Alcatrazz/OH,USA 1984

Among the live recordings left by ALCATRAZZ while they were still with Yngwie Malmsteen, the broadcast recording of the performance at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio on May 23, 1984, one of the three major stereo soundboard recordings along with the performance at the Reseda Country Club in October 1983 and the performance at Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo in January 1984, has been decided to be released as a definitive CD using the original master direct from an overseas taper! ALCATRAZZ was formed by Graham Bonnet after his activities with M.S.G. came to a halt, and made a shocking debut with their first album “ALCATRAZZ” released in 1983 (the title of the album, “NO PAROLE FROM ROCK’N’ROLL”, is actually a nickname for part of the jacket design). The spectacular playing of the 20-year-old Yngwie Malmsteen revolutionized the history of rock guitar, and the high-quality songs expertly completed by the former NEW ENGLAND duo Gary Shea and Jimmy Waldo quickly became a hot topic among fans of melodic hard rock and heavy metal. The band was especially well-received in Japan, where Graham has had a large fan base since his RAINBOW days, and the Japan tour of five shows, which was realized in late January 1984, just after the band’s debut, was a huge success. However, during the US tour, which was the opening act for TED NUGENT after the Japan tour, Graham and other members were increasingly dissatisfied with Yngwie’s overly assertive nature, and discord began to resonate within the band. Nevertheless, the fact that Yngwie’s guitar was the center of the band was undeniable, and they played thrilling shows in many ways all over the country. This work is a complete recording of the Cleveland performance on May 23rd, which was the latter half of the US tour in the first half of ’84, even when Yngwie was enrolled, as a stereo soundboard sound source. The sound source of this day has long been known as one of the standard air check sources for broadcast sound sources, and titles such as “LOST IN CLEVELAND” and “CLEVELAND 1984” are particularly famous among enthusiasts. However, this time, the top sound source that is thought to be the origin of these was brought from overseas by a unique route. The brightness and freshness that will surprise you the moment you hear it, the highest clarity that does not care about the hiss noise or the cloudiness of the tape, the strong punch power of the stereo feeling where the drums and keyboards pan to the left and right channels, etc. are all of a different dimension of quality from the previous releases, and the amazingness is not inferior to the official “LIVE ’83” Country Club performance! The structure of the album, which includes interviews with the show’s host and rather long MCs by the band members between songs, and the band’s performance itself will be familiar to fans, but the overwhelming performance, which shows off Graham’s “greatness” and “character” as a vocalist (in many ways) in all directions, will leave you speechless. The opening song, “Too Young To Die, Too Drunk To Live,” is so off-kilter that you wonder “how on earth could they be so off-kilter?”, but the following song, “Jet To Jet,” shows off his “superhuman vocals” without question, and the difference in amplitude is astonishing. Jean Juvena’s drums, which support the band, are also powerful, and you will be captivated by this “super aggressive” sound! “Island In The Sun,” which makes the most of Gary and Jimmy’s pop melody sense, “Desert Song,” which is one of Graham’s signature songs, and the dramatic “Kree Nakoorie,” all of which are outstandingly satisfying to listen to, make this live performance the best! However, even with this master, Yngwie’s guitar is off compared to the other members, and especially in “Night Games”, it seems to be quite far away, but it can be heard clearly in the guitar solo that follows “Kree Nakoorie”, so it seems to have been intentionally mixed low. This also makes you feel like you can see the feud between the band and Yngwie. “Suffer Me”, which features the beginning of Yngwie’s solo song “Black Star” in the intro, is a highlight of the second half of the live show. The melody with its shadowy ideas and Graham’s powerful yet sad vocals are even more colorful with the sound of the original recording. “Hiroshima Mon Amour”, whose MC at the official live “LIVE SENTENCE” resonated with Japanese fans, also allows you to experience the original greatness of the song vividly with Graham’s superb vocals on this day. “Lost In Hollywood” is a must-play, and the performance has a stronger attack than RAINBOW’s, bringing the live show to a close with the highest voltage. The finale, which gives the listener a pleasant sense of fatigue, can only be described as brilliant! This album is amazing even in terms of the live performance, and even more shocking bonus tracks include Graham’s single “Bad Days Are Gone” from his third solo album “LINE-UP,” as well as a “New Version” of “Night Games,” which was included as an acetate disc in the music magazine Flexipop Magazine! Both are created from the best analog master currently available, and the sound quality is naturally excellent. For fans, both were takes that they “wanted to hear but couldn’t,” so the release of this CD is definitely big news. These two songs alone make this album worth purchasing, and it’s an outstanding bonus! This work, which is packaged with two long-awaited treasure takes as a bonus on the top-class unique stereo soundboard sound source among ALCATRAZZ’s live sound sources, can be said to be “Is there no item that suits the tastes of Graham fans so much?” It will be a treasure item that will please enthusiasts. The exciting 65 minutes are truly surprising. Fans, please do not miss this superb title! Live at The Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, OH. USA 23rd May 1984 STEREO SBD(UPGRADE!!!) 1. Introduction 2. Too Young To Die, Too Drunk To Live 3. Jet To Jet 4. Night Games 5. Island In The Sun 6. Desert Song 7. Kree Nakoorie 8. Guitar Solo incl. Coming Bach 9. Band Introduction 10. Since You Been Gone 11. Black Star Intro./ Suffer Me 12. Hiroshima Mon Amour 13. Lost In Hollywood Bonus Tracks 14. Bad Days Are Gone (from the B side of UK 7″ single “Liar”(Vertigo VER2) ) 15. Night Games (from Flexi Disc of UK “Flexipop Magazine #10”) STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING Graham Bonnet – Vocal Yngwie Malmsteen – Guitar Gary Shea – Bass Jan Uvena – Drums Jimmy Waldo – Keyboards