Max Webster
Toronto, ON, Canada
Piccadilly Tube
May 1973


This brings us to the final installment of the flood of Max Webster tapes - although there are notably another couple posts of additional sTudio maTerial at a certain den of Delights for the taking.

Recorded during a residency at the Piccadilly Tube between May 7 to 12, 1973, this 54 minute tape is almost certainly the oldest surviving recording of Max Webster. The band had formed a mere few months earlier, and Paul Kersey had been aboard for less than six weeks. Considering the age of this recording, the sound quality is marvellous and in stereo. It's rich and analog in all the ways an early seventies concert tape should be.

Five of the eight songs heard are originals. "Dreams Aren't As Real" has an extended solo from 20 year old Kim Mitchell in the middle, stretching it to nearly ten minutes in length. The song's youthful post-psychedelic innocence is somehow better conveyed with the interlude.

"Anna Lea" has been heard many times before (how lucky we are). Written by Mitchell in Greece in 1972, the arrangement in this earliest known version is a bit different.

"I Can Only Tell You" was the first song ever written by Kim Mitchell and Pye Dubois. In a 1993 CBC radio show Kim referred to the piece as an "unfinished first valiant effort." Lyrically that may be the case, but its musical arrangement says otherwise, as it sounds complete and rounded. At this particular gig, for some reason Mitchell bows out of the lead vocal after the first line and Tilka takes over (their respective vocals are panned to opposite channels). The only known recording of Mitchell singing the remaining lines is from that aforementioned CBC radio show, and I've included it here as a bonus track (first posted in November 2020 by stevemtl).

But the tour de force here is an historic first - the original version of "Lily" captured in its entirety, running at 17 minutes in length. When this showed up on the tape I nearly died, and spent the duration of it praying to every deity in the known universe for it not to cut out part way through. The tape gods mercifully came through for us, blessing the faithful with this gem that proves good things in life sometimes do happen. While it may seem obvious in hindsight why many sections of the piece would be axed from the arrangement in the months to come (not to mention Mitchell is still developing as a singer), hearing the idea in its original form as inspired by pieces like "Thick As A Brick" and "Supper's Ready" is an incredible privilege.

This tape is a beautiful trip back in time to a place where these four young men in their early to mid-20s, armed with little more than dreams and innocence, opened up their pandora's box to find that nobody left instructions inside it. This is the first draft of their blank canvas.

What a trip it has been to transfer, archive, and post all of these recordings in their unedited form. The feeling of loading up an old open reel tape and having no idea of what past events have been captured for posterity is pretty indescribable - almost like an archaeologist digging their way through an old burial ground and discovering a new species of dinosaur that you can't wait to share with your fellow academics and the public alike. I hope some of that joy has been inferred in the descriptions, and that you dedicated listeners have experienced as much pleasure with this music as I have.

Furthermore, if you've enjoyed any or all of this series of posts, then be sure to drop me a PM to inquire about my book on Max Webster called "High Class" due for release by the spring (side note: it will be gratifying enough to know if anyone actually reads to the end of these long-ass inane write-ups). The book will contain about 150,000 words and hundreds of previously unseen photos of this magnificent band, telling the story of Max Webster - my all time favourite band - like it's never been told before. Cheerio for now.


Elektra professional series 7 1/2 ips 1/4 track open reel master > WAV > FLAC level 8
(transfer: Otari MX-5050 > M-Audio Fast Track Pro USB)

* Recorded by stevemtl: CBC-FM broadcast > analogue cable > JVC HR-D750U @ SP > Fuji A/V PRO Hi-Fi stereo videotape
Transferred by stevemtl: videotape > JVC HR-D750U > lucid AD96 (mod) > Roland R44 (16/48) > HD
Mastered by stevemtl: HD > Soundforge (L2 dither > 24/48: L2 level adjust, edit) > r8brain (vhq downsample > 24/44.1) > Soundforge (L2 dither > 16/44.1) > CDwave (track cut) > TLH (flac level 6, ffp, md5) > TLH (torrent marker)


Kim Mitchell - guitar & lead vocals
Mike Tilka - bass & vocals
Jim Bruton - keyboards & vocals
Paul Kersey - drums


1) Dreams Aren't As Real [cut]
2) The Chomper
3) Anna Lea [cut]
4) Jumping Jack Flash, a [cut]
5) Teacher, b
6) Lily
7) I Can Only Tell You [cut]
8) Aqualung, b [cut]
9) bonus track - I Can Only Tell You (CBC radio show, broadcast on 1993-05-08, recorded on 1993-03-04) *

a = Rolling Stones cover
b = Jethro Tull cover


Enjoy, and please keep it lossless (and don't bootleg this - particularly rockinconcerts.com; if you are the person who runs that website, you are pure scum).