Queen/Aichi,Japan 1979 New Master

Queen, who debuted in 1973, is one of the best-selling artists in the world. Unfortunately, Freddie passed away in 1991, and the original members, especially the vocalist, were lost, but since then, they have continued to work as Queen with a different vocalist. They frequently perform in Japan, as if the world would not allow Queen to break up. Freddie’s irreplaceable vocals have made Queen into a cover band, but this in turn speaks of Freddie’s greatness. Queen performed in Japan six times while Freddie was alive: in 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1985. No other artist has performed in Japan so frequently. I think this is the best evidence of the special bond between Queen and Japanese fans. Yes, Japanese fans are very special to Queen, and for example, Brian was one of the first to send out a message of concern for Japanese fans after the Great East Japan Earthquake. This album includes the April 28, 1979 performance at Nagoya International Exhibition Hall, from their third visit to Japan. Recording of the new album “JAZZ” began in July 1978, and continued until October, and it was released in November 1978, which was a very speedy release. Although the title is “JAZZ,” it has nothing to do with musical jazz, and is a slang word meaning “meaningless words.” In fact, there are no jazz-style songs. As part of the tour accompanying this album, they came to Japan as early as April 1979. Reflecting Queen’s growing popularity, their Japan tour that year was a long one, with 14 performances. Concerts were scheduled not only at the Budokan, but also in so-called local areas such as Kanazawa, Fukuoka, Yamaguchi, and Sapporo. This album contains the complete recording of the only performance of the year, held on April 28, 1979 in Nagoya. There had been a two-year gap since their last performance in Japan, and the set list was completely renewed. There are two things I really want to write about this Nagoya performance. The first is that they performed “Te wo Toriatte.” The official title is also in Japanese, “TEO TORRIATTE (LET US CLING TOGETHER).” The English title, which is the subtitle, is clearly an English translation of the Japanese, and it can be seen that the basic language is Japanese. This is the song that concludes “A Magnificent Race,” released in 1976, and since this tour is the first performance in Japan since the release of the song, it will have to be performed on stage. It is not clear whether the lyrics are sung in Japanese or English first, but the same content is sung alternately in both languages. It is a very welcome gift from Queen to Japanese fans. In the song, which can actually be heard on this album, you can clearly hear the audience singing along even to the English lyrics. The recording of this Nagoya concert clearly shows that Queen was a special band for Japanese fans at the time, and that this song was a special song. Another important point, and this is not so much the Nagoya concert as the biggest feature of this recording, is that I have never heard such a moving version of “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Of course, it is Queen’s representative song, and there are many wonderful performances of it, coupled with beautiful melodies, but the performance of this Nagoya concert and the recording recorded on this album are special. However, “Bohemian Rhapsody” at the Nagoya concert will remain in the memory of fans as a particularly great performance among the many live versions of the song. When the piano prelude begins, a woman’s scream rises, but it quickly quiets down and the whole venue sings together, and it is so moving that it cannot be described. Freddie is singing in a somewhat distorted voice, while the audience sings honestly as on the record, and the “discrepancy” is irresistibly wonderful. It is as if the entire audience is participating in the performance as a choir. Freddie must have been overwhelmed by the pure love shown to the band by the Japanese fans, and there was a part where he got stuck in the song, but even there the choir beautifully backed him up. I have never heard such a moving Bohemian Rhapsody. It is not just the song that brings this emotion, but also the special bond between Queen and their Japanese fans that is the background to it. Many recordings from this tour have been released on CD, but this album is the best title of the 1979 Japan tour in that it captures the atmosphere of this one song with an exquisite balance between Freddie and the audience. There have been many Queen performances in Japan, but there are few performances and recordings that are as moving as this one. It perfectly reproduces the moving concert where the band and the audience were one. The Nagoya International Exhibition Hall performance on April 28, 1979 was completely recorded in high quality. INTERNATIONAL DISPLAY NAGOYA AICHI JAPAN April 28, 1979 DISC ONE 01. We Will Rock You 02. Let Me Entertain You 03. Somebody To Love 04. If You Can’t Beat Them 05. Death On Two Legs 06. Killer Queen 07. Bicycle Race 08. I’m in Love With My Car 09. Get Down Make Love 10. You’re My Best Friend 11. Now I’m Here 12. Teo Toriatte 13. Don’t Stop Me Now 14. Dreamers Ball 15. Love of My Life 16. ’39 DISC TWO 01. It’s Late 02. Brighton Rock 03. Keep Yourself Alive 04. Bohemian Rhapsody 05. Tie Your Mother Down 06. Sheer Heart Attack 07. We Will Rock You 08. We Are The Champions 09. God Save The Queen