GiGinJapan Artwork of Japanese CDs (mostly) Jeff Beck & Jan Hammer Group / Definitive Palladium 1976 / 2CD / Wardour
Live at Palladium, New York City, NY, USA 8th October 1976
Play sample :
The 1976 tour by Jeff Beck and the Jan Hammer Group was not only the heyday, but also a year blessed with incredibly good audience recordings considering the age, after all from the first stage And it is recorded as a masterpiece “FIRST GIG”. On the contrary, recently, a shocking expanded version of “ANAHEIM 1976: JON WIZARDO MASTER”, a song recorded in the famous Anaheim Stadium, which conveyed the splendor of the Beck & Hammer Group’s live performances in the LP era, was released. So much.
Above all, it was also the time when the official “Live Wired” was released. It was revealed that the editing content was far from the stage of.
Even if it was unavoidable that the song order would not keep the original form of the set list of the day, it was edited such as shortening the performance parts other than Beck in order to fit it on one LP. Besides, the stage of 1976 started with Hummers first, and Beck joined from the middle of “Darkness, Earth In Search Of A Sun”. It was also tragically destroyed in “Live Wired”.
However, fortunately, this tour is a happy time when the ultra audience who is not inferior to the sound board is rumbling for the reasons mentioned above. Among them, it is no exaggeration to call the two major recordings the Boston Palladium on October 10th and the New York Palladium on the 8th. The former is still fresh in memory that the eternal masterpiece “BOSTON 1976 DEFINITIVE EDITION” has finally sold out, but as for the 8th, as soon as “PALLADIUM 1976” is released in 2020, it will be released in a blink of an eye because of its high sound quality. It was sold out.
“Is this really an audience recording from 1976?” In addition, the freshness is so outstanding that it is hard to believe that it is in the state of 2nd generation. There was also a release track record like the nostalgic SCARECROW board “EMOTIONAL THE CRAB” only for sound sources that boast such quality, but there was a double version of the imperfect version where the Hammers’ parts at the beginning of the live were cut and the gene drop. It is said that it was well received because of the good sound quality even though it was in a difficult state.
At the time of Anaheim, Hammer himself explained that “We will play first, and Beck will appear later,” but in October of the Palladium, such explanations etc. They started their own set with confidence without needing it, and there were no voices from the audience asking for Beck. That is why complete recording including their parts can be said to be a prerequisite for 76 year items.
Above all, on this day, he captured a precious scene where Hammer’s final ballad “Giving In Gently/I Wonder” was sung (with a nice voice) that ended Hammer’s album “LIKE CHILDREN”. Originally, I wanted Beck to participate because the song included a guitar solo, but unfortunately it was a part before his appearance, so Hammer was used as a synth instead. I play plenty of solos.
The Palladium was already in full swing, as they were the only ones who performed the stage with plenty of confidence. It seems that the super-realistic presence is captured so realistically that even the official “Live Wired” can not compete. And as soon as “Darkness, Earth In Search Of A Sun” has passed 5 minutes and Beck with a Strat appears, a big cheer will fly.
Before this tremendous excitement, Beck was already at full throttle and reached the first peak with “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”. The combination of the improv-oriented Jan Hammer Group and the phrase-oriented Beck is a perfect match, and has been elevated to a unique and familiar music that goes beyond the framework of simple fusion. That is also the secret of the popularity of the 76-year tour item where the best sound sources are lined up. Also, songs from “BLOW BY BLOW” such as “Scatterbrain” and “She’s A Woman” have evolved into very cheerful arrangements, which also contributes to the familiarity of the 1976 tour.
Combined with these positive elements, Beck’s swinging performance that day was truly amazing. It must have been playing very comfortably, and there was plenty of room to show off “Rice Pudding”, which was not played in this face. The best part is the words of thanks that Beck gave to the audience at the end of the live. In “Live Wired”, this was a common saying, “God bless you, thank you”, but in Palladium, it was a sincere thank you, “Wonderful! as if floating.
Since it is a famous recording that captures such a fulfilling performance with perfect sound quality, it may have been good to have a straight reissue. However, it is not only sold out, but it is a long-awaited re-appearance after Beck’s death, so I reviewed the sound source again. Therefore, this time, as a result of adjusting the base range of Fernando Saunders with the latest technology, it has evolved into an upper version that has a better view of recordings that are already good at clearness and freshness.
The strongest audience recording of the 1976 tour alongside Boston has literally reappeared in a definitive form. Not only for enthusiasts who are unsatisfactory with one piece of “Live Wired”, but also one that can be the best textbook as an introduction to Beck’s 1970s audience album. Please, have the ultimate sound source at your hand with the permanent preservation press 2CD.
(remastered memo)
★Reduced the impression that the bass, especially the bass strings, are mushy.
The sound pressure that has been reduced and decompressed has been evenly lifted, so the overall impression is clear.
Wardour-540
