Boston - Live In Seattle 1977 (The Tanberg Master) (200x) {JEMS}

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Boston - Live In Seattle 1977 (The Tanberg Master) (200x) {JEMS}

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If you don’t know about the Tandberg, it was a remarkable piece of gear in its day, not only capable of recording at 3-3/4 and 7-1/2 IPS, but in full-track mono. I won’t do the math, but compared to a cassette, the surface area of tape capturing the music is orders of magnitude higher, which is why so many of SG’s Tandberg masters from the likes of David Bowie, Elton John, Led Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen are considered by some as audience-recording classics. The Tandberg required 10(!) D-cel batteries to operate, is roughly the size of a compact typewriter and weighs more than ten pounds. Imagine sneaking that into a show and your respect for what SG accomplished only grows.

This is the first in a series of Tandberg master reels digitized for the first time. Happily, the original Tandberg deck is still fully functioning, so these transfers offer full-track mono playback on the original tape recorder to maximize quality.

We open with Tom Scholz’ Boston, and yes, I am a closet fan. This early ‘77 set includes all the songs it should from the first album, two previews from the second, as well as a pair of songs that were only part of the band’s live set, “Shattered Images” and “Television Politician.” Criticize them if you must, but in an era of full live instrumentation, Boston’s ability to recreate its layered studio sound in concert is impressive, as are Brad Delp’s vocals.

SG made a point of attaching his microphone to some arena seating infrastructure and with his long microphone cord, he moved it away from any close-up audience. You’ll notice that here as there is really nothing in the way between the PA and the recorder on what for my money is a rather remarkable recording.

Our hat goes off again to SG for his remarkable work in the ‘70s, ‘80s and beyond for capturing these shows in the first place, and to Jared, may his legacy live on as he rests in peace. Thanks as well to mjk5510, for his steadfast support of JEMS’ efforts.

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Boston - Live In Seattle 1977 (The Tanberg Master) (200x) {JEMS}

Close