Free/Tokyo,Japan 1971 Original LP Ver.

The glorious FREE that disappeared into the bubbles while showing the height of British blues rock. The traditional storyteller’s album that continues to convey the story of his first visit to Japan has been decided to be released. They only set foot on Japanese soil for two and four performances. All of them are legendary, but especially the first visit to Japan in 1971 was too deep and too mellow. At a time when LED ZEPPELIN and DEEP PURPLE were just phantoms from across the ocean, the “original four” along with the late Paul Kossoff and Andy Fraser arrived. Moreover, at the end of the climax. They experienced their first dismantling during their tour in May 1971, but their first visit to Japan came just before that, at the end of April. At that time, they were on average 20 years old, and Andy was 18 years old. They gained experience one year at a time, one performance at a time, and reached the peak of their proficiency. This work is a famous recording that conveys the first day of such a legendary first visit to Japan, “April 30, 1971: Kyoritsu Auditorium” performance. This is a digital version of IMP label’s vintage LP “LIVE!”. This LP also includes the second performance in Japan the following year in 1972 as a bonus. First, let’s check the contents of the concert schedule, which consisted of only 4 performances. ●April 30, 1971: Kyoritsu Auditorium [Book 1-9]・May 1: Sankei Hall ●July 22, 1972: Korakuen Stadium [Book 10-12]・July 24: Koshien Stadium…and it looks like this. 1972, which was the opening act of EL & P, is also a legend, but the main thing is still the first visit to Japan. First of all, the rich vintage sound is wonderful. It was an unprecedented audience recording by the standards of the time, with the strong core reaching straight and the details vivid. Since it is an analog version, it is more resistant to aging than tape, and the details of Paul Rodgers’ vocals, Simon Kirk’s heavy drums, Andy’s well-sung bass line, and Kossoff’s guitar are all crisp and clear. In an era when external audience recordings are valuable, it is a sound that can be called miraculous. And what is overwhelming is the show itself. It’s close to the official masterpiece album “LIVE!”, but there will also be plenty of “The Stealer”, “Heavy Load”, “The Highway Song”, and “My Brother Jake” that I couldn’t hear there. However, what is more than that is the young original FREE’s performance itself. Anyway, it’s hot and deep. Each note is full of soul, but Kossoff is exceptional. Although the phrase is extremely simple, the powerful sound produced by the extremely thick strings is howling with dynamic bending and crying with deep vibrato. Moreover, the tone is excellent. Although it is truly powerful, the sound is glossy and sexy. There are countless unique guitarists in British rock who can be recognized with just one note, but Kossoff is the only guitarist who can tell so much with just one note. That deep, deep guitar trembled the air in Japan…the reality of it (even now) makes me shudder. Moreover, this work is also a recording that neatly conveys such subtleties. Following such a first visit to Japan, the audience recording of the “July 22, 1972: Korakuen Stadium” performance, which came to Japan as the opening act for EL & P, is recorded. Although there are only three songs, “Lady,” “Seven Angels,” and “Honky Tonk Women,” these are also wonderful recordings with zero echoes and clearness unique to outdoor venues. Although they disbanded and reunited, Andy and Kossoff still left, and Tetsu Yamauchi and Rabbit joined. They came to Japan as a four-piece group, with Rodgers also playing guitar. At that time, Kirk was not feeling well and did not have enough rehearsal, so it cannot be compared to the deep performance of his first visit to Japan, but young Rogers’ singing voice is still wonderful. It roars through the space of Korakuen, giving off a thick, deep blues feel. This is also a real document of the legendary scene. A miraculous first visit to Japan, and a famous second time in EL&P legends. This is a reprint of the classic vintage LP that tells the story of the FREE scene. For Japan, this sound was FREE…This is a rich album that overflows from the speakers with the scent of that era. Taken from the original LP “LIVE!”(IMP) Kanda Kyoritsu Kodo, Tokyo, Japan 30th April 1971Live at Kanda Kyoritsu Kodo, Tokyo, Japan 30th April 1971 1. Fire and Water 2. The Stealer 3. I’m A Mover 4 . Be My Friend 5. All Right Now 6. Heavy Load 7. The Highway Song 8. My Brother Jake 9. Soon I Will Be Gone Live at Korakuen Stadium, Tokyo, Japan 22nd July 1972 10. Lady 11. Seven Angels 12. Honky Tonk Women