Billy Joel/Osaka,Japan 1981 Upgrade

At the time of the release of “GLASS HOUSES IN JAPAN”, the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium on April 20th was described in a specialized magazine as having “sound quality that even surpasses Budokan.” The secret is that the sound image has a more direct feel compared to Budokan. Among them, the power of Liberty DeVito’s drums is amazing, and the outstanding play of the drummer who supported the Billy Joel Band for a long time is such a vivid drumming that you can’t experience even on the sound board. It is recorded in such a realistic state. Still, it’s not a saturated balance where Liberty’s drums cover everything. I think the big appeal is that it captures Billy and the band’s full-throttle stage with realistic sound quality. However, now that more than five years have passed since its release, it is also true that the two performances are audience recordings with completely different textures. I think Budokan wins in terms of overall balance and clearness, but the greatness of this sound source is that it was captured with an amazing sound pressure as an audience recording in 1981. Of course, the excitement of the audience and the atmosphere of the venue, which had a Showa feel to it, with people shouting “Billy!” all over the place, was fully absorbed. It feels like the unique recording condition was created because the venue is a gymnasium, which is different from the Budokan. And what we must not forget is that it even captures the wonderful playing of bassist Doug Stigmaier, who tragically passed away about 15 years after coming to Japan. In the encore that was very exciting, the intro of “Gimme Some Lovin'” is played for a moment before introducing the members, but it was none other than Doug’s bass that sounded it. As a result, it can be called a superb audience album that conveys the splendor of the Billy Joel Band’s rhythm section at its peak. Billy, who was supported by the band at its peak and the loud cheers of the fans, gave his best performance with plenty of time to spare, just as he did at the Budokan. After all, the recording is very direct, so you can clearly hear him parodying “Movin’ Out” with “Movin’ Sushi (lol)” and before starting “Piano Man”. The teasing escalated more than at the Budokan. The audience’s joyful and saddening reaction to this was truly heartwarming. Also, on this day, no matter how many times I hear it, it’s funny how easily he starts playing “Honesty,” which is Billy’s hymn in our country, without any warning. Starting with that scene, a number of dazzling masterpieces were being played on this day, up to “THE GLASS HOUSES”, and it was impossible not to fall in love with it. Just by saying that this is a live show that is packed with famous songs that everyone listened to back then, I am once again reminded of Billy’s greatness. The contrast between the heyday Billy show with such extravagant content and the realism of the Showa era, just like Budokan, is so much fun. In the past, that was commonplace. And for this re-release, we reviewed the sound source and brought out the originally warm texture, while suppressing the hiss that was a little noticeable compared to Budokan. Again, the directness of the rhythm section and other performances is an attractive sound source. With this new finish, I think you will be able to feel its special power in a more realistic way. The sound and atmosphere that the audience actually heard near the stage at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium must have been exactly like this sound source. The best audience album that you can finish listening to in no time just with the power of such a rhythm section and Billy’s high energy performance. When it came to hard numbers like “All For Leyna” and “Big Shot” in the latter half of the live performance, the guitar sounds of Russell Javers and David Brown, who were especially popular among the backing members, were cut into the song. It’s incredibly powerful. It was funny to see one of the audience members, overwhelmed by the excitement, get so emotional that he shouted “Thank you!” instead of “Billy” at the very end! LOL Live at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka, Japan 20th April 1981 TRULY PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1 (40:16) 1. Intro 2. You May Be Right 3. My Life 4. Honesty 5. Movin’ Out ( Anthony’s Song) 6. Piano Man 7. Don’t Ask Me Why 8. Vienna 9. The Stranger Disc 2 (61:51) 1. Stiletto 2. Until The Night 3. Root Beer Rag 4. She’s Always A Woman 5. Just The Way You Are 6. Sleeping With The Television On 7. All For Leyna 8. Sometimes A Fantasy 9. Big Shot 10. It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me 11. I’ll Cry Instead 12. Band Introduction 13. Only The Good Die Young 14. Souvenir Billy Joel – Vocal & Piano Russell Jayors – Guitar David Brown – Guitar Richie Cannata – Horn & Saxophone Doug Stegmeyer – Bass Liberty Devitto – Drums