Festhalle, Frankfurt, October 30, 1981

Festhalle
Frankfurt, Germany
October 30, 1981

AM Main

TM Production

Overall:

There is an odd shortage of live recordings from the Abacab tour which makes this TM Production essential to a live Genesis collection. The band were in great form. Phil has fun speaking German to the Frankfurt crowd and translates some of it into English. The show isn't without its glitches as Mike hits the wrong bass note during the intro to the Lamb, then slides up the neck to the correct one.

Sound: * * * * *
A well EQ'd and balanced recording.


Mix * * * * *
Excellent, clean stereo mix. May be the best of available live shows from the tour.


Performance * * * *
Nearly perfect other than the bum note during the Lamb and odd timing in "Dance On A Volcano".

Raw Notes

Disc 1

1. Behind the Lines - Energetic intro. Excellent sound. Excellent bright mix. Chester thunders on the toms. Tony is prominent in the mix. Performance nailed. Segues, as we all know, into...

2. Duchess - Some folks don't care for the extended intro with the drum machine, but I love it for its moody atmospheric feel. The clean mix continues to impress. Mike's (might be Daryl's) crunchy guitar chording sounds great when the vocal starts. Phil flubs the lyrics. Sings "Soon all she had to do was step into the light" again instead of "Soon every time she stepped...". Nailed. Drum machine continues for a few seconds into...

3. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Yikes! Bass mistake on the first chord! Guitar sounds a little too fuzzy here. Phil is having fun. "Don't you look at me, bitch, I'm not your kind!" Repeats "Rael Imperial Aerosol Kid" section and chorus at the end. Slightly sloppy performance.

4. Dodo/Lurker - Phil intros in German. Doesn't do the "Ocean! Ocean! O-CEAN!" line like on Three Sides. Tempo drags just a bit on Lurker. Good performance. Chester's count goes right into...

5. Abacab - Good sound on Mike's guitar in the beginning. Good performance.

6. Carpet Crawlers - Background vocals are surprisingly up front. Very good performance.

7. Me & Sarah Jane - Phil tells a story of Sarah Jane and translates his German into English. She had large breasts and she was depressed because her father wouldn't stop playing with them. This is one of my favorite Tony Banks songs. This performance is better than Three Sides. More power. "Words of joy" instead of "tears of joy". Still, nailed.

8. Misunderstanding - I like the studio version of this song, but it's difficult to tell the live versions apart, probably because it was only performed on two tours (Duke and Abacab). Maybe a little faster here than Three Sides. Good performance as always.

9. No Reply At All - Starts with drum machine like the mix on the "Abacab Complete" boot. The drum pattern sounds a lot like the one Phil would use a few years later on "Take Me Home". "Shit, there's no reply at all." This song sounds good without the horns. One of the best performances I've heard of this one, not that I've heard many. This was the only tour for this song.

10. Firth of Firth - Phil in German, I'm guessing: "This is an old, old, old, old, song..." This performance is interesting if for no other reason than to hear Tony play it on the Abacab era keyboard rig. The Yamaha CP-70 Electric Piano works well here. I'm thinking that's the Prophet 5 on the famous instrumental section. Daryl's lead seems very different on each tour, but he switches to Hackett original in the important parts. Bass pedals rattle the speakers. The non-Mellotron strings here stand out a bit. Very nice, tight performance.


Disc 2:

1. Man On The Corner - "Everybody thinks he's a bit stupid." "I remember my first beer, too." Sounds like Phil gets away from the mike during the story. Delay effect on the vocal. This song worked well live. Very good performance.

2. Whodunnit? - You can hear all the weird things Tony is doing with the keyboards here. Annoying song, but a great mix. Phil plays with the delay on the vocals during "We know, we know".

3. Cage Medley - Phil introduces the band. Introduces Chester as "the real drummer". Starts out nearly identical to Three Sides. You can hear Mike hammering his bass hard during the first key solo after "...their wasted wings". Daryl wails during "Keep on turning...". Into Cinema show. Nice! never heard a bad performance of this one. Nailed.

4. Afterglow - Nice chiming guitar. This and the Cage Medley are very similar to the Three Sides Live versions.

5. Turn It On Again - Again, very similar to Three Sides

6. Dance On A Volcano - Slight timing issue between the drums and guitars in the intro. Phil changes the lyrics again during "into the fire and into the fight". Vocals get a bit buried in the last verse.

7. Drum Duet - Incredible. Nailed.

8. Los Endos - This is Tony's first tour without the Hammond organ and second without the Mellotron, both replaced by synths. I'm betting his roadies were much happier. The Mellotron choir is missed in the end section before the Squonk reprise, although the synth (Prophet 10?) does an admirable job considering that it's 1981 technology. Never heard a bad performance of this one.

9. I Know What I Like (Encore) - This version just goes on and on like the Energizer bunny. Phil tries to get the audience to sing the chorus. "I like Frankfurt in the Springtime" "Oh, Frankfurt, you're my kind of town". Sings the line "You can tell me by the way I walk" rather than speaking it. Toward the end, during the jam, Tony plays the some chords on the ARP Quadra that sound like Abacab.

University Sports Arena, Montreal, April 21, 1974

University Sports Arena
Montreal, Canada
April 21, 1974
Post-FM
A Classic Broadcast Revisited
PRRP - Special Anniversary Edition

Overall:


If you're a fan a Steve Hackett, this post-FM boot is for you. An exceedingly well-balanced mix, overall. The highlights on this one are the complete Dancing With The Moonlit Knight and The Cinema Show played by the original five members only on this tour. These songs wouldn't be played on the next tour, and after that, Peter was gone along with his voice and flute. A must-have.

Sound: * * * * *

Mix: * * * * *
Strangely, the keyboards disappear for a minute or so in the middle of The Musical Box. But glitches aside, it's an outstanding live mix.

Performance * * * *
Excellent for the most part. Firth of Fifth never really takes off. The Battle of Epping Forrest isn't the best live song. But the intensity remains high throughout most of the show.

Raw Notes

Disc 1

1. Watcher Of The Skies - The mighty Mellotron fills the hall with virtual violins. The bass rattles your speakers. We're off to a fine start. Do'h! Small glitch in the 'tron! Unusual echo effect on the vocals. Tony is doing something different with the organ rhythm, adding odd pauses. At first, I thought it was a mistake, but he does it more than once. Unusual performance. Crowd loves it!

2. The Story of Britannia - Told by Peter in French.

3. Dancing With The Moonlit Knight - I believe this is the only tour where they played the entire thing, complete with the "musical pond" at the end. This is a nice balanced mix. Steve's guitar is definitely audible here. Peter gets the "Round table talking down we go" lyric right, unlike the Rainbow Show on the Archive Box Set. A slightly rough and ballsy performance. I think I like the "pond" better than the studio version.

4. The Story of Romeo and Juliet - Again, in French. I don't speak the language, but the crowd seems amused.

5. The Cinema Show - Nice to hear Phil do the background vocals. This is the only tour that had them. Played a bit slowly, but that adds to the somber mood. Peter's flute solo is another feature that happened only on this tour. Nice intensity during the sublime instrumental section. I doubt a better recording of this song exists. Nailed.

6. I Know What I Like - The band performs their first hit single. Again, we get Peter and Phil singing together. That sounds like a sitar playing the main riff. Peter plays his flute along with Tony's synth solo at the end. Pleasant and concise performance before the song was drawn out into a nine minute snooze-fest.

7. The Story of Five Rivers - French

8. Firth Of Fifth - Complete with piano intro, played on electric piano. This always gave Tony trouble and this performance is no exception with at least three sour notes. You can see why they dropped the intro. The song itself is played a little too slowly in the beginning. The famous instrumental section is better, but on the whole, the performance never quite gets off the ground like it would later.

9. Story of Henry and Cynthia - You guessed it, French.

10. The Musical Box - Phil really goes all out this time with imitating effects pedals with his mouth. "Here it comes agaiiioooowwoowowowow". Steve Hackett owns the song at this point. The lead guitar growls and screams! Another rough and ballsy performance. Nice. The keys disappear for a while in the second driving instrumental section. All guitars and drums. Technical glitch? Peter really gets into character during the "She's a lady" section.

11. Horizons - Sounds almost like an electric guitar or an acoustic with electric pickup.

Disc 2:

1. The Battle of Epping Forrest - Phil's snare starts and the audience responds immediately. Kick drum comes in hard! Who is singing the high part in background during the chorus? Band seems to be having fun with the song. An echo effect is used to generate the triplets in the middle section. Going into the Reverend section. Peter: "..to see what the trouble was." Phil: "What's the trouble, then?" This is the only tour where the song was played. Good performance.

2. Story of Old Henry - Parlez-vous français? Seems to be the same story told in English on the box set. Includes Phil and Peter whistling "Jerusalem".

3. Supper's Ready - Similar to the box set version. Nice intensity. Excellent mix. Steve is once again quite prominent. The band seems to run out of steam slightly in the Apocalypse section causing the tempo to drop, but that's a only a minor quibble. Good performance, but not one of their best. The last tour where we hear the chimes at the beginning of Eggs Is Eggs. Replaced by a guitar when Phil takes over vocals.

4. CHOM-FM Radio Intro / Station ID / Sign Off

Hallenstadion, Zürich, July 2, 1977

Hallenstadion
Zürich, Switzerland
Zürich Revisited
July 2, 1977
Digital Brothers
Soundboard / Audience Matrix

Overall:
This is a Digital Brothers merger of a soundboard recording and an audience recording of the same show. Generally soundboard recordings have a good mix of the band, but tend to not capture the audience and ambiance of the concert hall. Audience recordings tend to do the opposite, so it makes sense to combine the two into a single recording. For the most part, it works. There are some glitches here and there which are immediately noticeable in the vocals. But overall makes for a pleasant listening experience.

Sound * * * *
Mostly quite good beyond the very occasional matrix sync issues.

Performance: * * * *
There are slightly dodgy renditions of "Eleventh Earl of Mar" and "...In That Quiet Earth", but once the band hits "Supper's Ready", they're unstoppable. Also contains a rare performance of Inside and Out which had just been released on Spot the Pigeon.


Raw Notes

Disc 1:

1. Squonk - The high notes seem to be giving Phil some trouble here. Very good performance. Bass pedals are well defined in the mix.

2. One for the Vine - Phil speaks both Deutsch and French to the crowd. Some strange audio artifacts in the beginning. Beautiful clear Mellotron. Excellent mix. I like this performance better than the one that made it onto Three Sides. Guitars are somewhat buried, but the keys are pristine.

3. Robbery, Assault and Battery - Story in German. I know the word "kaput". Phil does funny sound effects for the story. Makes me think a little of Robin Williams. Matrix gets a tad out of sync in the beginning of the song, evident in the vocals. Steve is more audible here. Tony's solo is amazing. Loud tambourine. Good energetic performance.

4. Inside and Out - a rare performance of this outtake from Wind and Wuthering in promotion of its release on the Spot the Pigeon EP. Who is singing background on the chorus? Band nails the instrumental second half. Nice!

5. Firth of Fifth. Steve does the intro. Someone shouts "The Knife" just before the song starts. Audience cheers. Matrix gets a bit out of sync again during "The waterfall, his madrigal." Instrumental section sounds a little loose compared to other performance. Steve nails his solo. Again.

6. Carpet Crawlers - Someone drops something in the audience recording--I'm thinking a bottle? A little audience chatter in the quiet opening. Phil's vocals phase slightly, probably another sync problem. Nice background vocals. We're these on Seconds Out? Great performance. Crowd chants "GEN-E-SIS"

7. In That Quiet Earth - Phil introduces Chester. One of my favorite Genesis instrumentals. Wish they had played the Unquiet Slumbers section as this starts a bit awkwardly. A tad fast. Doesn't seem to quite come together. The band does a better job of this in the (sacred) Cage Medley in '83. Segues, of course, into...

8. Afterglow - Chester does a fill going into the song that isn't on the album. Interesting to hear the band perform this when it was new. Nice mix. Doesn't quite reach the dramatic heights it would on later tours. Closer to the album version.

9. I Know What I Like - Phil's tambourine at the beginning is unmistakable. We know what song is coming. Good mix. Crowd cheers Phil's tambourine dance. Little bit from Stagnation. Chester does a double snare hit that gets the crowd clapping along. This was all probably fun if you were, but gets somewhat monotonous when listening to the recording. It's your show. Return of the "GEN-E-SIS" chant. Phil introduces Mike who says "Thank you". Disc ends?

Disc 2:

1. Eleventh Earl of Mar - Phil introduces Mike again. Mike intros the song. Nice stereo effect in the beginning. Was this done live or added by the Digital Bros? This song always worked better in the studio than live. Never really reaches the heights it did on the record. I can see why it was left off Seconds Out. The band gives it their all, though. The quiet part sounds quite nice, but then Phil's vocals go out of phase again. Really nice Mellotron choir. Stereo effect returns.

2. Supper's Ready - Romeo and Juliet intro in German? This isn't Cinema Show! Is that a vibraphone chiming in behind the guitars during Lover's Leap? Who is playing it? "We will rock you little snake" recording comes in a bit too loud after nice performance of the Sanctuary Man. Good intensity for Ikhnaton section. Steve positively nails the solo here. Audience is strangely quiet for How Dare I Be So Beautiful. Background recording comes in loud again for "All Change!". More stereo effects on the guitar going into Apocalypse. Good intensity again. Phil's vocals get buried briefly during "I've been so far from here". Nice guitars during Eggs Is Eggs. Great performance. Nailed.

3. Dance On A Volcano - Damn... I don't think I've heard a better performance of this one. I'll just say Nailed.

4. Drum Duet - Fast and amazing! Nailed.

5. Los Endos - The band is on fire at this point! Maybe running a bit fast, but it doesn't matter. Stereo effects on the cymbals. That heavenly Mellotron choir again. The Wind and Wuthering show effectively opens and closes with Squonk. Very nice! "GEN-E-SIS!"

Encore

6. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - This intro must have been hard to play on the electric piano. Band still full of energy. Segues into...

7. The Musical Box (closing section) - Crowd cheers. Phil's voice sounds like it might be giving out during NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW! Nice performance.

Le Ferme Woluwe, Belgium, March 7, 1971

Le FermeWoluwe, St Lambert
Belgium
March 7, 1971
Remastered as Hogweed #12

Overall Rating:
A terrible sounding audience recording, but a must-have for any collector of Genesis live shows. Not only was Le Ferme Genesis' first overseas gig, but it is the earliest known live recording of the band. And it contains the only known recording of a song called "The Light" (see the raw notes below). Hogweed productions has taken great pains to make this CD listenable. They have also provided extensive artwork and liner notes which are available at http://www.genesis-movement.org/ . Earns an extra half Albert for historical significance.

Sound: * *
A poor audience recording barely salvaged as a Hogweed production.

Mix: * *
The band have said that they didn't have the best equipment at this time. It shows here somewhat, but it could have been much worse.

Performance: * * *
Peter is a bit intimidated by the crowd. Some of the performances are loose and threaten to fall apart. Still the band nails Stagnation, an early version of The Musical Box and The Knife.


Raw Notes:

1. Announcer's Intro / Peter's Intro - Peter seems very nervous and speaking some French. Introduces a song about a man who eats his fingernails.

2. Happy The Man - Loose, slow performance. Strange choice to open the show.

3. Cheese and Onions Crisps Man Story - A song for people with bad breath. Man laughs.

4. Stagnation - Taper fidgets with recorder in the early seconds. Phil follows Mayhew's original drumming pretty closely here in the beginning. Broody instrumental churns along nicely. Peter's tambourine is louder than the drums. Nice performance. No backing vocals apparent during "Then let us drink" section.

5. Intro - One of those long, embarassed pauses Peter remembers.

6. The Light - The only known recording of this song. The main musical idea would later become Lilywhite Lilith. Because of the poor sound, I've never been able to make out most of the lyrics. Different sections don't mesh well, but some the individual sections are remarkable. The band isn't quite able yet to pull off something this elaborate. But it's a fascinating study in the direction they were heading. The song itself is attributed to Phil, but I'm betting Tony had a huge hand in the instrumental passages. The audience likes it.

7. Another embarrassed pause. Audience chats. Peter laughs nervously a couple of times.

8. Twilight Alehouse - I believe this performance pre-dates the studio version. Vocals get buried under the organ. Band builds a fairly good level of intensity.

9. Story - More pause.

10. The Musical Box - First minute cut. Somewhat different arrangement from the one that would end up on Nursery Cryme a few months later. Things really begin to come together here. I mentioned above that the band wasn't quite ready to pull off these elaborate arrangements, but they're getting damned close here.

11. Intro - The hiss gets bad here during Peter's French intro. Refers to Trespass as "the album". The band had already written off FGTR.

12. The Knife - Peter is already tweaking the lyrics to the second verse here on the earliest live recording. He must have been unhappy with the words. Surprisingly powerful early performance of this one, especially given that Steve had only been with the band for a couple of months.

13. Calls for Encore / Intro - Another pause.

14. Going Out to Get You - A leftover track from Trespass. Performed with good intensity, especially Tony's organ. The band is very comfortable with these last couple of songs. Crowd cheers! Merci.

The Spectrum, Philadelphia, November 27, 1983

A Phantastically Phabulous Philly
The Spectrum Philadelphia
November 27, 1983
Pre-FM
The Coaster Factory

Overall Rating :
I'm not sure how much work the Coaster Factory project put into remastering this Pre-FM recording, but it's one of the best ever Genesis boots. Sadly, since it was meant for radio, it's not the complete show, missing the Drum Duet, the Old Medley and Whodunnit, but it's by far the best recording from the tour. Phil's audience chats are edited which is good for repeated listening. Some of the performances of older songs surpass those on Three Sides Live. Genesis should consider releasing this as a lost live album. CD Package also has some excellent artwork available at http://genesis-movement.org/.

Sound: * * * * *
One of the best sounding Genesis boots ever.

Mix * * * * *
Perfectly balanced. Great work.

Performance: * * * * *
The band were at the top of their game here. The performance is tight and energetic.

Raw Notes

Disc 1:

1. Dodo/Lurker - Great performance. Crowd is strangely quiet early in the show. May be the mix? Phil is at his vocal peak during this tour. Very tight. Phil has fun tweaking the lyrics. Tempo slows slightly during Lurker. Like Three Sides, segues into...

2. Abacab - Energetic. Phil tweaks a lyric again. Amazing that the instrumental section stays the same from show to show given its improv feel. This version is more solid and consistent than Three Sides Live. Nailed. May well be the best recording of this song. Tony makes a change (or lucky mistake) right at the end.

3. That's All - Crowd comes alive. Good response. Very good performance.

4. Mama - Not much reverb on the drum machine. Makes for less atmosphere, but reveals the other instruments. Crowd cheers the evil laughs. Guitar sounds great! Again, the band nails it! Later tours never quite reach this level of intensity for this song.

5. Illegal Alien - Shortened introduction from Phil compared to audience recordings from the tour. Who is singing backup in the last chorus?

6. Home By The Sea/Second Home By The Sea - Again, shortened intro. Simmons drums either misfire slightly at the beginning of Second Home or Phil misses a note or two.

Disc 2:

1. In The Cage / The Cinema Show - The first half of the famous Cage Medley. During the "Outside the Cage I see my brother John" section, there is a loud digital delay on the vocal. Phil tweaks the lyric again... "Pinned for kill" becomes "Dressed to Kill". Daryl's lead guitar always shines during the "round... round..." section. Cinema Show seems to be missing a little bass in the mix at the beginning. May not improve on Three Sides, but definitely threatens to.

2. ...In That Quiet Earth/The Raven - The Cage Medley continues. By the time we get here, the audience, who are almost certainly there to hear That's All, Abacab and Mama, are sitting in stunned silence. Tony weaves his magic around the rest of the band. This version of the Medley contains some of my favorite Genesis music and this is a great performance of it.

3. Afterglow - The Medley concludes in high drama. After many years of playing this song, the band soars through it yet again, effortlessly. Medley nailed.

4. Keep It Dark - An under-appreciated song from Abacab. The live version improves on the studio recording. Feels warmer. Nice reverb on the vocal during the "I wish that I could really tell you" sections. A brief key change right at the end, segues nicely into...

5. It's Gonna Get Better - Another under-appreciated song, though it might have been more at home on one of Phil's early albums. The band performs the 12" version on this tour. As far as I know, the shorter LP version was never played live. Tony's CP-70 piano is more up-front than on the studio recording. Chester's loud CRACK percussive sound isn't as intense as I remember it live.

6. Los Endos - A little surprising without the Drum Duet which was almost certainly played, but edited out. I have yet to hear a bad version of this jaw-dropping instrumental. It doesn't seem to change much from tour to tour, even with the variations in Tony's keyboard rig over the years. Except for the missing Mellotron choir (replaced here by 1983 technology) , this could have been recorded on the Trick of Tail tour. Makes a great finale as always. Nailed.

Encore:

7. Misunderstanding - Strange now to think of this song as being part of the encore. But it was a hit here in the US. Again nearly identical to Three Sides Live. Except it segues into...

8. Turn It On Again (with That Damned Oldies Medley) - Yes, we all need somebody to love. Genesis plays covers of songs that inspired them. This recording was released as a 12" b-side.

Piper Club, Rome, April 18, 1972

Piper Club,
Rome, Italy
April 18, 1972
A TM Production

Overall Rating:


A nice quiet audience recording. The background chatter is minimal. Peter still sounds a little nervous with the crowd at times, like on the La Ferme recording a few months earlier.

Sound: * * *
An audience recording. I suspect that the tape might have sounded pretty rough before it was rescued by TM. There is occasional distortion during some of the louder sections, but the CD is quite listenable and like all TM productions, has a beautiful graphics package.

Mix: * * *
A dry, stark mix. The guitars fade into background at times, but on the whole, everyone gets heard.

Performance: * * *
Several of the songs have passages that are played too fast, draining all emotion from the performance. At times, it seems as if the band is just trying to get through the songs as quickly as possible. Perhaps Phil was excited to be in Italy. This first occurs during Stagnation, when the drums kick in.

Raw Notes:

1. Happy The Man intro. Pete introduces the song in English and translates the title into Italian.

2. Happy the Man. Peter goes up high on the last chorus. (Yeah, yeah, yeah nowhere!) Nice performance.

3. Stagnation (story about last man on Earth planting a crop of onions?) - Translates title again. Phil is a little fast coming in with the drums. Everyone keeps up nicely. Tony nails the organ solo
even at this speed. Tony does the "Ahh ahh ahhs". Tempo a little fast again going into the "I want to sit down" section. Phils drumming at the end is much more elaborate than John Mayhew's.

4. The Fountain of Salmacis - Story of Hermaphroditus. A little audience chatter story. Mellotron makes appearance. Has some trouble in second verse, coming up to speed a little too slowly. Peter having some trouble with high notes. Sings "One Flesh" after "stangely joined as one." Some distortion in the recording toward the end. Sings "Somewhere" after "forever still beneath the lake." Good Audience response.

5. Twilight Alehouse - Short intro. Translates title. Second chorus a little fast again. Band seems to be rushing through this one a bit carelessly. Still gets a good response.

6. Drum Solo. A bit jazzy. The roots of Brand X? A little audience chatter at first. Steve comes in with a faded-in chord. Peter and Phil: "Goo goo ga ga goo goo."

7. The Musical Box. Story not as elaborate as later. Translates title. Phil does the background vocals like the original. Phil mimics the phase shifter: "Here it comes agaiiioooonnn..." Peter sings "and I touch... your warmth.. YEAH!" like on Genesis Live. Again rushed during the following instrumental section. Peter flat on "She's a lady, she's got time". Rushed, but still energetic. Crowd loves it.

8. Return of the Giant Hogweed - intro: Translates. Good, powerful performance. Peter has vocal problems on "Human bodies soon will know our anger" section.

(Encore)

9 The Knife - Peter says "grazie" and the band launches into the song. Peter already changing the lyrics to the second verse. Rushed. Good job on eerie instr section. You can really hear the Leslie on Tony's organ. Too fast again in the instrumental after "Wanting freedom". Intense noise during final instr section.

10. Going Out To Get You - Recording gets distorted. Someone in crowd requests "Looking For Someone". Crowd claps along to the beattoward the end. Good crowd response. Is that Peter chatting with the crowd on the fade out?

The Omni Centre, Atlanta, December 13, 1983

Omni Center
Atlanta, Georgia
December 13, 1983

Overall:

After Phil introduces Daryl and Chester, a woman inexplicably says the word "Spandex", but I can't imagine who was wearing it. I wanted to begin with this tape because it's the closest thing I have to a recording of the show I saw on the next evening, Dec-14-83, in Jacksonville, FL. This is a good audience recording from a tour that's under-represented in bootlegs.

Sound: * * *
There is some high end distortion and a bit of flutter in places. But the instruments and vocals are all well-defined. There's a great deal of talking which I find entertaining at times, a bit like being in the crowd. It's mostly the taper himself and his female companion.

Mix: * * * *
Overall the crew's mix is quite well balanced. Curiously, Tony drops into the background on occasion and we get an unusually good listen at the guitars. A mixing flaw, but interesting to hear. The only technical glitch I noticed was a few missing beats from one of the Simmons drums at the beginning of Second Home By the Sea.


Performance: * * * *
I would be surprised to find the band having an off-night on this tour. They really were at the top of their game. Misses earning five Alberts only because of a mediocre performance of "Follow You, Follow Me" and "That's All".

Raw Notes:

1. Dodo- First minute or so missing. Typically great performance. Phil is in very strong voice. Crowd cheers when he belts out "I'm back in the sea!" Couple dropouts. (Woman: Are you gettin' a bootleg?)

2. Abacab - (Man: ..."rocking back and forth" "Nows he's holding it up like here. They're not doing anything about it.") Crowd cheers intro to extended instrumental, probably the lights. Drums and bass get heavy toward the end, almost like a short solo as keys and gtr drop out briefly. Not sure if was intentional. Crowd cheers. Great performance.

3. Phil talks - Lots and lots of new songs! (Man: Bullshit! BOOO!).

4. That's All - Good performance.. very album-like

5. Mama - Crowd claps along w/ drum machine. Chatters. Crowd really into laughs! Song was fresh and new. Strong. (Man: "The lights move, look at that!")

6. Phil talks: Hey you! ... we got out all our old albums... then we put them back. A little of this, a little of that, a little of the other. Made this kind of thing. (Man sings: Lammmb lies down doowwwn on Broadway..)

7-9. Eleventh Earl of Mar --> Squonk-->Firth of Fifth. Daryl's Firth gtr solo doesn't begin to follow the original until the end, unlike 92 when it follows Steve's original nearly note for note for the first minute. Phil sings the final section of Firth on this tour for the last time.

(tape flip)

10. Phil Speaks. (Woman: "perfect.. perfect"). Fugitives from justice.

11. Illegal Alien - Crowd claps along. Very similar to album version. (Woman: "That would spoil it, now wouldn't it?")

12. Man On The Corner - The high-end distortion gets bad here. But it's an excellent emotional performance, superior to the album. Mix is different... Mike does gtr solo toward the end. Drum machine continues for a while at the end... right into...

13. Whodunnit. Ack. Interesting use of vocal delay not on the album. Phil ad libs a little at the end. (Man: "It's dumb! We know we know we know.... it's bullshit.")

14. Phil Speaks. The Other World. (Woman:"OOh, scary!") Phil: If you're sitting next to somebody in the Other World. You'd better watch your ass... your buttocks.

15. Home By The Sea - Crowd cheers first instr break.. probably lights again. One of the Simmons drums doesn't trigger for the first several seconds of Second Home, or is perhaps not up in the mix at first. Close to album version. Mike has a very cool crunchy guitar sound here. Deviates from the album during the end of Second. Guitar solo different from album before going into final "Images of sorrow" section. All this talk about Mike makes me realize that I can't hear Tony all that well. Great crowd response.

Disc 2

1. Phil speaks - Hey you! Shithead! (Man: "I'm trying to find which is first side") Atlanta is, in fact, the center of the Universe! Tomorrow night, I'll be saying the same bullshit to Jacksonville. (And he did!) Crowd enjoys banter.

2. Keep It Dark - Played a little too slow. You can really hear Chester's kick drum. Segues into...

3. It's Gonna Get Better - (Tape change) (Man: I couldn't wait. If I had waited any longer...") . The band performed the extended (12") version on the tour. Mike goes into a guitar solo at the end again. Tony is deep in the mix again. (Man: "I only missed a minute of it.")

4. Follow You Follow Me - Damn close to the album version. A tad uninspired. Slightly different ending than Three Sides version.

5. Phil Speaks - Daryl and Chester Intro. (Woman "Spandex.") "From Los Angeles CA where all the finest athletes come from." Reference to upcoming 84 Summer Olympics?

6-8. In The Cage (man: Holy Shit!) --> Cinema Show-->Quiet Earth-->Raven--->Afterglow . Crowd cheer the lights when the "Outside the cage I see my brother John" part comes. Cage is a typically wonderful performance. Rarely changes from tour to tour, but thats a good thing in this case. Tony is using a different synth patch for the lead on Cinema than on 3 Sides. Outstanding. Taper is surprised when the band goes into Quiet Earth instead of straight into Raven as on 3 Sides.Tony nearly absent during Afterglow. Drums loud. Tape develops a nasty flutter and warbles in pitch. Batteries? Short drop out. Taper: "It was one minute too long".

9. Drum Duet --> Los Endos - Yet another jaw-dropping performance of the Drum Duet. I always found it amazing that Chester and Phil could sync up so well together. Sounds a little strange in mono because you can't single out either drummer. Into Los Endos. Flutter returns. Another performance the band has nailed to perfection. Like Cage, it never changes, even on Tony's newer equipment. Chester's kick drum rattles the arena.

10. Misunderstanding. As an encore? Crowd is grateful. Left channel drops out for half a minute. Nearly identical to 3 Sides version

11. Turn It On Again (w/ oldies medley) - Phil: "I'd like to thank each of you individually.. you you you you you you you you you you you you you and you."