John Sykes/Osaka,Japan 1998

The ultimate live in Japan performance that summarizes the career of genius guitarist John Sykes is here. This work includes the performance of “July 26, 1998: Umeda Heat Beat”. Sykes has visited Japan many times for various projects, including THIN LIZZY, WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, and SYKES, but this time he was touring Japan with two consecutive works, the soft “LOVELAND” and the hard “20TH CENTURY”. First, let’s start with the dates at that time. ・July 22: Shinjuku Liquid Room ・July 23: Shinjuku Liquid Room ・July 25: Shinjuku Liquid Room ・July 26: UMEDA HEATBEAT [This work] ・July 27: Nagoya Diamond Hall A total of five performances. It’s sad that the venue got smaller and smaller with each visit to Japan, but on the other hand, the density of the energy filled in that small space only increased. This is an audience album with the concentration at its peak. It is an extremely elegant CD made directly from the original DAT that directly sucked in the air of the special venue. In fact, the energy of this work is amazing! Although the drums have an audience-like sound, the guitar, vocals, and bass are “like a sound board”. It is far more amazing than any other sound board, almost a direct feeling at the table level. The picking harmonics, the gritty bass, and Sykes’s breathy vocals are all amazing, and it’s a fierce sound that screws into your brain. I wrote earlier that “the drums have the feel of an audience record,” but this does not mean that “only the drums are shoddy” (never!). It is true that the distance is felt compared to other instruments that are abnormally close, but the air between the drums and the audience explodes, and each hit is like a firecracker or a gunshot. And it’s not a gunshot made in a movie or anime. It’s an “explosive sound” that sounds like gunpowder exploding right in front of you. No matter how powerful Tommy Aldridge is, I can’t imagine a recording with such amazing power. I never thought it would be possible to achieve this with an audience recording… The person who created such an intense and unparalleled sound was a master who was known as the best in Osaka since the 1990s. Our shop has made many of this recording’s original masters into CDs. To name a few… RAINBOW “OSAKA 1995 1ST NIGHT”, AC/DC “OSAKA 2001”, MEGADETH “OSAKA 2001”, RICHIE SAMBORA “UNDISCOVERED SOUL IN OSAKA”, IRON MAIDEN “DEFINITIVE OSAKA 2004”. What do you think? Even if we limit it to HR/HM, this is a mountain of masterpieces. All of the live albums had intense guitar sounds, but this work is one of the best among them. The wonderfulness of the show depicted by that sound is unparalleled. Sykes’ appreciation for his frequent visits to Japan in the 1990s faded, but on the other hand, this was the heyday of his creative drive. This work is a condensed collection of his gems. It’s also impressive that famous songs by THIN LIZZY and WHITESNAKE come rushing in at once at the end, but the main part of the set, BLUE MURDER/Solo, is amazing! To be honest, it may be hard to say that all the songs from this era are masterpieces, but that’s just because the quality of the songs was so different. This set, which focuses only on the “good” parts, has a gem of a melody and a guitar that bursts out with ferocious force. Whether it’s “20TH CENTURY” or “OUT OF MY TREE,” I’m surprised at how high the peaks of the good songs are. He was truly a genius songwriter… And the vocals spun on top of the fierce performance and super masterpieces are also exquisite. Although the guitar is a little shaky, his vocals far surpass those of his master Gary Moore… no, this singing voice is on a level that no other singer can compete with. Of course, as a composer, he knows the songs better than anyone else, and his expressiveness is also superb. When he sings ballads, he suits both tearful melodies and stylish atmospheres, and he sings hard rock toughly without roaring. Although he is not as unique as Phil Lynott or David Coverdale, that is why his amazing singing ability stands out. The official live album “BAD BOY LIVE!” also summarized his career, but it was a little closer to WHITESNAKE. In contrast, this work is a masterpiece of a live album that fully conveys “Solo Artist: Sykes”. The true essence of a genius guitarist/singer/songwriter that roars with a fierce and ultra-high quality sound. Please enjoy it to your heart’s content! Live at Umeda Heat Beat, Osaka, Japan 26th July 1998 ULTIMATE SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1(42:26) 1. Intro. 2. Look In His Eye 3. Soul Stealer 4. System Ain’t Workin’ 5. Billy 6. Cautionary Warning 7. I Don’t Wanna Live My Life Like You 8. Jelly Roll 9. Hold The Line 10. She Knows Disc 2(41:52) 1. Defcon 1 2. Drums Solo 3. Cold Sweat 4. We All Fall Down 5. Thunder And Lightning 6. Still Of The Night John Sykes – Guitar, Vocal Marco Mendoza – Bass Jamie Muhoberac – Keyboards Tommy Aldridge – Drums