Paul Simon / Osaka 1974 2nd Night / 2CD

Paul Simon / Osaka 1974 2nd Night / 2CD/ ZION

Live at Festival Hall, Osaka, Japan 3rd April 1974

Play sample :

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Along with the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel must have been very influential and popular in Japan after their dissolution. In the 1970s, when rock was still heard as “pops”, a live performance in Japan like the Beatles was not realized, and folk was extremely popular in Japan at that time, so it was extra popular. S&G boasted the height. Paul Simon’s first solo performance in Japan, which was realized in such a situation, was equivalent to a visit to Japan by a state guest for music fans.
A total of five performances were held at this time, and the second day, April 3, at the Osaka Festival Hall, was recorded as “ALL THE FAVORITE MELODIES”. A masterpiece from the ZION label, which now feels nostalgic, it has been difficult to obtain for a long time because it was released in 2007, and it was one of the titles that S&G maniacs constantly requested for reissues.
After all, it is a monaural but really wonderful audience recording, and even if it does not reach the level of “just like a sound board”, it is popular for its good sound quality that cannot be complained about as a record of the 1974 Japanese performance at the Osaka Festival Hall. Tips. In addition, the tape itself was probably stored carefully, and the freshness was very good, which also contributed greatly to its unique listening comfort.

The reissue of such a masterpiece has finally been realized under the supervision of Graf Zeppelin. However, the condition of the tape is so good that Graf Zeppelin says “almost as it is”, and the sound quality and content have changed dramatically. If you think that Simon’s first visit to Japan’s masterpiece will finally reappear.
The audience recording of the main board really had a wonderful sound quality, and on the second day of the tour, the tension on the stage in a foreign land (it is a famous story that Simon wore sunglasses and went up to the stage on the first day) was resolved. , The sound quality is good, so you can understand how you are challenging the stage in a very relaxed atmosphere.
The culmination of this is the interaction between “Homeward Bound” and “American Tune”. Here, Paul not only received a gift from a female fan, but also interrupted the live on the spot and said, “Can I open it?” This is an idyllic scene that is unthinkable in Japan today, or unimaginable from his visit to Japan, where the Tokyo Dome has become commonplace since the 90s.

In addition to the outstanding sound quality and the sense of realism as if you had cut out the good parts of Showa Japan, the first half of the live was divided into ethnic sounds with Urubamba, and the second half was divided into gospel with Jesse Dixon Singers, which is still “rock”. It was very easy to understand for Japanese people at that time when it was more “pop”. Furthermore, the official “Live Simon”, “PAUL SIMON IN CONCERT: LIVE RHYMIN ‘”, which was pre-released as a commemorative board for coming to Japan, was probably the best rehearsal.
In almost all songs, the first applause occurs when the intro begins, and the second applause occurs when Paul starts singing, which is also very similar to a Western music concert in the Showa era and is heartwarming (Uruubamba sings the melody between the intro and the song). Three times as far as “Scarborough Fair” that starts blowing!). From this place, there was no means such as the Internet or SNS, and the realism of the Western music concerts in Japan in the 70s, when an artist’s visit to Japan was an overwhelmingly valuable experience than now, is conveyed.
And of course the S&G classic, but the excitement of Paul’s early solo “Mother And Child Reunion” is tremendous. I can tell how the Japanese people at that time were dancing crazy in front of Paul Simon. Really impressive staging in addition to the goodness of the sound quality. I just realized that it was a record of a Western music rock concert in a really good era. Isn’t this the long-awaited reissue?

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REMASTERED BY GRAF ZEPPELIN

* Slight phase correction (Although there is almost no problem with Disc 2)
★The volume of the right channel of Disc1 and the left channel of Disc2 was slightly low, so it was corrected.
★The band is natural and there is no hiss reduction, so there is no problem, so it is almost as it is.

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ビートルズと並んで解散後に日本で大きな影響力と人気を誇ったのがサイモン＆ガーファンクルではないでしょうか。まだロックが「ポップス」のくくりで聞かれていた1970年代、ビートルズのようなリアタイ来日公演が実現しなかった分、さらには当時の日本でフォークが隆盛を極めていたこともあり余計に人気の高さを誇ったのがS＆G。そうした状況の中で実現したポール・サイモンのソロ初来日公演は音楽ファンにとって国賓の来日に等しいものだったのです。
この時は都合五回の公演が行われましたが、その二日目となった4月3日の大阪フェスティバル・ホールを捉えた名盤が「ALL THE FAVORITE MELODIES」。今や懐かしさすら覚えるZIONレーベルからの名作、そのリリースが2007年ということもあり入手困難になって久しく、S&Gマニアから再発のリクエストが絶えないタイトルの一つでもありました。
何しろモノラルながらも実に素晴らしいオーディエンス録音で、さすがに「まるでサウンドボード」の域までは及ばなくとも、大阪フェスティバル・ホールにおける1974年の日本公演の記録としては文句の付けようがない音質の良さが人気の秘訣。おまけにテープ自体が大事に保管されていたのでしょう、鮮度も非常に良く、それもまた独自の聞き心地の良さに大きく貢献してくれたのでした。

そんな名盤の再発がGraf Zeppelin監修のもと遂に実現。とはいえGraf Zeppelinをして「ほとんどそのまま」と言わしめるほどテープの状態がよく、音質や内容が劇的に変化しての再発…というよりは、あくまで入手困難となって久しかったポール・サイモン初来日の名盤がようやく再登場を果たすとだと捉えていただければ。
本当に本盤のオーディエンス録音は素晴らしい音質でして、ツアー二日目にして異国の地でのステージでの緊張（初日はサイモンがサングラスをかけてステージに上がったのは有名な話）から解かれ、非常にリラックスした雰囲気でステージに挑んでいる様子も音質が良いので手に取るように解ります。
その極めつけと言えるのが「Homeward Bound」と「American Tune」の間のやりとり。ここでポールは女性ファンからプレゼントを受け取っただけでなく、何とその場でライブを中断して「開けていいかな？」言い出した挙句、中に入っていた手紙を読み上げたのでした（笑）。これは今の日本ではちょっと考えられないような、あるいは90年代以降は東京ドームが当たり前となってしまった彼の来日公演からは想像もできないような牧歌的な光景にほっこり。

そんな抜群の音質や昭和の日本のいい部分を切り取ったかのような臨場感はもちろん、ライブ前半をウルバンバとの民族系サウンド、後半をジェシー・ディクソン・シンガーズとのゴスペルに分けた構成もまだ「ロック」より「ポップス」であった当時の日本人にとって非常に解りやすいものでした。さらに来日記念盤として先行発売されていたオフィシャル「ライブ・サイモン」こと「PAUL SIMON IN CONCERT: LIVE RHYMIN’」がこの上ない予行練習となったのでしょう。
ほとんどすべての曲でイントロが始まると最初の拍手が起き、ポールが歌い始めると二度目の拍手が起きる場面というのがまたあまりに昭和の洋楽コンサートらしくて微笑ましい（イントロと歌の合間でウルバンバがメロディを吹き始める「Scarborough Fair」に至っては三度も！）。こんなところからもネットやSNSといった手段がなく、今よりも一アーティストの来日公演が圧倒的に貴重な体験となりえた70年代の日本の洋楽コンサートの臨場感が伝わってきます。
そしてS＆Gクラシックはもちろん、ポールのソロ初期の「Mother And Child Reunion」での盛り上がりは凄まじいの一言。いかに当時の日本人がポール・サイモンを前にして狂喜乱舞していたのかがヒシヒシと伝わってきます。その音質の良さに加えて実に感動的なステージング。本当にいい時代の洋楽ロック・コンサートの記録だったのだと思い知らされるばかり。これぞ待望の再発ではないでしょうか。

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REMASTERED BY GRAF ZEPPELIN

★位相若干修正(Disc2は元々殆ど問題ないですが)
★Disc1は右ch､Disc2では左chの音量が若干小さかったので補正｡
★帯域的にはナチュラルでヒスリダクションも掛かっておらず問題ないため､殆どそのままです｡

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Disc 1 (51:01)
01. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
02. Was A Sunny Day
03. Cecilia
04. Homeward Bound
05. American Tune
06. El Condor Pasa
07. Duncan
08. Death In Santa Cruz
09. Kacharpari
10. Scarborough Fair
11. The Boxer

Disc 2 (50:05)
01. Mrs. Robinson
02. Kodachrome
03. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)
04. I Am A Rock
05. Mother And Child Reunion
06. The Sounds Of Silence
07. What Do You Call Him
08. Jesus Is The Answer
09. Bridge Over Troubled Water
10. Loves Me Like A Rock
11. Bye Bye Love
12. America

ZION-234