Uli Jon Roth/Osaka,Japan 2019

Guitar legend Uli Jon Roth visited Japan on his 50th career anniversary tour. The latest live album is now available. This work includes the “January 23, 2019: Shinsaibashi BIGCAT” performance. This is the best audience recording. Originally, Dougie White and former SCORPIONS member Francis Buchholz were scheduled to accompany them, but they canceled at the last minute. In his place, Rudy Leonards, who was a drummer from the days of “IN TRANCE” and “VIRGIN KILLER,” and Phil X from BON JOVI (which was a bit of a surprise, but he seems to be an old friend of Uri) participated, and the event was held successfully. I did. First, let’s check the show’s position within the schedule. ・January 21st: Nakano Sunplaza ・January 22nd: Nagoya Diamond Hall ・January 23rd: Shinsaibashi BIGCAT [This work] ・January 24th: Kanda Myojin Hall (ACOUSTICA) A total of 4 performances. Of these, the last day was a special acoustic performance “ACOUSTICA”, but the remaining three performances were electric. The Osaka performance of this work was the last concert. This work, which records such a show, is truly a super-excellent audience recording. It was created by a master who is well-known at our store, “Western Japan’s Strongest Taper”. He has been producing HR/HM masterpieces for a long time, but recently he has taken it to the next level. A series of super direct and detailed sounds that will make you wonder, “What part of this isn’t a sound board?” This work is the latest version of such evolution. The sense of close contact without a circular sense of distance is outside the common sense of the audience, and the beauty of the sound is even better than that of a sound board. Yet, the level of rawness is impossible to find on the official version. It doesn’t matter what the recording method is anymore. As a record of a rock concert, it is a super-excellent sound that is at the cutting edge of 2019. [Part 1: A rich solo set that also features Flexig] The sound depicts the soaring sky guitar… This alone would be a live album with a perfect score of 100, but the show was even better than that. The culmination set and luxurious guests celebrating his 50th career anniversary are like a “ULI JON ROTH FEST”. First of all, regarding the set, the show consists of two major parts. The main part of the first part is Uri’s solo. Although there are Scorpion numbers such as “Sun In My Hand” and “The Sails Of Charon”, there are plenty of famous songs from the ELECTRIC SUN era such as “Sky Overture” and “Starlight”. What’s so amazing about this? ELECTRIC SUN was also selected from all three albums, and they even performed the big song “Enola Gay (Hiroshima Today?)”… Furthermore, ZENO! He will be performing the super famous songs “Don’t Tell The Wind” and “Eastern Sun”!! Uli’s younger brother Gino Roth passed away last year, but if he were still alive, he would accompany him on this tour. It was said that he was planning to do so. In the end, ZENO’s performance in Japan ended without ever happening, so I can’t help but feel my heart tighten as I watch this masterpiece revived by my brother. Moreover, the singer is Michael Flexig himself. As he turns 62 this year, he doesn’t have the same luster as he did 33 years ago, but his unique voice is still there. In addition to ZENO’s two songs, she will also sing “Starlight” from “SKY OF AVALON”. Even in the first part, which is relatively core, there are three songs that are particularly rich and emotionally moving. It’s definitely a highlight. The performance that spells out such a set is also wonderful. At the Tokyo performance, the show was delayed a little, but Osaka was the third performance. The show is getting better and the tension is constant. You can fully immerse yourself in the wonderful masterpieces and performances. [Part 2: A rush of SCORPIONS numbers] The second part from Disc 2 starts with the 10-minute solo “Passage To India,” but the main song is “Scorpions.” Including the encore, 8 of the 11 songs are masterpieces of SCORPIONS. Of course, these are all songs that could be heard during the 2015 “SCORPIONS REVISITED” visit to Japan, but this time the main vocalist is Phil X. He’s also clever! Filling in the gap left by Dougie’s non-participation…or more than that. Although TEMPLE OF ROCK’s Scorpion number sometimes felt unstable, the fill was in good shape. Although he may not have the hard rockin’ heat of Dougie, his smooth and relaxed singing voice is full of sadness. It perfectly matches the dark lyrical early SCORPIONS numbers. Even in the chorus, her skill was not clear, but her voice was strong enough to be used as the main singer. In addition, in the second part, not only Scorpio Dan will perform, but also two cover songs. One is “Apache” by THE SHADOWS, and the other is Bob Dylan… or rather, “All Along The Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix. THE SHADOWS seemed surprising, but apparently it was the song he performed on his first stage when he was 13 years old. He brings out the guitar his parents bought him and plays some memorable songs. It is a scene that can only be expected from the 50th anniversary show. And the encore disc 3 is also wonderful. Once again, the highlights are Scorpio Dan’s “Dark Lady” and “Send Me An Angel.” I didn’t know that Rudolf Schenker would be performing “Send Me An Angel” in Tokyo and Nagoya, where he participated, but in Osaka, where he wasn’t participating… Of course, it goes perfectly with Phil’s lustrous singing voice. Flexig reappears and joins the chorus, and Sky Guitar also cries. You can enjoy a much more dramatic and sad version than the original SCORPIONS. And to replace Rudolph’s absence? “Dark Lady” is a set available only in Osaka. This is a 13-minute expanded version that even includes “The Moon of the Ruined Castle.” This tour is the 50th anniversary of Uri’s career, but it is also the 40th anniversary of “TOKYO TAPES”. A passionate performance befitting the anniversary will be held. A group of masterpieces that are the culmination of his career, an emotional flexig, Phil’s singing voice that was an unexpected success, and above all, a soaring sky guitar. This is a 3-disc live album that completely records all of them with super-excellent sound. This is one of the best songs that deserves to be called “ULI JON ROTH FEST”. Live at BIGCAT, Osaka, Japan 23rd January 2019 ULTIMATE SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1 (79:55) 1. Intro 2. Sky Overture 3. Indian Dawn 4. Electric Sun 5. Sun in My Hand 6. Icebreaker 7. Why? 8. Don’t Tell the Wind 9. Eastern Sun 10. Starlight 11. The Sails of Charon 12. Enola Gay(Hiroshima Today?) Disc 2 (50:07) 1. MC 2. Passage to India(inc. Bohemian Rhapsody) 3. Apache 4. We’ll Burn the Sky 5. In Trance 6. Virgin Killer 7. Pictured Life 8. Catch Your Train 9. Yellow Raven Disc 3 (32:49) 1. MC 2. Dark Lady ( inc. Kojo No Tsuki) 3. Send Me an Angel 4. All the Watchtower Uli Jon Roth – guitar, vocals Niklas Turmann – vocals, guitar David Klosinski – guitar Simon Foster – bass, vocals Michael Ehre – drums Corvin Bahn – keyboards Michael Flexig – vocals Phil X – guitar, vocals Rudy Lenners – drums