Agreed. I got a sneak preview and it's a bit muddy, as expected. I don't have ESL and I bet it sounds better. But I guess they're just stuck with a flawed source tape. You'd think they'd be able to bring some separation to let it breathe a bit, since there was only three of them. The guitar could be brought forward a bit more, too.
Nonetheless, it's still a great show. It's nice to hear the band at their peak (I saw the same tour on my birthday in Philly) with Geddy hitting all the notes.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
You really think so? A friend played me his copy (i didn't buy it so just going by his set-up) and the guitar just dominates the whole left channel from what i heard. Just as the bass is mixed Very loudly in the right channel. Sounds like it was mixed/mastered by someone with (severe) hearing loss. The whole thing is severely compressed with the bass/guitar mixed too loudly causing serious ear-fatigue. It reminded me of those highly compressed FM broadcasts from years passed: a real shame imo.
(And the one instrument that suffers the most in the mix are the drums which are just drowned out by the guitar/bass--maybe because the drummer isn't around to suggest: "make me louder in the mix"? or the mixer/(re)masterer trying to please him(?)
But IT does sound like you are at THE show with the instruments/vocal so in your face--probably a good thing for those who saw these guys back then/and are also experiencing hearing loss from too many shows!
^^Yes, I do think so. The guitar may dominate the left channel, but it's overpowered by the bass and drums. I agree with the rest of your assessment. Well, except the guitar being mixed too loudly.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
That's what they get for not getting Steven The Redeemer to do the job
I bought the download and I think the concert is instantly the best official Rush live release ever. It’s everything I love about Exit…Stage Left, but without all of the fixes and the clinical, cleaned up sound.
Last edited by Frumious B; 04-17-2022 at 09:13 AM.
"It was a cruel song, but fair."-Roger Waters
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
A lot on PE were critical of Rush in Rio but I think that one had a nice raw, seat-of-our-pants feel to it.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Listened to the live show yesterday ….. sounds OK. Not great, but not terrible. I still find the mix a bit congested and muddy. My favorite Rush tour though.
My favorite Rush is roughly Permanent Waves through Hold Your Fire so anything new that helps to fill in those years is going to have my undivided attention. I assume we are going to get anniversary editions of the remaining Mercury albums so it will be interesting to see what they unearth. Maybe the entire show that is excerpted on the single disc Grace Under Pressure Tour?
"It was a cruel song, but fair."-Roger Waters
HDtracks also has the download, with a coupon code available.
Well, Amazon managed to get my Mega Super Deluxe version here without destroying it on the second try. The first one showed up with the shipping box looking perfect but everything inside was crushed on one corner (including all of the materials in the boxed set). The second one showed up with the shipping boxed utterly destroyed and just barely holding onto its contents but the set itself looks to be in perfect condition. I know better than to order anything I care about the condition it arrives in from Amazon. I end up returning about 50% of the books I order because they are damaged in shipping (or packing or both). Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse than UPS or Fedex Amazon gets into the shipping business. I'm not sure why I didn't just order it directly from the Rush store... next time.
Recorded live at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON by Guy Charbonneau using Le Mobile Remote Recording March 24 & 25, 1981
Mixed by Terry Brown at Blue Sound & Music. Toronto, ON - December 2020 - February 2021
Technical Assistance: Russ Mackay
Mastered by Peter Moore - 2021
I don't know why they had to cram the guitar into the left channel. I did a quick check on other live releases and there's guitar coming out of the right as well. Reminds of those first few Van Halen albums where Eddie was mixed all to one side. It drives me nuts listening to something like that on headphones.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
"It was a cruel song, but fair."-Roger Waters
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