Bruce Springsteen's next archive release-Meadowlands 8/5/84

Thank you Jamie! You saved me the time and energy of replying to some of our fellow members.... in a not-so-kind manner. Folks, recording live music is ALWAYS a huge endeavor and one fraught with all manner of issues. Sometimes the recording itself is near-perfect, but the performance is perfunctory. Sometimes one member of the band is a bit off, while the rest of the band shines. The venue type matters... a lot. The sound was originally mixed for a specific venue, not necessarily for a later physical release. Usually some manner of sound anomalies pop up.... bad patches, mic cable issues, out-of-tune instruments, comparatively weak balance between vocals and instruments, et al.

Now go back to tapes 25, 30, 40 years old and try to work magic on them, or choosing which shows are the best. I've been doing it for years with my own bands' 30+ year old live tapes and let me tell you, it ain't easy. Some of the best-sounding recordings were captured on my trusty Sony cassette deck and a little 6 channel mixer my guitarist built from scratch. Better than soundboard recordings captured on a professional reel-to-reel, mixed by a true pro. Sometimes it just works like that. Sometimes the vocal mix was more upfront than "I" like. Guess which mix the lead singer favors? And who's to say one show is superior to another? It's not so black and white when it comes to preference. One thing that doesn't cut it... calling out engineers and members of the "camp" stupid or unknowlegeable. Totally disappointing and completely untrue.

My only complaint, and it's a small one, is the "complete shows-only mandate". Surely an artistic right, but in Springsteen's live odyssey, there are many incomplete shows that are well-worthy of release. Perhaps someone in the camp will push for a collection release(s) that features the very best from these shows. If not, I'll be more than happy with the series continuing as-is for years to come. Thanks. Ron

 

I think it's how Bruce wanted it mixed. End of story.

 

In a recent interview, Toby has said that compilation releases are not off the table. My recollection is (and you can probably find the quote somewhere in this thread) is that whole-show releases, and shows with multitracks available, are a priority. But that there aren't necessarily as many full shows in the vault as some might assume, and if/when there's a partial or partials with worthwhile material, a comp might be a good idea.

Offhand, I could imagine that there might be multiple partial or shorter sources from the pre-BTR era, for example, as one circumstance that could lend itself to a comp.

 

The most prominent guitar mix along with the 78 stuff on the Darkness box is probably the London Calling blu-ray of the 2009 concert. So it doesn't really make sence.

End of story because you think it's the way Springsteen wanted it? Okay...

 

Well, assuming Springsteen listens to all of these and approves the final mastering, I would say yes? What other explanation do you have? Maybe it's the best they could do with what was recorded on the original tapes, but still, I don't think anything leaves with the Springsteen name on it without the Boss saying "ok".

 

I don't think think Jamie was specifically saying the complete show mandate was Springsteen - just an example of one of the many issues that have occurred with other artists over the years. I think Springsteen's camp showed a willingness to release partial recordings like with the "Thrill Hill Vault" disc in the Darkness box. And - as someone above me mentioned - Toby did say that comps were not necessarily off the table. So there's hope yet!

 

Guitar mix and sound seems fine to me on some of the BITUSA tracks from the '84/85 tour that are included for the box set even though they are culled from different sources and venues. Of course that was a label release that was more meticulous and with either few, some, or a lot of overdubs, depending on who one believes I guess.

Like that performance of Atlantic City and that guitar solo is a nice touch. Does Bruce yell "C'mon Son!" as the band launches into one of the instrumental sections (before the solo) that propel the song? I like the arrangements of the other 2 Nebraska numbers I like with the band. This is a concert I wish I could have purchased individual tracks for. Atlantic City might have been one of them and maybe the two other Nebraska songs I like. Just don't dig this concert much.

 

That would be most welcomed. There's lots of special one-off appearances and partial shows worthy of release. Ron

 

Agreed. I think there is something to idea that the Springsteen camp may very well reassess and evolve the live archives project as it progresses over time. I would not be surprised if this goes beyond the 30-ish shows they assert they have set aside for this series.

 

For a live stadium rock album, DSD is stupid. I was stupid to fork over 40 bucks and it is absolutely NOT worth, especially since the mix is mediocre and not crisp at all.

 

Personally, I think lossless flac is the best way to go for these live archive releases. While I think all of these archive releases so far are the best quality versions ever, better than the boots, the quality just doesn't warrant going for the hi-res versions.

 

Agreed. Honestly, I have the flacs for 3 of the 4, got the mp3s for the River show and really didn't hear much of a difference. I would gladly pay more for silver CDs of these concerts, but I am fine with either flacs or mp3s at this point for downloadable content.

 

The FLAC is only $3 more than the .mp3, so it made sense to me. Paying double for DSD is a lot in this scenario, but I applaud the effort to release that option.

 

the performance is great.
they really were a fabulous band.
still are pretty awesome (except they are 31 years older)

And Bruce is a very pleasant artist

 

Listened to this while painting the house yesterday. I'm just blown away. The sound, the performance and the setlist are just superb. Much better than I anticipated.

 

Can someone explain the difference between PCM and DSD? And I assume they are both equally compatible for play back?

 

I don't wanna start a new thread based on a rumour but do not be surprised if we get the long awaited River box at the end of the year.

 

The source of the rumour is pretty close to the band and its not as if they haven't been working on such a set. The past has taught me never to rule out anything where Bruce Inc. is concerned but this one looks like a good bet.

 

It's taken me parts of three days to download this friggin' thing! Slowest download speeds I've ever encountered by far. Normally I have pretty good connection so not sure what's up here. Anyone else having that problem. Btw, what I've heard I like a lot!

 

Yeah - I had posted in another thread a few days ago that Stan Goldstein of NJ.com tweeted the rumor, and he's a pretty reliable source for Bruce-related things. You can never discount the possibility of delays, setbacks, and mindchanging, unfortunately....

 

Am I the only one distracted by all of the crowd noise on these two releases? The constant background noise interferes with some great music. I have hundreds of live albums and that extraneous cheering, clapping, singing along seems particular to Bruce's live releases.

 

I think the crowd adds to the recordings. I hate live recordings where the crowd is barely noticeable. To me it's a document of a concert, not a document of a live performance in a vacuum,,,,,,,,

 

The Nassau sounds like a great show. It's a pity that Toby Scott mixed it to sound like it was recorded by someone in the audience with a stereo tape recorder (like a bootleg). Bruce's voice is almost inaudible in parts as is a couple of guitar solos. If I want bootleg quality, I'll buy a bootleg. When I'm paying good money, I expect a professionally mixed concert recording. Luckily, the mix done for the Meadowlands 1984 release is far superior. It's a pity that the Nassau 1980 concert wasn't mixed in the same way as the 1984 Meadowlands gig and the 1975 Philadelphia gig was. A great opportunity missed.

 

Love the Nassau show, but I agree, something's wrong with the mix. The guitars disappear in Prove It All Night.