Live From Truro - The Eagles

[Canaryfan]

OK, a tiny lie to get you looking at this.

A brand new CD ‘Live From Truro’. However, The Illegal Eagles & not The Eagles.

Saw them last week in Truro. The first time I had been out for a social evening on my own since loosing my wife a few months ago. We had seen them in Truro on 4 previous occasions over the past 20 years.

Always good value for money (assuming you like The Eagles). This is probably the best I have heard them. I was surprised when they announced the launch of their new CD ‘Live From Truro’ on stage, saying that it was a live recording of their performance in Truro from January last year. I missed this as I was in Kent, visiting family.

I thought it was an ‘in’ joke that went over my head. No one has ever released anything with the title ‘Live from Truro’, doesn’t really have the same sound to it as Live From The 02/ Maddison Square Garden etc. does it? So I was surprised to find the CD on sale after the show &, despite the extortionate £20 cost, thought I should support both the band & my home city for the past 38 years.

Playing the CD has been a revelation. Nothing revelatory in the material. All well known Eagles songs. What was revelatory is the discs astonishing sound quality. It probably rates in my top 10 best sounding albums ever & is noticeably better than any of my large collection of Eagles LPs & CDs. Remarkable when I would guess that The Illegal Eagles recording budget is rather less than that available to the real thing. The band & their recording engineers clearly know exactly what they are doing.

The performance on the CD is stunning. So much so I suspect that even the most ardent Eagles fan would think that it was the real Eagles. My one small complaint is that it is so good that, to be honest, it sounds more like a studio recording than a live one.

As far as I can tell (from my Qobuz subscription), Illegal Eagles material is only available from their website so anyone wishing to investigate them will have to go there.

If the real Eagles decide to add a couple of nights in the Hall For Cornwall, Truro after their Manchester dates in June this year, they will have a very hard act to follow!

Other that as a music fan, I have no connection with the Illegel Eagles at all. I also have no connection with the real Eagles other than when Timothy B Schmit spoke to me & my wife in The Hyatt hotel Birmingham, before a concert later that evening, & asked us ‘how do you go about posting a parcel in this country?’. True.

[mbear]

Is there any indication on the CD where it was mastered or what kit they used? Perhaps they would be prepared to share the info if asked.

Very sorry to hear of the passing of your wife.

[Nickd]

My wife and I saw these in Hull a few years ago, they were excellent (‘live from Hull’, I think not!!), anyway we then saw the real thing a couple of years ago, and yes we could hear the difference, but the ‘illegal’ boys sure came a close second!! I’m very sorry to hear of your loss my friend!

[Canaryfan]

All that is on the CD packaging says:-

Tim Hamill at Sonic One. Re-mix engineer.

The single page website does provide an email address & I will email Mr Hamill tomorrow to congratulate him on what I feel is a fantastic job.

[Canaryfan]

We saw the illegals a week before seeing the real thing at the O2 on Easter Sunday, 2008.

As you said, a close second.

However, all the illegals personal have changed since then & I would say that the biggest change is in vastly improved vocals & harmony’s. Nothing wrong with the 2008 version but did not sound like Henley/Fry etc. singing. The 2024 version sound uncannily like them.

Although any Eagles fan will have all the tracks (probably several versions), I suggest the ‘Live From Truro’ CD is worth purchasing for the sound quality alone.

[Nickd]

Thanks for that recommendation CF, I’m also now thinking we should give them another listen live next time they turn up in Hull! Keep well!

[Canaryfan]

I did email Tim Hamill at Sonic One & received the following details from him contained within his reply.

The technicalities mean next to nothing to me but, hopefully, will mean more to you.

I also attach an image of Tim’s studio which he kindly sent me:-

The multitrack recording was done from the live desk direct into a laptop. Those files were sent to me and I set them up on Nuendo on my mac. Then they went through a set of Focusrite REDnet convertors into a 1983 SSL 4000E mixing desk (an oldie but still great! Lots of major artists done on it!). I do a hybrid style of mixing where most of the EQ and effects are done in the computer (much easier that way!) then sent out to 24 channels of the SSL where it is summed together and a final compression and EQ are added! (All done at 24 bit 48K)

After it is all mixed I master it with IK multimedia T Racks mastering software.

I know what you mean about the ’studio - ness’ of the finished sound, but it sounded so good that way, I went with it!! (It sounded a bit ‘mushy’ with the audience mics up all the time and was losing a bit of definition!). I can tell you that absolutely nothing was replaced and everything you hear was reproduced at the gig!

There is a DVD due out of the Liverpool show which is also fantastic and there is talk of a double album there (I have mastered one!)

Hope you find his comments & photo of interest.

[mbear]

What a wonderful response from Tim. I bet you made his day by contacting him!

I must try and get to one of their dates. Looks like they are back in the south west toward the end of the year.

[Oxfordian]

Found out that they were in Truro after the event when one of the wife’s work colleagues said that she had had a great time.

Now signed up for updates, so hopefully when they are next in Cornwall, I can go and see them