Description
“August 6, 1971: Hakone Aphrodite” has become a “myth” in the history of Japanese Western music, even the word “legend” is lukewarm. We have introduced many famous records in our shop, and now we have a big 5-disc set that is a compilation of them. It is said that there are four representative recordings of this day, and our shop has made the apex version into CD. However, they are all immediately sold out. At the moment, they are all difficult to obtain. This work is a compilation of them all together. Therefore, there are no new excavation masters or new versions unique to this work, but for those who have become new FLOYD fans, those who have recently been crazy about the charm of “Hakone Aphrodite”, and those who have not been able to complete the four apex records, it is a superb set that allows you to grasp the whole picture at once. To repeat, the four records in this work are not different versions, but completely different recordings. Now, let’s take a look at the “four treasures” one by one. [Disc 1-2: Complete Recording 2-Disc Set] First up is the king of the Hakone 71 record. This is a complete full recording master 2-disc set. It is a complete recording that first appeared in the world in 2016, and its impact is still fresh in our memory. This disc 1-2 is a re-recording of the first appearance board “COMPLETE APHRODITE 1971”. The contents are exactly the king of Hakone. It includes the full performance of “Mystery”, which had only been confirmed in some photos until then, as well as the uncut “Simbaline” and the end of the performance announcement. There are some recording errors between songs, perhaps due to concerns about the remaining tape and battery life, but it was the world’s first record in which all the songs were completely recorded. In addition, the set list revealed by the complete recording also became a hot topic. After all, at that time the album had not yet been released, so the titles of the new songs were not yet available, and the songs read out by the famous event host at the time were also incomplete. And due to various factors such as oral traditions and recollections of people who experienced the scene, it was not clear which was correct. The most confusing part was “Mystery”. While not even a trace of the performance has been found on any of the previously released records for over 40 years, the liner notes of the album “Osekkai” contained a photo of the performance scene. Was it really performed or not? Its existence itself had become an urban legend. “Mystery” begins as if guided by a female customer’s murmur that “it smells good”. It is truly a sacred song. In addition to “Mystery”, the order of the songs with “Sun Hymn” and “Simba Line”, which had been the subject of heated debate, was clearly concluded with “sound evidence”. Previous recordings of “Simba Line” had a cut in the second half, making the order of the songs unclear, but this recording included the complete song, and even included the announcement of the end of the performance by a famous host. It was truly proof that “Simba Line” was the final song. Moreover, this recording is not just a complete version, but also super A-class sound. It is a cassette recording completely different from the previous groups (it was said to be the most advanced recording method at the time when reels were the main method), and was made into a disc directly from the original master provided directly by the recorder. Of course, it is a super-secret master owned by one owner who has not been allowed to listen to anyone in the world for 45 years. It is a recording that everyone thought did not exist. The master sound is different from any recording up to that point, and is of super high quality that competes for 1st and 2nd. The world’s first complete recording, a master sound with outstanding freshness… it is truly a “king’s recording”. [Disc 3: The highest peak of the great classic recording] The next disc 3 is the highest peak of the stereo master known as a great classic. It is a famous recording recorded from the opening act BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE. Various versions have been known for a long time, but this work is a best master that first appeared on the Sirene label, arranged with precise mastering. This version was also included on disc 1 of “Aphrodite 1971” released in 2015. The stereo master at the time of excavation had some problems with the left and right volume balance, but each channel was carefully adjusted to improve it. Hiss noise was slightly removed. Of course, this mastering also respects the original “sound” and “airiness” to the maximum extent, and no meaningless compression was performed. For example, just listening to the opening BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE, you will realize that the performance is stronger while the hiss is suppressed more than the old version. In addition, there were some parts missing from this recording. The MC just before “Atom Heart Mother”, the middle part of “Eugene”, the second half of “Echoes”, and the whole song “Simbaline”. These have been compensated for from another master. Of course, since discs 1-2 have now been excavated, this is still incomplete. However, this is the version that was praised as the “best edited” and “most natural processing” at the time of the release of “Aphrodite 1971 (Sigma 133)”. The pitch errors and distortions that were present in the previous releases have been thoroughly restored, and there is still no edit that surpasses this work. It has been re-recorded in the best sound and best form at present. [Disc 4: “REEL-TO-REEL” restored version] The third recording is known as “REEL-TO-REEL”, and is a famous recording that was the first in the world to include “Sun Hymn” and also shocked the uncut “Echoes”. It is a reprint from the masterpiece “HAKONE APHRODITE 1971 MASTER RECORDING: REMASTERED RESTORED”, which carefully polished it. This recording is a bit complicated. The original is a mono reel recording (reel A here), but later three pseudo-stereo masters (reel B) were produced from it. There is no way to listen to “reel A” in modern times, but this work reproduces “the sound that reel A would have had” from “reel B”. The master used was also provided by the engineer who produced “Reel B”. The pseudo-stereo processing was removed from the venerable master, and the slight skipping caused by the delay processing was also corrected. Furthermore, the pitch deviations that frequently occurred due to aging and the sound that was slightly fluffy and flat overall were neatly adjusted one by one. As a result, the reborn sound is exactly what “Reel A must have been like”. In addition to the beautifully restored stability, the sound without the pseudo-stereo reverb is wonderful. The sound of each instrument reaches straight without any distortion, and the guitar solos, choruses, and even the breathing of the audience (“Hey, hey, is Echoes in ‘Mystery’? Don’t you know?” “Two more?”) are clearly transmitted. You can enjoy the “Myth of Hakone” with a sharply focused sound. [Disc 5: The legendary LP record “PEACE RECORD”] The last disc 5 contains the highest peak reprint of the ultra-rare LP “PEACE RECORD”. This “PEACE RECORD” is a legend in itself. According to the documents, this LP was produced by the recorder himself as a commemoration. It was never exhibited or sold in stores, it was a completely private record distributed only to close acquaintances and people involved at the time, and only 100 copies were pressed. Since it was not made for commercial use, there was no title or jacket originally. It was only in a translucent bag, not in a white sleeve, and only a simple white label with a sticker with the letters “peace mark” and “RECORD” typed on it. It was a “phantom analog record” that even core enthusiasts had never even seen the label. This disc is a reprint of the pressing “APHRODITE 1971: PEACE RECORD (Import)” that was transferred directly from the actual phantom record. The same recording was once available as “APHRODITE (DYNAMITE STUDIO – DS94J058)”, but the sound is on a different level. The sound has a thickness and elasticity that is incomparable to the heavily equalized DYNAMITE version, and the sound image itself is dense. On top of that, it is a special-grade sound that even gives a beautiful moist feeling to the whole. Moreover, the needle crackle noise that was noticeable almost throughout the entire DYNAMITE version is almost absent in this work. I can’t say that there is “nothing”, but that just means that it is not zero. The sound is so transparent that it is difficult to find the crackle sound, and the heavy sound sounds lustrous. It can’t be helped because there was only crude digital technology in the 90s when the DYNAMITE version appeared, but it is so elegant that it is surprising how flat and light the sound has been until now. These are the “four treasures” that convey the myth of Hakone. The myth that has been conveyed in various forms and sounds can be enjoyed at its peak with this one work. For those who have never listened to any of them, or those who feel like they’ve “missed out on that one,” please take this opportunity to complete your collection. Hakone Aphrodite, Hakone, Japan 6th August 1971 Original Cassette Tapes #1 Disc 1 (70:31) 01. Atom Heart Mother 02. Green Is The Color 03. Careful With That Ax, Eugene 04. Echoes 05. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun Disc 2 (28:48) 01. A Saucerful Of Secrets 02. Cymbaline Original Cass ette Tapes #2 Disc 3(72:08) 01. The Circle Game (Buffy Sainte-Marie) 02. Soundcheck/Introduction 03. Atom Heart Mother 04. Soundcheck 05. Green Is The Colour 06. Careful With That Ax, Eugene 07. Soundcheck 08. Echoes 09. Cymbaline Original Reel-to-reel Tape Disc 4(54:20) 01. Atom Heart Mother 02. Echoes 03. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun Original LP (Peace Record) Disc 5(45:52) 01. Introduction 02. Green Is The Colour 03. Careful With That Ax, Eugene 04. Echoes # 1 05. Echoes # 2 06. Atom Heart Mother 07. Cymbaline
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