Saturday, December 26, 2009

Rush Frankfurt, Germany 1979

Each week I'm going to try post a review of one of my bootlegs that is in my collection. This week's boot is Rush from Frankfurt, Germany in 1979.

Before I start rambling on about this show, I'm going to explain about my bootlegs. They are unauthorized recordings of bands in concert. I obtained them in many different ways. I got them off of the TV, radio broadcasts, the internet, other people's recordings and however I get them. 90% percent of these recordings are on my cassette tapes, stuffed away in a dresser. To me these recordings are priceless. You just can't get them anywhere.

I love listening to live music. It gives me a whole new perspective on any bands sound. In the studio, you can splice, add, edit and make any changes to create the perfect sound. In concert, you got only one chance to get it "right" To me, it's the imperfections and and the improvisations that give the bands their character.

Well, enough with my ramblings and on with the show! This concert was recorded live during their 1979 Hemispheres Tour. Rush was stunning their audiences with their epic 20 minute pieces like 2112 and Hemispheres. Not only they showcased these songs, they blazed through tunes like Xanadu, By-Tor and the Snow Dog, La Villa Strangiato and Closer to the Heart. A very impressive set list if you ask me!

Here is a video if my favorite Rush song, La Villa Strangiato, recorded live during that tour.



Here is the set list on my tape.
Anthem
A Passage to Bangkok
By-Tor and the Snow Dog
Xanadu
Something for Nothing
The Trees
Cygnus X-1
Hemispheres
Closer to the Heart
A Farewell to the Kings
La Villa Strangiato
2112
Working Man
Bastille Day
In the Mood

4 comments:

Perplexio said...

I've been tempted to do this as well. Most of my bootlegs are either Toto or Chicago related though. Not sure how much of a demand there is for reviews of those. One of the better non-Chicago or Toto boots I have is of Paul Rodgers & Neal Schon live in Vancouver 1993. GREAT set on that!

drewzepmeister said...

Perplexo, I'd love to hear about you boots! Give it a shot, my friend!

Perplexio said...

My prize boots are 3 bootlegs of Chicago that pre-date their 1969 debut. It's when they were still doing the club circuit here in Chicago (2 boots from Barnaby's which used to be on State St. and 1 from the Itchy Foot Moose-- I have no idea where that club was). It includes a lot of covers (Johnny B. Goode, Sgt. Peppers/With a Little Help From My Friends, Rock Around the Clock, It's Not Unusual, Got to Get You Into My Life, I'll Be Back Again, Sunshine of Your Love, Lady Madonna, etc. etc.) a few songs never before released, early versions of songs that were later released, and one song that was later released with completely different lyrics. The sound quality varies, but given the rarity of the material it's quite a treat to listen to. Imagine hearing boots of Led Zeppelin performing before they were signed (actually such bootlegs may exist, you would know better than I would)... that's kind of what these boots are to Chicago collectors.

drewzepmeister said...

Perplexo, I DO have some extremely early Zep bootlegs! The oldest one I've got is from Spokane,Washington, 12/30/1968. The third American show ever! Zeppelin was virtually unheard of then. The quality if the recording was rather muddied. That's to be expected. I've noticed the older the recording is, the harder it is to find a great quality sound.