumental Interlude 8. -Man Of Leo 9. -Wheels Of Fortune (Reprise) Stomu Yamashta - Piano, Percussion, Synthesizer Steve Winwood - Vocals, Keyboards Michael Shrieve - Drum Kit Al Di Meola - Solo Guitar Klaus Schulze - Synthesizers (Space Machine!) Jerome Rimson - Bass Pat Thrall - Guitar Brother James - Congas Karen Friedman - Vocals -
Radio Broadcast 8.7 - A little generation tape hiss but a good and clear, solid broadcast with excellent instrument sound separation. The band is a hybrid jazz/prog and rock with certain influence by Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, PFM, and Gentle Giant. -
Audience 9.3 - This is a rock and roll show the way it used to be..and I mean WAY used to be! So the experience is well worth checking out especially because this tape captured lightning in a bottle in a very good way. Atmosphere combined with great sound you cannot go wrong here. Stray Cats Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, NY November 25, 1982 01 -Introduction 02 -Your Baby Blues 03 -Double Talkin’ Baby 04 -Rumble In Brighton 05 -Drink That Bottle Down 06 -Build For Speed 07 -Rev It Up And Go 08 -C’mon Everybody 09 -Stray Cat Strut 10 -Lonely Summer Nights 11 -Fishnet Stockings 12 -Rock This Town 13 -Runaway Boys 14 -Can’t Hurry Love -
Originally released in 1978, this is a reissue on the Shadow Kingdom label. CD is SEALED. -
Audience 8.2 - Kind of bass heavy and muddy mix, but its OK once your ears adjust. -
Audience 9.0 - Great low end and high end signal! Rare to find both intact, you can turn this up loud. -
Audience 8.0 - Typical big rock sound. I like the Palo Alto show here, it’s the stronger of the two as far as clarity, but the San Francisco show sounds somewhat meatier ~ it’s a trade off. -
Audience 9.0 - High quality microphones placed in the right spot yield terrific results like this. Bravo! -
M Radio 8.9 - This is NOT the Mantra Studios 77, this is the concert from September of 1977 and it is GREAT! -
FM Radio Broadcast 9.2 - Very enjoyable, and tape runs stable and clean so you can blast this at your next gathering of friends (which is soon, hopefully). The bonus material (Kansas City 78) is very good also, an audience recording with nice atmosphere. All of the material in this set is prime era Styx, for me anyway. Styx Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL December 18, 1978 Band line up Dennis DeYoung - vocals, keyboards Tommy Shaw - guitar, vocals James Young - lead guitar, vocals John Panozzo - drums, vocals (passed away July 16, 1996, aged 47) Chuck Panozzo - bass, vocals Disc 1 01 -Intro - Great White Hope 02 -I'm O.K. 03 -The Grand Illusion 04 -Fooling Yourself 05 -Queen of Spades 06 -Acoustic Instrumental 07 -Crystal Ball 08 -Intro - Suite Madame Blue 09 -Renegade (incl. drum solo) 10 -Lady 11 -Blue Collar Man Disc 2 12 -Come Sail Away 13 -Intro - Midnight Ride (incl. guitar solo) 14 -Miss America Kemper Arena, Kansas City, MO November 21, 1978 15 Lady 16 Fooling Yourself 17 Suite Madame Blue 18 Come Sail Away 19 Midnight Ride 20 Miss America -
Audience 8.8 - A very clean, clear tape which to my ears only needs one thing – more “fatness” – but I found myself getting used to the more midrangey sound as I listened and then I realized it’s a very good recording that requires you to stick with it until it kind of normalizes. I mean, there’s bass here, and it’s actually somewhat detailed…that is what this tape offers more than anything is that each instrument is pretty distinct in this mix. That is what sucks you into the show and why I think it’s worth getting for the collection. Styx Ford Auditorium Detroit, MI 1976-11-29 01. Intro 02. Put Me On 03. Lorelei 04. Shooz 05. Madammoiselle 06. Light Up -> 07. Suite Madame Blue 08. Lady 09. Midnight Ride 10. Guitar Solo 11. 22 Years Band Members: Dennis DeYoung – vocals, keyboards, accordion John Panozzo – drums, percussion Chuck Panozzo – bass guitar, vocals James Young – vocals, guitar, keyboards Tommy Shaw – vocals, guitars, mandolin, autoharp, talkbox -
Audience 8.3 -
Long Beach 1978 Audience 9.3 - This recording could easily pass as a KBFH radio broadcast it is very well done, but my only complaint is one that probably has nothing to do with the tape itself but rather the stage mix. If you are a guitar guy, you will want more guitars in the mix – that being said you are going to be getting breathtaking keyboards, vocals, and solid drums and a bass that is there holding it together but not booming or rumbling. All in all, this one is quite different than other bootleg tapes of the era, it has a professionalism to it that you won’t hear often. I say this is probably a must have for Styx collectors. Oakland 1978 Audience 8.4 - Sadly, what tries to be a very good recording just doesn’t quite reach that status due mainly to what I believe is the wrong style of microphone used. To my ears, it sounds like a condenser mic, and consequently the audio is bunched up into the middle frequency leaving indistinct instrument separation. That being said, it’s “trying” to be very good and in spots it really is – mainly during quieter passages where you can tell the taper did bring pretty good gear. Almost but not quite, but still qualifying as a good addition to a Styx fan’s collection (and great as a “bonus” concert in this set). Styx Long Beach Arena Long Beach, CA January 27, 1978 Disc 1 01 The Grand Illusion 02 Lorelei 03 Mademoiselle 04 Fooling Yourself 05 Suite Madame Blue 06 Crystal Ball 07 Light Up 08 Lady Disc 2 09 Man In The Wilderness 10 Come Sail Away 11 Midnight Ride 12 Miss America 13 Born For Adventure Oakland Coliseum Arena Oakland, CA. October 19th 1978 Disc 3 1. -Great White Hope (7:01) 2. -Lorelei (6:39) 3. -I'm Okay (6:24) 4. -Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) (5:42) 5. -Suite Madame Blue (9:58) 6. -Crystal Ball (7:50) 7. -The Grand Illusion (4:58) Disc 4 1. -Renegade (10:59) 2. -Lady (4:25) 3. -Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) (6:15) 4. -Come Sail Away (9:40) 5. -Miss America (10:08) 6. -Midnight Ride (11:00) -
Audience 8.3 - A fun and rowdy crowd who seem to really appreciate the band and their music…a lot! Recording is decent, not particularly detailed but it’s a lot like being thrown into the crowd so you get plenty of enthusiasm near the tapers. I found it to be kind of amusing and not a one and done. Apollo Theatre Manchester, England 1978-05-11 AUDIENCE 75 minutes TRACKS: 1. -The Grand Illusion 2. -Lorelei 3. -Mademoiselle 4. -Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) 5. -Suite Madame Blue 6. -Crystal Ball 7. -Lady 8. -Man In The Wilderness 9. -Come Sail Away 10. -Midnight Ride 11. -Miss America STYX DENNIS DEYOUNG - keyboards, vocals & synthesizers CHUCK PANOZZO - bass guitar JOHN PANOZZO - drums & percussion JAMES YOUNG - lead guitar & vocals TOMMY SHAW - electric, 12-string and acoustic lead guitars & vocals This is the first time of STYX in England and Europe as well. -
Live in Studio Pro 9.4 -
Audience 8.6 - A tape that benefited from a recent re-mastering which boosted the middle frequencies so that it is no longer “hollowed out” like it was. Good round bottom end on this one, not boomy but present. Jai-Lai Fronton, Miami, FL December 4, 1977 Band line up Dennis DeYoung - vocals, keyboards Tommy Shaw - guitar, vocals James Young - lead guitar, vocals John Panozzo - drums, vocals (passed away July 16, 1996, aged 47) Chuck Panozzo - bass, vocals Total Time = 01:33:31 Setlist Disc 1 01 The Grand Illusion 02 Lorelei 03 Mademoiselle 04 Fooling Yourself 05 Suite Madame Blue 06 Crystal Ball 07 Light Up 08 Man In The Wilderness Disc 2 09 Come Sail Away 10 Lady 11 Midnight Ride 12 crowd cheer 13 Miss America 14 crowd cheer 15 Born For Adventure -
FM Broadcast 9.1 (Seattle) and Audience 8.3 (Fresno) - Two very cool shows with the first one taking the cake for fidelity but the second one is a stomper. It is pretty clear with guitar being very good and loud (screaming in fact!) but not at the expense of everything else. It’s lacking maybe some lower end definition and separation of instruments during their jamming parts (might lose some of the drums in there, and keyboards are absent sometimes) but these are not going to bother you when you start listening to this gig because it’s a thriller. STYX Paramount Theater Seattle, WA March 26, 1976 Reel to Reel Master @ 3 AND 3/4 ips KZOK Too High Concert Aired March 19th 1979 THE BAND Chuck Panozzo bass backing vocals James Young guitar backing and lead vocals Tommy Shaw guitar lead and backing vocals Dennis DeYoung lead and backing vocals keyboards John Panozzo drums Disc 1 1 -Intro 2 -Born For Adventure 3 -Lorelei 4 -You Need Love 5 -Suite Madame Blue 6 -Midnight Ride 7 -Rock and Roll Feeling with Guitar and Drum Solos 8 -KZOK sTATION ID Disc 2 Selland Arena, Fresno, CA. August 14th 1977 1. -Intro (2:51) 2. -Put Me On (6:08) 3. -Lorelei (6:35) 4. -Mademoiselle (5:21) 5. -Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) (5:38) 6. -Suite Madame Blue (10:21) 7. -Crystal Ball (6:23) Disc 3 1. -Light Up (4:55) (Sourced from Miami 1977) 2. -Come Sail Away (8:42) 3. -Lady (4:27) 4. -Midnight Ride (10:26) 5. -Miss America (6:54) 6. -Born For Adventure (6:20) -
Soundboard 8.6 - Starts off rough but quickly things improve and soon a really bright, vibrant tape emerges. Might be a touch too much high end here, but I interpret that to mean this must be a low gen source. Most everyone is going to dig this, add it to the collection for sure! -
Soundboard 9.3 -
Audience 7.2 - A lot of work went into restoring the sound on these previously un-circulated recordings. History abounds, I mean, you have post-Cream Clapton jamming with Ginger Baker! Very rare, very cool. Oh, and by the way The Jeff Beck Group shreds! -
Audience 8.5 - Everything very present, only faults are the loss of uppers and lower frequency response due to limitations of analog tape and time. You can add some EQ, although this does sound reasonably fine as it is but season to taste. -
Pro radio broadcasts 8.8 some age showing but very clear. -
Audience 8.8 - Fantastic capture that gives the sound a really spacey and breathing feel, like it is wrapping around your ears and not just coming straight at you. -
Audience 8.8 - A surprisingly good tape here, with pretty much everything you require including really great atmosphere. The flaws have mainly to do with the ability of the equipment to supply bandwidth, which basically translates into depth or dynamics, which are present but maybe not to the degree you prefer. It’s certainly worthy of your investigation though, and will not be a one and done show. SUPERTRAMP Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, USA 05 May 1979 CD 1 - 76:53 1. School (5:53) 2. Ain’t Nobody But Me - part 1 (4:26) 3. Ain’t Nobody But Me - part 2 (1:09) 4. Take The Long Way Home (5:32) 5. Goodbye Stranger (6:21) 6. Breakfast In America (3:24) 7. Oh Darling (4:28) 8. Hide In Your Shell (7:43) 9. From Now On (6:22) 10. Child Of Vision (6:52) 11. Even In The Quietest Moments (5:24) 12. A Soapbox Opera (4:39) 13. Asylum (6:53) 14. Downstream (3:29) 15. Give A Little Bit (4:18) CD 2 - 55:54 1. Bloody Well Right (6:58) 2. Dreamer (3:24) 3. Rudy (6:41) 4. The Logical Song (5:13) 5. Another Man’s Woman/band intro (8:52) 6. Fool’s Overture (11:16) 7. Two Of Us/Crime Of The Century (8:11) 8. Sister Moonshine (5:19) Rick Davies - Keyboards & Vocals Roger Hodgson - Guitars, Keyboards & Vocals Bob Siebenberg - Drums John Helliwell - Sax & Vocals Dougie Thomson - Bass -
FM Radio 9.4 -
CD reissue from Shadoks Music of an album that originally came out in 1972. The band hailed from Iceland. (Sealed, jewel case) -
Audience 8.6 - This is hard to rate because the recording is both good and bad at the same time, depending on how you like to get your music delivered into your ear. Why? Because it is separated, one side gets vocals and the other side gets massive guitar, with drums going across both speakers…and I LOVE it! But, you may not, it depends I guess on your taste. -
Soundboard 8.8 - Another strange board tape, probably because they used different effects in their live performance that had to be run through the board. Sometimes you also get a little over-driving when the kick drum pedal hits. It’s a blasting board tape, extremely kinetic and strange at times but a lot of fun too. -
SDBRD 8.8 - A rollicking good time is what you are going to get here, maybe not the ideal sound mix (although it gets better), but this is a band that despite all outward appearance is quite talented musically (and seem to be quite natural performing live on stage). You will love the music and even the on stage banter…perhaps this band was the role model for Steel Panther? Ha ha! The Sweet Give us a wink world tour February 8, 1976 Toronto 01 The Ballrom Blitz 02 The Six Teens 03 Restless 04 No You Don't 05 Fox On The Run 06 Burn On The Flame 07 Set Me Free 08 Man With The Golden Arm 09 Action + AC/AC 10 Sweet F.A. -
Audience 9.4 - Recorded by the band for a possible live album that wasn’t released. A later concert from the following year eventually did come out though. This one smokes, hence the name! -
Studio quality 9.0 with some variation of quality throughout but not getting anywhere below a solid 8.8.