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Clockwork Angels Live Streaming on Pandora


Nate1647
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LOVE it! The mixing isn't 100% exactly what I'd like (but no live release has been), but it's a great medium between the spit polish of A SHow OF Hands/Exit Stage Live, and the manic energy of Rush In Rio. There is quite a bit more audience audio here than on the past couple releases, especially during the beginnings of songs, or during the money parts. Luckily it never quite drowns out the music (such as in Rush In Rio), even if there may be one or two instances when you wish it wasn't there. Overall it lends an incredible energy to the performance. If the last couple live releases were incredibly cleaned up (though not altered) soundboard recordings, this one can be likened to the sound of having the absolute best seat in the house.

 

Onto the performance, this one is really incredible. The boys are playing in incredibly fine style. LEAGUES better than Snakes & Arrows Live, which is my personal opinion as the low point for live albums, they are clearly displaying infectious energy and speed. It does lead to a couple fumbles in the song (such as Alex's bum note in 2112, which most have already heard), but hey, that's the live experience, and the degree to which they are playing around with the tunes (the solo in Force Ten give that song incredible life) more than make up for one or two fumbles. The solos in Analog Kid, Caravan, and the final solo in Spirit of Radio are all among some of the best live performances they've had the pleasure of recording. And anyone worrying about Geddy's voice, rest easy. He sounds as good here as ever (at this point in time, at least). Just listen to Manhattan Project if you want a good example, his vocals are near-indistinguishable from the album cut! Luckily, anything would be better than Time Machine tour vocals, though he had the shitty luck of having a cold during that show. I also want to point out that I'm happy with how the strings are mixed here. They are clearly audible, yet don't overshadow the band. This was probably my biggest concern.

 

Now, onto a few complaints. While I'm generally more than okay with the mixing, there are a couple oddities here. There are one or two moments when the drums fall a bit too much in the background. This isn't as much a problem as it was in the Time Machine Tour though. In that album, a couple of the drums (especially high hat) were recorded just terribly, rendering them inaudible, but here the volume is just a bit lower than you'd like. It's all audible, but I can understand why some would want the drums to be more prominent.

 

My main complaint is that the mixing is a bit inconsistent, almost like it's been done by a few separate people with separate priorities. Songs like Analog Kid and Caravan bust forth with the energy you'd expect, yet the beginning to Headlong Flight is a bit too quiet, almost like the music is far away or something. Also, while the presence of audience cheering doesn't throw me off, the constant presence of stage sound effects (fire, bangs, flares, etc) is a bit annoying. Things like this pop up from time to time, and while it doesn't hinder my enjoyment, it does hinder it from being a perfect live recording. The opening to YYZ, for example, has an odd hissing sound that is pretty off putting, and I'm not sure how it made it through the mixing process (perhaps with all the instruments and tracks, it was just impossible to completely erase). The hissing goes away after the intro, but it's annoying. Little things like that pop up a few times.

 

*NOTE: It's entirely possible that some of these nitpicks are partially due to the low quality of the stream. It's doubtful, as The Garden and 2112 sound pretty much as they did on the other web sites when they premiered, but the possibility is there.

 

Overall, while this probably won't replace R30 as my favorite live recording, I will definitely get a ton of mileage out of it. It's just really nice to hear the band at their peak, there are some incredible moments during this performance that illustrate why live albums can be so magical. Little flourishes that bring these songs above the rigid confines of the studio versions. The nitpicks I have with the mixing, while annoying, are definitely not of the Rush In Rio-level to actually hinder your enjoyment if you're here for the music. More often than not, they serve to put you right in the middle of the best sounding concert you've ever been to, instead of hearing a really high quality soundboard recording. I can live with that.

 

*Oh, It should also be noted for those who care that the Limelight soundcheck recording is missing about 70% of the vocals. Geddy usually just sings the first few words of a line and then stops. I assume this is common practise for a soundcheck, since the whole point is just to test the sound. Still, it's a bit odd. I assume since Limelight wasn't played at either show, this is probably the most complete recording of it they had. Better than not having it at all, I suppose. Plus, it ends with a cool funky jam ;)

Edited by puffyshirt
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I agree about the mix. It's a bit muddy and the drums haven't been as up front as I'd like since R30. But Pandora might be streaming at around 96 kbps or something. The vocals aren't as up front as on Time Machine or S&A live - which is fine by me. Geddy's voice, while not as strong as in past years, sounds better a tad lower in the mix. Plus it feels more live that way. Only halfway through the first set so far...

 

They did a good job of segueing the 'different degreeeeeeeeee' part of Grand Designs with the canned backing track. I shuddered a bit when I heard him singing that live on tour.

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Anyone know who mixed it? Richard Chycki did R30 and Time Machine. Not sure who did S&A Live.

Chycki also did S&A Live. I wanna assume Chycki did this one as well since I recall that he mentioned something about CA Tour in a Twitter post once.

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I thought that it sounded great - one of their best live recordings. I'm really looking forward to the CD and seeing the movie on Monday. :haz:

 

Now I want to see them again. Holy cow the CA material is strong! :o

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This is probably my favorite live album since R30. Love the mix on this even though the drums could be a tad bit louder. The sound of the snare on this is great, it's definitely way better than the tin can sounding (IMO at least) snare on Time Machine 2011. Geddy's bass solo on Where's My Thing? is mesmerizing and love how Alex's Les Paul gives the synth songs a bit more raw power to them. I've been playing the synth songs plus Where's My Thing on heavy rotation the past two days and they're awesome! Sure, as a whole might sound sloppy at times (particularly the staples like 2112), but the historical significance of having most of these songs on a live release overshadows that notion. I'll be playing/watching this one a lot once I get my hands on a copy of it.
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Just got the CD's today, blu ray hopefully here Friday. Brilliant performance from the boys, the energy of Rio and the playing is very tight, as in like different stages '96 playing wise... Superb. The 80's stuff really rocks and the strings sound great. Well produced album and geddy sounds fine vocally. Loving it.
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