Queen & Adam Lambert / Osaka 2020 / 2CD

Queen & Adam Lambert / Osaka 2020 / 2CD / Wardour

Live at Kyocera Dome Osaka, Osaka, Japan 28th January 2020 Original Masters

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“THE RHAPSODY TOUR” by QUEEN + Adam Lampert, who continues to excite sound source enthusiasts even after the Japan tour. The definitive ultra-superb original recording is the first appearance.
て い る What is engraved on this work is “January 28, 2020: Kyocera Dome Osaka”. It is a transcendent audience recording. At our shop, we start with a preliminary report during the tour, and now we are introducing the top recording of each show on the press CD. In this work, the west Japan edition in the latter half of the tour has also been permanently saved, and the top works of all the shows have been completed. First, let’s organize the collection by dates.

・ January 25 “SAITAMA SUPER ARENA 2020 1ST NIGHT”
・ January 26 “SAITAMA SUPER ARENA 2020 2ND NIGHT”
・ January 28: Kyocera Dome Osaka ← ★ This work ★
・ January 30 “NAGOYA 2020”
* Note: Only the vertex press album on each day.

[Complete first appearance master that is super fine even without processing] More than 4 performances. The top works of the Kanto edition released last week, “SAITAMA SUPER ARENA 2020 1ST NIGHT (Wardour-401)” and “2ND NIGHT (Wardour-402)” have been very well received, but this week and “NAGOYA” 2020 (Wardour-404)] also appeared. All performances can now be enjoyed on permanent preservation press CDs. This work is special even in such a press series. As a matter of fact, the other three performances are the ultimate form of re-mastering the Uxbridge master, which was released as a preliminary release. It was at the top of the recording that was sent right after the show, but eventually no more masters came out. But only Osaka was different. This work is genuine and completely first appearance master. I also mastered the masterpiece “OSAKA DOME 2020 (Uxbridge 1203)” which was a preliminary release, but this work is a super-excellent recording that surpasses the original mom!
In fact, the quality is transcendental. Anyway, the core is strong and there is no sense of distance. In the MC between the songs, I can feel the sound of the venue echoing the sound of Adam, but when the performance starts, I can hardly feel the sound of the venue. Strictly speaking, there is also a sound, but the density of the core is too high, the details are vivid and detailed, so it feels transparent. Moreover, it is extremely natural. “SAITAMA SUPER ARENA 2020 1ST NIGHT” and “2ND NIGHT” and “NAGOYA 2020” of this week have been finished as natural as possible, but they are not unprocessed. If you’re an audio savvy person, you might have felt the peak of the guitar when listening microscopically with headphones. However, this work does not even exist. While reproducing the Kyocera Dome space naturally and faithfully, the vividness is unmatched by a dome recording.
は ず That should be it, the record of this work is “Western Japan’s strongest taper” familiar in our shop. Although it is no longer a self-explanatory master, this work is out of his collection. The “strongest” collection, which is always reputed as “sound board” and “sound better than the site”, is mostly a club or hall. The recording of the dome was above average, but at a level that was “great for a dome.” However, this work achieves “that sound” in the dome which is mistaken for a hall recording!
Furthermore, audience noise is also a special note. This time, “THE RHAPSODY TOUR” is a tremendous popularity since the 1980’s, and famous recordings in various places have also absorbed the enthusiasm. Even in the Uxbridge board “OSAKA DOME 2020”, which we reported the other day, we heard applause and conversation. However, this work has very few of them. Although it is not possible to say “none” like “the strongest” hall recording, he can soak in the stage performance and Adam’s singing voice as incomparable with other works.

[Permanently preserved glorious Osaka performance] シ ョ The show drawn with the sound is a treasure chest of the ultimate masterpiece. In the past two visits to Japan, we changed the set on a daily basis, but this time it is almost common for the four performances in Tomei Osaka. The contents of the set that had the largest number of songs in the past have been repeated many times, so let’s organize the set based on the past Osaka performances here.

● Songs played in the previous Osaka (2014)
・ Now I’m Here / Seven Seas of Rhye / Killer Queen / Somebody to Love / Another One Bites the Dust / Love of My Life / Crazy Little Thing Called Love / Under Pressure / Who Wants to Live Forever / Radio Ga Ga / Bohemian Rhapsody / We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions
・ Limited to Japan: Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) / I Was Born To Love You

● The song that was unveiled in Osaka this time
・ Since 1998 (Brian’s solo): I Want It All / The Show Must Go On / ’39 / Hammer to Fall / Tie Your Mother Down
・ Since 1985: Keep Yourself Alive / Dragon Attack / I Want to Break Free
・ Since 1979: Don’t Stop Me Now / I’m in Love With My Car / Bicycle Race
・ Since 1976: In the Lap of the Gods … Revisited / Doing All Right

… and it looks like this. Looking at Osaka only, the last time was QUEEN + Adam’s first visit to Japan (2014), and before that the party played the QUEEN number on Brian’s “ANOTHER WORLD TOUR”. Before that was Freddie’s last “THE WORKS TOUR”, and there were plenty of famous songs since the 70’s / 80’s. Especially valuable are “I Want It All” and “The Show Must Go On”. It was performed on Brian’s solo tour in 1998, but this is Osaka for the first time under the name of QUEEN. The solo venue was the IMP Hall, so most people would have seen live music for the first time.
And performance is also fulfilling. This show is the fifth performance in 2020, including the Korean performance just before coming to Japan. No matter how big a veteran is, it is necessary to step on the number of performances before it can show its essence, and this performance in Japan is at a stage where the performance is getting better. Although it is general theory, the 5th performance is just when the set gets used to the body and full-scale driving starts, and from this work you can also feel the ensemble of the rising tone.
THE “THE RHAPSODY TOUR” which caused enthusiasm in Higashi Meihan comparable to its heyday. I think many people will want to record audiences as a memory of a concert they actually went to, but the quality of this work is beyond that dimension. A super masterpiece that stands at the top not only of direct feeling but also of overwhelming natural feeling among the four press titles that match masterpieces. It is an inevitable live album that anyone who has seen any show should experience.

ジャパンツアー終了後も音源マニアを沸かせ続けているQUEEN+アダム・ランパートの“THE RHAPSODY TOUR”。その決定打となる超極上オリジナル録音が初登場です。
そんな本作に刻まれているのは「2020年1月28日:京セラドーム大阪」。その超絶級オーディエンス録音です。当店ではツアー中の速報レポートから始まり、現在は各ショウの頂点録音をプレスCDでご紹介中。本作は、ツアー後半の西日本編も永久保存が完了し、すべてのショウの頂点作が出揃いました。まずは、そのコレクションを日程で整理してみましょう。

・1月25日『SAITAMA SUPER ARENA 2020 1ST NIGHT』
・1月26日『SAITAMA SUPER ARENA 2020 2ND NIGHT』
・1月28日:京セラドーム大阪 ←★本作★
・1月30日『NAGOYA 2020』
※注:各日とも頂点プレスアルバムのみ。

【無加工でも超極上な完全初登場マスター】
以上、全4公演。先週リリースされた関東編の頂点作『SAITAMA SUPER ARENA 2020 1ST NIGHT(Wardour-401)』『同 2ND NIGHT(Wardour-402)』が大好評を賜っておりますが、今週はさらに本作と『NAGOYA 2020(Wardour-404)』も登場。全公演が永久保存プレスCDで楽しめるようになりました。そんなプレス・シリーズの中でも、本作は特別。実のところ、他3公演は速報リリースとなったUxbridgeマスターをリマスタリングして究極形に仕上げたもの。ショウ直後に寄せられた録音の中で頂点だったわけですが、結局はその後も超えるマスターが出てこなかったのです。しかし、大阪だけは違った。本作は正真正銘、完全初登場のマスター。速報リリースだった傑作『OSAKA DOME 2020(Uxbridge 1203)』もマスタリングしてみましたが、本作は素のママで凌駕してしまう超・極上録音なのです!
実際、そのクオリティは超絶。とにかく芯が力強く、距離感がない。曲間のMCではアダムの声に会場に響き渡る鳴りを感じもしますが、いざ演奏が始まると会場鳴りをほとんど感じない。厳密に言えば鳴りも存在するのですが、芯の密度があまりにも高く、ディテールがえらくビビッドで詳細なために透き通って感じる。しかも、極めてナチュラル。先日ご紹介した『SAITAMA SUPER ARENA 2020 1ST NIGHT』『同 2ND NIGHT』や今週の『NAGOYA 2020』も可能な限り自然なバランスに仕上げてはおりますが、無加工なわけではない。オーディオに詳しい方なら、ヘッドフォンで顕微鏡的に聴き込むとギターのピークに感じられたかも知れません。しかし、本作はそれさえない。どこまでも自然かつ忠実に京セラドームの空間を再現しつつ、ドーム録音らしからぬ鮮やかさなのです。
それもそのはず、本作を記録したのは当店でお馴染み“西日本最強テーパー”氏。もはや説明不要な名手中の名手ですが、本作は彼のコレクションの中でもズバ抜けている。常に「まるでサウンドボード」「現場より良い音」と評判の高い“最強”氏コレクションですが、そのほとんどはクラブ規模やホール規模。ドーム録音も並以上ではありつつ、「ドームにしては凄い」というレベルでした。ところが、本作はホール録音と聞き間違える“あのサウンド”をドームで成し遂げているのです!
さらに言えば、オーディエンス・ノイズも特筆モノ。今回の“THE RHAPSODY TOUR”は80年代以来という凄まじい人気ぶりだけに、各地の名録音も熱狂ぶりを吸い込んでいる。先日速報レポートしたUxbridge盤『OSAKA DOME 2020』にしても、間近な拍手や会話声も聞かれました。しかし、本作はそれが非常に少ない。“最強”氏のホール録音のように「皆無」とまでは言えないものの、他諸作とは比較にならないほどステージの演奏音とアダムの歌声に浸りきれるのです。

【永久保存された栄光の大阪公演】
そのサウンドで描かれるショウは、至極となる名曲の宝箱。過去二度の来日では日替わりでセットを変えていましたが、今回は東名阪4公演でほぼ共通。過去最大曲数となったセット内容は何度も繰り返してきましたので、ここでは歴代の大阪公演を踏まえた上でセットを整理しておきましょう。

●前回の大阪(2014年)でも演奏した曲
・Now I’m Here/Seven Seas of Rhye/Killer Queen/Somebody to Love/Another One Bites the Dust/Love of My Life/Crazy Little Thing Called Love/Under Pressure/Who Wants to Live Forever/Radio Ga Ga/Bohemian Rhapsody/We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions
・日本限定曲:Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)/I Was Born To Love You

●今回、大阪初披露となった曲
・1998年(ブライアンのソロ)以来:I Want It All/The Show Must Go On/’39/Hammer to Fall/Tie Your Mother Down
・1985年以来:Keep Yourself Alive/Dragon Attack/I Want to Break Free
・1979年以来:Don’t Stop Me Now/I’m in Love With My Car/Bicycle Race
・1976年以来:In the Lap of the Gods… Revisited/Doing All Right

……と、このようになっています。大阪に限定してみると前回はQUEEN+アダムの初来日(2014年)で、その前に当事者がQUEENナンバーを演奏したのはブライアンの“ANOTHER WORLD TOUR”。その前がフレディ生前最後の“THE WORKS TOUR”となり、70年代/80年代以来となる名曲もたっぷり披露されてるのです。特に貴重なのは「I Want It All」「The Show Must Go On」でしょうか。1998年のブライアンのソロツアーで演奏されましたが、QUEENの名の下では今回が初大阪。ソロでは会場もIMPホールでしたので、初めて生演奏を目の当たりにした人がほとんどだった事でしょう。
そして、演奏面でも充実。来日直前の韓国公演を含めても、このショウは2020年で5公演目。いかに大ベテランと言っても本領を発揮するまでには何公演か場数を踏む必要があり、今回の来日公演は調子を上げていく段階。一般論ではありますが、5公演目というのはちょうどセットが身体に馴染んで全力運転が始まる頃であり、本作からもその上り調子のアンサンブルが感じ取れるのです。
東名阪で全盛期に匹敵する熱狂を巻き起こした“THE RHAPSODY TOUR”。多くの方が実際に足を運ばれたコンサートの想い出としてオーディエンス録音をお求めになると思いますが、本作のクオリティはその次元を超えている。傑作揃いのプレス4タイトルの中でも、ダイレクト感だけでなく圧倒的なナチュラル感で頂点に立つ超傑作。どのショウをご覧になった方にもご体験いただきたい絶対不可避のライヴアルバムです。

Disc 1 (66:33)
1. Intro
2. Innuendo
3. Now I’m Here
4. Seven Seas of Rhye
5. Keep Yourself Alive
6. Hammer to Fall
7. Killer Queen
8. Don’t Stop Me Now
9. Somebody to Love
10. In the Lap of the Gods… Revisited
11. I’m in Love With My Car
12. Bicycle Race
13. Another One Bites the Dust
14. I Want It All
15. Brian MC
16. Teo Torriatte
17. Love of My Life
18. ’39
19. Doing All Right

Disc 2 (71:04)
1. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
2. Under Pressure
3. Dragon Attack
4. I Was Born To Love You
5. I Want to Break Free
6. You Take My Breath Away
7. Who Wants to Live Forever
8. Guitar Solo
9. Tie Your Mother Down
10. The Show Must Go On
11. Radio Ga Ga
12. Bohemian Rhapsody
13. Ay‐Oh
14. We Will Rock You
15. We Are the Champions
16. God Save the Queen

Wardour-403

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