2001.06.05 - Paris, France @ Le Zenith

Source A: Mini Disc --- Core Sound Binaurals > Sharp MT77
Taper: Duncan
Gen:   1st from Master

Notes: Crystal clear recording. If I remember correctly, Duncan said that this is his favorite recording he's done, sound-wise. To be honest, it shows as the sound is really good. This is, IMO, just as good as the DAT version(s) of this show & obviously the other MD sourced versions. There is a little bit of talking in the very quiet parts between songs but it's not very noticeable - hard to prevent people around you from talking, isn't it? Superb performance by Tool - or at least as polished as they usually are. Nice. All in all, a quality capture of a quality performance.

CD 1
Time: 70:17

CD 2
Time: 34:03

Tuva
The Grudge
(-) Ions
Stinkfist
46 & 2
Prison Sex (OTRM)Schism
Pushit
Disposition
Reflection
Sober
Parabol
Parabola
Ænema
Opiate
Lateralus

Source B: Mini Disc --- Sony ECM-MS907 > Sony MZ-R70
Taper: Julien
Gen:    1st from Master

Notes: For a recording that was using Sony ECM's, this is really nice. Sound is vibrant, powerful & loud. Not a hint of distortion nor a 'bad' peak anywhere, very balanced & well-done. The crowd is also quite quiet & the sound is very life-like. For some reasons, there has been a good deal of confusion regarding source information for this show. In 2001, when this show came out, some people did not collect source information and this ended up being overlooked. However, this is a quality recording and is a good snapshot of the performance. Is this better quality than Duncan's or Bazille's DAT recording? No. Is this still worthy of a listen, of course. 

CD 1
Time: 66:00

CD 2
Time: 45:02

White Label Records: "Late In Paris"

Source C: Unspecified DAT Recording
Taper:  White Label Records
Gen:   1st from Master

Notes: I cannot recall exactly how I found out about this recording. That said, I was notified back in 2001 that this was going to be available for X amount of Euro - before the performance even happened! The sound on this recording is quite good. The taper... errr... bootlegger must've been relatively close to the speakers as the sound is in-your-face & very good. No brickwall or other issues, even the crowd is quite low. The issue I have here is that I had to purchase this recording from some fella from France - the taper. Originally, all 1st Gens came from White Label Records which is probably just some guy who sits in his living room on the PC, making bootlegs to sell on eBay. I had to purchase this recording from eBay, only a couple weeks after the performance. However, I am glad that I did get this from the taper as, after all, it was money well spent even though I despise people that sell Tool recordings, especially tapers who do that. . Although this is one of the bootlegs specifically for sale, it was never on a silver disc but on CDR. However, it is one of the better packaged bootlegs I've seen. This is not one of the verified sources re-packaged.

CD 1
Time: 49:02

CD 2
Time: 56:00

Source D: DAT -- Sony ECM 959s > Sony TCD-D8
DAT:  Master DAT > Digital Clone-1
CD:   Master > CD
Taper: Franck Bazille
Gen:  1st from Master

Notes: This recording is, hands down, the absolute -best- source for this performance. Sound is crisp, clear & totally front of stack. Bazille knows of the "perfect" place to tape at this venue which S.D. showed him a while back. The sound is crystal clear and is a recording that anyone would simply love to hear as it is completely enjoyable. Although the sound of this recording sounds very similar to that of the bootleg 'Late In Paris', they are actually different sources. Really, that is saying a lot as this particular recording is exceptionally clear, crisp, loud and an all-around-enjoyment to listen to. There is a layer of crowd noise but it is quite low & appropriate. I must confess that some of the 2001 recordings/performances sound very similar, for some reason, the Paris gig just seems to be something special. Hard to get sick of hearing alternate sources, at least for me. There is already a fine CD rip of this show going around and as such, there is no need for me to rip another to DAT; that would most likely confuse things. Sgt. Baker Frog claims that he, himself, taped this show. That is a lie. For the record.

Maynardism:
"Is everyone doing ok. Lyndsey are you doing ok? What's up? That's American for 'how are you doing' - what's up?"
Maynardism:
"We'll be back soon to see you...until then, do something positive."

CD 1
Time: 70:09

CD 2
Time: 33:54