Queen / Budokan 1981 Final Night Definitive Master / 1CD

Queen / Budokan 1981 Final Night Definitive Master / 1CD / Wardour
Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 18th February 1981

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QUEEN in the “THE GAME” era, where both albums and singles were sent to No. 1 in the United States, and “GREATEST HITS” became a historic blockbuster. Two unreleased masters who have vacuum-packed the performance in Japan and have been unveiled for the first time in the world have been unearthed at the same time! It is a miracle simultaneous release decision. Although the two masters this time were excavated from a route that has nothing to do with each other, they were recorded on the same day. It is a shocking audience recording of the “February 18, 1981: Nippon Budokan” performance.

[Ultra-high-quality sound board that jumped out of the topical master collection] Although four types of recordings have been known for this show, both of these two are the best impact masters for the first time. While the simultaneous release “BUDOKAN 1981 FINAL NIGHT: COMPLETE MASTER (Wardour-475)” is a complete version of the show as its name suggests, this work is a live album that overwhelms others with its incomplete but outstanding sound. You may be wondering what the imperfections are, but in reality, this “imperfections” is also due to the fact that it was not a recording error but an incident that occurred at the scene. Until then, it’s something to listen to.
Before the content of concern, first of all, the position of the show. At our shop, we have archived many masterpieces of Japan tours in their heyday, but all of our visits to Japan in 1981 tend to be a little confusing because they are all at Nippon Budokan. Now let’s look back at the schedule at the time and organize the collection.

・ February 12 “BATTLE THEME (Nippon Budokan)”
・ February 13 “DEFINITIVE BUDOKAN 1981 2ND NIGHT”
-Off for 2 days-
・ February 16 “BUDOKAN 1981 3RD NIGHT”
・ February 17, “DEFINITIVE BUDOKAN 1981 4TH NIGHT”
・ February 18: Nippon Budokan ← ★ This work ★
* Note: Only representative works on each day.

Above, all 5 performances. So far, we have introduced live albums from the first day to the fourth day, but this work is the only remaining last day. It is the first appearance recording. What’s more, the surprise is that this work has updated the highest and highest peaks ever. On this final day, four types of recordings were known, including recordings not handled by our shop, but this work sounds better than any of them.
Actually, the sound is shocking. The clapping of hands must be a vivid audience recording, but the essential performance sound / singing voice is completely out of the common sense of the guest record. A powerful and on core is struck in front of you, and the details that accompany it are also super detailed. Even on a bass that is difficult to record, the gritty attack sound and the groove that is created by connecting them will shine brightly in black. It’s definitely Nippon Budokan only in 1981, but it doesn’t have a reverberant component like the outdoors in terms of sound. Although there is evidence of audience recording in the snare sound, it is almost a sound board … it is also the best sound of the official work level.
There is also a reason why it became such a superb sound. In addition to the good position of “Arena E row”, the recording technique itself is more than that. Some of you may have come to the point, but the person who worked on this work is a person who is talking about super-name recordings such as WHITESNAKE, Jeff Beck, THE POLICE, AC / DC and so on. Its quality has won high praise as “official work level” and “Japanese Mike Millard”, and this work is also a collection of such masters.

[A vivid incident scene where a battle for competition suddenly occurred] It was a mysterious super high quality sound that was completely stored, but in terms of content, it is understandable. This is because it is incompletely recorded as introduced at the beginning. So why did the master who was so accustomed to recording stop halfway through? That’s because there was a great deal of confusion at the scene. It was recorded without incident for about an hour after the performance started, but the incident happened with “Keep Yourself Alive”. He threw the tambourine, which Freddie was hitting in a good mood, right next to the taper.
Of course, the surroundings were competing at once. The women’s screams boiled, and the voice shook vigorously with a rattling noise. The screams didn’t last long, and the desperate appearance of them came to my mind from the fact that they were swallowed in pieces with a “hit” feeling. And the sound of the tambourine being scrambled … This is close to fierce. I don’t know if the taper itself won, but it’s still not strange. After that, recording resumes after a pause, but recording ends immediately. The historic super-masterpiece became an unfinished masterpiece, and for as long as 40 years, it couldn’t be heard by anyone and kept sleeping …
Anyway, superb quality. It is a live album with super high sound quality that surpasses all conventional recordings (lightly). With such a miracle sound, you can witness the heyday of QUEEN and witness the scene of a vivid trouble. You can’t taste the full form of the show, but the ultra-realistic experience is so delicious that it’s out of the question. Enjoy the press CD that conveys the impact of new excavation forever!

★ Recording of a transcendental audience for the performance of “February 18, 1981: Nippon Budokan”. Despite the incomplete recording up to the middle of the show, the quality is superb, the strong on core is struck in front of you, and the details that accompany it are also super detailed. There is no reverberant component like in the open air, and it is almost a sound board … It is also the best sound of the official work level. And the scene where the recording is interrupted is also a highlight. Freddie threw a tambourine into the audience in “Keep Yourself Alive” and a battle broke out just beside the taper. A scream also boiled. You can also experience the noisy scene where you can no longer record.

★★ Complete first appearance sound source. Super high sound quality.

アルバムもシングルも全米No.1に送り込み、『GREATEST HITS』も歴史的大ヒットとなった『THE GAME』時代のQUEEN。その来日公演を真空パックした全世界初公開の未発表マスターが２本同時に新発掘！　奇跡の同時リリース決定です。今回の２本のマスターは互いに何の関係もないルートから発掘されたにも関わらず、なんと同日録音。「1981年２月18日：日本武道館」公演の衝撃オーディエンス録音なのです。

【話題の達人コレクションから飛び出した超高音質盤】
このショウはこれまで４種の録音が知られてきましたが、今回の２本はどちらも初公開にして極上の衝撃マスター。同時リリースの『BUDOKAN 1981 FINAL NIGHT: COMPLETE MASTER（Wardour-475）』はその名の通りショウの完全版なのに対し、本作は不完全ながらズバ抜けた最高峰サウンドで他を圧倒するライヴアルバムです。「なんだ不完全なのか」と思われるかも知れませんが、実はこの「不完全」もワケ有りでして、その理由も録音ミスではなく現場で起きた事件によるもの。それまでもが聴きどころだったりするのです。
その気になる内容の前に、まずはショウのポジション。当店では全盛期のジャパンツアーも数々の名作でアーカイヴしておりますが、1981年の来日はすべて日本武道館なこともあってやや混乱しがち。ここで当時のスケジュールを振り返り、コレクションを整理してみましょう。

・２月12日『BATTLE THEME（日本武道館）』
・２月13日『DEFINITIVE BUDOKAN 1981 2ND NIGHT』
ー２日間オフー
・２月16日『BUDOKAN 1981 3RD NIGHT』
・２月17日『DEFINITIVE BUDOKAN 1981 4TH NIGHT』
・２月18日：日本武道館　←★本作★
※注：各日とも代表作のみ。

以上、全５公演。これまで当店では初日から４日目までのライヴアルバムをご紹介してきましたが、本作は唯一の残されていた最終日。その初登場録音なのです。しかも、驚きのは本作は過去最高・最高峰を更新していること。この最終日には、当店で扱っていない録音も含めて４種の録音が知られてきましたが、本作はそのどれよりも音が良いのです。
実際、そのサウンドは衝撃的。几帳面な手拍子も生々しいオーディエンス録音には違いないのですが、肝心の演奏音／歌声は完全に客録の常識外。力強くオンな芯が目の前に突きつけられ、それに伴うディテールも超詳細。録音の難しいベースでさえ、ゴリゴリとしたアタック音も、それが連なって生まれるグルーヴも艶々と黒光りするよう。1981年だけに間違いなく日本武道館なのですが、サウンド的にはまるで野外のように反響成分がない。スネアの鳴りにオーディエンス録音の証はあるものの、ほぼほぼサウンドボード……それも公式作品レベルの極上サウンドなのです。
それだけの極上サウンドになったのにも理由がある。「アリーナＥ列」という好ポジションもさることながら、それ以上なのが録音家自身の技術。もうピンと来ている方もいらっしゃるでしょうが、本作を手掛けたのはWHITESNAKEやジェフ・ベック、THE POLICE、AC/DC等々の超名録音で話題を振りまいている人物。そのクオリティは「オフィシャル作品レベル」「日本のマイク・ミラード」との激賞を集めておりますが、本作もまた、そんな達人の蔵出しコレクションなのです。

【突如として争奪戦が起きた生々しい事件現場】
まったくもってお蔵入りとなっていたのが不思議なほどの超ハイクオリティ・サウンドなのですが、内容的にはお蔵入りも理解できる。冒頭でご紹介した通り不完全収録だからです。ではなぜ、それほど録音慣れした達人が途中で止めてしまったのか。それは、現場で大混乱が起きたから。開演から約１時間ほどは何事もなく録音されていたのですが、「Keep Yourself Alive」で事件は起きた。フレディが機嫌良く叩いていたタンバリンをテーパーのすぐ側に投げ込んだのです。
もちろん、周囲は一気に争奪戦。女性達の悲鳴が沸き立ち、ガタガタとした騒音と共に音声が豪快に揺れまくる。その悲鳴も長く続かず、「ひっ」という感じで切れ切れに飲み込まれるところからも、彼女達の必死の形相が目に浮かぶ。そして、奪い合いにされるタンバリンの音……これが猛烈に近い。テーパー自身が勝ち取ったのかどうかは分かりませんが、それでもおかしくないくらいなのです。その後、一時停止の後で録音が再開されるものの、すぐに録音は終了。歴史的な超名録音は未完の傑作となり、40年もの長きにわたり、誰の耳にも届かず眠り続けたのです……。
とにもかくにも、超極上のクオリティ。あらゆる従来録音を（軽々と）凌駕する超高音質のライヴアルバムです。そんな奇跡のサウンドで全盛のQUEENを目の当たりにし、生々しいトラブルの現場に立ち会える。ショウの完全形を味わう事はできませんが、それを問題外にするほど超リアル体験が美味しすぎる１枚。新発掘の衝撃を永久に伝えるプレスCDで存分にお楽しみください！

★「1981年２月18日：日本武道館」公演の超絶級オーディエンス録音。ショウ中盤までの不完全録音ながらクオリティは超極上で、強くオンな芯が目の前に突きつけられ、それに伴うディテールも超詳細。まるで野外のように反響成分がなく、ほぼほぼサウンドボード……それも公式作品レベルの極上サウンドです。そして、録音の中断シーンも聴きどころ。「Keep Yourself Alive」でフレディがタンバリンを客席に投げ込み、テーパーのすぐ側で争奪戦が勃発。悲鳴も沸き起こり。録音できなくなってしまう騒然とした現場も超極上体験できます。

★★完全初登場音源。超高音質。

 

(55:30)
1. We Will Rock You (Fast)
2. Let Me Entertain You
3. The Millionaire Waltz★
4. Play the Game
5. Mustapha
6. Death on Two Legs
7. Killer Queen
8. I’m in Love With My Car
9. Get Down, Make Love
10. Rock It (Prime Jive)
11. Save Me
12. Now I’m Here
13. Dragon Attack
14. Now I’m Here(Reprise)
15. Sakura Sakura
16. Love of My Life
17. Keep Yourself Alive ★1：30 フレディが歌い出しでタンバリンを客席前方に投げる→客席大混乱！！

Freddie’s Tambourine Attack!!

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