Yes - Relayer - 1974-12-11 - Boston Garden - Full Lestat Audio Projects 16 bit Remaster

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DATE: 11 December 1974

LOCATION: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

VENUE: Boston Garden

RECORDING TYPE: Audience ["AR"]

VERSION: Full Lestat Audio Projects remaster - CD resolution. The

remaster at 24 bit/96KHz will appear soon, under a different uploader.

ART: To follow - Gromek dealing with computer problems at present. We

thank all for their patience

SOURCE: Original Dan Lampinski master cassettes, whose raw version can

be found on Dime at CD resolution here:

https://oke.io/dxlq

and at 24 bit/96KHz resolution here:

https://oke.io/zdDdf

FUNDAMENTALS:

Lineup:

Jon Anderson - Vocals and various instruments

Steve Howe - Guitars

Chris Squire - Bass guitars

Patrick Moraz - Keyboards

Alan White - Percussion

Setlist*:

[Vol. 1]

1.01 Firebird Suite ~ Sound Chaser (10.59)

1.02 Close To The Edge (20.20)

1.03 To Be Over (10.29)

1.04 The Gates Of Delirium (22.54)

1.05 And You And I (10.03)

[Vol. 2]

2.01 Ritual (29.29)

2.02 Roundabout (9.23)

* Fades and sector boundary alignment follow this standard CD track

distribution, but ending disc 1 with To Be Over makes a really nice

transition somehow :]

LINEAGE:

As given by djscomics in the torrents linked above:

Sony TC-152SD Tape Recorder, Sony ECM-99 Stereo Microphone >Maxell

cassettes [type not stated] > Carl Morstadt: Master Cassette ->

Nakamichi CR-3A cassette deck with azimuth correction -> M-Audio

Firewire Audiophile 2496 -> CDWAV 24-bit/96-KHz wav files -> Goldwave

(normalizing and crossfades) -> CDWAV (track breaks) -> FLAC Front End

(FLAC 8) FLAC files tagged with Foobar2000 Live Show Tagger, no EQ

Lestat:

Spectral, graphic and playback analysis, FFT filtering, pitch/tempo

correction, excavation EQ, retracking [to reunite announcements with

announced Yes pieces], downsampling - Izotope RX and Ozone, CEP 2.0 >

FLAC 1.7.1 > Back to Dime.

ORIGINAL [RAW] TORRENT NOTES:

"Once in a while, karma smiles and something really special just sort

of falls in your lap. This is one of those moments. Carl was up in

Foxboro, Mass to see John Wetton and The School Of Rock All-Stars, and

being the friendly guy that he is, he started talking with the guy

sitting next to him. Turns out they had more than a little common

musical ground, starting with King Crimson and it worked rapidly

downhill from there. Shockingly, the topic of tapes came up and it

just so happens this guy taped a bunch of shows in the 1970s that he

essentially kept to himself. You don't have to be a rocket scientist

to figure out what happened next. This series of torrents represents

the fruits of Carl's labour - multiple trips to Dan's house to pick up

tapes, lovingly and carefully transfer the recordings and then prepare

them for our collective listening pleasure. It is my honour to be able

to seed these recordings and I hope that everyone who downloads them

will get as much enjoyment out of them as we have. The master list of

the shows Dan recorded is still under construction and we will

circulate that as well as some photographic documentation of the

project somewhere down the line. Please don't clog my inbox with

requests for your favourite band(s) or a show you hope may exist after

all these years.....just kick back, relax and let the surprises

unfold.....

"Dan Lampinski recorded over 100 concerts in the Providence/Boston

area, mostly between 1974 and 1978. His earliest recordings were made

with an internal microphone deck, and though they are somewhat lo-fi

compared to his later work, some very great moments in rock history

were captured for posterity. In late 1974 he bought a Sony TC-152SD

tape recorder, a Sony ECM-99 stereo microphone, and began using Maxell

cassettes. He was also fortunate enough to have a friend who provided

excellent taping seats for many shows, resulting in high quality

recordings. In 1977, he switched over to a Nakamichi 550 tape

recorder, two Nakamichi CM-300 microphones, and continued using Maxell

cassettes.

"He recorded many of the major 70's bands: Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd,

Queen, Blue Oyster Cult, Frank Zappa, Jethro Tull, ELP, Kiss, Black

Sabbath, The Who, Al Stewart, Alice Cooper, Jeff Beck, Bruce

Springsteen, Supertramp, Jean-Luc Ponty, Moody Blues, Neil Young, The

Faces, Rush, Rick Wakeman, Kansas, as well as several "under the

radar" acts.

"Since Dan never traded copies of his recordings, they are all

essentially uncirculated. Some copies were made for friends, but these

releases are the first time most of these recordings have ever seen

the light of day, and are direct from his master cassettes. No EQ'ing

has been done to any of the transfers. Feel free to EQ, matrix, patch,

etc and re-post if you like, just give Dan credit for the original

recording.

"Dan was very meticulous about taking good care of his tapes and is

very pleased that these recordings will now circulate among the

trading community. Please honour his kindness and generosity by

sharing these recordings freely.

"The transfers are available as 16bit/44.1KHz flac files suitable for

CD burning, and also as 24bit/96KHz flac files for those who prefer

the higher resolution.

"Always remember - the more generous you are with your music, the more

it comes back to you.

"Kev & Carl June 2009"

NOTES FROM LESTAT:

Many, many thanks to Mr. Lampinski, to djscomics and to Mr. Morstadt

for their efforts in unearthing what may be the best quality AR of Yes

from 1974 and bringing it to Dime.

Like everyone, I was floored when I heard this recording for the first

time. Even raw it surpasses every other pre-1977 Yes AR on Dime Iâm

aware of for sound quality. Taper Danâs achievement here is unique and

speaks for itself.

Even the best raw AR masters made with the best, skill equipment, and

media available nearly always have not just flaws but hidden strengths

undetectable to most. This one makes a typical example, having some

largely correctable weaknesses but more importantly a broad spectrum

of detail nearly inaudible in its raw form.

When I upload original sources I make sure such things are dealt with

in advance. What was possible with this recording has now been fully

attained, and provides its own best illustration of why. It also

generated this response from a participant in the remaster âbeta

testâ, an integral part of the process -

"I just finished listening to the remastered samples over my main rig,

and just did another comparison between the remastered and raw

versions on my computer. As always, you have done very fine work on

what was already an astounding audience capture for 1974: everything

sounds considerably crisper and more defined, and you seem to have

tamed a certain upper midrange harshness, making for a more pleasant

listen overall. For me, a standout moment is Howe's solo in "Sound

Chaser"-- while listening, I forgot for a moment that I was not right

there in the hall. The degree of holographic spatial realism you

helped bring out in this tape is extraordinary (and one of the

qualities I most appreciate in your mastering). "Close to the Edge"

was a joy as well, and your mastering helped bring out the amazing

detail in Squire's bass accompaniment at the end of "I Get Up, I Get

Down," which adds an element of drama to the climax not found on the

studio version.

"Particularly with your careful mastering, this tape is a real holy

grail for Yes collectors like myself, who count the 1974 Relayer tour

as possibly the peak of Yes live performances. The only other

documents of that tour I've heard that even approach this are the Pre-

FM version of the same show (which was oddly mixed, had a very harsh

midrange, and was missing "Ritual"), and the (in)famous Baton Rouge

recording. This release may very well sit at the very top of the heap

now in terms of overall quality".

The raw master had a number of issues.

1] Pitch and tempo were both off [fast].

2] Low frequencies with poor definition or nearly absent - a common

drawback of condenser microphones but Danâs was top shelf and it got

more than most. They still desperately needed âliberationâ, as did

frequencies in every other part of the spectrum except the very

uppermost highs occurring prior to mid-Ritual.

3] Some quite noticeable midrange distortion occurs at different

points in the raw upload, especially during Close to the Edge and

Ritual. Most likely itâs in the master cassettes and a consequence of

age - even well-cared for Maxells donât last forever - although it may

also be a condenser mike issue.

4] A jolting change in sound properties occurs during Ritual, at about

16:45 and constant through Roundabout. It seems likely to have started

with a tape flip and probably involves a bias or Dolby switch on the

record deck, or possibly a tape manufacture defect. Whatever the

cause, symptoms include a severe high frequency dropout, an increase

in at least one type of distortion [âswishâ] and weirdly but on the

upside better low frequency definition.

All of these mitigated well except the distortion, which can only be

treated with signal-damaging compression and not very effectively.

While now more detailed along with more desirable sound, it does not

overwhelm by any means. The dynamic range transition in Ritual-

Roundabout is treated with slightly different EQ settings and less

noticeable, with high frequency definition better matching the rest of

the recording.

The recordingâs especially miraculous hidden tones in several

frequencies, including the lows, are now much more apparent. As one

example, different cymbal types can now be easily discerned where in

the raw recording theyâre nearly indistinguishable from each other

despite the absolutely fantastic uppermost frequencies [which needed

no work at all]. Other Yessounds, from nonmetal percussion to guitars

to keyboards to voices, now have considerably more identity, presence,

and detail in all their tones

All work was done at the 24/96 resolution, before downsampling. EQ

work designed to reveal detail, as the audience heard and felt it. No

attempts to alter band-crowd-venue sound balance. If crowd sound as

real and detailed as band sound isn't desired, please pass this by and

stick to soundboards or industry releases. No compression or noise

reduction.

- Lestat, July 2009

NOTES FROM BARRY (BALROG):

Up until the discovery of the Lampinksi tape, the only known audience

recording of this show was the one I made with a mono recorder from

the back of the Boston Garden. Once I had a copy of the FM broadcast,

I copied the "Missing Ritual," the only song not included in the

broadcast, to a reel-to-reel deck. That tape, along with the master

tapes, was stored at a friend's house and lost for many years.

Over the years, I received many anxious requests from people wanting

to hear the "Missing Ritual" no matter how bad it might be.

Eventually, my friend dug out the reel. I digitized it and shared the

raw transfer with everyone who had inquired about it.

I intended to combine Ritual with the FM broadcast to create the

first-ever complete concert recording. So I asked every serious Yes

trader I could find for the best source of the pro recording. I also

tried to find someone with expertise willing to remaster Ritual.

I eventually received 22 different sources and narrowed them down to a

"short list" of the five best. I planned to determine the winner using

a blind comparison test.

However, no one remastered Ritual. Even Shaun Toole (Tooleman), the

best known Yes remastering expert turned it down. Once everyone had

heard the recording, it was no longer the famous "Missing Ritual." It

was just another audience tape from 1974. Everyone lost interest in

the project, including myself. So it sat on the shelf until a few

months ago.

What brought it back to life was Lestat's willingness to do the

remaster. The sound quality turned out much better than I had hoped.

We were planning to upload the project to Dime. But now that the

Lampinski recording has surfaced, the "Missing Ritual" project is

obviously never going to see the light of day. The Lampinski is vastly

superior to my audience recording and I consider it to be superior to

the professional recording made for the FM broadcast.

Some of what I had written for the "Missing Ritual" project may still

be of interest. So here's an edited version.

Yes concerts have always had a very special significance in my life

and 12/11/74 was my first one. It was also one of the first concerts

that I taped from the audience, not knowing that the performance was

being professionally recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, a

nationally syndicated radio program of live concert performances.

The Relayer album was released on December 5, 1974 less than one week

before the concert and roughly a month into the tour. No one in the

audience knew the album very well, which was quite unfortunate. Like

Tales From Topographic Oceans, the songs on Relayer are much too

intense and complex to fully appreciate on the first listen.

Similarly, no one knew how the songs from the other Yes albums would

sound with new band member Patrick Moraz on keyboards. I had been

listening to Refugee, the album that he had recorded with Brian

Davidson and Lee Jackson (formerly of The Nice) for several weeks and

knew that Moraz had way too much talent and style of his own to simply

fill in for Rick Wakeman.

Hearing the familiar Firebird Suite opening climax into Sound Chaser

instead of the anticipated Siberian Khatru might have surprised some

of the audience, but no one who was there could have possibly been

disappointed with the tight but excellent performance. Make sure to

read the concert page on Forgotten Yesterdays.

The original two-part broadcast, hosted by Bill Minkin, in "SQ Matrix"

quadraphonic sound was aired only six weeks after the concert. It came

as a complete surprise to those who had been there as nothing had been

said about it being recorded for an FM broadcast.

SQ Matrix was one of several early matrix schemes from the

quadraphonic era. The matrix concept was similar to today's surround

sound technologies and SQ is considered by some to be the origin of

Dolby Pro Logic.

The broadcast included the entire Yes concert except for one song:

Ritual. It also included the entire insipid opening set by Gryphon.

That decision, to omit part of the Yes concert in favor of the entire

Gryphon set, has angered countless Yes fans for more than three

decades, none more than myself.

The original broadcast and subsequent rebroadcasts have been used as

the source of countless collector and commercial "pirate" bootleg

cassettes, LPs, and CDs. I have collected images of 21 different

pieces of cover art and I'm sure there have been many more. Some

contain the full setlist (except Ritual of course) and some are

partial. Some of these bootlegs claim to be from radio station (pre-

FM) tapes or LPs. Based on the lack of compression, it's possible that

some of these bootlegs are actually pre-FM tapes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Many thanks to Yes, then and now

And thanks once more to Taper Dan, Carl and djscomics

When the cheaper speakers begin to fart, remember - it's a true

audience sound capture!

OTHER LESTAT REMASTERS ON DIME:

These are "BLG" productions [taped by Balrog and graced with the fine

art of Gromek]. All offer experiences as or even more stunning in

their own right, and are audience captures among the very best of

their artists and respective tours. More are coming -

- RETURN TO FOREVER, 1983 [quite simply the most incredible dynamic

range Iâve ever come across in an analog AR, any artist, any year.

Splendid and in some ways quite Yes-like RTF performance too]