Queen/Tokyo,Japan 5.8.1985

“THE WORKS TOUR” was QUEEN’s last visit to Japan. Introducing the final piece that will complete the Japan collection. That piece is the “May 8, 1985: Nippon Budokan” performance. This is a full audience recording. As has been said many times, the relationship between Japan and QUEEN is very special. Since it was the last memorial tour, we have archived it with a number of masterpiece live albums. First, let’s organize the collection by schedule and check the position of this work. ・May 8th: Nippon Budokan [This work] ・May 9th “DEFINITIVE BUDOKAN 1985 2ND NIGHT” ・May 11th “DEFINITIVE FINAL CONCERT IN TOKYO” ・May 13th “DEFINITIVE NAGOYA 1985” ・May 15th Day “DEFINITIVE OSAKA 1985” (Note: Only representative works are shown on each day) There are 5 performances in total. The titles above are representative titles for each day, but the only one that was missing was the first day, “May 8th.” This work is a live album where you can experience the last full show. In fact, the biggest point of this work is the experience recorded all at once. A partial recording of this show has been unearthed, and we were able to enjoy the first half of the show in high quality at “FINAL BUDOKAN NIGHTS” at our store. However, this work is the first time that you can listen to the full show in total. The sound of this work is a truly tasteful vintage audience. It can’t be called the best, and in fact it doesn’t even come close to “FINAL BUDOKAN NIGHTS”. However, it is not the kind of recording that looks for QUEEN beyond the noise, nor is it the type to be bothered by roaring and explosive sounds. Although it has a rounded sound, its core is extremely thick and pushes forward, pushing aside the loud cheers. It takes some getting used to by the audience, but if you are used to it, it is a sound that you can listen to carefully. Freddie’s singing voice is especially wonderful. To be honest, the instruments are a little dull and it’s hard to make out the details, but the vocals cut through that sharply. Moreover, Freddie was in great condition on this day! The next day’s “May 9th” is also known for its excellent performance, but this work is even more exciting. It is difficult to rate the tension and growth of the voice, and in this work, each word is filled with power, and the force of each word is amazing. This power is a little hard to put into words, but to put it simply, it’s the greeting MC after “Tie Your Mother Down.” On the second day at Budokan, he said, “Is everybody OK? All right…let’s do…A Little Bit Under Pressure,” and was dignified yet calm, but this day was different. “Is everybody HAPPY? YEEEEEEAHHHHH Under Pressure!” he says. It’s amazing how the tension never lets up. “Liar” has a big chorus that shakes your heart, followed by the tremendous volume and richness of the phrases in the vocal improvisation (in the MC, Freddie says, “I’m happy to be back in Japan for the first time in two years,” but this is 3 It’s the wrong year.) In “Day-O,” he wowed the audience with his overwhelming vocalization, and in “Is This The World We Created?,” his enchanting voice stretched out forever, tightening the heart (Brian from “A NIGHT AT THE OPERA… He also does a slightly unusual MC called “Do you remember “…A NIGHT AT THE OPERA?”). Up to this point, you could listen to “FINAL BUDOKAN NIGHTS”, but this work includes “after”. I thought to myself, “With this kind of tension, how amazing would the finale be?”, but then it turned into a real sound and gushed out from the speakers. The most important performance was on the first day. It is a proof of that, and is an extremely rare album that allows you to experience the last remaining performance in full. A work that completes the last Japanese performance collection. Live at Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 8th May 1985 AMAZING SOUND Disc 1(53:22) 1. Machines (Or Back To Humans) 2. Tear It Up 3. Tie Your Mother Down 4. Under Pressure 5. Somebody To Love 6. Killer Queen 7. Seven Seas Of Rhye 8. Keep Yourself Alive 9. Liar 10. Improvisation 11. It’s A Hard Life 12. Vocal Improvisation 13. Dragon Attack 14. Now I’m Here 15. Is This The World We Created.. .? 16. Love Of My Life Disc 2(53:11) 1. Guitar Solo 2. Another One Bites The Dust 3. Hammer To Fall 4. Crazy Little Thing Called Love 5. Bohemian Rhapsody 6. Radio Ga Ga 7. I Want To Break Free 8. Jailhouse Rock 9. We Will Rock You 10. We Are The Champions 11. God Save The Queen