There is the "Digital Funk Bitch" reissue of the "Valium" show. It's called "A Beautiful Night". I can't say if it's the best version, since I don't have the older bootlegs to compare it to, but I'd assume so. 4DaFunk did a release of New Morning '87 which I'm also assuming is the best version. New Morning '86 (AFAIK) was only issued once on a boot called Burn It Up which has poor sound quality. I'm also partial to the San Francisco '86 show which has been released in at least two different versions (one by Sabotage) though I can't say that one is definitely better than the other.

Most people on this board tend to recommend free releases these days. However, the most relevant and best-sounding live shows from the 1986 and 1987 tours have been released on Sabotage’s "City Lights Remastered" series. You’ll find what you need on the 6CD sets CL-R Vol. 5 (1986) and CL-R Vol. 6 (1987). The seventh volume from that series (Lovesexy 1988/89) is still in the making (but flyers are circulating).

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All recordings in question have obviously been mastered with professional equipment. In cases such as the Vienna aftershow from 1987, the mastering even went as far as removing unwanted/previously annoying side noises/individual speakers from the audience by means of careful audio retouching. That Vienna gig was tough to listen to before SAB eventually cleaned it up. It had only been known as an audience recording with far too many side noises. They took similarly detailed care of other shows included, such as the 1986 test gig from First Avenue. This was the first time for that show to appear on CD in stereo AND with several minutes of previously missing passages in place. The majority of material on the CL-R series stems from the soundboard.

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Check out these links for details and quality gradings:

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http://thedigitalgarden.org/c/1847-city-lights-remastered-vol-4.html

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http://thedigitalgarden.org/c/1765-city-lights-remastered-vol-4.html

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[Those links both read "vol-4", but they actually lead to Vols. 5 and 6.]

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You’ll certainly find free downloads of these releases online nowadays.

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(PS: Dear Mods, if you should consider the above to promote unofficial releases in an inappropriate way, then I’m sorry. In that case, feel free to erase what I just stated. My intention was to provide the original poster some help.)

You will find a lot of good stuff on City Lights Remastered Vol. 6. It has Le Morning 87 (June and December shows). Also has the new years eve show at PP with Miles Davis. And, having just rumaged through my hard drive, I see that the Valium show is on there, which I presume is better than the Moonraker release (the only one I thought I had).


EDIT: LOGIC beat me to it, above.

[Edited 5/20/15 2:15am]

I like the transition of the LoveSexy tour from Paris to Japan 89.

I actually would like a nice clean long US 88 but as far as I know none go round.

duggalolly said:

There is the "Digital Funk Bitch" reissue of the "Valium" show. It's called "A Beautiful Night". I can't say if it's the best version, since I don't have the older bootlegs to compare it to, but I'd assume so. 4DaFunk did a release of New Morning '87 which I'm also assuming is the best version. New Morning '86 (AFAIK) was only issued once on a boot called Burn It Up which has poor sound quality. I'm also partial to the San Francisco '86 show which has been released in at least two different versions (one by Sabotage) though I can't say that one is definitely better than the other.

The other one you are referring to is the Free Boot Generation bootleg called "The Baddest Band In The Universe" and that one is miles ahead of the Sabotage version of the San Francisco '86 show. I'd love to have this show from the soundboard!

TrevorAyer said: