Description
Known as one of the greatest tragedies in the history of Western music in Japan, the “1978 Sapporo” concert. The legendary recording that allows you to fully experience this historic night of events has been polished up. A newly assembled, top-of-the-line updated version is now available. That “night of events” is, of course, “January 27, 1978: Sapporo concert.” Fans familiar with Rainbow’s history will know that this day was completely different from a normal concert. In a venue packed with approximately 5,000 people, a stampede occurred as the audience rushed to the front of the stage as soon as the show began, resulting in the death of a female university student. This work is a complete audience recording that permanently preserves the entire incident. Three recordings of this day are currently known, and have given rise to numerous previously released works. This work is a full live album produced by making full use of these three recordings. To explain its contents, let’s first look back at the source material. Three recordings that documented the scene of the tragedy RECORDER 1: The traditional top-of-the-line recording The main sound source of this work. This is a traditional, renowned recording that has played a leading role in numerous masterpieces such as “MISCONDUCT,” “COLD WINTER,” and “FREEZING BLOW.” While not flashy, it is consistently stable and well-balanced, making it the best overall. RECORDER 2: Sub-recording for supplementation. A slightly distant, mid-range-heavy recording with a distinctive character. In this work, it is only used to supplement “16th Century Greensleeves” and “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll.” RECORDER 3: A legendary recording with a spine-chilling sense of being there. This source makes up the majority of the supplementary parts in this work. This recording has also been known as the traditional work “AN ACT OF GOD” and “COLD WINTER (partially),” and although it includes surrounding voices, it is also the only record of the encore part. As it is the scene of tragedy, the surrounding conversations are also documented. This is a top-of-the-line release newly reassembled from the original master. While Discs 1 and 2 of the previous release, “FREEZING BLOW,” also centered around “RECORDER 1,” this release returns to the original master and has been completely rebuilt by “GRAF ZEPPELIN.” The difference in sound is indeed clear. For example, the previous release had a weakness in its soundstage, which was shifted to the right, and the thin sound image due to the reduction of high and low frequencies. In this release, precise phase correction has resulted in a precise center positioning, and the frequency range has been restored to its original state, transforming it into a powerful sound with thickness and sound pressure. Tape-derived distortions have also been carefully corrected. On the other hand, there is a slight tendency for hiss noise to increase, but this is a result of elements that were previously cut (along with the performance sound) returning to their original state. In terms of sound quality, it is rather natural, and the structure of the sound has become thicker. This highest quality “RECORDER 1” is utilized to the fullest extent, and parts that cannot be filled in due to omissions or tape changes are supplemented with “RECORDER 3.” The setup prioritizes sound quality, using “RECORDER 2” only for parts of “16th Century Greensleeves” and “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll,” which cannot be handled by either system. In particular, the encore is entirely handled by “RECORDER 3,” the only recording available. The performance and the chaos are documented—a complete record of a historic night. This top-of-the-line natural sound captures a night that forever changed the history of Japanese rock concerts. However, while the accidents often take on a life of their own, the performance itself was also a magnificent and fulfilling one. Ronnie James Dio’s vocals were in top form that night, and he delivered an incredibly soaring vocal performance from “Kill The King.” Ritchie Blackmore unleashed magical phrases from the intro of “Mistreated,” and his solo in the middle section was outstanding, even by the end of this tour. The setlist was also different from usual, with “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” performed after “16th Century Greensleeves.” Then, in the middle of “Man On The Silver Mountain,” the staff made an announcement in Japanese, acknowledging the seriousness of the situation. Their sincere voices were clearly recorded as they appealed to the audience, saying, “We cannot continue the show if things continue like this,” and “Ritchie does not like this kind of commotion.” After the flow of music was interrupted, Ritchie calmed the atmosphere with a classical performance based on Bach, leading into the 17-minute “Catch The Rainbow.” The grand suite that followed, including “Starstruck,” “Night People,” and a reprise of “Man On The Silver Mountain,” conveyed the band’s determination to recover from the chaos of the first half. The second half of the live performance was extremely fulfilling, and Cozy Powell’s drum solo in “Still I’m Sad” was wonderfully powerful. After the main set ended, there was a fairly long encore break (presumably a last-minute decision on whether or not to do an encore), and Ritchie calmed the venue with a serious guitar intro, before “Do You Close Your Eyes” exploded wildly to conclude the show. This album allows you to trace the entire sequence of events, right up to the encore, through a combination of three different recordings. A night of incredible ensemble playing, the epitome of British hard rock, yet also a night of utter chaos. This live album vacuum-packs every moment of that event. This is a top-of-the-line updated version that makes full use of the three legendary recordings and has been meticulously remastered by “GRAF ZEPPELIN”. A dark night etched into the history of rainbow colors. The legendary audience recording of the “January 27, 1978: Sapporo performance” that left a dark mark on the history of Western music concerts in Japan. This is a top-of-the-line updated version completely rebuilt from the original master by “GRAF ZEPPELIN”, a complete live album that makes full use of all three recordings. With a reborn sound full of thickness and power, this is a super important live album in Rainbow history that allows you to experience the entirety of that historic night, including the performance and the chaos. Live at Nakajima Sports Center, Sapporo, Japan 27th January 1978 Disc 1 (46:03) 1. Over The Rainbow 2. Kill The King 3. Mistreated 4. 16th Century Greensleeves 5. Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll 6. Lazy 7. Man On The Silver Mountain 8. Blues 9. Announcement Disc 2 (59:23) 1. Catch The Rainbow 2. Starstruck/Night People/Man On The Silver Mountain 3. Keyboard Intro. 4. Still I’m Sad 5. Beethoven 9th 6. David Stone Solo 7. Cozy Powell Solo feat. 1812 Overture 8. Still I’m Sad (Reprise) 9. Encore 10. Guitar Intro. 11. Do You Close Your Eyes 12. Over The Rainbow Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar Ronnie James Dio – Vocal Cozy Powell – Drums Bob Daisley – Bass David Stone – Keyboards
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