The preview tracks from about a month ago were a little jarring, I’ll admit. They sounded a little too drenched in reverb compared to Love You Live’s 3rd side. But now that I’ve heard this release repeatedly since getting the CD last week, I can’t believe how good it sounds. A little more modern sounding mix, sure. Stadium like? Nope. That El Mo club atmosphere remains fully intact. This show/performance is one of their all time best releases and a long wished for Holy Grail. I love it!
Different strokes for different folks. im also surprised of the difference in how the sound is perceived across the board. I dont care if theres overdubs, but i see if your a big fan its interresting. im trying to learn to live with the sound and hope it doesnt creep towards the back of the stack, that some (not all) of the "vault" releases has been. Im sure no ones is critical about the bands performance that night. its smokin. Im leaving this discussion now,and when i come back for the next vault release ill try not to fire up under a "trump/biden" debate (war)
If you can't tell whether Micks vocals are: Live in 1977 Overdubbed in 1977 Overdubbed in 2021 Then it shouldn't matter to your enjoyment I get being a superfan and wanting to pick apart those details, that's understandable. But people needing to know this info before they can figure out if they enjoy something is odd.
Many (me included) are/were super sceptic about the echo, mixing, overdubs, artwork, etc before buying the album. But that’s all gone as soon as you play the record. The band is so smokin’ hot that I don’t care if the album was wrapped in toilet paper. Amazing to have a Stones release like this still in 2022. BUT the vinyl price is still ridiculous. Haven’t changed my mind about that. It’s been a while since the last time I bought a cd.
For people who are complaining about the sound of "El Mocambo 77" ( twicks, TonyCzar, aphexj, pryp, Rockin Robby ). I really want to know if they can post five live concerts ( In vynil or Cd ) with perfect sound. I mean , concerts with 10 points in every sound detail. ( You cant post El Mocambo side of Love you live ).
Man, I don't need perfect sound. Just want a club gig with less reverb/slapback than most of their arena releases.
I got it ! I promise everybody that this will be my last post in this thread. hold me to it! The point isnt that im after perfectionism. its that a lot of people are sensitive to the digital mastering/mixing process that leads to ear fatigue (for some). if you dont get ear fatigue from the later "wet" mastered stones releases then fine! good for you!! But some of us do. Im Outta Space as Billy Preston would have said.
You are complaining in the last 40 pages, so I assume that you need a perfect sound. If you dont need a perfect sound then relax and enjoy the show. (twicks) If you got ear fatigue, post some live concerts that dont give you ear fatigue. (pryp)
Streamed it on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Music. CD should hit my local library soon, I'll give it a spin.
No war, but I don't understand complaining if you haven't actually sat and listened to the CD or vinyl. Did you and I missed it? I say this because the reviews here and everywhere are overwhelmingly positive for content and sound quality. You can never satisfy 100% of the customers 100% of the time but at least listen first, then judge.
Many, if not most of the archive CD releases can be a bit fatiguing, without question, we agree on that 100%. This one imo isn’t one of them. In spite of that most of the archive releases still destroy the previous bootleg versions that we all loved for decades. It’s the same for most of the Springsteen archive series as well.
For one thing, Mick messes with the lyrics somewhat on this version. If he were to overdub new vocals, that likely wouldn't be the case would it? It's obvious to me that he's improvising on the spot, not after the fact.
Right, I've received and played the vinyl set - had to wait as it was a gift for my birthday today. And... I think I can categorically call time on the claims here of reverberating stadiums. It's absolutely not the case. What we have here is a superb recording of a 1977 club show - it gives the feel of being there, in the crowd - where side 3 of LYL ( and I've just A / B'd them) does not. I've audience-recorded in 1970s mid-size clubs and there's absolutely nothing here that's out of place in terms of vibe and sonics. People here talk about reverb on vocals as though the sound you hear at a 70s rock 'n roll show is the result of a clear dry vocal hitting up against either an artexed club wall or the back of a grandstand - as though a vocalist would never prefer that the guy on the desk apply a little, for example, reverb. You've never heard reverb on a Rolling Stones studio vocal? Their first producer is in thrall to Spector and they use RCA Hollywood with the world's then most renowned echo chamber. The singer makes a great play of slurring his lines... but live - you suppose they want dry, audiophile- friendly clarity and separation? LYL side 3? Mixed from the direct feeds to provide a stark sonic contrast to the boom and bluster of the arena sides. It sounds like a live in the studio recording. A radio session with a small audience. It's fantastic, but it sounds absolutely nothing like a late 70s club gig. And this, as I say, does. And this is why these thoughts of the original fab five are relevant... This is probably - OK, its very early days - my absolute favourite Rolling Stones live album - because I believe that its the nearest thing we have to capturing the original Stones ethos - but recorded well. The original band's screamo hit and run outings? They couldn't hear themselves and the gear wasn't yet there to capture that in a genuinely live setting anyway. Wood here completely fills the job of - not Taylor - but Jones. He's absolutely terrific on this - caught between two US / Euro cocaine steeplechase tours. Keith's "ancient art of weaving" has become a painfully over-used cliché - but here it is - in full effect. After this it was back to the gallops then on to the big band stadium review. This, for me, is probably as good as it ever got. I love 'Ya Ya's', love Leeds and Brussels, love my '78 boots and that Wembley 82 'Tattoo You' tack-on too. But none of them are this enjoyable or as close to the heart of their original intent I don't think. Maybe some of the thrashing around over this package is in the coming to terms with the fact that, for a snapshot in time, the Rolling Stones might have peaked with that (47 years and counting) stand-in guitarist.
I don't hear anything from 2021. Anyone able to pinpoint a 2021 circa vocal? I am not particularly bothered by the possibility of 1977 era overdubs, and I suspect if Mick cleaned up vocals back then that they are quite possibly on these recordings, and on some level they still add a vintage time period aspect to these recordings. That said, I haven’t been overly concerned with the possibility of 1977 era overdubs, the release sounds great and free from contemporary overdubbing.
I don’t have the packaging to complain about, but they peaked with their younger 5-year stand-in guitarist, an elite English piano session man, and a couple of Texans making up the brass section. Hopefully, we’ll get the lost live album from ‘72 and that incarnation will finally receive the accolades from the rest of the world that they received at the time as the world’s greatest rock n roll band.
