Rolling Stones/Perth, Australia 1973 Soundboard Remastered

As I have mentioned while continuing to release items from the Rolling Stones 1973 Winter Tour, there are PA-out soundboard recordings from the last three stages of the tour. There is no concept of this kind of sound source being released, it was only recorded as a check and a record of the tour. In addition, due to the recording path, the sense of realism is thin and mono, and the skeleton of the performance tends to be too direct, which is a dilemma, but the fact that these three performances in Australia were recorded in stereo sets it apart from many PA-out soundboards. Thanks to this, the rough and direct texture of this sound source has been improved, and it is also addicted to the rough performance unique to the Stones at this time. There is no doubt that it is a soundboard sound source that is worth listening to. The first of these stereo PA soundboards to be unearthed was in Perth on February 24th. Strangely enough, the first recorded show has appeared, but unfortunately the recording time is shorter than the recordings of the remaining two days. This is also a common condition for PA soundboards that are not intended for release, and it is clear that not all songs have been recorded since the missing parts have not been excavated to date. Despite this, the reason why this day is so popular is that it was a recording of the stage on a special day, the birthday of Nicky Hopkins, a famous session pianist who was a support member of the Stones at the time. As expected, the LP that first released this sound source was released under the unforgettable title “HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICKY”, and most of the items containing this sound source thereafter appeared under that name. After all, because it was a stereo soundboard, it became a victim of items from the CD Genesis era, and even after several items based on the LP were released, it was still well received, all because of the stereo soundboard recording. At this point, it had already been named a standard sound source for the 1973 Winter Tour, but the nostalgic label OH BOY! released the first non-LP version under the name “HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICKY”. In addition, the second soundboard from the tour, the 26th, was also coupled, solidifying its status as the definitive version. However, the original tape source for Perth was not available after that, and as a result, the OH BOY! version remained the original, and subsequent releases were based on this title. When Nicky Hopkins visited Japan in his later years, he revealed in an interview that he of course had the master of that day, but it is possible to speculate that he died shortly after and the master became unknown… this is just a guess. Of course, this time too, Graf Zeppelin took great care to brush up the OH BOY! version. This sound source was copied from his master on one of the few occasions when it was leaked, and the order of the songs changed and even the sound was duplicated, and even in the DAC version “HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICKY”, which was considered the best in recent years, this part felt like it had not been completely fixed. In the first analog version, the first three songs were recorded at the end of side B, in the order of “Gimme Shelter”, “Rocks Off” and “Happy”. However, in the CD era, the songs were released in the same order as the previous and next shows, and the subtle overlap between the songs mentioned above became evident. This time, we adjusted that as much as possible. And the sound quality has been adjusted to a clean texture. This is obvious if you compare it with the DAC version around “Midnight Rambler”. Furthermore, the left and right balance and pitch, which tend to be disturbed due to the rough recording, have been precisely adjusted for each song. Such unique sound quality and stereo feeling convey the crisp performance centered around Mick. Mick’s tension from 1972 to 1973 is generally high, but this day is the most out of the last three Australian shows that can be heard on the sound board. That is also the secret to his popularity. Among them, Mick seemed to be in a good mood, and the direct feeling that only a PA out can give hits the listener’s brain. Keith and Mick Taylor’s guitars support it from the left and right…or rather, since it’s stereo, their sound is also incredibly vivid. Because of this, the chaos in the intro to the famous “Gimme Shelter” was also too vivid. This confusion was not seen in the remaining two stages, nor in other songs, so it was a really strange happening that Keith and Charlie were so out of sync with this song that they were so used to playing only on this day. However, the chaos quickly subsided, and the momentum unique to this day reached its peak in “Midnight Rambler”, where even Mick’s breathing when playing the blues harp sounds vivid, and the crisp performance is really attractive. Then, after the out-of-control performance, Nicky’s birthday celebration begins with a peaceful member introduction. He was the last member to be introduced, and the heartwarming scene where Mick led the singing of Happy Birthday is the best no matter how many times you listen to it. Unlike other days, there were no audience recordings, and there are many mysterious parts, such as songs that were not included here, but that is why it is fortunate that such a charming stereo PA sound board was left behind. The latest version of the 73 sound board, which is a must-have for Stones enthusiasts, which can be understood as “Nicky” just like ZEP’s “Eddie”, is finally here! (Remaster Memo) Related sound source organization a) OH BOY version… Released around 1990, original release. Left and right channels reversed ★ Main source this time b) LIVE IN PERTH AUSTRALIA (Rockawhile)… Released around 1989 before OH BOY. Left and right ok, mixed with the 26th. Also, it’s not a copy of OH BOY, but the sound is slightly inferior. ★This time, the Brown Sugar intro and the Honky intro are quoted. c) EXLE AFTERNOON (Rockawhile)…Released in 1991, the PERTH part is a copy of OH BOY (possibly) + ’72 DALLAS rehearsal. Left and right reversed d) DAC…Probably a and b copy. The Brown Sugar intro and the entire Honky seem to be copied from b. Remastered based on the OH BOY version, which is considered to be the best at the moment. This OH BOY version itself has had some hiss reduction applied to it from the beginning, and in the quiet parts, the reverberation is carried over to the tape noise such as “crackle”, which is a type of noise reduction that is common in 90s CDs, but this version is considered to be better at the moment. For mastering, the OH BOY version’s channels have been inverted left and right, the intervals between songs have been corrected, the pitch and phase have been corrected, and missing parts have been patched. The missing patches are from LIVE IN PERTH AUSTRALIA (Rockawhile), and there are two parts, the Brown Sugar intro and the Honky intro. *The inter-song section from the end of Bitch to just before Happy seems to have been edited with a mysterious overlap fake from the beginning, and there are overlaps between songs even on the DAC version. There are overlaps this time as well, but they have been slightly changed from the DAC version. If the track order of Rocks Off and Gimmie is changed, it makes more sense, but the truth of this will remain unknown unless an Audible source is unearthed. Live at Western Australia Cricket Ground, Perth, Australia 24th February 1973(47:38) 01. Brown Sugar ★0:00-0:04 Patch from the OH BOY record 02. Bitch ★Mysterious edits between songs 03. Rocks Off ★Mysterious edits between songs 04. Gimme Shelter ★Mysterious edits between songs 05. Happy 06. Tumbling Dice 07. Honky Tonk Women ★0:00-0:03 Patch from the OH BOY record 08. All Down The Line 09. Midnight Rambler 10. Band Introductions / Happy Birthday Nicky 11. Little Queenie