Legal and moral issues aside, if your experience with Peer To Peer servers has been anything like mine, frying your hard drive with all of the spyware hidden in downloaded files isn't worth the risk anyway.
Still, if history is any indicator, outside of an unlikely settlement being worked out, the goldmine of rare, historic performances now available free at The Concert Vault isn't likely to last.
Which means one thing. Get it while you can. And remember, you are only "listening" to this amazing music, the same way you would on a radio. It's not possible to rip yourself a copy. So even if fear of arrest or a hard drive fried by spyware overload never scared you away before, your conscience can remain free here. There is nothing here to steal. But there is a mother lode of previously unreleased stuff to hear, with new shows being added every week.
These are the ten best performances I found at The Concert Vault:
1. Pink Floyd: 04/29/1970 Fillmore West
Described on the site as extending to the "outer reaches of exploration," this amazing set recorded before an absolutely rapt audience finds Pink Floyd at their most raw and experimental, and pre-Dark Side Of The Moon glossy best. It includes a rare, live performance of the complete Atom Heart Mother Suite that sounds nothing like the recorded studio version. Greatly extended versions of the psychedelic masterpieces "Saucerful Of Secrets" and "Careful With That Axe Eugene" likewise show an intensity only hinted at on the official live versions found on Ummagumma.
2. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: 12/15/1978 Winterland
A legendary performer captured on the legendary Darkness tour, performing what hardcore fans already know to be one of his best shows ever. You get the full three hour plus performance here with surprisingly great sound quality. The highlights are numerous, but fans still talk about the amazing version of "Prove It All Night" preceded by a blistering several minute long guitar/piano intro here. "Backstreets," here includes an amazing middle part where you can hear the early, improvised genesis of the song that eventually became "Drive All Night."
3. Genesis: 10/22/1978 Hofheinz Pavilion
This was probably the last tour where Genesis was still doing the sort of multi-layered progressive rock that earned them their original cult-like following, before Phil Collins took them once and for all in the more commercial direction of the eighties model. The recording is stunning, as Genesis put on a musical clinic of prog-rock virtuosity. Highlights here include the intense duel drumming on "Dance On A Volcano/Los Endos," and a gorgeously layered version of "Cinema Show" that segues into a majestic sounding "Afterglow."
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Numero Uno on Google Blog Search for Wolfgangs Vault right now. Gotta love that.
-Glen
2 - Triniman
Listening to one of the Genesis shows from 1978 now. Thanks for pointing out The Concert Vault.
Did you know that Genesis has reformed for a stadium tour of Europe to be followed, hopefully, by some North American dates? It's the Collins ,Banks, Rutherford version.
3 - Glen Boyd
Yes I heard about the reunion tour. I'd be a lot more excited about that if Steve Hackett and Peter Gabriel were on board. The show you're checking out with the "Then There Were Three" lineup is a great one though. Yhanx for the comment.
-Glen
4 - Jared Wright
Unfortunately, the suits will most likely win on account of that while it requires some technical savvy, streams can in fact be pulled onto a user's hard drive. So while they prove the deeds of one in ten thousand, the rest of us had better enjoy this here treasure trove. I have my own personal top ten from the vault, of course, but we definitely agree on which takes the top spot. Nice write-up.
5 - Glen Boyd
That Floyd show is pretty amazing isn't it Jared? I'd be interested in hearing the rest of your own top ten. Thanks again for the comment.
-Glen
6 - Mat Brewster
Ah geez, if I wasn't already wasting my life listening to bootlegs from places like archive.org, now I've got even more concerts for my listening pleasure.
Thanks a lot, Glen.
Seriously though if you've never been to the archive, you simply must. They have thousands of high quality live concert downloads for absolutely free. They go to great pains to ensure every band presented allows taping and sharing of their concerts. Which means the bands are often not the top tier folks found in this article, but there are loads of less known, and equally as fantastic shows to enjoy.
7 - Glen Boyd
I'll check it out Mat, thanks for the tip. Right now, I'm off to eat way too much turkey though. Merry Christmas! And R.I.P. James Brown.
-Glen
8 - Dave
Next time you're over at archive.org, check out the Hedgepath, Hoover & Sipe shows (there are 6 or 7 of them).
9 - Glen Boyd
Will do Dave. Thanx for the comment.
-Glen
10 - El Bicho
How could you pick just ten?
I'll give a mention to SRV 04/15/1984, Van Morrison 11/01/1978, Bob Marley 11/30/1979, The Cure 11/16/84, Help, I can't stop!
11 - Glen Boyd
And the thing is, I'm not even sure it would be the same ten now.
Just today I discovered an awesome Sly and The Family Stone show there that would be top five for sure if I wrote that same article today. The sound quality is incredible and the band just plays it's ass off -- especialy the horns and the rhythm section (Larry Graham and Greg Errico).
Get it while you can.
-Glen
12 - alessandro nicolo
Thanks for the links and list.