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The Who - Live At The Royal Albert Hall:

Germany - 2003 Steamhammer CD	Germany - 2003 Steamhammer CD (Promo) 2 CD in Jewel Case
Japan - 2003 Nippon Crown SACD/CD (Hybrid)

Album: Live At The Royal Albert Hall

LPs (vinyl) Sampled: n/a

CD(s) Sampled: Steamhammer (Germany), Nippon Crown (Japan)

LP Comments: n/a

CD/SACD Comments: Comparing the Nippon Crown (Japan) to the Steamhammer (Germany) CDs, I'd have to give a slight edge to the Japan SACD/CD. The best way I can describe it, is that it is "slightly less annoying to listen to" (see comments below).

I spent some time A/B'ing the SACD tracks vs. the CD tracks on the Japan CD and while they sound a little different from each other, neither could be described as "better" than the other, just "different". An example of that would be... while listening to "Pinball Wizard", the SACD track sounded smoother, but the CD track sounded slightly more dynamic. Both of these are tradeoffs, since if the change was smoother and more dynamic, there would be an improvement. This was not the case.

Summary and Other Comments: Great performances by the band, unfortunately spoiled by a weak mix (the drums are mixed way too low) and bad mastering. The mastering uses so much compression that it muffles most of the instruments from the midrange down (the lead vocals sound pretty good throughout). At several points while listening, it sounded as if someone was fiddling with the compression levels, making the perceived volume go up and down in the middle of a song! Compare with the DVD's soundtrack (of the same concert) and you'll notice it is not muffled and sounds just fine. The 2002 <bonus> tracks are mixed better than the 2000 tracks (louder drums), but the compression levels seem even higher.

Note: Discs 1 & 2 are from November 27, 2000, Disc 3 is from February 8, 2002

Track Listing:

DISC 1: I Can't Explain, Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere, Pinball Wizard, Relay, My Wife, The Kids Are Alright, Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand, Bargain, Magic Bus, Who Are You, Baba O'Riley

DISC 2: Drowned, Heart To Hang Onto, So Sad About Us, I'm One, Getting In Tune, Behind Blue Eyes, You Better You Bet, The Real Me,  5:15, Won't Get Fooled Again, Substitute, Let's See Action, My Generation, See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You

DISC 3: I'm Free, I Don't Even Know Myself, Summertime Blues, Young Man Blues

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