June 17, 1975
The Return of the Dead
June 17, 1975
Date Listened
February 20, 2025. This is a very quick show, lasting a little under 2 hours.
Sources
Oh, the sources — there are so many of them!
There are two key audience tapes. The better known tape is an incredible sounding recording made by Rob Bertrando. The best sounding version of this is SHNID 143102.
There is another, lesser known tape by Bob Menke that was clearly recorded a little bit closer to the stage. This is SHNID 97077. While it’s a tad closer than the Bertrando tape, the Bertrando tape has more of the overall sound of the hall and is a bit more pleasing to my ears.
There is also a soundboard. The best version is SHNID 96125. I prefer the audience tapes, though. The soundboard sounds nice, but it is a bit steril to my ears. At the very least, I strongly recommend comparing it to the other two recordings before deciding which one you want to settle with. This is not a Betty Board, and it shows.
There are also two matrix mixes of the full show. The first one, by Kevin Tobin, is SHNID 96148 and was made from two different versions of the soundboard and an earlier digitization of the Bertrando tape. The second matrix, by Derek McCabe, is SHNID 97079 and is simply a combination of the Menke tape and the soundboard.
I still prefer the Bertrando tape — even when compared with the matrix mixes. Both matrix mixes sound muddy to my ears, and seem to cover up the general feeling of the venue. Both matrix recordings have a very artificial feel to them.
In other words — don’t simply buy into the fancy matrix tag. Listen to the recordings and judge for yourself.
Reputation
The two key songs in this show are Crazy Fingers, which was played for the first time, and a very slow version of Peggy-O. There’s also a really crazy version of King Solomon’s Marbles that is worth listening to.
Since this was the first show after the lengthy hiatus, it has some historical importance. That said, the lack of any official release means that this show is mostly one for the hardcore fans. I think it’s underrated.
Discussion
Remember to compare the sources! Sometimes the original audience recordings sound better than the matrix mixes.