LIVE IN BUDAPEST HUNGARY 2010 (OFFICIAL BOOTLEG VOLUME II)

Too poor even for bootleg

The only wrong thing with this record is sound quality, you can make a record like this with your mobile phone. And it was made in 2010 in a good venue where other bands like Hungarian Djabe make crystal clear live recordings. Shame on Heep!

It could be a good album because it contains the entire concert, set list and performance are good, there are UH classics, tracks from Lawton era, songs from the then newest album ''Wake the Sleeper'' and a new song ''Corridors Of Madness'', previously released only on ''Celebration: 40 Years of Rock'' CD. But poor sound kills everything.

If you'd like to have UH live record with Russel Gilbrook on drums better get ''Live at Sweden Rock Festival 2009''. It is shorter, only 56 minutes, but sounds infinitely better. This one is for die-hard fans only.

I hate to be the barer of bad news, but I really wanted to like this release. I am a longtime UH fan, ever since my early childhood, discovering rock bands, they were always on the top of my list, and to some degree, they still are. Another reason is that I originate from that part of the world, so there is the sentimental part of the connection w/this live recording. Now the disappointment; the sound quality! I am fully aware of the title "... Official Bootleg Vol....", I was expecting a decent soundboard recording quality, as an "official" release that is authorized by the band management. I would say it is somewhere about 4-5 / 10! Even some of my unofficial live, (truly bootleg) recordings of UH are far superior to this one. It sounds like a spectator recording by simply holding up a small recording device in the middle of the crowd. Occasionally you can clearly hear people talking amongst themselves. On top of it, it is in mono. This release most likely has some value to someone that was present that evening, and would like to have a document of that performance. It is a shame, since it seems to include the entire show (2 CD's). Having said this, I must mention that in the UH "Bootleg series" there are some releases with much better results that would qualify for 7-8 /10, which I feel is acceptable for an official bootleg (raw) recording. None the less, this one is a disappointment.