Kate Bush – Before The Dawn

Almost perfect - I just realised my copy is missing Act III Part II (I have 2 copies of Act III Part I). Anyone have the opposite problem and care to swap?

This is a live performance. Slightly different dynamics with higher levels set for percussion etc
Different sound versus studio… there is nothing wrong with this sound. It feels authentic and im loving it. Really captures such a memorable performance 10/10

I hate to say I agree with the others that the vinyl sound is muddy, with a missing high end and thick low end that overwhelms everything. I’ve been happy with the work Bush’s Fish People label have done on her other releases, but the vinyl was not mastered properly and is a disappointment sonically. I have a digital version of the album which is far superior, with a full dynamic range and more accurate low end. A wonderful performance though and I wish I had been there to see it.

Interesting mix of reviews regarding this pressing. I've been blown away with how good this piece of work is start to finish. It sounds full and weighty which is a pleasant suprise considering most of Kate's albums sound light by comparison. Perhaps a touch darker as a result giving a feeling of restrain in parts but made up for with detail when needed. The live mixes, the sense of the theatre, spoken word and Kate's voice. Amazing. King of the mountain and Arial just epic. A favourite live album for sure.
However, there appears to be a fault with this pressing which is particularly evident on Never Be Mine. There is low frequency content causing the bass driver of the speaker to oscillate considerably making it almost unlistenable at higher levels due to distortion. Has anyone else noticed this? I have bought 2nd and 3rd copies plus the CD out of curiosity. The latter obviously plays fine. I have sent 2 messages to Fish People regarding this but have yet to receive a reply. Most unusual with a production of this calibre. I have heard such phenomena on the run out of a record but not during the recording. I will continue to dig until I get to the bottom of this.

I have to say that there is something not right about the way this set sounds. The bass and drums are mixed so heavy it's hard to hear the other instruments. It reminds me of a compressed CD.
Compared to some other live albums of this era (like Notwist or John Cale's Circus) it is substandard quality.
The box and book are beautiful, and for the price you can get it for now it's still worthwhile.

perfect pressing, sound is very clean! The box is very nice, I recommand!

Great record. As stated, no re-records or overdubs. The song "Never Be MIne" was actually not performed live but was recorded without an audience and added to this release.
Songs were taken from different performances so while someone may say, it didn't sound like that when they were there, it could be true. The song was probably taken from another performance.
I'm probably one of the few here that is not a huge Kate Bush fan but I do love live music and this is an extraordinary recording.
Act I and III are outstanding.

People complaining about the sound quality are missing the point a bit, as it is stated in Kate's notes this is meant to be a document of a live event there are no re-records or overdubs, it's as close to the genuine sound of the original concerts as possible, warts and all. Mastered by Bernie Grundman the sound quality is excellent and pressed at Optimal. I have been a KB fan since I grew up in the UK in the seventies, it's quite an emotional listen, well worth the $. Get it!!

I hate to ask but why on Earth was the concert on DVD was not made or am I wrong..It would be amazing..

The songs do not smoothly segue into each other. There's a 0.5-second gap between them. If the release plan had not been withdrawn in Japan, it'd be interesting to see if they'd rectified this and created gapless CDs as they should be.