Mr. Pig (Highland Prime Masters HPM-001AB)
Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, CA – May 9th, 1977
Disc 1 (73:43): Sheep, Pigs On The Wing (part 1), Dogs, Pigs On The Wing (part 2), Pigs (Three Different Ones), Shine On You Crazy Diamond (parts 1-5), Welcome To The Machine
Disc 2 (63:28): Have A Cigar, Wish You Were Here, Shine On You Crazy Diamond (parts 6-9), Money, Us & Them, Careful With That Axe Eugene
It is a legitimate question to ask: with Highland already releasing this title, and Cannonball releasing this tape in the spring, what is gained with this, the first title on Highland’s Prime Masters series? What need does this fill? Highland basically took their already excellent release and applied very heavy handed mastering to the tape to boost the volume.
The liner notes say it was given the 24 bit master treatment, but this really sounds too crunchy to me. It is a personal call, however, on whether to replace your old copy or not. Some people like these and others don’t. This new release sounds very harsh to the ears. Many don’t have the technology at home to produce recordings like this so Mr. Pig does fill a niche. Let’s hope there will be more titles on this new Highland project in the future.
1 Comment
i have the original mr. pig and it still is a great recording. this has been released so many times who knows what edition is the best. i like the boston show too.