Foreigner/PA,USA 1978 & more

Ian McDonald passed away on February 9, 2022. After a battle with cancer, he passed away at the age of 75. Even at this very moment, many musicians are praising Ian’s achievements, and fans around the world are mourning him. A symbolic work of the golden age that is fitting for this week is here. Ian had a diverse career with KING CRIMSON, McDONALD AND GILES, and FOREIGNER, but FOREIGNER was the peak of his big hits. That will be the final blow during the “DOUBLE VISION” era. This work is a set of the symbolic live album and rare footage. It is a two-disc set that mainly features the finest stereo soundboard recording of the “Philadelphia performance on December 1, 1978” and a bonus audience shot of the “Fresno performance on July 22, 1978”. Speaking of 1978, the two tours “FIRST ALBUM Tour” and “DOUBLE VISION Tour” intersected, and the discovery of the official live album “LIVE AT THE RAINBOW ’78” is still fresh in my memory. In order to organize that, let’s first check the show’s position from the schedule at that time.・February 3rd-7th: North America #1 (4 shows) {“DOUBLE VISION” completed in March} ・March 18th: Appearance at CALIFORNIA JAM II ・March 30th-April 5th: First visit to Japan (4 shows) ・April 11th-16th: Australia (4 shows) ・April 20th-27th: Europe (5 shows) ←※Official LIVE AT THE RAINBOW ・April 30th: Manhattan show ・May 24th-June 17th: North America #2a (11 shows) {“DOUBLE VISION” released on June 20th} ・June 30th-December 3rd: North America #2b (59 shows) ←★Here★ [DISC 1: The best full soundboard from the Philadelphia show] This is FOREIGNER in 1978. Until April was the “FIRST ALBUM Tour”, and from May it was the “DOUBLE VISION Tour”. The official work “LIVE AT THE RAINBOW ’78” was the former at the very last moment. Both of the two performances in this work are the latter. In particular, the main Philadelphia performance was the 57th performance of “North America #2b”, when the tour began in earnest. DISC 1 is a soundboard recording recorded at such a show. It is a master once excavated from the Masterport label, and its quality is truly superb. Although a big cheer suddenly rises between songs, it is basically a direct connection to the mix table. Although it is a rough raw mix, the bare core is poured directly into the brain. Although it is difficult to say that it is “completely official class!” because of its intense vividness, the sound quality itself is not inferior to “LIVE AT THE RAINBOW ’78”. The pleasure of being able to enjoy the six people’s one-by-one sounds beautifully separated is so amazing that you would rather want to say “beyond the official!”. Such a super direct sound depicts the full show that reached its first climax. The set is similar but not the same as “LIVE AT THE RAINBOW ’78”, so let’s compare and organize them. Glorious Departure (8 songs) Long, Long Way From Home / I Need You / Cold As Ice / The Damage Is Done / At War With The World / Starrider / Feels Like The First Time / Headknocker Double Vision (3 songs) Double Vision / Spellbinder (★) / Hot Blooded *Note: “★” marks are songs that cannot be heard on the official “LIVE AT THE RAINBOW ’78”. [DISC 2: Shocking 8mm film of Fresno performance] Following this soundboard album is an audience shot taken at the 11th performance of the same “North America #2b”. Some people may get the idea from “Fresno” and “AUD shot”. Yes, this video is the FOREIGNER edition of the 8mm film video series that took the world by storm in 2020. In the 1970s, when video cameras were not yet widespread, the audience was filmed on 8mm film, but the quality of this Fresno video series was shocking, overturning that common sense. Even though 8mm filming, where “one cut = a few seconds,” was common, one cut could last nearly five minutes, and there were many cuts that showed the entire song in its entirety. Moreover, the missing parts were supplemented with still images, so you can enjoy the music as it is, not just fragments of the song. This alone is unconventional, but that’s not all. After all, it’s a spectacular view. The angle is diagonal to the right of the stage, but the viewpoint is strangely high, almost the same eye level as the members on stage. Therefore, there are no obstructions at all, and only the stage occupies the field of view. It is probably filmed from a seat that is quite far away, but the bold zoom makes it feel like that. Lou Gramm’s heart in the second half is so close that it fills the screen. The camerawork follows the highlights in that close-up, but as mentioned above, it was an era when filming from the audience was unexpected, so there was no sign of the camera being hidden, and the stability of the tripod was also wonderful. The final blow is the sound. Although audience recordings were already common at the time, the sound overlaid on the spectacular scenery is also a superb sound that far exceeds the common sense of the 1970s. The strength of the core, the fineness of the details, and above all, the direct feeling that does not feel any distance at all… Even in the modern standard of digital heyday, it is a superb sound that I would like to call “like a sound board”. The best stereo sound board that approaches with more vividness than the official one, and the historical video that overturns the common sense of the 1970s audience. It is a masterpiece set that is the best for savoring the true value of the original members. A two-disc set where you can meet Ian McDonald who was in the midst of glory. A two-disc set with a superb stereo sound board recording of “Philadelphia performance on December 1, 1978” as the main focus, and a bonus audience shot of “Fresno performance on July 22, 1978”. The Philadelphia SBD sound source has a raw mix that exposes the core, and each sound of the six original members is beautifully separated and poured in. On the other hand, the Fresno AUD shot is a superb 8mm shot with superb sound. Shocking footage that overturns the common sense of “70’s 8mm footage”. This is a masterpiece set that is perfect for savoring the true value of the original members. The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA, USA 1st December 1978 STEREO SBD Disc 1(72:26) The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA, USA 1st December 1978 1. Long Long Way From Home 2. I Need You 3. Cold As Ice 4. The Damage Is Done 5. At War With The World 6. Starrider 7. Double Vision 8. Spellbinder 9. Feels Like the First Time 10. Hot Blooded 11. Headknocker STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING Disc 2(29:37) Selland Arena, Fresno, CA, USA 22nd July 1978 1. Intro 2. Long, Long Way From Home 3. I Need You 4. Spellbinder 5. Woman Oh Woman 6. Hot Blooded 7. Cold as Ice 8. Starrider 9. Double Vision COLOUR NTSC Approx.30min. Lou Gramm – lead vocals Mick Jones – lead guitar Ian McDonald – guitars, keyboards, vocals Al Greenwood – keyboards Ed Gagliardi – bass, vocals Dennis Elliott – drums