-
Audience 8.6 - Both recordings seem to sound quite similar and garner the middle 8 rating but don’t let that dissuade you – these are not bad at all. Considering the scarcity of live Omega recordings I would say these deserve some time in the player, and the ears will adjust and you’ll find them of redeeming value. The material is progressive and at times ventures into more risky territory for a prog band but the band can be forgiven for that as overall I appreciate the adventure. Omega Germany 77-78 Disc 1 Saarbrucken, Germany 1977-10-03 01. -Nyitány (Overture) 02. -A Névtelen Utazó (The Anonymous Traveler) 03. -Éjféli Koncert (Midnight Concert) 04. -Nem Tudom A Neved (I Do Not Know Your Name) 05. -Napot Hoztam, Csillagot (I Brought A Sun, A Star) 06. -Idorabló (Time-Consuming) 07. -A Buvész (The Dude) 08. -A Könyvelo álma (The Accountant's Dream) 09. -Finálé (Finale) 10. -Metamorfózis I (Metamorphosis I) Disc 2 Nijmegen, Netherlands 1978-11-18 01. -Névtelen utazó (Invitation) 02. -Metamorfózis I (Metamorphosis) 03. -Léna (Russian Winter) 04. -Start (Start) 05. -Napot hoztam, csillagot (House Of Cards part I)-Idorabló (Time Robber)-Ablakok (House Of Cards part II)-Éjféli Koncert (Late Night Show) 06. -Nem Tudom A Neved (Help To Find Me) 07. -Metamorfózis II (The Hope, The Bread And The Wine) 08. -Finálé (Finale) -
Audience 8.7/8.9 - Both recordings are really well done with the clear edge going to the 1975 stuff because it is a little bit more clear, although the synths and moogs and other keys are pushed way out front in the mix which is great because those sounds are otherworldly and mega heavy! A spot of mic dropout can be heard and it could easily have been edited out but it’s kept on the there but thankfully lasts only 2 seconds…otherwise what a show this is! Fantastic and mind blowing! Lard Free Paris, France 1974-09-08 and Paris, France 1975-10-02 Disc 1 01 -Improvisation 1 02 -Improvisation 2 03 -Improvisation 3 04 -Improvisation 4 Disc 2 1. -Improvisation 1 2. -Improvisation 2 -
Audience 9.0 - This is a really bold and vibrant recording, where you get this palpable “thwap” of the drums that feels like you are there. In very quiet passages there is the slightest of tape hiss but it’s actually kind of hard to find things to be critical of with this one. It’s really good! Peter Gabriel Tivolis Conzertsal, Copenhagen 09-Oct-1977 Disc 1 01 Here Comes The Flood 02 Slowburn 03 Moribund The Burgermeister 04 Modern Love 05 Indigo 06 Humdrum 07 White Shadow 08 I Heard It Through The Grapevine 09 Excuse Me Disc 2 10 Waiting For The Big One 11 Band Introductions 12 Solsbury Hill 13 Down The Dolce Vita 14 On The Air 15 All Day And All Of The Night 16 Here Comes The Flood 17 The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway 18 Soundcheck Peter Gabriel – Piano, Flute, Tambourine, Vocals Sid McGinnis – Guitars Tony Levin – Bass, Stick, Tuba, Backing Vocals Jerry Marotta – Drums Bayette – Keyboards -
Audience 9.0 - A very good recording, maybe a little “soft” but that is the house I think, bass is the predominant player, guitar is not as far up in the mix as one would prefer but it’s decent and all notes are audible. The drums are nice here, and the atmosphere is not pronounced but is present to some degree. It has the sense of just being a smaller venue, which it is, and so you sense that as you listen. Good players are joined up with Lenny, guys with plenty of jazz pedigree. Lenny White Golden Bear Huntington Beach, CA April 2, 1978 Early and Late Sets Disc 1 (Early Set) 01 Prelude: Theme For Astral Pirates (incl. intro) 02 Pursuit 03 talk / band intros 04 Mandarin Warlords 05 intros 06 And We Meet Again 07 Big City 08 Sweet Dreamer 09 Mating Drive Disc 2 (Late Set) 01 Intro, tuning, warmup 02 Chicken Fried Steak 03 talk / band intros 04 Universal Love 05 talk 06 Sunset Burgundy 07 talk 08 Theme For Astral Pirates (incl. Revival, Climax) 09 Assault 10 Sorceress Lenny White - drums, percussion Marcus Miller - bass Don Blackman - keyboards, vocals Jamie Glazer - guitar Nick Moroch - guitar -
Studio Quality 9.4 As expected, these are from studios sessions and having been remastered (to freshen the old tapes up), it sounds quite good. The material sounds a bit dated though, I mean I know it is Bowie but it’s probably not his best stuff in my opinion…some people like it though. David Bowie - Sigma Sound 1974 1. Young Americans [first take] 0:20. An incomplete version with no vocal. 2. Young Americans [second take] 2:57. An incomplete version which ends with David laughing after singing “President Nixon.” 3. Young Americans [third take] 5:40. A complete version with slight lyrical differences to the finished version. 4. Shilling The Rubes 5:09. Complete version. Towards the end of the song David says, “That’s going to be very nice when it’s got its hat on!” 5. I’m A Laser (The Gouster) 6:09. Complete version. 6. After Today 4:42. Complete version but played at a much faster tempo than the version released by Ryko in 1989. 7. Sweet Thing 4:43 (Ava Cherry on lead vocals). All tracks recorded on 13 Aug 1974 except track 7 which was recorded on 9 Jul 1974. -
All Soundboard 9.3 - This entirely depends on how much you want to hear blazing, inventive lead guitar and don’t mind if the bass sounds more like a rhythm guitar, That is what the bass sounds like to my ears, it’s there, but it’s not “low end” it’s more like a heavy rhythm guitar. It works for this style of rock though – and it’s all good stuff, if maybe a tad generic with the singing. BADLANDS Lost In The Shadows Disc 1 Richfield Coliseum Cleveland, Ohio 1989-09-23 1. -HARD DRIVER 2. -BALL & CHAIN 3. -DEVIL'S STOMP 4. -DREAMS IN THE DARK 5. -WINTER'S CALL 6. -Guitar Solo 7. -HIGHWIRE Palace Of Auburn Hills Detroit, Michigan 1989-09-22 8. -HARD DRIVER 9. -BALL & CHAIN 10. -DEVIL'S STOMP 11. -DREAMS IN THE DARK 12. -WINTER'S CALL 13. -Guitar Solo 14. -HIGHWIRE Disc 2 Hara Arena Dayton, Ohio 1989-08-30 1. -HARD DRIVER 2. -BALL & CHAIN 3. -WINTER'S CALL 4. -DANCING ON THE EDGE 5. -STREETS CRY FREEDOM 6. -JADE'S SONG - DREAMS IN THE DARK 7. -DEVIL'S STOMP 8. -Guitar Solo State Fairgrounds Du Quion, Illinois 1989-09-01 9. -HARD DRIVER 10. -BALL & CHAIN 11. -WINTER'S CALL 12. -DREAMS IN THE DARK 13. -DEVIL'S STOMP 14. -Guitar Solo 15. -HIGHWIRE -
Fillmore East 1969 Audience 8.4 - A bit of hiss is present, the music is not crystal clear until the guitar kicks in and then it comes alive. I’ll tell you what listening to this did for me: I started to understand why hippies tripped balls to Canned Heat, there is a very weird acid vibe going on, things get distorted and intense, and extremely psychedelic in a blues based presentation that is really kind of crazy. Maybe it was due to the band blowing up amplifiers, I don’t know but it’s intoxicating and you can’t stop listening to it, maybe it’s just this show, this weird recording that seems to do weird things…on purpose? You decide. Atlanta Pop Festival 1969 Audience 8.8 - A very interesting sounding old tape, with lead guitar and vocals quite present as if taper was real close but no distortion (although some tape hiss). The performance is bristling with acid blues rock electricity. It’s just palpable, I get these guys I really understand what the magic was. Canned Heat Fillmore East New York, New York, U.S.A. 02-07-1969 Disc 1 01 - Ain't That Lovin' You Baby 02 - Bullfrog Blues 03 - Sugar Mama - Bass solo 04 - Killin' Floor 05 - On The Road Again 06 - Bear Talking 07 - The Boogie Disc 2 1st Annual Atlanta Pop Festival Atlanta International Raceway Fulton County, GA July 4, 1969 01 -Going Up the Country 02 -Bring It on Home 03 -Number Nine Train 04 -When You're Twenty-Six 05 -Fried Hockey Boogie Line-up: Bob The Bear Hite - vocals, harp Alan Wilson - guitar, harp, vocals Henry Vestine - guitar Larry Taylor - bass Adolfo Fito de la Parra - drums -
Audience 9.3 - Super tight, clean recording from real close. Obviously a taper who knew what to do, and did it. Excellent! King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival - Weekend 1 Outdoor Theatre Indio, CA 2022-04-15 01. -Intro 02. -Rattlesnake 03. -Honey 04. -Self Immolate 05. -Venusian 2 06. -Mars For The Rich 07. -Gaia 08. -Gamma Knife -
Audience 8.8 - I was surprised at just how good this sounded. The first half of the first song you wonder how it will be, and you fear it might wobble because taper is adjusting things on the fly but it gets sorted and wow, I have to give props to taper on this one! He sounds maybe halfway back in the venue, so not close up, but he’s using either high end consumer gear or maybe something more professional to be able to lock in his levels and get a really good timbre. Jethro Tull Hulman Center Terre Haute, IN 1975-10-17 Disc 1 01. -Audience Announcement 02. -Thick As A Brick 03. -Minstrel In The Gallery 04. -Wond'ring Aloud 05. -To Cry You A Song (with Flute Solo) 06. -A New Day Yesterday 07. -Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day 08. -Ladies (with Drum Solo) Disc 2 09. -War Child 10. -War Child Suite - Quartet 11. -Cross-Eyed Mary 12. -Bungle In The Jungle 13. -The Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles 14. -Aqualung 15. -Wind-Up 16. -Back-Door Angels 17. -Locomotive Breath 18. -Hard-Headed English General 19. -Back-Door Angels (reprise) -
Audience 8.8 - A good, bright recording that features rich bass, and strong vocals in particular. This allows you to hear the musicianship which believe it or not, these guys have! I also appreciate their nods to the classics. W.A.S.P. Elysee Montmartre Paris, France October 28, 1992 Disc 1 01 The Invisible Boy 02 The Real Me 03 L.O.V.E. Machine 04 Chainsaw Charlie (Murders in the New Morgue) 05 Wild Child 06 The Idol 07 The Headless Children 08 The Great Misconceptions of Me Disc 2 09 Hellion 10 On Your Knees 11 I Don't Need No Doctor 12 I Wanna Be Somebody 13 Blind in Texas -
Soundboard 9.1 - This is a strong, powerful sounding board with a pretty decent sound mix, although not super clear, but not a muddy mess…somewhere in between the two but leans toward being mostly clear. Metallica Live in Davenport, IA - DEAD HEROES May 30, 1986 Coliseum Ballroom Damage, Inc. Tour 1. Master Of Puppets 2. For Whom The Bell Tolls 3. Welcome Home (Sanitarium) 4. The Thing That Should Not Be 5. Cliff Burton Bass Solo 6. Damage, Inc. 7. Seek & Destroy 8. Creeping Death 9. Am I Evil? 10. Whiplash 11. The Four Horsemen 12. Motorbreath -
Soundboard 8.7 - This is the kind of soundboard that was probably meant just for soundman audio reference. It’s fine though, and generally speaking, way better than any audience tape because Metallica, especially in 1986 (I know because I saw them in ’86 and it was the loudest concert I’d ever heard) was so loud there wasn’t any way to get a good capture unless you had excellent gear with mic level adjustment. Metallica - Metal, Inc. Live @ The Coliseum, El Paso TX May 12, 1986 1. Master Of Puppets 2. For Whom The Bell Tolls 3. Ride The Lightning 4. Welcome Home (Sanitarium) 5. Seek And Destroy 6. Creeping Death 7. Am I Evil? 8. Damage, Inc. -
Audience 8.7 - This band, while not a household name by any stretch, actually did gain quite a following throughout Europe and even to a much lesser degree in the USA. They played a style of progressive rock that was accessible but did not convert to singing in English completely and that probably won over more fans in their home country. The recording here is clear, it provides just enough dynamics and detail to let you sink yourself into their sound, although the recording suffers some level problems towards the end, but recovers enough to end on a high note. The material is great, I am reminded of Pink Floyd, Eloy, and perhaps maybe a bit of ELP. Novalis Festival Nordestedt, Germany 1977-09-10 Disc 1 01 -Irgendwo, Irgendwann 02 -Wunderschätze 03 -Astralis 04 -Sommerabend Disc 2 05 -Track 05 06 -Wer Schmetterlinge Lachen Hört 07 -Track 07 08 -Track 08 09 -Es Färbte Sich Die Wiese Grün Brandung Feuer bricht in die Zeit Sonnenfinsternis Dämmerung -
Home Recordings 8.8 - You have to give props to Lou Reed because he can take an acoustic guitar and a bedroom atmosphere and crank out demos that you can’t ignore. The songs man, he can write! Lou Reed Demo Tape Recorded: Fall and Winter of 1970 1. I'm So Free 2. I Can't Stand It 3. Walk and Talk It Fall 1970 4. Going Down 5. Ride Into the Sun 6. I'm Stick With You 7. Lisa Says 8. Kill Our Sons (aka Kill Your Sons) 9. Lonely Saturday Night (aka Goodnight Ladies) 10. So in Love 11. She's My Best Friend 12. Looking Through the Eyes of Love (aka Oh Jim) Winter 1970 -
Amsterdam 1973 Soundboard 8.9 - Nice to have good, clean board tapes of this line up. I think this is his best band, and I think he sounds terrific here. Sheffield 1973 Soundboard 8.9 - Another great board tape featuring Lou’s best band. I love the sound of the band let alone their musicianship. Lou rises to the occasion, he knows he has to deliver or he’ll be overshadowed by these fine players. Thankfully, he actually does! Lou Reed "Berlin To Amsterdam To Sheffield" Disc 1 Concertgebouw Amsterdam 1973.09.20 01. Intro - Sweet Jane 02. How Do You Think It Feels 03. Caroline Says 04. I'm Waiting For The Man 05. Satellite Of Love 06. Walk On The Wild Side 07. Vicious 08. Oh, Jim 09. Heroin Disc 2 Oval Hall Sheffield 1973.09.29 01. Intro - Vicious 02. How Do You Think It Feels 03. Caroline Says I 04. I'm Waiting For The Man 05. Satellite Of Love 06. Walk On The Wild Side 07. Oh, Jim 08. Heroin 09. Rock 'n' Roll 10. White Light - White Heat Lou Reed - vocals Steve Hunter - guitar Dick Wagner - guitar Ray Colcord - organ Peter Walsh - bass Pentti Glan - drums -
Audience 8.8 - On the rarity scale this is one of those needle in a haystack recordings. It’s an obscure “group” (actually just a duo but here it sounds like they have some accompaniment), and the music straddles the fence between fold psyche and space rock (that’s a good thing). I would say this couple was trying to stretch something as far as they could in the context of a “folk” duo. Interesting material, very positive vibes! Emtidi Quarter Latin Berlin, Germany 1973 01. Unknown Title 02. Unknown Title 03. Die Reise 04. Unknown Title 05. Unknown Title 06. Saat 07. Touch the Sun 08. Unknown Title All attempts were made to decipher the unknown song titles.