A Guide to Field Recordings: Around the World in 80 Dates (part one: Introduction)

A series examining recordings from the Around the World in 80 Dates tour of 1991-92 in relation to the Union Live 30th Anniversary reissue.

As some may be anticipating the May 3rd release of the Union Live Limited Edition, Super Deluxe Flight Case or the Shoreline Amphitheatre gig vinyl set from Gonzo Multimedia, I thought it would be a good time to undertake an in-depth examination of the recordings available from this tour which are in the new set.  After all, this reissue is comprised entirely of existing material, so fans may already have many (or all) of the shows included.

As is noted for this release, a recurring raison d'être:

These will be included with the main program, as a way for the band to combat this highly bootlegged tour, where some fans are paying in excess of $70 per show from various Japanese websites.

Combat?!  It's a little late for that, isn't it?  The original Union Tour Live release in Japan was from 1999, so there's been bootlegs of the Shoreline performance since that time (I own one myself, in point of fact - and I did not purchase it from a dealer in Japan).  Traders have been circulating recordings from the tour since 1992, at the very least.  Granted, no one officially involved is seeing money from the bootlegs - but nor is the market for the 80 Dates-related recordings particularly robust 30 years later.  So I find this a rather bullshit type of justification.  After all, it wasn't until 2011 that someone finally decided to monetize the legacy of that tour at all.  In offering bootleg recordings for sale, with the justification that the proceeds will go to the artist, it's only a small step up from gray marketeers cashing in because I can assure you that whatever money the artists do receive only represents a particular percentage of the overall profits.  So don't believe the pearl-clutching hype in this case.

In the matter of bootleggers profiting from official recordings, yes, that should be redressed.  But in terms of audience recordings?  No one is meant to profit from such efforts.

A sad byproduct of this reissue is that the original Union Live release has been pulled from digital distribution.  If the way Changes was handled is any indication, it will not return.  There is no other official live release of 80 Dates-related audio, so I suggest stocking up on boots while you can, if you haven't already.  Ironically, this might actually cause the bootleggers to profit further from the artificially-induced scarcity.

I have previously written about the live recording legacy of YesWest - of which the 80 Dates tour is a definite part - back in 2016, and unfortunately I don't believe this release is doing anything to improve upon what is already a terribly neglected part of Yes' overall history.

This new series for the blog will feature an examination of each recording included in the set, and so to begin let us review the total contents.  Spelling of the venues are SIC as I've cut-and-pasted from the Music Glue shop listing.  The source notations are my own.

CDx2+DVD: Pensacola Civic Centre 9th April 1991

(Source: the audience recording known as First Union, likely a second generation dub.)

CDx3: Worcester Centrum, Worcester, MA 17th April 1991

(Source: probably the audience recording known as A Union in Worcester, first generation dub.)
CDx2+DVD: Nassau Colosseum 20th April 1991

(Source: audience recording, first generation dub by TheTooleMan.)
CDx3: Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Stuttgart, Germany 31st May 1991 (FM Broadcast)

(Source: WDR broadcast, circulated via LDB Special Series #257, first generation dub.)
CDx3: Wembley Arena, UK (2 Discs) 29th June 1991 FM Broadcast + Star Lake Amphitheatre 24th July 1991

(Source for Wembley: Superstar Concerts series broadcast, show highlights only, probably a first generation dub.  Source for Star Lake: incomplete second generation soundboard dub by Relayerman.)
CDx3: Alpine Valley Music Theatre, Wisconsin 26th June 1991

(Source: audience recording, second generation dub from 2007.)
CDx2+DVD: Madison Square Gardens, NYC 15th July 1991

(Source: audience recording, first generation dub by TheTooleMan.)
CDx3: Spectrum Theatre, Philadelphia, 12th July 1991

(Source: likely the soundboard recording currently in circulation)
CDx2+DVD: Shoreline Amphitheatre (Remastered) 8th August 1991

(Source: Union Tour Live Japan-only release from 1999.)
CDx3: Yokohama Bunka Taiikukan 4th March 1992

(Source: audience recording, first generation dub)

As I noted in previous fandom discussion, what is missing from this collection is the pro-shot audio/video from Denver - May 9th, 1991 at McNichols Sports Arena.  And that is the absolute best source of the tour overall, in my estimation, so its' absence is definitely noticeable.  However, it was included on the original Union Live boxset.  But this collection is a grab-bag of sources: audience recordings, soundboard-sourced audio, pro-recorded broadcasts and one pro-shot/recorded show.  My reviews will take into consideration the source as well as the inherent quality of the recordings.  I'm planning for the series to conclude with an examination of the contents of the boxset itself, thanks to someone actually purchasing it who will provide me with visual assistance.

But with this information, you could actually build your own boxset right now.  You wouldn't get the included swag, but unless you already have an 80 Dates tourbook, I'm pretty sure you could find one on eBay or from some memorabilia dealer.  I fully encourage anyone inclined to do so.  As for me, I'm looking forward to looking back on an amazing tour from a once-in-a-lifetime lineup, having spent only my own time and effort on it, to be rewarded as much as anyone who might be shelling out over $300 for the alleged privilege.