Yes
Union Tour
Century Hall
Nagoya, Japan
Tuesday, March 03, 1992

“(re)Masters of Time” 2nd Edition

UPDATED/UPGRADED/FIXED!

NEW REMASTER by TheTooleMan, June 2007
Lineage: “Masters of Time” non-MP3 recording -> Sound Forge -> FLAC

First, the bad news: After torrenting “(re)Masters of Time,” my 2003 remastered version of the non-MP3 version of the “Masters of Time” bootleg, I found out that some of the tracks were incomplete due to a bad rip from the audio disks. I was also not very happy with the audio quality of the remaster, since it was not much of an improvement over the original three-disk set.

MY BAD!

Since I now owed 150 people who downloaded the files on faith alone, I went back to the non-MP3 source and started from scratch for this version, the second edition.

Now the good news: Man, was it ever worth it!

If you downloaded the previous version of this title, it is definitely worth your while to scrap it and download the 2nd edition. The original recording and the first remaster had a brassy midrange sound, with way too little bass and not enough highs. The sound quality of the new remaster is simply amazing. The bass is rich, the highs clean and clear. The detail of the recording knocked me out – I can easily pick out each instrument - and the stereo image is incredibly good.

There’s an excellent taper out there in Nagoya. My guess is that this recording was done using two boom- or stand-mounted microphones. There is no mic handling noise, no chatting near the mics, and none of the other usual distractions usually found in stealth audience recordings. Last week, another recording from Nagoya with the same characteristics turned up on a bit torrent tracker. It is probably more of this artist’s work. I would like to find even more of it.

Some tape hiss became more apparent in the process, but in deference to the taste of many, no noise reduction was used. Judging from the tape hiss, I would guess that my audio CD copy of the recording was made from a first-generation analog copy of either an analog or digital master recording.

Jose Salinas has updated his fantastic Japanese-style comic book art from the original “(re)Masters of Time.” The art files are included in the torrent.

Only a few seconds of applause were cut to make disk one of this set fit an 80-minute CD. The tracks on disk two are completely uncut. No music or stage announcements were removed. A tiny gap in the recording was excised from the very beginning of disk two. Some change in the level of tape hiss also occurs at this point, so there was probably a tape swap in the master recording at this point.

Century Hall, according to Forgotten Yesterdays, has a seating capacity of only 3,012. For Yes, that’s an intimate setting. The crowd is very attentive, and it treats the music with respect where it is deserved. You could hear a pin drop throughout Awaken. This is really something to behold.

Give the samples a listen, make space for the download, start leeching, and clear off the seat in the sweet spot of your listening room. I hear the first strains of The Firebird Suite starting now...

TheTooleMan
June, 2007

Yes is (or are, depending on your upbringing):
Jon Anderson
 (Vocals)
Bill Bruford
 (Drums)
Steve Howe
 (Guitars)
Tony Kaye
 (Keyboards)
Trevor Rabin
 (Guitars)
Chris Squire
 (Bass)
Rick Wakeman
 (Keyboards)
Alan White
 (Drums)

Disk one tracks:

Firebird Suite
Yours Is No Disgrace
Rhythm Of Love
Shock To The System
Heart Of The Sunrise
All's A Chord
Mood For A Day
Make It Easy
Owner Of A Lonely Heart
Heiwa No Uta Desu
And You And I
Drum Duet
Changes

Disk two tracks:
I've Seen All Good People
Solly's Beard
Saving My Heart
Whitefish
Amazing Grace
Lift Me Up
Zoh-San
Wakeman Solo
Awaken
Roundabout