Description
The 1978 Japan tour, featuring two geniuses side-by-side. The legendary recording, hailed as a masterpiece, has been polished up. A new, top-of-the-line version, refined with meticulous mastering, is born! This release permanently preserves the “December 2, 1978: Nippon Budokan” performance. It is a superb audience recording. While we handle Jeff Beck’s entire career, the 1978 Japan tour is a particularly popular and important period. We have archived as many masterpieces as possible from this era. First, let’s take a look at the entire tour and confirm the position of this release.・November 20: Ibaraki Prefectural Cultural Center ・November 22: Ishikawa Welfare Pension Hall ・November 23: Kurashiki Civic Hall ・November 24: Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium *November 26: “DEFINITIVE NAGOYA 1978” *November 28: “CAT MOVES (Fukuoka)” *November 29: “OSAKA 1978 2ND NIGHT” *November 30: “BUDOKAN 1978 1ST NIGHT” *December 1: “BUDOKAN 1978 2ND NIGHT” *December 2: Nippon Budokan ←★This work★ *Only representative works from each day. The legendary master’s masterpiece recordings have been further upgraded. A total of 10 performances as listed above. The highlight was the three consecutive performances at Nippon Budokan, and this work was recorded on the final day. This show has long been known for numerous excellent recordings, but the pinnacle of those recordings was unearthed in 2019. It was our previous release, “Wardour-343,” discovered in the collection of a legendary taper known as a key figure in the history of Western music in Japan. This person was a recording engineer active in the 70s and 80s, a master among masters who worked on numerous Japanese performances by the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Bowie, Pink Floyd, and many others. Of course, he also left behind many masterpieces with Jeff Beck, and you can get a sense of his greatness if you consider him the master of “DEFINITIVE OSAKA 1980 1ST NIGHT.” This release is a polished version of that legendary recording by “GRAF ZEPPELIN.” It’s not like it’s completely different from the original, which was already called “the best tour recording,” but the precision is definitely the best it’s ever been. Phase correction is particularly effective this time. In the 70s, it was common to record with a mono microphone onto stereo tape, but when playing it back, the phase would inevitably be out of sync between the left and right channels. As a result, stability is often lost, and the sound localization tends to shift from side to side. In reality, it’s more about “perceived naturalness” than “sound quality,” but “GRAF ZEPPELIN” corrects with an accuracy that doesn’t allow for deviations of even 1/1000th of a second. The sound localization is perfectly centered, and it accurately reproduces the ensemble of that time. In addition, there are balance adjustments after frequency band analysis, pitch adjustments, and various noise processing. Each step is faithful to the basics, but the precision is obsessive, polishing every detail meticulously. As a result, the air, freed from low-frequency noise, is filled with a crystal-clear brilliance, and each note stands out with remarkable clarity. The final performance, where the perfected ensemble has taken another leap forward, is depicted with such an upgraded sound that it’s easy to see why it’s called a masterpiece. Let’s start by checking out the set, which can be called a monument to the history of Western music in Japan. Jeff Beck’s setlist included: Blow by Blow, Freeway Jam, Diamond Dust, Scatterbrain, ‘Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers, and others: Darkness, Earth In Search Of A Sun, Star Cycle, Cat Moves, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Blue Wind, and Superstition. Stanley Clarke’s setlist included: School Days, Journey To Love, Lopsy Lu, and Rock ‘N’ Roll Jelly. The setlist itself was the same for all three days at Budokan, but the richness of the performance itself is incredible. It’s amazing. The members were fluid until just before their 1978 visit to Japan, with Tony Hymas joining in November. Because they came to Japan after only three days of rehearsals, the ensemble of the four members rapidly evolved during the tour. It is said that it reached its final form on the second day at Budokan, and this album was recorded the day after. This is a magnificent performance where the perfectly formed ensemble, imbued with the feeling of “This is it!”, creates even more chemistry. In fact, Jeff’s joy at realizing the ensemble he had envisioned overflows in the performance, and his good mood is also evident in his MC. When introducing Stanley after “School Days,” he responded with “Domo,” and at the end, after “Japanese people are wonderful,” Stanley also expressed his gratitude in Japanese, saying “Domo arigato aimashita.” It was a miraculous night where everything went perfectly. Jeff Beck suffered from poor health during his first solo visit to Japan in 1975, but he made a magnificent comeback three years later in 1978. This is an upgraded album of the legendary recording, hailed as a “masterpiece!” from that miraculous Japanese performance where he clashed with the genius Stanley Clarke, polished to extraordinary precision by “GRAF ZEPPELIN.” This is a cultural heritage. This is a superb audience recording of the December 2, 1978 concert at the Nippon Budokan, featuring phase correction, bandwidth adjustment, and low-frequency noise removal. Based on the original cassette transfer by a legendary taper in the history of Western music in Japan, this is a top-of-the-line updated version polished by “GRAF ZEPPELIN.” Phase shifts have been precisely corrected, and low-frequency noise has been swept away, resulting in a crystal-clear, vibrant sound where each note stands out with remarkable clarity. This is a new masterpiece, allowing you to experience the legendary album, hailed as “the best gig of 1978,” in its absolute best sound. Live at Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 2nd December 1978 TRULY PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters) UPGRADE!!! Disc 1 (48:30) 1. Intro. 2. Darkness/Earth In Search Of A Sun 3. Star Cycle 4. Freeway Jam 5. Cat Moves 6. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat 7. Stanley Clarke Solo/School Days 8. Journey To Love 9. Lopsy Lu Disc 2 (43:39) 1. Diamond Dust 2. Scatterbrain 3. Drum Solo/Scatterbrain(reprise) 4. Rock ‘n’ Roll Jelly 5. ‘Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers 6. Blue Wind 7. Superstition Jeff Beck – Guitar Stanley Clarke – Bass Tony Hymas – Keyboards Simon Phillips – Drums
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