Description
“Randy Rhoads and Don Airey”… The miraculous “DIARY OF A MADMAN Tour” saw two treasures of classical hard rock standing side by side. This ultimate full live album has been polished up. This album captures the “Milwaukee performance on January 22, 1982.” It is a superb audience recording made just about two months before Randy’s death. The previous album, “MILWAUKEE 1982,” has long been loved as a “soundboard-quality recording that transcends the realm of audience recordings,” but this album is an upgraded version with the master polished with meticulous remastering. Before we get to the sound, let’s first look at the show’s position. Let’s take a look back at the history of the Randy era, which saw many member changes. 1980《B Daisley, L Kerslake, L Bridgewater》September 3 – November 8: UK (37 shows) 1981《R Sarzo, T Aldridge, L Bridgewater》April 22 – September 13: North America #1 (34 shows + UK 1) November 1 – December 2: Europe (11 shows)《R Sarzo, T Aldridge, D Airey December 30 + 31: North America #2a (2 shows) 1982 January 1 – March 18: North America #2b (44 shows) ←★HERE★《March 19 Randy Rhoads dies》<This is Ozzy Osbourne while Randy was still alive. With Don Airey officially joining at the end of 1981, the lineup that could be called the ultimate form of the Randy era was completed. However, from the time this golden lineup was assembled until the tragedy, there were only 46 shows in total. This Milwaukee performance is the 13th show of “North America #2b”. We have archived this special period with the best possible recordings, so let’s take a look at the overall picture of our collection here. Details of “North America #2b” – January 1st-6th (3 shows) * January 7th ‘NEW MEXICAN REVELATION (Albuquerque)’ – January 9th-13th (4 shows) * January 15th ‘BLOOMINGTON 1982 SOUNDBOARD’ – January 17th-20th (3 shows) * January 22nd: Milwaukee performance ←★This work★ – January 23rd-February 6th (10 shows) * February 8th ‘DETROIT 1982’ * February 9th ‘DEFINITIVE KALAMAZOO 1982 SOUNDBOARD’ – February 11th-21st (9 shows) * February 23rd ‘EL PASO 1982 – February 24th – March 18th (9 performances) [Randy Rhoads dies March 19th] *Note: * indicates live performances that can actually be heard in our collection. Mastering that brings out the potential of hidden sound sources Of the above, the only soundboard recordings are ‘BLOOMINGTON 1982 SOUNDBOARD’ and ‘DEFINITIVE KALAMAZOO 1982 SOUNDBOARD’. The rest are all audience recordings, but the Milwaukee performance has reigned as the undisputed best among them. It is a famous recording that has long been traded as a “soundboard” recording, and the previous release, ‘MILWAUKEE 1982’, was well-received as a masterpiece based on the ultimate generation master direct version (unearthed in 2010). So why was it necessary to update that masterpiece? The previous work was certainly the best, but upon closer listening, several issues remained. This work is a definitive edition that resolves every single one of them. The first thing that’s immediately noticeable is the improvement in sound pressure. “GRAF ZEPPELIN” is a purely naturalist approach that doesn’t resort to meaningless sound pressure enhancements, but even so, the original master was a bit thin. This version has been boosted (within the bounds of not losing any of its natural feel), and you can feel the power the moment you listen to it. The attack of the performance, the power of Randy’s guitar cutting in, the sharpness of Ozzy’s vocals that pierces your heart—everything is one or two levels thicker than the previous version. The drums, in particular, are louder and more imposing, allowing you to experience the atmosphere of the live performance even more realistically. You can now follow the subtle nuances of Randy’s guitar more than ever before, and it’s no exaggeration to say that the potential that this recording originally possessed has finally been unleashed to its fullest extent. The best audience recording from the Randy era that even SBD doesn’t have a problem with. Next, the correction of the frequency drop was extremely effective. In the previous version, there were several points where the sound suddenly became less clear. If you own “Zodiac 843,” try listening to the section from 4 minutes 30 seconds onwards in “Mr. Crowley,” from 5 minutes 30 seconds onwards in “Revelation (Mother Earth),” and around 1 minute 30 seconds in “I Don’t Know.” You’ll likely notice that the frequency range suddenly narrows and the sound becomes muffled at these points (this isn’t due to dubbing degradation, as it’s a direct copy of the original master). “GRAF ZEPPELIN” meticulously identifies these issues one by one and corrects them to seamlessly connect with the surrounding frequency ranges. The overall stability when listening to the album is dramatically improved. If you only listen to this album, it simply sounds flawless, but those familiar with the original version might be surprised and think, “Was it always this stable?” Another significant improvement was the phase correction. Those who own the older version of ‘Zodiac 170’ will likely remember that the sound image, especially the vocals, was consistently shifted to the left, and there were moments of instability, such as in “Over the Mountain.” In this version, that shift has been precisely corrected, and the sound image is perfectly stable, almost in the center. You might think it’s just a matter of sound localization, but after experiencing this version, going back to the old version feels uncomfortably pulled to the left. The ease of listening has improved dramatically. With the on-stage, direct sound image clearly presented, this version’s position has completely changed. The Milwaukee concert, which has been talked about as “the best audience recording of ’82,” has now been elevated to “the best audience recording of the entire Randy era.” Moreover, this is not “for an audience recording.” There are also ‘BLOOMINGTON 1982 SOUNDBOARD’ and ‘DEFINITIVE KALAMAZOO 1982 SOUNDBOARD,’ but this is on a level that even those soundboard masterpieces are no match for. With its complete setlist, performance, and sound, this release will undoubtedly remain the best recording of the Randy era for the foreseeable future. A miraculous full show featuring Randy and Don side-by-side, revived with this ultimate sound, is the full show of the “DIARY OF A MADMAN Tour,” which unfolds with a different configuration than the official “TRIBUTE” album. Let’s review the setlist again. Solo (8 songs + 3 songs) Blizzard of Ozz: Mr. Crowley / Crazy Train / Revelation (Mother Earth) / Steal Away (The Night) / Suicide Solution / Goodbye to Romance / I Don’t Know / No Bone Movies (*) Diary of a Madman: Over the Mountain (*) / Believer / Flying High Again Sabbath (3 songs) Iron Man / Children of the Grave / Paranoid *Note: Songs marked with “*” are not available on the official “TRIBUTE” album. Tracks marked with an asterisk (*) were not included on the most recent soundboard recording, ‘BLOOMINGTON 1982’. The album opens with “Over the Mountain,” a track not heard on ‘TRIBUTE’, and features a collaboration between Randy’s fragile melodies that seem to break at the slightest touch and Don Airey’s dazzling phrases, supported by the solid ensemble of Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge’s powerful rhythm section—everyone shines like a star, making this a record of their peak. Don Airey has completely settled into the band, and his unity with Randy blossoms throughout. Particularly noteworthy is the flow from “Revelation (Mother Earth)” to “Steal Away.” While always brilliant, this is the highlight of the album, with Randy and Don’s individual personalities on full display in their phrases. Similarly, the collaboration between Randy and Don on “Goodbye To Romance” is superb, with the delicate interplay of melodies deeply moving. Throughout the entire album, you can fully enjoy the unique combination of Randy and Don. Sound pressure, phase, frequency balance. “GRAF ZEPPELIN” mastering, which pushed every aspect to the limit, has further refined the directness that has been called “soundboard quality.” The “DIARY OF A MADMAN Tour” live performance cannot be captured even by gathering official recordings and soundboard recordings. This album is the ultimate definitive version that goes even beyond the strongest recordings of that tour. The setlist, the performance, the sound—everything is flawless—please enjoy this supreme album that allows you to experience the stage where two geniuses, Randy Rhoads and Don Airey, stand side by side in 100 percent authentic live performance. A superb audience recording of the “January 22, 1982 Milwaukee performance.” This is the highest-level updated version, polished by “GRAF ZEPPELIN” from the previous master-direct release, “MILWAUKEE 1982.” With improved sound pressure, Randy’s nuances are brought out more clearly, and the frequency drop is restored seamlessly. It has been upgraded from “the best of ’82” to “the best audience recording of the entire Randy era,” and has evolved to the level where it surpasses even the soundboard masterpieces “BLOOMINGTON 1982” and “DEFINITIVE KALAMAZOO 1982,” making it the ultimate definitive edition. Auditorium, Milwaukee, WI, USA 22nd January 1982 (78:52) 01. Diary Of A Madman 02. Over The Mountain 03. Mr. Crowley 04. Crazy Train 05. Revelation 06. Steal Away (The Night) 07. Suicide Solution 08. Guitar Solo 09. Drum Solo 10. Goodbye To Romance 11. I Don’t Know 12. No Bone Movies 13. Believer 14. Flying High Again 15. Iron Man 16. Children Of The Grave 17. Paranoid Ozzy Osbourne – Vocals Randy Rhoads – Guitar Rudy Sarzo – Bass Tommy Aldridge – Drums Don Airey – Keyboards
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