Sifting through my huge collection of Stones live bootlegs there are two albums that i have to keep coming back to - Back Strap Jacket and It's Getting Hot Up Here both from the Australian tour 1973. They really are the best of the best.
For pure Rock 'n' Roll energy they even put Brussels Affair in the shade.
The setlists give the shows great balance also and i feel many of these versions are definitive - the best i have ever heard the Stones play them.
I know Bill Wyman writes in his book this tour was far from the Stones best so maybe these concerts from Perth and Sydney caught the Stones on a good night.
I know there is a mix up with one of the dates - It's Getting Hot Up Here is a recording of the Sydney show and not Perth as suggested.
Those shows are also available under different names for example Rocks Off and Rock 'n' Roll Stew.
They are essential purchases for any Stones fans.

.... and you forgot Welcome To Australia... from years the number 1 on my list!! without doubts... the best tour!!!

be HAPPY

Even the raw audience recordings from this Tour are superb!

I respect women who can suck golf balls through a garden hose....

Well i doug out Happy Birthday Nicky beacuse of this post. The sound is indeed much more raw that Brussels.

But what was Charlie doing on Gimme Shelter. It takes him the whole intro to finf the rhythem and then he still has problems with it.

Cheers,
Wuudy

Excellent! Tho Sdney has
speaker buzz, a short, not
so obvious on the later upgrades.
Rather irritating, but otherwise
I'd agree, these are my favourite
live boot shows.

Perth and Sydney 1973...:

Back Strap Jacket
2 CD
Tarantura TCDRS-3
Disc 1: 10 tracks from Perth February 24, 1973 and 4 tracks from Sydney February 26, 1973 mixed up. Same as Rocks Off (TSP-CD-056) Disc 2: Complete show from Sydney February 27, 1973. Exc. stereo soundboard quality. Nice "book" sized digipak cover.

Exiles Afternoon
1 CD
Rockawhile RS 91 01 01
Contains 10 tracks from Perth February 24, 1973 in wrong concert succession and some "Dallas" rehearsals 1971-1972, exact source unknown. Exc. stereo soundboard quality. See also Happy Birthday Nicky - Live In Perth (Oh Boy 2-9039).

Exiles Afternoon Revisited
1 CD
Turd On The Run TOTR 001
Copy of Exiles Afternoon (Rockawhile RS 91 01 01) plus the track Exile On Main Street Blues.

Happy Birthday Nicky
1 CD
Noja PPTC-292
Contains 10 tracks from Perth February 24, 1973 in wrong concert succession. Exc. stereo soundboard quality. See also Happy Birthday Nicky - Live In Perth (Oh Boy 2-9039).

Happy Birthday Nicky - Live In Perth
2 CD
Version 1
Oh Boy 2-9039
Disc 1 contains 11 tracks from Perth February 24, 1973. Disc 2 contains 14 tracks from Sydney February 26, 1973, missing only the last two tracks Jumping Jack Flash and Street Fighting Man. Not Perth 1st and 2nd as cover says, there was only one show in Perth! Both in exc. stereo soundboard quality.
Version 2
Oh Boy 2-9039
Picture CDs, different colours

It's Getting Hot Up Here
1 CD
Mighty Diamonds MD 2008
Copy of disc 2 of Happy Birthday Nicky - Live In Perth (Oh Boy 2-9039). Live in Sydney February 26, 1973, not Perth as cover says! Digipak cover.

Live In Perth Australia
1 CD
Version 1
Rockawhile Productions RS 89101
Contains 10 tracks from Perth February 24, 1973 and 4 tracks from Sydney February 26, 1973 mixed up. Exc. stereo soundboard quality. See also Happy Birthday Nicky - Live In Perth (Oh Boy 2-9039).
Version 2
Rockawhile Productions RS 89101
Now tracklisting on CD.

The Party Down Under
1 CD
RS Records RS CD 22
Contains 10 tracks from Perth February 24, 1973 in wrong concert succession. Exc. stereo soundboard quality. See also Happy Birthday Nicky - Live In Perth (Oh Boy 2-9039).

Perth 1973
1 CD
RSCD 73
Contains 10 tracks from Perth February 24, 1973 and 4 tracks from Sydney February 26, 1973 mixed up. Exc. stereo soundboard quality. See also Happy Birthday Nicky - Live In Perth (Oh Boy 2-9039) for most complete release of both shows.

Rock'n Roll Stew
1 CD
VGP-173
Complete show from Sydney February 26, 1973. Exc. stereo soundboard quality except for the last 2 tracks (Jumping Jack Flash and Street Fighting Man) which are in very good audience quality. Compared to all the other releases of this show this one has more bass and less treble which sounds better. The beginning of Brown Sugar is taken from Perth February 24, 1972. The soundboard part is also available on disc 2 of Happy Birthday Nicky - Live In Perth (Oh Boy 2-9039).

Rocks Off!
1 CD
Version 1
The Swingin' Pig TSP-CD-056
Contains 10 tracks from Perth February 24, 1973 and 4 tracks from Sydney February 26, 1973 mixed up in order to make a complete as possible show. Exc. stereo soundboard quality, better than all other releases. See also Happy Birthday Nicky - Live In Perth (Oh Boy 2-9039), this one contains more Sydney February 26, 1973 tracks but in slightly worse quality. See Rock'n Roll Stew (VGP-173) for the complete Sydney February 26, 1973 show in best quality.
Version 2
The Swingin' Pig TSP-CD-056
New pressing.

Slippy Slippy Slipper
1 CD
Shaved Disc TSD 001
Incomplete show from Sydney February 27, 1973. Very good - exc. stereo soundboard quality. Last 3 tracks are missing. First cover with reversed photo on back, later corrected. See also Sydney Last Affair (PS 001) and Wizards Of O.Z. (FP-01). See Welcome To Australia (VGP-110) for complete show.

A Sticky Sydney Racecourse '73
1 CD
(R187-22-7A)
Copy of disc 2 of Happy Birthday Nicky (Oh Boy 2-9039) in slightly worse sound quality.

Sydney Last Affair
1 CD
Fire Power FP-01
Incomplete show from Sydney February 27, 1973. Very good - exc. stereo soundboard quality. Last 3 tracks are missing. Plus Brown Sugar and Street Fighting Man from the radio show recordings 1973. See also Slippy Slippy Slipper (TSD 001) and Wizards Of O.Z. (FP-01). See Welcome To Australia (VGP-110) for complete show.

Taxile On Main St.
1 CD
TAX 1972
Contains 11 Exile On Main St outtakes/rehearsals and 5 tracks from Perth February 24, 1973. Digipak cover.

Vip Dished Joint
1 CD
Shaved Disc TSD 018
Complete show from Sydney February 26, 1973. Fair - good audience quality. Slightly better than Winter Tour (IMP-CD 016-017) but with the exception of Jumpin Jack Flash and Street Fighting Man all tracks are available in exc. stereo soundboard quality on disc 2 of Happy Birthday Nicky (Oh Boy 2-9039).

Welcome To Australia
1 CD
Version 1
VGP-110
Complete show from Sydney February 27, 1973. Exc. stereo soundboard quality. Incl. the former missing two tracks in good audience quality. Three different back cover and two different label designs exist.
Version 2
VGP-110
New pressing.

Winter Tour 73
2 CD
Idol Mind Productions IMP-CD 016-017
Complete showm Sydney February 26, 1973. Fair audience quality only. With the exception of Jumping Jack Flash and Street Fighting Man all tracks are available in exc. stereo soundboard quality on Rock'n Roll Stew (VGP-173) and disc 2 of Happy Birthday Nicky (Oh Boy 2-9039). Plus 2 live tracks from 1978 and 3 live tracks from 1972.

Wizards Of O. Z.
1 CD
Fire Power FP-01
Incomplete show from Sydney February 27, 1973. Very good - exc. stereo soundboard quality. Brown Sugar and the last 3 tracks are missing. See also Slippy Slippy Slipper (TSD 001) and Sydney Last Affair (PS 001). See Welcome To Australia (VGP-110) for complete show.

Where do you got all this info???

From "my" bootleg list...

After listening to the Perth & Sydney boots, it makes me wonder if this isn't a truer representation of the Stones' live sound in 73 as opposed to the Brussels/Wembley shows. The radio broadcasts are so clean and compressed, I think we've been given an "idealized" sound that in truth didn't come across on stage. Given the band's propensity to show only "the best" to the public, it wouldn't surprise me.

If anyone here was at those fabled Brussels/Wembley gigs, come forward and tell us--did they really sound that good?

Well, I was at Wembley in '73 and my memory is that the sound from where I was sitting (not particularly good seats) was not very good.

But that could be more a result of the poor acoustics at the Empire Pool (as it then was) than anything to do with the band.

Maybe I had better seats when I saw Neil Young there in the 'eighties ('86 or '87) - because that sounded really good

Chalawler

PS: the sound for the Stones at Earls Court in 1975 was also very bad (acoustics again)....but the show was spectacular

Even the partial Melbourne 17/2/73 Second show in fair audience quality rocks.

"The wonder of Jimi Hendrix was that he could stand up at all he was so pumped full of drugs." Patsy, Patsy Stone

Many concert settings have
acoustics that suck. A professionally
recorded show, from a media feed or
perhaps a soundboard, or an audience
bootlegger with a good seat, might
sound a lot better than the actual
show did for a lot of the folks
who were there.

As we know, a soundboard can be piss poor
if its mixed to compensate for overly
loud guitars or whatever. May've
sounded great in the actual concert
venue, but is off balance when you
listen to it on it's own.........

I wonder, what was the source
for the 73 Oz concerts? An
actual concert venue soundboard?
Or a radio or t.v. broadcast?

For my money, the King Biscuit Flower Hour
tapes of Europe Tour 73 are best sound
quality, but I like the rougher edge/
playing in Oz too......

don't forget, all the Aussie shows were outdoor shows and the sound can be different.

Perhaps this would explain why they have a more "raw" sound than the indoor Europe '73 Tour...

Esky

I respect women who can suck golf balls through a garden hose....

I was in Brussels 1st show, some meters in front of Mick (i could grab petals of roses) and it was my first show ever.
I guess the sound was good but while listening and seeing Midnight Rambler, i knew it was something special.
After the show in the train back to Paris, every old fans said : it was better than Paris 1970 and Midnight Rambler was awesome.

got to revive this correct thread...

The Brisbane show is a great listen, considering the awful weather.

Imho the playing on this tour was pretty relaxed (as if "who cares for Aussie critics nobody reads them in Europe or the US" ).
The shows from this tour are lacking the vicious attack that made the 72 shows so appealing (Sydney excepted?)

"Winter Tour" or "Leisure Tour"? And I still woner what happened to MJ during Bitch at the Sydney show



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 2009-12-19 15:24 by dcba.

Cool stage!

Same design as the one they used in 72?

I also have a title "Temperatures Rising" on the SODD label of the show from Melbourne on the 17th.

Here is a review. It is a nice sounding audience tape but I don't think I would rate it excellent..........

[www.collectorsmusicreviews.com]

Regarding the difference in sound of the band in '73:

Were all the Australian shows outdoors?
As for the '73 European tour, were all the shows indoors???

Rocks off and R&R Stew are right up there with Brussels 73, Leeds 71, Baltimore, NYC 69; some of the very best live recordings in existence. But the sound is always different from the Europe 73 dates. Sounds more compressed; more mid rangey.
Like the Mesa sound later on.

The '73 Winter tour wasn't as consistant as the '72 North American Tour before it. They started off well in Hawaii but they were supposed to play in the Far East before hitting Australia. Visa problems prevented them from playing the Far East portion of the tour and it left a two week gap between the Hawaii shows and the first Australian shows. The first few Aussie shows were extremely uneven. They played better later on in the tour, and for me, the Sydney 2/26 show ranks right up there with the best from that era.

TD07 just offered a perfect sum-up of these five 1973 weeks

great info on this tour in basement news 73 tour special, wow do i miss that magazine

I think apart from the Auckland show in NZ, the band were at the top of their game.
Their performances did get better as the shows continued (as you'd expect) but there's not much wrong with the first Aussie show - Brisbane, and the Melbourne shows straight after that...
I still rate Perth as their best of that Tour, but the 2 Sydney shows are bloody good also!
Some of these shows had weather problems.
Brisbane was very wet, Melbourne & Perth were extremely hot.

"do i miss that magazine"
they were biased toward VGP releases though...

There are instances on the Melbourne show where they have to take time-outs to re-tune since the heat was wreaking havoc on strings and reeds.

Best versions of Bitch and Rocks Off ever performed.

On which show do you mean Steven?