Rolling Stones/Kanagawa,Japan 2003

This time, we will release upgraded versions of previously released recordings of not only Keith’s solo but also the Stones’ live recordings. Moreover, the target was Yokohama Arena in 2003. It seems that the popularity of the Japan tour at that time was concentrated on the Budokan performance, which still does not fade, but the Stones chose Yokohama Arena to realize the concept of the “LICKS” tour, which uses three venues: theater, arena, and stadium, in Japan. Sandwiched between the legendary Budokan and the first day of the famous Tokyo Dome, the Yokohama Arena performance on March 12th was surprisingly weak in the Kanto leg of the 2003 Japan tour. Not only is it still the Stones’ only Yokohama performance, but it was also very groundbreaking that the Stones performed in an area other than Tokyo for the first time in the Kanto area. Furthermore, the selection of songs on this day, which pushed the arena concept, was also groundbreaking. “If You Can’t Rock Me” exploded at the beginning of the show. One of the big highlights of the “LICKS” tour was the revival of this song into the live repertoire for the first time since 1976, but this was the only time this rare repertoire was performed in Japan. What’s more, the performance was wonderful. Unlike the wild live versions of 1975 and 1976, the performance was faithful to the studio version, which was rather refreshing. The interlude featured Darryl Jones’ bass solo, which was also very impressive. Looking back, when “If You Can’t Rock Me” was performed, it was guaranteed that Yokohama Arena would be a great night. In fact, it was so well-made that I wanted them to play it more, but on the “LICKS” tour, this song was positioned as a theater or arena repertoire from the beginning, and it was not performed as often as expected. Because of that, it was only performed in Yokohama in Japan. Another rare number that represents this day is “Loving Cup”. The good thing about the “LICKS” tour is that it was not a tour to promote a new studio album, but a tour to coincide with the release of a best-of album, which allowed them to introduce a wide range of repertoire from past numbers. In addition, even in the live performances with the support band that began in 1989, it was a tour that brought back the traditional Stones style more than ever before. It was because of this tour that this song was able to return to the repertoire after being tried several times on the 1972 tour. On the contrary, the fact that the live performance of “Loving Cup” was actively repeated for more than 72 years was also a secret groundbreaking event on the “LICKS” tour. And during the Japan tour, it was performed here in Yokohama. It is likely that everyone who was there will remember it, but Mick’s passionate singing was truly wonderful. The best part is that this song was followed by “All Down The Line” and “Tumbling Dice”, and finally “Happy” was also featured in Keith Corner, making this the most “outlaw on Main Street” night in the history of the Stones’ Japan performances, and it should be passed down to this day. Despite being such a wonderful night, the reason why it does not leave as strong an impression as the two performances before and after it is probably because the highest quality audience recordings were not released in 2003. In the first place, it was the first (and so far the first and last) venue for the Stones, and the sound that was ringing on the day seemed to have a strong bass. Many of the items that were actually released had a bass that resonated with the sound, and in addition, there were many Yokohama Arena items with a so-called “donshari” finish that reflected the trend of the Equalize Wars that was overheating at the time in 2003. Furthermore, the taper itself could not secure a good position. In this situation, “YOKOHAMA 20 LICKS” was released in 2003. At that time, it was expected that high-quality items would be in abundance, and it was released with the aim of selling the immediate effect. The very clear sound quality and the appeal of the sound image have not faded even now, and this is worthy of being called an overlooked famous sound source. As expected, it is only Taper who recorded the masterpiece “Orange Three” from the 2014 Japan tour. On the day, the three songs on the B stage, which were played from a separate speaker in the venue, were muffled in sound quality reflecting the situation. However, if you were in the arena on the day, this change in sound quality and the surrounding noise are what can be called a real document of that day. Moreover, this recording does not pick up any surrounding sounds at all during the main live performance, and because it can be heard in an extremely stress-free situation, it conveys the realness of that frenzy B stage. Enjoy the night at Yokohama Arena, which is worthy of being called a hidden gem of the 2003 Japan tour, with outstanding clarity! Live at Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan 12th March 2003 PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1 (61:44) 1. Intro. 2. Street Fighting Man 3. It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll 4. If You Can’t Rock Me 5. Don’t Stop 6. Monkey Man 7. You Got Me Rocking 8. Ruby Tuesday 9. Loving Cup 10. All Down The Line 11 Tumbling Dice 12. Band Introductions 13. Slipping Away 14. Happy Disc 2 (47:58) 1. Sympathy For The Devil 2. Start Me Up 3. Honky Tonk Women 4. Satisfaction 5. Mannish Boy (B-stage) 6. When The Whip Comes Down (B-stage) 7. Brown Sugar (B-stage) 8. Jumping Jack Flash Mick Jagger – Vocal, Guitar, Harmonica Keith Richards – Guitar, Vocal Ronnie Wood – Guitar Charlie Watts – Drums Darryl Jones – Bass, Backing Vocal Bobby Keys – Tenor Saxophone Chuck Leavell – Keyboards, Backing Vocal Lisa Fischer – Backing Vocal, Percussion Bernard Fowler – Backing Vocal, Percussion Blondie Chaplin – Backing Vocal, Guitar, Percussion The New West Horns Tim Ries – Saxophone, Keyboards Michael Davis – Trombone Kent Smith – Trumpet