GiGinJapan Artwork of Japanese CDs (mostly) Jimi Hendrix / L.A. Forum 1970 / 2CD / Non Label
The Forum, Inglewood, CA, USA 25th April 1970
Play sample :
Jimi Hendrix opened a show at the LA Forum not only in 1969 when it was officially released, but also in the following year, almost a year later. The pattern at this time is counted as one of the famous performances Jimi left in his later years thanks to the “LIVE AT THE LOS ANGELES FORUM 4-25-70” LP released by the old name label, Rubber Dubber. The secret is that it was a very easy-to-listen audience recording at that time, as was the case with many of the items produced by the same label.
However, on the day of the concert, it was Jimi’s first live concert in a long time, so it attracted a lot of attention, and it was later discovered that there were multiple audience recordings. The Rubber Dubber source was outstanding in terms of sound proximity, but other sound sources are also sufficiently easy to hear, such as the source used for the nostalgic Whoopy Cat “LIVE AT THE FORUM 1970” CD. It was a sufficient quality as an audience recording of the year.
As a result of excavating even more audience recording sources, it is only natural that there will be a movement to create a stereo version based on those matrices. Even though there are multiple sound sources, all the more so if all are monaural recordings (the audience of 70 years). So, when we enter the 21st century, stereo conversion using those sound sources will be realized between Jimi’s sound source trader circle “ATM”. This version was quickly made into a CD with the title “L.A. CONFIDENTIAL”. At that time, it is now nostalgic that it was advertised that “LA Forum was actually a stereo recording”.
Although it was such an epoch-making stereo matrix, the matrix technology at that time was still inexperienced in many parts, and although stereotic separation was certainly possible, it was the reason why multiple audience recordings were used. The changes in sound quality and the ups and downs of the volume were not fully attacked, and it was quite uncomfortable, especially when listening with headphones. Above all, the version at this time put too much emphasis on stereo, and I was worried about the fact that the overall finish was boneless.
More than ten years have passed since “L.A. CONFIDENTIAL”, which was such an attempt but still lacking in terms of perfection, and in the 2010s the matrix technology has improved significantly. A boom of “merged (=combining)” matrixing of performances with multiple sound sources among Jimi’s traders occurs. Among them, a mania called “funkydrummer” actively announced a composite version. Above all, it was the LA Forum in 1970 that he released as a self-confidence work. I wonder if it’s a show that he has a lot of feelings about, and he has re-matrixed it many times, and this time we will release a limited press CD based on what funkydrummer announced as the final version.
His matrix has advanced technology, but the finish is much more sophisticated than the example “L.A. CONFIDENTIAL”. The main Rubber Dubber source was attractive for Jimi’s guitar sound pressure, but the other sounds were weak and the balance was not good, so by combining it with other audiences It has been reborn in a state that is easy to listen to. Still, the impression that the performance is more powerful is very different from “L.A. CONFIDENTIAL”.
Of course, when it comes to scenes captured with only one type of sound source, it naturally becomes monaural, but the fact that it was put together with almost no sense of discomfort is another dimension of perfection compared to “L.A. CONFIDENTIAL”. There was a gap with the monaural part because I was too particular about stereo conversion, but this time I won’t be able to make it so extreme. Still, the fact that the outline of the performance and Jimi’s song is highlighted is also a great achievement of the funkydrummer version. Still, Graf Zeppelin adjusted the scattered coarseness and added the final touch suitable for the limited press CD release.
Even so, Jimi’s lively performance on this day was a masterpiece, and the first half of the live was filled with crisp momentum. Jimi’s career is full of live performances, but in the first half of the 1970s, the Band of Gypsys disbanded, and it was a rare time when there were no live performances for nearly three months (instead of studio work. immersion). That’s why it’s full of joy to be able to return to the stage after a long time, and in the back there is a reliable trio organized Cry of Love Band that did the best of the experience (Mitch and Billy) with the Gypsies.
There is no doubt that such a situation led to the excellent performance of this day. However, after all, the raging new song & ad-lib medley starting from CD2 is a masterpiece. Jimi probably wanted to show off the new song that was being made in the studio at that time on the stage, and the new song medley started from the place where he played “Room Full Of Mirrors” at the beginning. From there, he moved to “Villanova Junction Blues”, which is familiar with Woodstock’s famous performance, and the momentum does not stop even though it is phantasmagoric.
And then it switches to the deadly “Star Spangled Banner”, but the “Purple Haze” that started without a moment’s notice had a rare hilarious pattern of replaying the intro even though the performance had already started. Please enjoy the excitement of clapping by the audience at the forum who have been waiting for this representative song and the rich presence with headphones. Above all, the LA Forum in 1970, which was a classic in the analog era, had too few upgraded titles recently. That’s why the new version suitable for 2022 is a great performance of Jimi’s later years!
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REMASTERED BY GRAF ZEPPELIN
(remastered memo)
* Phase correction
★Restore the collapsed waveform
★ Petit noise removal at track changes
★ It seems that multiple sound sources have been edited, but there are several places where the connection was abrupt or the sound was biased to one side.
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Non Label
