GiGinJapan Artwork of Japanese CDs (mostly) Boston / Long Beach 1977 / 2CD / Zion
Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA, USA 16th March 1977
Play sample :
BOSTON at the time of its debut that shocked the whole world with “Genso Hikou”. Along with the popular “CLEVELAND 1976”, the masterpiece that made up the initial sound board trilogy has been upgraded. It is a press CD that permanently preserves the detailed mastering sound by “GRAF ZEPPELIN” and will be released at the same time.
Two performances are engraved in this work, which is the final work of the trilogy. It is a stereo sound board recording set with the 1st show on DISC 1 and the 2nd show on DISC 2 of the two performances per day held at “December 18, 1976 Philadelphia”. Let’s look back at the activity summary at that time and check the position of the show as an example.
●1976
・ August 10: North America #1a (1 performance)
《August 25th, “Genso Hikou” will be released》
・ August 27 + 28: North America #1b (2 performances)
・ September 26-December 18: North America # 2 (55 performances) ← * CLEVELAND 1976 etc.
●1977
・February 1-May 25: North America #3 (90 performances) ← Coco
This is BOSTON in 1976/1977. Of the initial sound board trilogy, “CLEVELAND 1976 (Zion-218)” and “PHILADELPHIA 1976 (Zion-220)” were “North America # 2” at the beginning of the tour, but only the Long Beach performance of this work Revised “North America #3”. It was a concert corresponding to the 41st and 42nd performances.
These two performances are also famous for having the finest soundboards. In particular, the 2nd show (DISC 2) is a completely official-class soundboard that was broadcast on “King Biscuit Flower Hour”, and has reigned as a great standard for many years. If you have noticed this article, you may have experienced it in some previous episode. Also, one of the 1st shows is super and superb. This is a relatively new master that was discovered about 10 years ago, but it is very beautiful whether it was recorded for broadcasting. “PHILADELPHIA 1976”, which was released at the same time, was an unprocessed type that was directly connected to the desk, but this is a sound board that has been prepared as a music work from the beginning.
And this work will be the highest peak board of such a two-performance sound board. It uses the same master as the Trial label’s masterpiece “WESTERN LEGACY”, which has become a hot topic as the best master, and is one of the products that has been refined with detailed mastering by “GRAF ZEPPELIN”. The technique is subtle and finely worn treatment. Pitch and phase corrections do not allow even 1/1000th of a second deviation, and various noises such as hiss, hum, and gaps are carefully checked and processed, and the balance is adjusted based on the band analysis. In the case of this work, it is not completely official from the beginning, so it has not been transformed into “a different thing” (if it is transformed, it will be ruined), but its accuracy is definitely the highest ever. It’s an upgrade on the level of official high-quality CDs like “Mobile Fidelity” and “Nimbus Supercut”.
The “official alternative” sound depicted is the two performances that were mastered as a live act. First of all, the set is the most delicious among the trilogy, so let’s organize it here.
● Illusory flight (6 songs)
・Rock & Roll Band/More Than A Feeling/Peace Of Mind/Something About You/Smokin’/Foreplay/Long Time
● Others (5 songs)
・Don’t Look Back: A Man I’ll Never Be / Don’t Be Afraid (*)
・Songs not included in the album: Shattered Images (Help Me) / This Time (★) / Television Politician
* Note: “*” marks are for the 1st show (DISC 1) only. The “★” marks are songs that could not be heard in “CLEVELAND 1976” and “PHILADELPHIA 1976”.
… and it looks like this. In addition, another mix of “More Than A Feeling” is included as a bonus at the 2nd show. The performance itself is the same as the main broadcast version, but it is a treasured track that conveys the atmosphere before the performance more naturally.
The large-scale behavior of the “Genso Hikou” number and the non-album songs “Shattered Images (Help Me)” and “Television Politician” are common to the trilogy, but this work even shows off the blues-like “This Time”. Both performances are avalanche from the guitar solo, but the carrying makes me feel very familiar with the live performance. Of course, experience is accumulated in the performance of each song, and the ensemble that grasps each other’s breathing is very wonderful.
This is a level of proficiency that is different from simply practiced skill. At a live performance, the audience is right in front of you, and you can feel their emotions rushing in directly. If you get excited, your performance will be more powerful, and you can create the next wave by pulling it on purpose. The experience of controlling the audience’s emotions with such sounds is an experience of sympathy that is different from making music with your head. I can feel the growth because I repeated it every night.
A trilogy that permanently preserves the soundboard that represents the time of its debut with the highest peak updated sound. As the final bullet, it is the most fulfilling 2-disc set. An absolute version of “official replacement” that permanently preserves the imposing stage of BOSTON, which has grown as a live act, for two performances. Please enjoy it to your heart’s content.
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REMASTERED BY GRAF ZEPPELIN
(remastered memo)
★Fixed gap noise that occurred in some places on Disc1.
★Disc 2 eliminates some low frequency noise (hum noise), and you can enjoy a somewhat refreshing sound.
★Alternate mix of ”More Than A Feeling” (strictly speaking, edited version) is included as a bonus.
The length of the part between songs before the performance (this bonus track is longer) and the way the audience noise is covered near the intro of the same song are completely different.(Excerpt from the reel version released by JEMS)
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★ A set of 2 stereo soundboard recordings with the 1st show of “December 18, 1976 Philadelphia” on DISC 1 and the 2nd show on DISC 2. The 2nd show is famous for King Biscuit Flower Hour broadcasting, but the 1st show is also thin and the finest quality. It is a decision board that has been permanently preserved after polishing the best master with detailed mastering by “GRAF ZEPPELIN”. It is an absolute board that serves as an “official substitute” in the debut era where you can enjoy “This Time” because it is the latter half of the tour.
ZION-221
