Of course, it is always a matter of subjectivity but I‘m convinced that recordings done at big venues are way better than the Vegas/ Tahoe recordings simply because of the audience reactions. They sound a bit poor and ‚lonely‘ in the small showrooms compared to the big arenas.
Back to the recordings:
Among some nice mixes done on some of the FTD releases I definately love the mix of Prince from another Planet CD2! It‘s well mixed and actually everything is in place - especially the audience reactions. One might argue that the horn section is still a bit prominent in the mix but apart from that it‘s just great to listen too. By the way, CD 1 of the same set is jist horror with all the artificial ‚live arena filter‘ on Elvis‘ voice. Why did they do that since it evebn sounds different to disc 2
The On Tour (2023) mixes are also great, the rhythm section is just crisp and horns and strings repectively are still there but not as dominant. However, the drums are - in my opinion - pretty dominant. The worst about these latest mixes is the boosted bass spoiling the overall excellent impression of these recordings/mixes.
The best mix of the original afternoon MSG material so far can be found on MSG (legacy) although it sounds a bit „late 90s“ and the Complete Masters Box Set (orignal LP), with the last being quite an expensive undertaking ….
With regard to the MSG thread I‘d love FTD to finally release a final double cd set in a decent sound like PFAP CD 2.
What do you think?
