Village People / Tokyo, Japan 1980 Multi-Cam Edition & more

The legendary first visit of Village People to Japan took place in 1980, a year when the Young Man craze was sweeping the nation. Now, the highest quality master of the iconic footage from that visit is available. (Hideki Saijo’s “YOUNG MAN (Y.M.C.A.)” was a hit in 1979, and the visit was the following year). This release is composed of two main sections. The first half is a multi-camera pro-shot of their first visit to Japan, and the second half is a collection of their past music videos. Let’s take a look at each section individually. First half: Superb pro-shot of the legendary first visit to Japan The main focus of this release is the multi-camera pro-shot of their performance at the Nippon Budokan on May 20th and 21st, 1980. This is a well-known and classic video, but this is the highest quality version. This video was officially produced in 1997 and uses a digital master that was officially (?) released on DVD only in South America more than 20 years ago, and its visual beauty is undeniably “official-grade.” Not just “official quality for its time,” but even in today’s digital age, it’s beautiful, with a glossy and beautiful finish in every corner of the screen, and absolutely no signs of dubbing or aging. You can enjoy the sweat-soaked muscles and the clinging costumes with the naked eye. What is depicted with such visual beauty is a super-concentrated greatest hits. At 9 songs and approximately 44 minutes, it’s far from a full show, but the density is incredible. The mega-hit songs that shook the world come at you one after another! Moreover, the performance is intensely hot. The action is so intense and sharp that they don’t stop for a single moment, shaking their hips and flying sweat that it seems as if the screen is getting soaked. Of course, the music is also hot. In particular, Ray Simpson’s singing on lead is superb! Ray, the younger brother of black music legend Valerie Simpson, has the real vocal ability. More than half of the songs are from his predecessor Victor Willis’s repertoire, but he has brilliantly transformed them. And what’s truly powerful is their sheer entertainment spirit! Famous police officers, construction workers, cowboys, leather jacket men, GIs, and Native Americans run wild across the screen, riding around in jeeps and police motorcycles. And in “In The Navy,” a gigantic backdrop that covers the entire stage instantly transforms the Budokan into a battleship at sea. Their bizarre costumes were already well-known, but their visual spirit truly explodes on stage, creating an incredible entertainment show in an era without even a backdrop (or perhaps precisely because of that era). Moreover, even the audience witnessing this stage is brimming with the scent of “1980.” In fact, this film has an unnaturally loud and enthusiastic overdub of screams and cheers. Of course, it doesn’t interrupt the music like an audience recording, but it’s a bit overdone, and it doesn’t seem like it could be officially released in the future (laughs). However, that excitement is not fake. The audience, as shown on screen, remains seated (just like at KISS’s first visit to Japan), but claps frantically, and the rhythm of “In The Navy” comes at you with tremendous force. And finally, everyone stands up for “Y.M.C.A.” for a grand finale… You can enjoy the stage, which is packed with the essence of “1980” from corner to corner, in multi-camera pro-shot. Village People appear (4 songs) – Fire Island / Village People / San Francisco (You’ve Got Me) / In Hollywood (Everybody Is A Star) Others (5 songs) – Cruisin’: Hot Cop / Y.M.C.A. – Others: Macho Man / Can’t Stop The Music / In The Navy Second half: The highest quality master of all the PVs After this superb live pro-shot, a delicious collection of PVs is also included as a bonus. Of course, the quality of these is also completely official. Songs that have been uploaded to YouTube and other sites are also compiled in even more beautiful, top-quality masters. The album features six tracks in chronological order, from their debut single “San Francisco (You’ve Got Me)” to “Can’t Stop The Music” from the quirky film “Music Music,” which won the first Golden Raspberry Award. Even “In The Navy,” which is treated as a dark chapter in their history on their official YouTube channel, is included. And the finishing touch is the “Hit Medley” video. This is a medley video connecting five songs (Y.M.C.A./In The Navy/San Francisco (You’ve Got Me)/Macho Man/Can’t Stop The Music), but it’s not a typical re-edit of existing music videos. It’s a completely rearranged and re-recorded version, with a brand new music video featuring the original members performing the entire song. It’s a highly concentrated suite that compresses the essence of their golden age into 3 minutes and 52 seconds. VILLAGE PEOPLE’s first visit to Japan stunned Western music fans with their outrageous worldview and incredibly passionate performance. This is a video masterpiece that allows you to experience a scene that has become a legend in the history of Western music in Japan with completely official-quality visuals. Furthermore, it is a definitive edition that reviews the golden age with the highest quality masters of all the PVs to date. The performance and direction are wonderful, but the camera work and switching are also quite impressive. There is a feeling that they are aiming at the cute girls in the arena seats, which will surely make your heart flutter ???? A multi-camera pro-shot of the legendary first visit to Japan, “May 20/21, 1980: Nippon Budokan” concert + a collection of past PVs. The visual beauty, which has been transferred to DVD from the highest quality digital master, is completely official-quality. A rare “Hit Medley” which is a concentrated selection of hit songs is also included as a bonus, making this a densely packed video work of about 70 minutes. Live at Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 20th & 21st May 1980 PRO-SHOT 1. Fire Island 2. Hot Cop 3. Village People 4. San Francisco (You’ve Got Me) 5. In Hollywood (Everybody Is A Star) 6. Macho Man 7. Can’t Stop The Music 8. In The Navy 9. Y.M.C.A. BONUS FOOTAGE (Music Video) 10. Hit Medley★Must see 11. San Francisco (You’ve Got Me) 12. Macho Man 13. Y.M.C.A. 14. In The Navy 15. Go West 16. Can’t Stop The Music PRO-SHOT COLOR NTSC Approx.70min. Ray Simpson (cop) Felipe Rose (American Indian) Alex Briley (GI/sailor) Glenn Hughes (leather man) David Hodo (construction worker) Randy Jones (cowboy)