Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy/Tokyo,Japan 1979

From the 1979 Japan tour, which was Thin Lizzy’s first performance in Japan, the second day of the tour, held at Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo, is released as a completely first-time recording with the highest level audience! Lizzy’s “Black Rose” tour was a four-piece band with Gary Moore, following the ’78 tour, and excited many fans in Europe and the United States. However, Gary suddenly left the band at the end of the performance in Oakland, California on July 4, 1979 during the US tour, leaving the band in a difficult position. After playing five shows as a three-piece band, they welcomed Phil’s friend Midge Ure as second guitarist and somehow managed to complete the remaining dates, but were forced to cancel the Reading Festival that year, where they had been asked to perform. Lizzy’s first performance in Japan was a great success, with all five shows sold out from September 24 to 30, 1979, as if to shake off this chaotic situation. The band restructured their lineup before their Japan tour, adding former MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND member Dave Frett on second guitar, and Midge on keyboards and guitar, for a five-piece lineup for their Japan tour. It was unfortunate that Gary was not present, but Japanese fans who got to witness this rare lineup and band sound were lucky, depending on how you look at it. However, perhaps the accident of Gary’s departure had a big impact, as not many recordings of this tour are available, even though it was their first visit to Japan, and many parts of the tour are still unclear. Two years ago, “KORAKUEN NIGHT” (Shades-047) was released to blow a hole in this situation, capturing the lively and realistic sound image of the Korakuen performance on September 29th, the second day of the Tokyo tour, and was highly praised by many LIZZY fans, who said, “This is the kind of recording I wanted to hear,” and it has been well-received to this day. Like “KORAKUEN NIGHT,” the sound source that will be released this time is a direct copy of the master cassette that has not been circulated among traders, and reproduces the live performance with such freshness and clarity that it is hard to believe it was recorded 32 years ago. The direct sound is at an agonizing level from the opening of the show, and the realism that captures the air and heat of the venue is sure to knock out any listener! On the day of the show, the PA equipment at the venue seemed to be a little unstable, and there were some parts where the sound output was disturbed depending on the location in the early part of the live performance, “Are You Ready” and “Bad Reputation,” but the recording itself with this taper was stable from start to finish, and the recording with almost no audience noise is simply wonderful. It will be a rare pleasure for fans to enjoy the precious first day of the Tokyo performance with a vivid, high-quality sound with excellent separation, including the PA trouble that occurred on this day. “Waiting For An Alibi”, one of the new songs chosen from “BLACK ROSE”, is an excellent listen, and the sound quality and performance are the best take during the tour that year. The following “Jailbreak” got the whole venue excited, and it was the peak of the first half of the live. “Sweetheart”, which starts with Phil saying “This is the first song we played yesterday, and today is the second time we’ve played it”, is a big highlight. Although it was a prototype a few months before “CHINATOWN” was made, the elegant twin lead in the second half of the song already shines as a masterpiece. The flow of “Do Anything You Want To” and “Don’t Believe A Word”, whose intense beats make the listener’s heart dance, “Got To Give It Up”, where Midge Ure shows her presence, and “Didn’t I”, which is also a prototype, can be said to be the climax of the middle part of the live. Midge’s diverse playing is featured in many other songs besides these, adding a gorgeous and catchy color to the LIZZY sound. By using him, the band is not limited to the category of hard rock, but is greedily incorporating pop and new wave touches, and Phil’s great musicianship is once again amazing. After “Still In Love With You”, where Phil’s emotional vocals warm the listener’s heart, the live performance is finally reaching its climax. For the first two minutes of “Emerald” at the beginning of disc 2, you can see the rotation unevenness of the master tape, but from this point onwards, you can enjoy the wonderful performance in the best condition until the end. All the songs on the set list are full of LIZZY’s charm, such as the explosive power of “The Boys Are Back In Town”, the heavy “Suicide”, and the groovy atmosphere that draws the entire venue in “Baby Drives Me Crazy”. When the live performance ends with the comfortable rock “Rosalie”, you will notice that the 85 minutes have passed in the blink of an eye! At the beginning of the following year, 1980, LIZZY announced the addition of Snowy White as their official guitarist, and entered a new era. The live performances on this album beautifully depict the changing state of the band, which is unique to this transitional period, and you will be able to fully enjoy the unique fun of the subtle mixture of the colors of the ’70s and the ’80s and beyond! This CD is definitely a must-listen for all British rock fans, not to mention LIZZY fans! Live at Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo, Japan 25th September 1979 TRULY AMAZING/PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1 1. Intro. 2. Are You Ready 3. Bad Reputation 4. Waiting For An Alibi 5. Jailbreak 6. Sweetheart 7. Do Anything You Want To 8. Don’t Believe A Word 9. Got To Give It Up 10. Didn’t I Still 11. In Love With You Disc 2 1. Emerald 2. Cowboy Song 3. The Boys Are Back In Town 4. Suicide 5. Sha-La-La 6. Drums Solo 7. Baby Drives Me Crazy 8. Rosalie Phil Lynott – Vocal, Bass Scott Gorham – Guitar Dave Flett – Guitar Midge Ure – Guitar, Keyboards Brian Downey – Drums