Pink Floyd/CA,USA 5.6.1977 Upgrade

What can I say…I never thought the day would come when the master tape of the masterpiece “CALIFORNIA STOCKYARD”, which showed us the appeal of the American leg of the Animals tour in real time, would be discovered! Isn’t it now that most of the existing sound sources of the 1977 Animals Tour have been released? However, the number of items that appeared in 1977, which is real time, is extremely small. In addition, most of them seemed to be concentrated on the European tour, especially Wembley in March, and for the United States that followed, “CALIFORNIA STOCKYARD” was the only item released in 1977. It wasn’t until the 1980s that current classics such as Oakland, Boston, and even Madison Square Garden appeared, and in fact, the popularity of the Animals tour itself increased rapidly with the arrival of the CD era. . What’s more, “CALIFORNIA STOCKYARD” was a meaningful title, and it was released by Vicky Vinyl (or Vicki Vinyl), led by female bootlegger Andrea Waters (whose last name was “Waters”, coincidentally). She created a sensation with Paul McCartney & Wings’ “WINGS FROM THE WINGS” and released a series of masterpieces in America in the late 1970s. John Wizard was his staff officer. Of course, he was the head of the Wizardo label, but he and Andrea were arrested at the end of 1976. Fortunately, however, the accusation was so naive that it would be unthinkable in Japan, and he resumed his activities a few months later. Of course, I couldn’t do the same activities as before, and instead, as Andrea’s staff member, I started recording concerts more than ever from 1977. The product was “CALIFORNIA STOCKYARD”, released in Andrea’s signature multi-colored vinyl. In the first place, there is no sound source other than the LP for the May 6th Anaheim Stadium recorded on this LP, and it was at the end of the 90s that another sound source “Recorder 2” finally appeared. It was a significant discovery in that the whole story of that day was revealed, including songs that were not heard on “CALIFORNIA STOCKYARD”, but the weak point was that it was recorded in monaural compared to the stereo LP. there were. Still, it is certain that it was one of the highest sound quality among the audience recordings in 1977, and the culmination of the 1977 Anaheim sound source named “CALIFORNIA STOCKYARD” from SIRENE received high praise from enthusiasts. Is this the end for Anaheim? That’s what I thought. However, the master tape of the sound source used for the LP was finally discovered. The excavation of this mania frenzy was released on the internet by the famous Neonknight at the end of last year, but this time we will take a completely different route from a British Floyd researcher to a photo of the master cassette owned by John Wizard. A version with a pedigree was sent to me. That’s why it was given the name “Unprocessed.” Even so…this upper feeling is too shocking. At that time, “CALIFORNIA STOCKYARD” LP was thought to have sufficiently high sound quality, but when compared to this master, I was just stunned by the difference in sound quality. This is because, as John revealed in an interview on a Floyd fan site last year, his and Andrea’s releases vary in terms of pressing plants and vinyl quality. Moreover, in 1977, both of them had criminal records, so the production situation was like that of wandering people. Therefore, I can’t help but feel that the sound quality deteriorated when it was made into vinyl, which makes me realize the power of the master cassette all the more. This version is really fresh. It’s hard to believe that John kept this a secret for nearly 45 years. While this recording is good at the details of the performance, I get the impression that Waters and Gilmore’s vocals are deep, but the stereo feeling of the performance is amazing. Needless to say, their live venue had a unique speaker setup, which created a three-dimensional sound that was unlike any other concert. The great thing about John’s recording is that it captures this three-dimensional stereo sound beautifully. From the “ANIMALS” set in the first half of the live show, it is amazing that Rick’s keyboards are captured flying from side to side, but in the second half of the live show, it becomes even more vivid. If you were listening to it with headphones, you might find yourself looking back, like when the storm that blows from behind your head starts playing between “Wish You Were Here” and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-9).” So real. As the full-length version was revealed in this way, it became clear why the encore “Money” was not included. It was John talking with his friends between songs, and he even went to the microphone check at the end. There, a female voice also pops out, but there is a high possibility that this is Andrea. Coincidentally, Mike Millard left his voice when he recorded Floyd in 1975, but I didn’t know that John (and even Andrea) also left his voice at Floyd’s concert. It also includes the final announcement after the song ends. The scene “Thank you for your hard work today, Floyd will hold a concert here tomorrow as well, tickets are on sale…” is extremely realistic as a document. Also, there are cuts in the first half and second half of the live show that seem to be the timing to change the side of the cassette, but “recorder 2” is added there. This also allowed us to once again compare and consider the outstanding sound quality and spread of John’s recordings. “CALIFORNIA STOCKYARD” Anaheim, which is heard with this upper feeling, is just intense. What’s more interesting is that even though they are about to perform in Auckland, the atmosphere of the performance is completely different. In John’s recording, the surroundings were not noisy, which also contributed to the ease of listening, but as evidenced by Roger’s strong warning after the “ANIMALS” set, there were some skirmishes among the audience. It is said that something was happening. Still, it is interesting to hear the careful performance in the “ANIMALS” set, for example, the solo played by Snowy White in “Pigs On The Wing Pt. 2” has phrases connected more elegantly than in Oakland. The climax of the song that followed, “Pigs (Three Different Ones),” which seemed to build up quickly at the end, had a power different from that of Oakland. Above all, John’s cassette’s clear sound quality and stereo-like spaciousness (please enjoy it with headphones!), which inhaled plenty of the atmosphere of Anaheim, can only be described as exquisite. The more you are a fan who has been familiar with LPs, the more you will be overwhelmed by this upper feeling. With the release of this title using John Wizard’s own master, the best of Animals Tour’s classic masterpiece “CALIFORNIA STOCKYARD” has finally been revamped! Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, CA, USA 6th May 1977 PERFECT SOUND(UPGRADE) Disc 1 (54:33) 1. Sheep 2. Pigs On The Wing Pt. 1 3. Dogs 4. Pigs On The Wing Pt. 2 ★2: 14 – Compensated with Rec 2 until the end 5. Pigs (Three Different Ones) ★0:00 – 0:28 Compensated with Rec 2 Disc 2 (68:51) 1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5) 2. Welcome To The Machine ★7:26 – 7:45 Compensated with Rec 2 3. Have A Cigar 4. Wish You Were Here 5. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-9) 6. Money 7. Closing Announcement