Neil Young & Crazy Horse / Electric Boston 1976 / 1CD

Neil Young & Crazy Horse / Electric Boston 1976 / 1CD / Zion

Music Hall, Boston, MA, USA 22nd November 1976 Late Show STEREO SBD

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Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s 1976 tour was at the height of being loved by rock fans. There are audience recordings with very good sound quality in each of the autumn American tours for the first performance in Japan in the spring, but the autumn American yokozuna sound source is the day and night held at the Boston Music Hall on November 22nd. Two performances. Audience recordings boasting the highest level of sound quality have been left in both cases, and numerous masterpieces have been released from there.
However, in 2013, the stereo sound board recording of the Boston night club was released from the “CONCERT VAULT” site and shocked enthusiasts all over the world. The outstanding sound quality brought about by stereo recording using multi-track, which is different from the PA-out sound board, was so shocking that the state of recording only the electric set did not matter at all. The audience recording that seemed to have the best sound quality was so hazy that I could hear it.
First of all, the performance should not be bad just because it is the United States in the fall of 1976, but it is said that the wonderfulness of the performance can be heard even more outstandingly thanks to the multitrack recording that Boston, which is famous among them, boasts outstanding sound quality. Of course, the cheers are well-balanced, and the spacious and realistic feeling is also outstanding. It was an exquisite sound source that you can enjoy the 76 Boston night club as if it were an official live album.

“ELECTRIC BOSTON” became a big bestseller by releasing this sound source in real time in 2013. There were cuts between “Cow girl In The Sand” and “Bite The Bullet”, and from the end of the latter half of the live “Cortez Killer” to the beginning of “Cinnamon Girl”, but these were precisely recorded in the example audience recording. Adjust. In addition, it is a masterpiece that has been adjusted and summarized even the pitch that was low when the sound source was released. Naturally, it became Sold Out, and it has been a long time since the item itself became difficult to obtain over time.
In addition to that, eight years have passed since the release, and it is clear that if a new remaster is added with the current technology, it can be reissued as an item with improved sound quality and condition from that time. Therefore, the long-awaited re-release of enthusiasts will finally be realized after adding the latest overhaul that is not just a recurrence.
Since the original is multitrack recording, the sound quality is basically high, but since the original was a sound source via internet distribution, this time we will make an equalization that makes it more natural and milder than the 2013 version. In addition, the audience recording was supplemented to the two songs in the latter half of the live where the cut had occurred, but there was a slight sense of discomfort in the connection. By rebalancing the sound image that was closer to the left of the audience recording to the center, it has evolved into a more calm and audible finish. It would be obvious if you could listen to and compare both points with headphones.

Even so, I was really lucky to be in the Boston night club, where the multitrack recording leaked in 2013 was loved by enthusiasts. After all, this time is the day when you can hear not only “Cow girl In The Sand” but also “Southern Man” which was played only in this time in the United States in autumn. Thanks to that, the audience recording items of the night club were all masterpieces, but the power of multi-track that halves their value. Even though the performance level of Neil and Horse is high in the United States in autumn, it is very popular with enthusiasts, but despite the fact that it was performed twice a day, it was like a tireless and excellent performance and the best. The song selection is still really attractive. “Cow girl In The Sand” is especially wonderful.
The long-awaited “NEIL YOUNG ARCHIVES VOL.II” released last year by enthusiasts around the world includes a live album called “ODE ON BUDOKAN (1976)” that summarizes recordings from the 1976 tour in Japan and the United Kingdom. I did. However, when I opened the lid, the recording time of one disc was only 45 minutes, and in addition, the take of Budokan was adopted and “Cowgirl In The Sand” which pleased Japanese enthusiasts was shortened and edited. ..
Although it was a live album of the 1976 tour, it didn’t include “Like A Hurricane”! This is the same as hearing the ZEP “LISTEN TO THIS, EDDIE” without “The Song Remains The Same”. The official release, which was first realized from the 1976 tour, was a disappointing finish.

However, “ELECTRIC BOSTON” includes not only the previous two songs but also “Like A Hurricane” with the best sound quality. The take of this time is also wonderful, and the appearance of Neil’s guitar raging is realistically captured. After all it must be like this in 1976. In addition, Neil’s guitar is sharp in “Cortez The Killer”. For that reason, the point where the part that switches to audience recording with this adjustment became smoother than the 2013 edition is also high.
Although it was an album that cut out the 1976 tour on a single disc, it was a masterpiece that was re-released and remastered with much more fulfilling content than “ODEON BUDOKAN (1976)”. If the killer tune of the 1976 tour is packed in one piece and it becomes a multitrack recording with the best sound quality, even if you are not a Neil fan, one piece for the family!

(Remaster memo)

★ Since the previous board had a limiter on the whole, this time I made a range-oriented remaster where the modern waveform does not stick up and down. The overall volume is slightly lowered in terms of waveform, but the low range is It’s boosted slightly so you shouldn’t feel the sound is quiet.

★ Phase correction. Vocals to the right have been corrected.

★ The Aud compensation part of Cortez-Cinnamon in the final stage corrects the sound image to the left as much as possible. The switching part of compensation is also corrected.

ニール・ヤングとクレイジー・ホースの1976年ツアーはロックファンに愛されている絶頂期。春の初来日公演に秋のアメリカ・ツアーそれぞれで音質の非常に優れたオーディエンス録音が存在しますが、秋のアメリカの横綱音源といえば11月22日のボストン・ミュージック・ホールで行われた昼夜二回公演。どちらも最高級レベルの音質を誇るオーディエンス録音が残されており、そこから数々の名作がリリースされてきました。
ところが2013年、ボストン夜の部のステレオ・サウンドボード録音が「CONCERT VAULT」サイトから公開されて世界中のマニアに衝撃を与えました。PAアウトのサウンドボードとは一線を画すマルチトラックを用いたステレオ録音がもたらす抜群の音質はエレクトリック・セットだけの収録という状態がまったく問題にならないほどの衝撃だったのです。あれほど極上音質に思えたオーディエンス録音が霞んで聞こえてしまったほど。
まず何といっても76年秋のアメリカというだけで演奏が悪いはずもないのですが、その中でも名演たるボストンが抜群の音質を誇るマルチトラック録音のおかげで演奏の素晴らしさがさらに際立って聞こえるという。歓声も当然バランスよく捉えられており、広がりのある臨場感がまた抜群。もはや普通にオフィシャルのライブアルバム感覚で76ボストン夜の部が楽しめてしまうという絶品音源だったのです。

2013年のリアルタイムにこの音源をすかさずリリースして大ベストセラーとなったのが「ELECTRIC BOSTON」。「Cowgirl In The Sand」と「Bite The Bullet」の間、さらにライブ後半「Cortez Killer」の終盤から「Cinnamon Girl」の序盤にかけてカットが生じていましたが、これらを例のオーディエンス録音にて緻密にアジャスト。おまけに音源公開時に低かったピッチもしっかりとアジャストしてまとめあげた名盤です。当然Sold Outとなってしまった上、時間の経過によってアイテムそのものが入手困難になって久しいという状況が続いていました。
それに加えてリリースから8年もの歳月が経過し、現在のテクノロジーで新たなリマスターを加えれば当時より音質や状態が向上したアイテムとして出し直せるのは明白。そこで単なる再発にとどまらない最新のオーバーホールを加えた上でマニア待望の再リリースが遂に実現いたします。
元がマルチトラック録音ですので基本的に音質クオリティが高いのですが、元がネット配信経由の音源でしたので2013年盤と比べ、今回はよりナチュラルでマイルドさを際立たせるイコライズを敢行。さらにカットの生じていたライブ後半二曲へオーディエンス録音を補填した箇所ですが、若干ながらつなぎの違和感がありました。それ以上にオーディエンス録音の左に寄っていた音像を中央へとバランス替えしたことで、より落ち着いて聞きこめる仕上がりへと進化。どちらの点に関してもヘッドフォンにて聞き比べていただければ一目瞭然かと。

それにしても2013年に流出したマルチトラック録音がマニアにこよなく愛されたボストン夜の部というのは本当にラッキーでした。何しろこの回は先の「Cowgirl In The Sand」だけでなく、秋のアメリカだけではこの回でしか演奏されなかった「Southern Man」まで聞けてしまう日。おかげで夜の部のオーディエンス録音アイテムは名盤揃いだったのですが、それらの価値を半減させてしまうマルチトラックの威力。ただでさえ秋のアメリカはニールとホースの演奏レベルが高くてマニアに大人気な訳ですが、この日は一日二回公演だったにもかかわらず、まるで疲れ知らずの絶好調な演奏ぶりと最高の選曲は今も本当に魅力的。「Cowgirl In The Sand」は特に素晴らしい。
世界中のマニアが待ち望んだ「NEIL YOUNG ARCHIVES VOL.II」が昨年リリースされ、そこには1976年ツアーから日本とイギリスでの録音をまとめた「ODEON BUDOKAN (1976)」というライブアルバムが含まれていました。ところが、いざ蓋を開けてみればディスク一枚の収録時間はたった45分、おまけに武道館のテイクが採用されて日本のマニアを喜ばせた「Cowgirl In The Sand」は短縮編集されていたという落ち。
極めつけは76年ツアーのライブアルバムだというのに、あろうことか「Like A Hurricane」が含まれていない！これは「The Song Remains The Same」のないZEP「LISTEN TO THIS, EDDIE」を聞かされるに等しい行為。76年ツアーから初めて実現したオフィシャル・リリースは何とも残念な仕上がりだったのです。

ところが「ELECTRIC BOSTON」には先の二曲だけでなく「Like A Hurricane」も最高の音質にて収録。この回のテイクがまた素晴らしい出来で、ニールのギターが荒れ狂う様子がリアルに捉えられている。やはり76年はこうでないと。さらに「Cortez The Killer」でもニールのギターがキレッキレ。それだけに今回のアジャストでオーディエンス録音へと切り替わる個所が2013年盤よりなめらかになったポイントも高い。
同じく76年ツアーを一枚のディスクに切り取ったアルバムでありながら、「ODEON BUDOKAN (1976)」よりもはるかに充実した内容で再リリース＆リマスターが実現する名盤。一枚の中に76年ツアーのキラーチューンが詰め込まれ、なおかつ最高の音質のマルチトラック録音となれば、ニールファンならずとも一家に一枚！

（リマスター・メモ）

★前回盤は全体にリミッター掛かってたので､今回は今風の波形が上下に張り付かないレンジ重視のリマスターにしてます｡波形的には全体の音量は僅かに下がってますが､低域を僅かにブーストしてますので音が小さくは感じないはずです｡

★位相修正｡右寄りのボーカルが補正されています

★終盤部Cortez～CinnamonのAud補填部は､左寄りの音像をなるべくセンター補正｡補填の切り替わり部も、補正かけてます｡

(70:02)
1. Country Home
2. Don’t Cry No Tears
3. Drive Back
4. Cowgirl In The Sand
5. Bite The Bullet
6. Lotta Love
7. Like A Hurricane
8. After The Gold Rush
9. Are You Ready For The Country?
10. Cortez The Killer
11. Cinnamon Girl
12. Encore
13. Homegrown
14. Southern Man

STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING

Neil Young – Vocals, Guitar Frank Sampedro – Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Billy Talbot – Bass, Vocals Ralph Molina – Drums, Vocals

ZION-180