Pink Floyd/Illinois, USA 1977

A fresh release from the American dates of the 1977 “IN THE FLESH” tour! Of course, it would be easier to understand if we called it the Animals Tour. Although it is late, there are many famous sound sources left from the American dates of the tour, and our store has continued to release titles that can be called the definitive editions of them. Among them, there are definitive audience recordings for each month, such as Oakland in May, Boston in June, and Montreal in July, which is the last day of the tour and is famous for the “Roger Spitting Incident”. On the contrary, it is no exaggeration to say that these three sound sources are the three major sound sources that represent the American schedule. However, it is a concert recording from the 1970s, and it is impossible to record everything with that quality. Rather, it is a miracle in itself that even in this era there are multiple audience recordings that boast such exceptional quality. In addition, there are still ultra-quality audience recordings from Madison Square Garden, etc., and the Animals tour is truly blessed with sound sources. Now that those standard sound sources have been exhausted, there is still a steady stream of calls for the release of new Animals tour sound sources, or audience recordings that exist but are overlooked. This is a proof that this is a highly popular period in the latter half of Floyd’s career. The search for a new direction that began in 1974 culminated in the hard rock sound of Animals. Up until 1975, the new songs had a hard sound that was still unrefined and overhauled. This is more than the album, after the start of the Animals tour, it will become a rage at stadium concerts in the United States. The sound is so hard that it can almost be called a grinding sound, and it’s enough to intimidate the audience who are basically unable to watch the live performance calmly or who are high on drugs. However, in 1977, stadium concerts became commonplace due to the status that they had gained tremendous popularity in America with the mega hit of “Madness”. In exchange for their success, although they are troubled by the discomfort of no longer being able to play sounds that evoke delicate and deep images as they once did, the group led by Roger has played a hard, even advanced sound at American stadiums. The many superb sound sources mentioned earlier proved that they were playing rock. Therefore, this time, the sound source of the performance from the Animals America tour, which has not been available until now, will be released on CD. The chosen performance was June 19th at Chicago’s Soldier Field. While Led Zeppelin, who visited the area a few months earlier, played back-to-back shows at the smaller Chicago Stadium, Floyd will perform at a much larger capacity, which also involved moving extensive sound and lighting equipment. The group’s one-night-only performance in Chicago at Soldier Field, which boasts the highest quality of music, is another testament to the group’s tremendous popularity. Moreover, in order to perform at such a large venue, the hard sound of Animals was probably essential. However, this time’s sound source does not reach the level of Oakland, which boasts the strongest sound quality by Mike Millard, or Boston, which can be said to have excellent sound quality with attractive clarity. Above all, it has a wild texture with noticeable hiss, and even the cut that occurs in songs such as “Pigs” (5:24). Because of these problems, it cannot be denied that there are aspects that are inferior to the previous famous sound sources. In addition, during the opening song “Sheep”, the surroundings were noisy, and there were scenes that seemed to be from the American Animals tour. However, even so, I would like to affirm that it is a sound source that has great appeal since it is released. Not only the sound, but also the venue’s sound system has evolved, and the immersive feeling unique to Floyd was captured with a wonderfully high sound pressure. It’s true that the hiss noise is a concern, but if you apply equalization to counteract it, the sound quality may fall to that of a pressed CD from ten years ago. Rather, it has a hiss noise feeling that makes use of naturalness, and what is even more attractive is the surprising stereo sound image that complements the on-sound image. As mentioned earlier, Floyd’s live venue boasted outstanding sound quality for a 70’s concert due to its unique PA equipment. This sound source captures that, and if you listen to it with headphones, you’ll definitely be overwhelmed by the splendid stereo sound image with the sounds of each instrument flying left and right! You can tell from the sound source that the recorder was conscious of this, for example in “Pigs on the Wing (Part II)” and “Have A Cigar,” the recorder says, “(This is) the microphone. “I understand, don’t come near me!” he was so angry. In other words, you can’t help but laugh because you’re showing off to those around you that you’re recording. On the other hand, in “Pigs”, even though firecrackers are set off twice, Roger doesn’t seem angry and just calls for a break, which makes it even more interesting. The stereo feel of this Chicago sound source is truly surprising, perhaps due to the hard work of the recorder. The sound image and stereo feel, such as Gilmour’s guitar solo in the encore song “Money,” makes you think it’s a soundboard recording of a radio broadcast. If you listen to it, you’ll understand, and even though the sound quality feels rough, there are things that are worthy of being released this time. Enjoy the mind-boggling stereo sound image and the powerful rock sound of the Animals tour (you can’t miss the slightly jazzy development at the end of “Pigs”) with headphones! Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois, USA 19th June 1977 TRULY AMAZING/PERFECT SOUND Disc 1(51:51) 1. Sheep 2. Pigs On The Wing 1 3. Dogs 4. Pigs On The Wing 2 5. Pigs (Three Different Ones ) Disc 2(63:31) 1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pts. 1-5 2. Welcome To The Machine 3. Have A Cigar 4. Wish You Were Here 5. Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pts. 6-9 6 .Money