Tasty AUDs on archive.org
Over the last few days I've gone through every audience recording that can be downloaded from archive.org, streaming one or two tracks from each and deciding which were the best from a sound quality standpoint. Now, before you ask why you should even consider an AUD, read what one pseudonymous reviewer of the 11/29/80 Gainesville AUD had to say:
The really clean soundboards that come out are otherworldly, but the energy in this audience tape 'captures' the essence of the real experience better than cleaner technologies. Cleaner technologies take the show and mount it like an insect in perfect formaldehyde museum quality beneath the glass, but this show is still kicking, still buzzing, still flying, and it is everpresent. Enthusiasm is the word. Exuberance. Oh yeah baby - turn the f***** up.
I couldn't say it better myself. Although I lean heavily toward boards, there are times when an AUD does things a board can't; in fact, the SBDs of '92-95 are so empty of any sort of ambience they sound like the Dead are performing to an empty arena - only with an audience tape does that dismal image vanish. A good AUD can also be very enjoyable to listen to. In addition, many shows only circulate in AUD. The shows listed below range in quality from the highly listenable to "Boards? We don't need no stinkin' boards!" Ultimately, everyone has to decide what they like, but hopefully clicking on some of the links below and streaming some tunes will help you make up your mind. Good hunting.
3/3/68 , 3/26/68 , 3/29/68 , 3/30/68 , 3/31/68 , 5/3/69 , 3/21/70 , 11/28/70 , 8/5/71 , 8/6/71 , 8/21/71 , 3/5/72 , 4/29/72 , 7/27/73 , 9/7/73 , 5/21/74 , 7/21/74 , 10/1/76 , 12/31/79 , 6/5/80 , 11/29/80 , 5/1/81 , 8/30/81 , 9/17/82 , 7/31/82 , 8/27/83 , 12/31/83 , 10/5/84 , 3/12/85 , 3/31/85 , 4/1/85 , 6/15/85 , 8/30/85 , 8/31/85 , 9/2/85 , 9/15/85 , 11/8/85 , 11/11/85 , 12/31/85 , 4/7/87 , 4/18/87 , 8/12/87 , 7/29/88 , 7/30/88 , 3/29/90 , 6/24/90 , 7/4/90 , 5/12/91 , 6/6/91 , 6/24/91 , 6/22/92 , 6/23/92 , 6/26/92 , 9/17/93 , 9/18/93 , 5/19/95 , 5/20/95 , 5/21/95 , 5/24/95 , 5/25/95 , 5/28/95 , 5/29/95 *
This list is just the best of the best, there are many other wonderful recordings you can download. Some things worth noting - there is no such thing as a bad 1974 recording (Wall of Sound rules!), fall of '83 has excellent shows, AUDs from '77-'79 should be looked at sceptically and anything taped by Doug Oade or Jerry Moore is almost certainly worth adding to your collection. There is bound to be something you'll like.
For the diehard SBD snobs, stay tuned. I'll show you how to go after some of that dye that's spread in the pool. :-)
*I apologize for all the commas and spaces. When I tried to put all the dates into a table to keep some space between them, Blogspot took my very simple HTML code and turned it into Moby Dick, with some ugly results.
The really clean soundboards that come out are otherworldly, but the energy in this audience tape 'captures' the essence of the real experience better than cleaner technologies. Cleaner technologies take the show and mount it like an insect in perfect formaldehyde museum quality beneath the glass, but this show is still kicking, still buzzing, still flying, and it is everpresent. Enthusiasm is the word. Exuberance. Oh yeah baby - turn the f***** up.
I couldn't say it better myself. Although I lean heavily toward boards, there are times when an AUD does things a board can't; in fact, the SBDs of '92-95 are so empty of any sort of ambience they sound like the Dead are performing to an empty arena - only with an audience tape does that dismal image vanish. A good AUD can also be very enjoyable to listen to. In addition, many shows only circulate in AUD. The shows listed below range in quality from the highly listenable to "Boards? We don't need no stinkin' boards!" Ultimately, everyone has to decide what they like, but hopefully clicking on some of the links below and streaming some tunes will help you make up your mind. Good hunting.
3/3/68 , 3/26/68 , 3/29/68 , 3/30/68 , 3/31/68 , 5/3/69 , 3/21/70 , 11/28/70 , 8/5/71 , 8/6/71 , 8/21/71 , 3/5/72 , 4/29/72 , 7/27/73 , 9/7/73 , 5/21/74 , 7/21/74 , 10/1/76 , 12/31/79 , 6/5/80 , 11/29/80 , 5/1/81 , 8/30/81 , 9/17/82 , 7/31/82 , 8/27/83 , 12/31/83 , 10/5/84 , 3/12/85 , 3/31/85 , 4/1/85 , 6/15/85 , 8/30/85 , 8/31/85 , 9/2/85 , 9/15/85 , 11/8/85 , 11/11/85 , 12/31/85 , 4/7/87 , 4/18/87 , 8/12/87 , 7/29/88 , 7/30/88 , 3/29/90 , 6/24/90 , 7/4/90 , 5/12/91 , 6/6/91 , 6/24/91 , 6/22/92 , 6/23/92 , 6/26/92 , 9/17/93 , 9/18/93 , 5/19/95 , 5/20/95 , 5/21/95 , 5/24/95 , 5/25/95 , 5/28/95 , 5/29/95 *
This list is just the best of the best, there are many other wonderful recordings you can download. Some things worth noting - there is no such thing as a bad 1974 recording (Wall of Sound rules!), fall of '83 has excellent shows, AUDs from '77-'79 should be looked at sceptically and anything taped by Doug Oade or Jerry Moore is almost certainly worth adding to your collection. There is bound to be something you'll like.
For the diehard SBD snobs, stay tuned. I'll show you how to go after some of that dye that's spread in the pool. :-)
*I apologize for all the commas and spaces. When I tried to put all the dates into a table to keep some space between them, Blogspot took my very simple HTML code and turned it into Moby Dick, with some ugly results.
posted by Anonymous at 1:06 PM
2 Comments:
I used to be a HUUUUGE sbd snob until the sbd's got pulled from archive. At first I was royally pissed that they could only be streamed but now I'm actually not so sad that it happened (it may be the best thing that could have happened, oddly lol), because otherwise I wouldn't have found all these incredible aud's that I've downloaded over the last six or so months...
I've found that, as a recovering sbd snob (and I was a bad one!; I had a grand total of zero auds in my dsbd-heavy collection lol) http://www.bornagaindeadhead.blogspot.com has a good list of excellent auds....
I just downloaded 3-27-87 and 3-28-87. Both are great auds in terms of getting a taste of the extremely high energey of the crowd but without it getting in the way of hearing the music. Shows aren't too shabby either if you're into 87 Dead at all.
When in doubt though, I go for 85 Oade auds. Makes one think, "What the hell was I wasting my time listening to sbds for all these years?" lol
This is a great listing, Bill - in particular the 68-70 shows. Something tells me a lot of this will be coming soon to a radio show near you.
Thanks for digging these up.
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