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More Than a Feeling
Live in Cleveland, OH - Sept.27.1976

This is the Holy Grail of Boston bootlegs. Get it no matter how much it costs!

If there was such a thing as a perfect bootleg, then this is it. More Than a Feeling is the best all-around bootleg available from Boston. It's got it all: a great rare recording, excellent sound quality, and superb artwork.

This concert is one of Boston's earliest concerts. The band had only been on the road for just over a month and it shows. Their performance is raw and unrefined with an occasional mistake. Brad is especially enthusiastic in his vocal performance. The highlight for me was the very early version of "A Man I'll Never Be". It is not to be missed. The chorus is totally different from any other version of this song anywhere. We are so lucky that this concert was recorded if not for anything else but that song. Sib's drumming is also noteworthy, especially in "Peace of Mind".

This concert was recorded for broadcast on WMMS in Cleveland, OH back in 1976. Parts of it have been occasionally broadcast to this day. The sound quality is top notch. It rivals that of the King Biscuit CD's and may even be a tad better. What else can I say? This CD is release quality. The reel to reel masters have survived 20+ years remarkably well. The odd (but beautiful) thing is that I know that the reel is presently damaged with about 3.5 seconds missing from "More Than a Feeling", but source used for this CD must've been digitally recorded ten years earlier - before the damage, and before ten additional years of degradation (hiss). WMMS should get this CD as it is presently better than their master reel to reel tape.

What better way to round out this superb bootleg than to include some awesome pictures? I think the photos were taken from the tourbook. I counted nine photos, all live except for two - a shot of Tom in his studio and a shot of the stage being assembled. (Can anybody identify this auditorium?) But even if the artwork sucked, this CD is still a must-have.