Alcatrazz/Osaka & Aichi,Japan 1984

Graham Bonnet’s ALCATRAZZ made their shocking first appearance in Japan on their January 1984 tour of Japan. Both shows, the first performance in Japan at Osaka Festival Hall on January 24th, and the second performance at Nagoya City Public Hall on January 26th, will be released as a 2-disc set with the best sound quality ever, using the highest quality master and fully remastered. After releasing their first album “ALCATRAZZ” in 1983, ALCATRAZZ toured the US West Coast, mainly in California, and quickly gained popularity with the clash of Yngwie’s fierce guitar playing and Graham’s superhuman vocals. In Japan, they were first recognized as “Graham Bonnet’s new band,” but Yngwie’s innovative guitar playing on the album quickly became a hot topic. Some people were excited, saying “This is the appearance of a super guitarist,” while others were skeptical, saying “This is a sound created in a studio.” At the time, there was a lot of debate, and ALCATRAZZ’s visit to Japan was realized amid great expectations and interest from fans. Disc 1 contains the first day of the Osaka performance, fully remastered from the original master of the early masterpiece “YNGWIE FIRST APPEARANCE” on the Langley label. This sound source has been highly regarded as a classic among ALCATRAZZ and Yngwie-related sound sources. This time, the resolution of this famous recording has been further improved, the slightly slow pitch has been corrected, and the scene at the venue has been reproduced with more realism than ever before (the Japanese version of “Night Game” included briefly at the beginning of the recording also conveys the atmosphere of the venue well). The clarity and visibility of the sound, the direct sound of the vocals and guitar are not inferior to the masterpiece “JET TO JET” recorded in Tokyo, and the balance and separation of the performance are also wonderful, and you can listen to the live performance on the first day full of heat from “Too Young To Die, Too Drunk To Live”. In “Hiroshima Mon Amour”, Yngwie’s guitar shows his brilliant run, and the melodic fast playing where every sound has meaning is overwhelming even when listening to it with today’s sensibilities. The experimental set with “Desert Song” as the third song is unique to the first day. There are some slightly dangerous moments, such as Graham’s mistaken entrance to the song, but his voice that seems to break through the ceiling feels the momentum to blow away such mistakes. Yngwie’s guitar solo part following the magnificent “Kree Nakoorie” and “Evil Eye” recorded on his solo album are also a series of tremendous plays. Even those who thought “Such fast playing is impossible in a live performance” before the live performance started would have been impressed by this performance. The guitar was overwhelming throughout the 73-minute live performance, and the performance conveyed the great enthusiasm of Yngwie’s first visit to Japan. The following disc 2 records the Nagoya performance, the second performance in Japan, with an audience source that also confirms the master quality. The tape texture is slightly stronger than disc 1, but the close atmosphere reflecting the characteristics of the venue, the stability like a line sound source, and the direct feeling of the performance are at a superb level. The pitch is also normal, so listeners will be able to listen to the live performance without stress. After the first performance in Japan, the band seems to have relaxed, and Graham gives a better vocal performance than in Osaka. His voice seems to grow endlessly in the coda of “Too Young To Die, Too Drunk To Live” and “Hiroshima Mon Amour”, and his power and volume are superhuman. Furthermore, his voice and singing, which uses a variety of expressions in each song, such as “Big Foot” that makes full use of the mid-low range, the pop “Island In The Sun”, and the mellow “Suffer Me”, clearly show his essential singing ability. His performance remained strong even in the raging “Jet To Jet” that closed the main part of the set, and “Lost In Hollywood” that made the venue erupt in joy, and Graham’s condition may have been the best in Nagoya. Due to the master tape, “All Night Long” was cut in, and the last song “Something Else” ended due to tape failure, but the Nagoya live performance, with the band’s performance on the groove and the excellent mood, was a great listen! Proving that the performances on the album were “authentic,” ALCATRAZZ ended their Japan tour with great success, with five shows in total, including two in Tokyo on January 29th, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. However, during this visit, Yngwie was approached about making a solo album, and his interest quickly shifted from the band to his solo work, and the atmosphere within the band began to deteriorate. This Japan tour could be said to be the peak of the band’s motivation and unity during the Yngwie era. The Osaka and Nagoya performances, where the band’s energy was the strongest during the Japan tour, are a must-listen for all heavy metal fans. Along with the classic Tokyo performances “JET TO JET” (28th) and “FEEL KREE” (29th, afternoon session), this is a definitive item that fans will want to add to their collection! Festival Hall, Osaka, Japan 24th January 1984 TRULY AMAZING SOUND(from Original Masters) Nagoya-shi Kokaido, Nagoya, Japan 26th January 1984 TRULY AMAZING SOUND Disc 1 Live at Festival Hall, Osaka, Japan 24th January 1984 1. Night Games (Opening BGM) 2. Incubus 3. Too Young To Die, Too Drunk To Live 4. Hiroshima Mon Amour 5. Desert Song 6. Night Games 7. Big Foot 8. Island In The Sun 9. Kree Nakoorie 10. Guitar Solo 11 Since You Been Gone 12. Suffer Me 13. Jet To Jet 14. Evil Eye 15. Lost In Hollywood 16. All Night Long Disc 2 Live at Nagoya-shi Kokaido, Nagoya, Japan 26th January 1984 1. Incubus 2 . Too Young To Die, Too Drunk To Live 3. Hiroshima Mon Amour 4. Night Games 5. Big Foot 6. Island In The Sun 7. Kree Nakoorie 8. Guitar Solo 9. Since You Been Gone 10. Suffer Me 11. Desert Song 12. Jet To Jet 13. Evil Eye 14. Lost In Hollywood 15. All Night Long 16. Somethiong Else Graham Bonnet – Vocal Yngwie Malmsteen – Guitar Gary Shea – Bass Jan Uvena – – Drums Jimmy Waldo – Keyboards