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Audience 9.3 - This show rates highly in the audio department because of how the guitars sound and I am a guitar guy so there is some bias…but it doesn’t matter what I like because it’s just a great recording all around. The sound envelopes you, it’s a completely immersive type of recording and will suck you in immediately. What a great find this is! The Kinks The Forum Inglewood, CA Disc 1 01 Around The Dial 02 Definite Maybe - State Of Confusion 03 The Hard Way 04 Catch Me Now I'm Falling 05 All Day And All Of The Night - Destroyer 06 Yo-Yo 07 Come Dancing 08 Don't Forget To Dance Disc 2 09 Lola 10 David Watts 11 A Gallon Of Gas 12 Back To Front 13 Art Lover 14 Till The End Of The Day 15 Bernadette 16 All Day And All Of The Night -
Audience 8.8 - A well made recording that does straddle the fence a bit. There's some narrowness in how well defined the extreme ends are in both low and high end, meaning your middle frequencies are spot-on, clear, and defined but when you get to the real high end it gets crinkly up there. It does not damage the listening experience but could if you really crank up the volume. The taper does some adjusting it seems, as the show progresses it sounds like the tonality, or levels...something changes slightly...I don't know what really happens but sometimes this show is dialed in and sounds really great and then just ever so slightly it gets less defined or maybe it is my imagination. Either way, this is a really decent recording. The Kinks Crawford Hall University Of California Irvine Irvine, CA February 13, 1976 01 Education 02 The First Time We Fall in Love 03 I'm In Disgrace 04 Headmaster 05 The First Time We Fall in Love (Reprise) 06 The Hard Way 07 The Last Assembly -
Audience 9.6 - Do you want to hear the pinnacle of what can be done recording from the audience? Here it is. Even the staunchest soundboard purist would be hard-pressed to thumb this down. Outstanding, simply put. The Kinks Universal Amphitheatre Los Angeles, CA June 25, 1978 Disc 1 01 You Really Got Me Intro 02 Life On The Road 03 Sleepwalker 04 Mr. Big Man 05 Waterloo Sunset 06 Misfits 07 Permanent Waves 08 Hay Fever 09 Lola 10 Celluloid Heroes Disc 2 11 Well Respected Man 12 Death Of A Clown 13 Sunny Afternoon 14 Trust Your Heart 15 You Really Got Me 16 Slum Kids 17 Demon Alcohol 18 Rock & Roll Fantasy 19 All Day And All Of The Night 20 Live Life 21 Hello John Dalton 22 Juke Box Music -
Audience 9.2 - I would have given this a higher rating but for some occasional volume fluctuations. Minus those, this is a "raise the hair on your back" type of recording. I can't explain it, some tapes just have it, this unquantifiable element, it's a lot to do with the band being recorded as much as it is in how they were recorded, and where exactly the taper sat, and what he used to record - so you take all that and factor it in to what is happening to you as you listen to an event that took place decades ago...that comes to life again and you are right there. As I listened to this, my neck hairs stood up. The Kinks Universal Amphitheatre Los Angeles, CA August 17, 1979 01 Sleepwalker - Tired Of Waiting For You 02 Life On The Road 03 Where Have All The Good Times Gone 04 Permanent Waves 05 Misfits 06 Lola 07 Low Budget 08 (Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman 09 Catch Me Now I'm Falling 10 You Really Got Me -
Audience 8.6 - It’s hard to figure out why there are few ’75 and ’76 period recordings of The Kinks. Perhaps it is due to the confusion among their fan base as to the new direction the band were going in with the big stage productions and “concept” albums. Looking back, one can now appreciate the artistic “stretch” going on as I am sure it became quite tedious having to bang out those mid ‘60’s chart toppers one after the other, even though they still throw in one or two. That being said, this is quite a nice find! A complete show, well recorded, and well performed. The Kinks McAlister Auditorium @ Tulane University New Orleans, LA February 20, 1976 Band line-up (personnel : May 1970 - November 1976) Ray Davies - lead vocals, rhythm guitar Dave Davies - lead guitar, backup vocals John Dalton - bass guitar, backup vocals Mick Avory - drums, percussion John Gosling - keyboards Total Time = 01:38:29 Disc 1 01 Everybody's A Star 02 Rush Hour Blues 03 Lola 04 Waterloo Sunset 05 You Really Got Me 06 Banana Boat Song 07 All Day And All Of The Night 08 Alcohol 09 Celluloid Heroes -- intermission -- 10 Schooldays 11 Flash's Schooldays 12 Story Of Preservation Disc 2 13 Jack The Idiot Dunce 14 Education 15 The First Time We Fall In Love 16 I'm In Disgrace 17 Headmaster 18 The First Time We Fall In Love (Reprise) 19 The Hard Way 20 The Last Assembly 21 No More Looking Back 22 Finale -- tape break @ 0:26 -- 23 Money Talks Opening Act: The Pretty Things -
New York 1978 Audience 9.3 - What a wild, out of control ride this is! Not only perhaps one of the most engaging live Kinks bootleg recording (or at least in the top 5), It also may just be one of THE coolest bootleg audience recording of any band. Why? Why such praise? It captures an intangible quality, that thing you can’t accurately describe with words…it’s a statement of sorts. We have a foundation rock band (first British wave) who have always been sort of disregarded but who refuse to pack it in, and here is why. These guys were punk before punk was a thought, and here they are a decade and change removed from their 60’s heyday, playing the birth place of US punk and they STILL can out punk the punks. Brilliant! Magical. A MUST! Buffalo 1978 Audience 8.7 - A very clear recording, good solid mid range and leaning toward emphasis on the high end which gives cymbals the little bit of crispiness that makes them heard and not washed out. Drums are highlighted and have a great sound too. The Kinks New Century Theater, Buffalo, NY May 27, 1978 Band line-up Ray Davies – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards Dave Davies – lead guitar, backing and lead vocals Gordon Edwards – keyboards, piano, backing vocals Mick Avory – drums, percussion Jim Rodford – bass, backing vocals John Beecham - trombone Nick Newall - saxophone Disc 1 01 Intro 02 Life On The Road 03 Sleepwalker 04 Mr. Big Man 05 Permanent Waves 06 Hay Fever 07 Waterloo Sunset 08 Celluloid Heroes 09 Misfits 10 Lola Disc 2 11 A Well Respected Man 12 Death of a Clown 13 Sunny Afternoon 14 Trust Your Heart 15 You Really Got Me 16 Slum Kids 17 Alcohol 18 Rock-n-Roll Fantasy 19 All Day & All of the Night 20 Live Life 21 Jukebox Music The Kinks Central Park New York, NY September 8, 1978 Disc 3 01 You Really Got Me (Theme) 02 Sleepwalker 03 Life On The Road 04 Mr. Big Man 05 Permanent Waves 06 Hay Fever 07 Lola 08 Misfits 09 Celluloid Heroes 10 Sunny Afternoon Disc 4 11 Trust Your Heart 12 You Really Got Me 13 Slum Kids 14 Alcohol 15 Rock And Roll Fantasy 16 All Day And All Of The Night 17 Live Life 18 Twist and Shout 19 Juke Box Music -
Soundboard 9.3 - A decent but kind of middle rangey sound, but in this case I like it because it gives the Kinks a more punkish sound. This material is also kind of punkish so the delivery and the sound of the recording itself convinces you that this band wanted to impart the punk attitude. Some of the songs are definitely not punkish but we know it’s not all encompassing, just generally I think The Kinks liked the punk ethos. I mean, they play a song called “Prince Of The Punks” so what does that tell you? The Kinks Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI September 23, 1979 01 Lola 02 Low Budget 03 Superman 04 Attitude 05 Catch Me Now I’m Falling 06 You Really Got Me 07 Pressure 08 Misfits 09 Prince of the Punks 10 Stop Your Sobbing Band line-up Ray Davies – guitar, harmonica, keyboards, vocals Dave Davies – lead guitar, backing vocals Ian Gibbons – keyboards, backing vocals Mick Avory – drums Jim Rodford – bass, backing vocals (died Jan. 20, 2018) (aged 76) Nick Newall - additional keyboards -
Audience 8.7 - This is a decent tape that delivers some sense of the venue and the power of the band in a live setting, it's not "relaxed" sounding but definitely hard rock music at volume...but that being said there is some slight harmonic distortion somewhere in the upper mid band range, and if you had to choose where your live recording suffered, it would be here because it doesn't do as much damage to the sound taken as a whole as you might suppose. It's still a really good recording...with limitations. Kinks Golden Hall San Diego, CA February 11, 1976 Disc 1 01 Everybody's A Star (Starmaker) 02 Rush Hour Blues 03 Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) 04 You Really Got Me 05 All Day And All Of The Night 06 Lola 07 Alcohol 08 Celluloid Heroes 09 Schooldays 10 Schooldays Overture 11 Announcement 12 Jack The Idiot Dunce Disc 2 13 Education 14 The First Time We Fall in Love 15 I'm in Disgrace 16 Headmaster 17 The First Time We Fall in Love (Reprise) 18 The Hard Way 19 The Last Assembly 20 No More Looking Back 21 Finale -
Audience 8.5/8.4 - Both of these recordings are very good in not only the general fidelity but they also seem to be low gen. They are both clear and not muddy, although one is slightly clearer in the middle frequency. It seems as though these shows have been worked on with some audio tools, but with a light touch, it is greatly appreciated by these ears! Both shows are very worthwhile, and being the period before the more extravagant sets, kind of easier to sit through. The Kinks "The Ides of March" Disc 1 Emerson Gymnasium Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH. March 11, 1972 1. Top of the Pops 2. Brainwashed 3. 20th Century Man (Beginning tease) 4. Get Back In The Line 5. Waterloo Sunset 6. Apeman 7. Sunny Afternoon 8. Band Intros 9. Muswell Hillbillies 10. Acute Schizophrenia Blues 11. Your Lookin Fine 12. Alcohol 13. Skin & Bones 14. Lola 15. You Really Got Me 16. All Day And All Of The Night 17. Applause (Encore Break) 18. Til The End Of The Day 19. Victoria Disc 2 Chicago Auditorium Chicago, IL March 12, 1972 1. -Intro 2. -Till The End Of The Day 3. -Your Looking Fine 4. -Apeman 5. -Get Back In Line 6. -Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues 7. -Muswell Hillbillies 8. -Sunny Afternoon 9. -Demon Alcohol 10. -Skin And Bones 11. -Lola 12. -Jam - One Night With You 13. -You Really Got Me - All Day And All Of The Night 14. -Victoria 15. -Louie Louie -
Soundboard 9.3 - This is, for me, a real revelation. I never knew anything of this band outside of their lone smash hit “My Sharona”, which incidentally happens to hearken me back to a very specific time and place of my youth when this song blasted from every radio every 10 minutes. Listening to this show, I am stunned at how excellent the band is, and how good ALL of the songs are. How they remained pigeonholed and forgotten as another 1 hit wonder it just amazes me because they should have been more than that. I could not stop playing this once I started…I was on board for the whole ride and will do it again! THE KNACK THE FORUM INGLEWOOD, CA 1980-03-30 01. Baby Talks Dirty 02. Your Number Or Your Name 03. Oh Tara 04. The Hard Way 05. I Want Ya 06. Mr. Handleman 07. End Of The Game 08. Hey Little Girl 09. Tell Me You're Mine 10. Good Girls Don't 11. Heartbeat 12. Can't Put A Price On Love 13. Hold On Tight And Don't Let Go 14. Come A Little Bit Closer 15. Frustrated 16. (She's So) Selfish 17. My Sharona 18. (Havin' A) Rave Up 19. Not Fade Away 20. We Love You -
Audience 8.3 - Don’t let the rating fool you, this is an exciting tape! What lowers the rating is just a non-biased appraisal of the sonic limitations of the tape which is mainly the upper end distortion due to volume. It’s a small club and a loud band, and probably a consumer grade cassette recorder…but, it’s actually not that bad and delivers a real exciting vibe. I can tell you this for sure – you will be sucked into this recording and will completely get it, it’s a charming document of a long forgotten time and place. I got that melancholic feeling during the song “Last Thing On My Mind”. THE MOVE Scarborough, England August 1969 1. I Can Hear The Grass Grow 2. Hello Suzie 3. Last Thing On My Mind 4. Curly 5. Open My Eyes 6. Goin' Back 7. Flowers In The Rain 8. Fire Brigade 9. Blackberry Way 10 Sounds Of Silence 11 Under The Ice -
Released by the reformed band in 2013 in a very limited run on CD-R, this is actually that same title re-worked. The audio is the same but the package is expanded, the original was a very simple, black and white 4 panel sheet with nothing printed inside and the disc placed in without any protection. It was a CD-R burn in fact, and basically my understanding was it wasn't even sold but handed out to people, family, friends, fans, etc. Not even sure how many they made, probably less than 1,000 for sure. They are all gone now, but this re-worked version supersedes that with the upgraded packaging.- 99th Floor Part 2
- You Make Me Shake
- What'cha Gonna Do?
- 99th Floor Part 2
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Pro FM Broadcast 9.2 - Both sets are great, both in performance and sound quality. Really great musicianship! I also found myself really enjoying the songs, since I was only very familiar with their evergreen hit “Green Grass and High Tides”. I saw these guys in 1980 and they were great but I was so young I just can’t remember the songs. The Outlaws The Record Plant, Sausalito CA. 1975-03-11 Disc 1 1. -Song In the Breeze (5:04.52 ) 2. -Prisoner (8:57.00) 3. -There Goes Another Love Song (3:07.34) 4. -Cry No More (4:23.59) 5. -Knoxville Girl (3:39.00) 6. -Green Grass and High Tides (13:01.54) Billy Jones: vocals, guitar Henry Paul: vocals, guitar Frank O'Keefe: bass Hughie Thomasson: vocals, guitar Monte Yoho: drums Disc 2 The Outlaws The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA November 22, 1976 01 -Waterhole 02 -Stick Around 03 -Song In The Breeze 04 -Freeborn Man 05 -Cry No More 06 -Knoxville Girl 07 -Green Grass & High Tides 08 -There Goes Another Love Song Band line up Hughie Thomasson – guitar, vocals, pedal steel guitar, banjo (passed away September 9, 2007, aged 55) Billy Jones – lead guitar, keyboards, vocals (passed away February 7, 1995, aged 45) Harvey Dalton Arnold – bass, vocals (tenure 1976–1980) Monte Yoho – drums, percussion (presently still in the band) Henry Paul – guitar, vocals (presently still in the band) -
Soundboard 9.3 - There are quite a few board tapes from this period, so which ones do you get? After listening to this one, I really think it’s one of the ones to get. Great sound, but a really strong performance (when did they not?) too.
The Police "Live In Melbourne '81" Disc 1 01 Voices Inside My Head 02 Don't Stand So Close To Me 03 Walking On The Moon 04 Death Wish 05 Fallout 06 Man In A Suitcase 07 Bring On The Night 08 De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da 09 Truth Hits Everybody 10 Shadows In The Rain Disc 2 01 When The World Is Running Down 02 The Bed's Too Big Without You 03 Driven To Tears 04 Message In A Bottle 05 Roxanne 06 Can't Stand Losing You 07 So Lonely -
Audience 8.8 - A very lively atmosphere that, for me, really put me back to the early 1980’s. The recording is pretty good, the band is hot, the crowd is into it. THE PRETENDERS Royal Oak Music Theatre Royal Oak, Michigan August 18, 1981 1 -The wait 2 -The Adultress 3 -Message Of Love 4 -Louie Louie 5 -Talk Of The Town 6 -The English Roses 7 -Birds Of Paradise 8 -Kid 9 -Stop Your Sobbin' 10 -Private Life 11 -Jealous Dogs 12 -Day After Day 13 -Bad Boys Get Spanked 14 -Tattooed Love Boys 15 -Precious 16 -Up The Neck 17 -Brass In Pocket 18 -Mystery Achievement (with band intros) Chrissie Hynde: lead vocals, rhythm guitar James Honeyman-Scott: lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards (R.I.P.) Pete Farndon: bass, backing vocals (R.I.P.) Martin Chambers: drums, percussion, backing vocals -
LA 1977 Soundboard 9.4 - THIS is what PUNK should sound like live…loud, brash, and totally in your face – that is exactly what this board tape delivers and I LOVE IT! Get it and you’ll see why. CBGB’s 1977 Audience 9.2 - A pretty clean recording, which is surprising to me as this is a punk band in a small club at full volume (presumably). So, either taper is affiliated with the club and set up somewhere with some good equipment or it’s a fan who just knew what he was doing and nailed it. I am going with the former. Ramones LIVE 1977 Disc 1 Whisky a Go Go Los Angeles, California October 21, 1977 01 -intro 02 -Loudmouth 03 -Beat On The Brat 04 -Blitzkrieg Bop 05 -I Remember You 06 -Glad To See You Go 07 -Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment 08 -You're Gonna Kill That Girl 09 -I Don't Care 10 -Sheena Is A Punk Rocker 11 -Rockaway Beach 12 -Commando 13 -Here Today, Gone Tomorrow 14 -Surfin' Bird 15 -Cretin Hop 16 -Listen To My Heart 17 -California Sun 18 -I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You 19 -Pinhead 20 -break before encore 21 -Suzy Is A Headbanger 22 -Chain Saw 23 -Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World 24 -break before second encore 25 -Now I Want To Be A Good Boy 26 -Let's Dance Disc 2 CBGB's New York, NY 10-27-77 1. -Loudmouth 2. -Beat on the brat 3. -Blitzkrieg Bop 4. -I Remember You 5. -Glad To See You Go 6. -Teenage Lobotomy 7. -You're Gonna Kill That Girl 8. -53rd And 3rd 9. -Sheena Is A Punk Rocker 10. -Rockaway Beach 11. -Commando 12. -Here Today, Gone Tomorrow 13. -Surfin' Bird 14. -Cretin Hop 15. -Listen To My Heart 16. -California Sun 17. -I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You 18. -Pinhead 19. -Let's Dance 20. -Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World