Pink Floyd/London,UK 2.17.1972

Pink Floyd’s “THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON” is an unavoidable part of rock history. Its world premiere was at the Brighton Dome in the UK on January 20, 1972. This most important performance, which has great significance in Floyd’s history, and even in rock history, was released as the best sound quality summit edition “BRIGHTON JANUARY 1972” last September, and has just received a great response from fans around the world. Meanwhile, two months later is their second visit to Japan, and this performance has also been released on our label as a number of definitive titles with rich sound quality and content. In chronological order, ・ECLIPSE OF THE SUN – March 6 (Tokyo) ・TOKYO 1972 2ND NIGHT – March 7 (Tokyo) ・ASSORTED LUNATICS – March 8 (Osaka) / 9 (Osaka) / 10 (Kyoto) ・KYOTO 1972 – March 10 (Kyoto) ・SAPPORO 1972 DIRECT REEL MASTER – March 13 (Sapporo) …. etc., all of these are definitive titles that allow you to grasp the performances at each performance venue in Japan in 1972 with exceptional sound quality. Since the world premiere in January has been performed for about two months, it is very interesting to see how the basic structure of the song and the overall picture of the show have solidified to a certain extent, but on the other hand, the following desire for knowledge should also arise at the same time. “So which February performance can trace the changes in the show from the premiere in January to the Japanese performance in March with good sound?” Let’s answer that question. The bridge that connects the world premiere and the Japanese performance is the latest work that will be released this time, a special sound quality version of the great excavation 1st generation tape of the performance at the Rainbow Theater in the UK on February 17, 1972! This latest work uses the hot 1st gen tape original sound that was just released online the other day, but in fact, this source itself is the same as the previously released “RAINBOW DAY 1”. However, this 1st gen version that has finally been released is overwhelmingly worthy of finally ending its role. This is because it is known that this original recording was recorded by a person named Steve B from the front row (!!) of the Rainbow Theater on the day of the performance, and the sound pressure and sound visibility of the front row that had not been fully conveyed are amazingly present. Why is there such a difference in quality that can be said to be completely different even though the original source is the same? What I would like to point out here is that Steve B used the TDK SA series (※ TDK SA90) when he created this 1st gen tape in 1983. Although he could have chosen the normal position, which is easy to record and play on a normal deck, he chose to create the first generation with a high-position tape. This means that Steve must have had a deck capable of high-position recording (CrO2 compatible selector), which was not yet widely supported at the time, and it is easy to imagine that he created this 1st gen tape with a focus on sound quality. And the fact that the sound is recorded in the high position means that there is a lot of sound components and information absorbed from the master, and when you actually listen to this sound, it naturally becomes clear from the narrow range and deterioration of the sound quality that it seems to have been reproduced on a normal tape. Therefore, in making this record, the sound image of this great excavation 1st gen was thoroughly examined, and the positioning, which was slightly shifted to the left, and the fluctuating pitch were perfectly adjusted with professional equipment and the latest software so as not to kill the characteristics of the high position, resulting in the best possible finish. To be honest, not only is the sound quality dramatically improved from that released online, but it is probably the closest to Steve B’s master, and the title connects the missing link between the world premiere and the Japanese performance with unprecedented high-resolution sound! First of all, the exceptional transparency and clarity of the sound that you notice in “Speak To Me”, which was recorded about 7 seconds longer, and the persistent and hard bass sound that seeps out in “Breathe” will shock your ears, but the sharp tone of the guitar overlaps with this, and you can easily understand that the rhythm and melody line are clearly outlined as if they were something else. Especially on this day, there is a strong sense of Gilmour testing the song melody from the beginning of the lyrics “♪ Breathe, breathe in the air…”, so the vividness of the way the sound is picked up and expressed in the process of forming such a song is revived with unprecedented clarity. In “On The Run,” the song structure of this period, which suppresses the sense of drive, appears with outstanding resolution, and the connection from the final song to “Time” also has a moist and quiet sound reproduction, and you can feel the high potential of the high-position tape (※ less noise and a wide dynamic range). In that “Time,” the performance is played at an extremely slow tempo with a heavy sound, but here, as with the previous version, there is a momentary sound drop due to the original source at 3 minutes 33 seconds and 36 seconds in the middle. It was possible to repair it, but doing so would have damaged the outstanding original sound power and sound pressure of the 1st gen, so it was the result of thinking about leaving it faithful to the original. In “The Great Gig In The Sky,” the part where the performance disappears and multiple monologue SEs are collaged (※ from around 1 minute 55 seconds) is revived with a transparent sound full of space, which is unique to front row recording. In “Us And Them”, the rise and spread of the sound spreads three-dimensionally, stimulating the listener’s intelligence even more. In “Any Colour You Like”, the guitar tune reaches the ears very sharply, so you should be able to grasp the quality of the sound that Gilmour was trying to obtain by layering the tones with a more certain feeling. Even in “Brain Damage” towards the end of the show, the sound of the sound emitted from the guitar is easier to understand, so you will surely be able to feel the difference in quality from the already released board. Before the start of the second part, you can probably hear a sound check of more than two and a half minutes by a separate recording compensation on the same day, but when the sound image switches to the 1st gen in “One Of These Days”, you will be stunned by the difference in sound quality. The bass sounds loud from the beginning, and after the bass drum hits just before the monologue, the power of the tremendous low range is revealed, and it comes out with a vividness that sweeps away the high-pitched sounds such as the guitar. The sharpness of the sound of the original sound is even more prominent in “Careful With That Axe, Eugene”. Nick’s cymbal work and the strange sound produced by Gilmore that can be heard here have a goosebump-inducing sound, and you should be amazed at the surprise of the pale colors of the previously released board being painted with dense primary colors. In “Echoes”, you should feel a thrilling upper feeling with the freshness of the tone, but I think that even if you are not a fan, you cannot ignore the joy of hearing the guitar sound, which has a different nuance from other performances, with such an improved sound. In the albatross scene, you can hear the delicate nuances of the modest calls that are unique to the early days and have not yet become part of a mold, and even when looking at the ensemble as a whole, you can see that the contours and thickness of the sound, and this is noticeable in the closeness of the cymbal sounds, but the hardness of the sound image has also improved by about +2 (= the sound image has become tighter). The encore, “Set The Controls For…”, is a song that will get you drunk on the big vibrations of the sound depicted in the 1st gen. The sound check before the performance is also vivid, and the musical instantaneous power that rapidly increases the mobility compared to other performances comes out with a rich and moist sound image that is the best ever. Please savor the joy and listening response of the song gradually changing in the high resolution sound that is only possible with the 1st gen with this latest work. There are many recordings of the prototype “Madness” from early 1972, but this recording is probably the only one that captures the performance of this period in the special sound pressure of the front row with no obstructions in front of the recorder. In other words, this is the recording that allows you to receive the initial concept and musical direction of “Madness” that they were aiming for at that time from the closest position, and this will bring a special sense of satisfaction to those who get their hands on this work. Also, the fact that the performance is not yet solidified in detail means that the more you try to surrender yourself to the flow of the song that you know the development of, the more you will be betrayed in various places, so this is also a major attraction of this work, where you can listen to each rare scene with the best sound quality with zero stress for the listener. The true form of the Rainbow Theater performance on February 17, 1972 has finally appeared. Discover each and every performance expression that is revealed by the amazing upper sound of the front row 1st gen tape! Live at Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park, London, UK 17th February 1972 Disc 1 (45:39) The Dark Side Of The Moon 1. Speak To Me 2. Breathe 3. On The Run 4. Time ★ The cut at the guitar solo at 3:33 and 3:35 is from the beginning. (Same as the previous release) 5. Breathe Reprise 6. The Great Gig In The Sky 7. Money 8. Us And Them 9. Any Colour You Like 10. Brain Damage 11. Eclipse Disc 2 (66:36) 1. Soundcheck 2. One Of These Days 3. Careful With That Axe, Eugene 4. Echoes 5. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun