The Digital Dan
(Audio - 8.5)
This is a slightly more expanded soundboard of the show made famous by
"Mystic Dreams". I like the sound on this version a bit better than "Mystic
Dreams", a little less stale sounding. Taken from a very low generation
tape, thus there is virtually no tape hiss. "Red Sector A" still has the
same minor cuts as was on Mystic Dreams. "YYZ / Drum Solo" cuts out about a
minute too premature, but not severely distracting. All in all a nice
performance and everything is very clear, though Alex is low in the overall
mix. Because the mix is more centric on Geddy and Neil, you can hear some
nice but extremely subtle differences in the keyboard lines during some of
the songs. As with all Digital Reproductions releases, this recording is
only available for free trade. If you find this recording for sale, you are
being ripped off! (2004-04-29)
Randy
The remastered version of one of my personal faves, 'Mystic 'Dreams'. The
fundamental difference is, the sound is more equalized than its predecessor.
Also, more of the show is represented, including (most of) the drum solo.
(2004-04-29)
ToBeOrWhat
You’ll never believe this but, this bootleg is “Mystic Dreams”
with…BETTER SOUND! I think Alex is in mix soooo much better. Not only that,
it is an expanded set list with “Manhattan Project” between “Subdivisions”
and “Middletown Dreams”, and “Marathon” between “Closer to the Heart” and
“The Trees” as well as 6 or 7 minutes further into the “YYZ/Drum Solo” bit.
So…better sound than “Mystic Dreams”, a more complete set list and even
better artwork, why is it you don’t have this? The best thing about this the
best live recording “New World Man”. A wonderful investment. However, there
is one knock, only in that its not the full show. Until there is a full
soundboard Power Windows show this will remain a very top class show. My
favorite show from this tour is “Capture My Thoughts” though. It is a
complete show and a much better performance than just about ever show I have
ever heard! Still, this is a real top class recording. NON-OFFICIAL LIVE
ALBUM TRACKS-New World Man, Middletown Dreams, Territories (all are
wonderfully played). (2004-04-29)
Currygoat
This is the upgrade to the original Visions and Illusions released in
April '01, which includes corrections to speed. The one flaw in regards to
this, is that Red Sector A plays too slow (approximately 1.8% too slow). The
resulting pitch drop is noticeable, and is most easily distingishable when
compared to the studio release, or A Show of Hands version. All other
tracks' speed appears to be perfect. (2004-04-29)
LeeGeddy
(Audio - 8)
This release is an update to V&I released back in April '01. Sonically a
better sounding source than "Mystic Dreams" and offers a bit more of the
recording. I would rate this as an EX- because it falls just short of being
a great recording. One major flaw....speed was too fast. In comparing the
sequencer intro of RSA from Visions & Illusions to its counterpart (no pun
intended) on ASOH, it looks like there is about +/-1.5% difference. I took
this value and applied it to several songs on V&I and the result was good.
I then corrected the speed on CoolEditPro. I noticed that Geddy's voice to
have a nasal tone quality in the recording both during the songs and during
his dialogs with the audience. Did Geddy have a cold? Who knows? Few
minor edits were made, mostly small clicks and single channel anomalies and
such. Lastly YYZ and the Drum Solo were separated. The original production
for V&I was not available in SHN format. So, in addition to the speed
correction, I made .SHN files from the master .WAV files after the speed
correction. Many thanks to Grande Kielbasa for his "tuning ears". Freely
available through trading or blank media trades.
(2004-04-29)
