Rainbow / Definitive LA Connection / 2 CDR

Rainbow / Definitive LA Connection / 2 CDR / Non Label

Translated Text:

Live At Warners Theater, Fresno, CA, USA 21st May 1978 & Louisville Gardens, Louisville, KY, USA 27th May 1978.

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In the North American tour accompanying RAINBOW’s “LONG LIVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL”, the Atlanta performance on July 23 where the sound source for broadcast remains is particularly famous, but “LA Connection” of the rare song was taken up 5 The Fresno performance of the Moon and the audience recording of the Louisville show are well known among fans.
The two performances were considered to be classic ones that were outdated several years ago, but this work “DEFINITIVE LA CONNECTION” which was included in both sounds that confirmed the master quality is a sense of unnecessary equalization A natural sound image which does not make it feel at all surprised also the mania who listened to the episode. This work which made the maniacs also groaned is re-emerging in response to the hot love calls of the fans!

RAINBOW ’78 ‘America tour is a circuit which was mainly held as REO SPEEDWAGON’ s undercard, which is compact compared to show in Europe and Japan, but the show ‘s density is high, it does not give a rest to listeners. Besides playing “LA Connection” that makes these performances special, the band’s performance playing aggressive to succeed in the American market will be very attractive to listener’s ears.

Disk 1 has recorded the Fresno performance “Warner’s Theater” performance of May 21st for 64 minutes. The sound image captured by Ronnie’s vocals in a wonderful omission is amazing, the Koji’s drums backed by the bass power, the Ritchie guitar with cuts will bring a certain listening response to the listener. It will be nice for fans to hear the bass of Bob Disley clearly while booming somewhat. Following the MC “Mistreated” from the opening “Kill The King”, Ronnie’s “2 songs from the new album”, the tricky riffs are inscribed and “LA Connection” of this project starts. It is the same song that seems not to be much directed, but the rhythm of fat tone and the powerful song of Ronie are wonderful. The content of the performance is also quite interesting, such as Richie also listens to the ad lib of the Middle Eastern scale with a solo using a slide. From here the medley will be expanded to “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” and I feel the enthusiasm of the band for promoting a new album.
Due to the limitation of the time limit, “Lazy” will not be picked up on the “Man On The Silver Mountain” intro and will enter straight into the main volume of this song. The start of a song different from the pattern heard in Japanese performance is rather fresh. In this “Man On The Silver Mountain” medley, a fine cut occurs due to tape reversal from “Blues” to Ronnie’s vocal improvolution. However after that the overall sound omission and lightness also improves (somewhat), and the bass that was a bit boomy will not be bothered by distortion. “Still I’m Sad” and Cozy’s drum solos can also fully enjoy the sound which combines clearness and power. This is the part I want you to compare to those people who are concerned about the noise feeling of the beginning.

Disk 2 is Louisville’s performance on May 27th hit 6 days after Fresno performance. Whether the taper took time to install the microphone, here is the part where the sound is slightly shaken at the beginning of “Kill The King”, but after that, enjoy the pattern of the show with a high-quality sound recorded reasonably from the low region to the high region I can do it.
“L.A. Connection” in this Louisville show is characterized by a break between the intro riffs. As a result, the timing at which everyone’s performance enters does not match, although it is an unconstrained performance, the attempt to try to arrange a more effective hook arrangement will be evaluated (and in the middle slide solo, Fresno and The difference is playing on a normal scale). Although I’ve been playing the whole thing cleanly, including an incomplete break of the last, I still have an impression “not suitable for live” impression. It was probably because Richie looked back on the performance and thought that “I want to stop this song already” that this song was set on this day as well. Also on this day also expand from “L.A. Connection” to “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” in the medley.
It will take about two minutes for Ritchie to begin tuning after these two songs and to enter “Man On The Silver Mountain”, but since then it has been a performance of boulders, It will entertain me. As for this recording as well as Disk 1, a fine cut seen as a tape change occurs at “Man On The Silver Mountain” (around 1:27), but it is nearly 20 minutes over the overall recording time, over 3 minutes “Mistreated” playing long, “Man On The Silver Mountain” where you can listen to the intro using “Lazy”, “Still I’m Sad” featuring guitar solo over 5 minutes at the beginning of the performance, A fulfilling performance that is also linked to the European tour in 1977 and the same year ‘s tour in Japan is a big listening place. The performances of the time when the composition of the show goes towards completion, including the arrangement of details, are full of listening places and it can be said that it is an important scene in ’78 LIVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL “tour .

Although the take of the 1978 live sound source will be a standard in the Japanese performance, only the very few sound sources of this American tour are known on the live after “LONG LIVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL” has been released. As a result, the tour is in the final stage of RAINBOW in the Ronni era, and it is also possible to position it as the general decision of the Ronnie era. Among them, this work which contained the top class rare live with the highest sound quality, one which I want to acquire absolutely if RAINBOW fans. Originally if there is a single release on the press CD, there is an appropriate historical sound source, those who have not yet owned will get it this time!
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RAINBOWの「LONG LIVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL」に伴う北米ツアーにおいては、放送用音源が残っている7月23日のアトランタ公演が特に有名ですが、レア曲の「L.A. Connection」が取り上げられた5月のフレスノ公演とルイビル公演のオーディエンス録音も、ファンの間ではよく知られています。
この2公演は数年前に出た既発盤が定番とされていましたが、両公演を共にマスター・クオリティを確信させるサウンドで収めた本作「DEFINITIVE L.A. CONNECTION」は、余計なイコライズ感を一切感じさせないナチュラルな音像が、既発を聴き込んだマニアをも驚かせました。今回はマニアをも唸らせた本作が、ファンの熱いラブコールに応えて再登場です!

RAINBOWの’78年アメリカツアーは主にREO SPEEDWAGONの前座としてサーキットしたもので、ヨーロッパや日本におけるショウに較べてコンパクトな内容ですが、ショウの密度は高く、聴き手に休む間を与えません。この両公演をスペシャルな存在にしている「L.A. Connection」はもちろん、アメリカ市場で成功しようとアグレッシヴなプレイを繰り広げるバンドの演奏は、聴き手の耳を大いに惹き付ける事でしょう。

ディスク1には5月21日のフレスノ公演”ワーナーズ・シアター”公演を、64分間に渡り収録しています。ロニーのヴォーカルが素晴らしい抜けの良さで捉えられた音像は驚くほどで、低音のパワーに裏付けられたコージーのドラム、切れのあるリッチーのギターは確かな聴き応えを聴き手にもたらしてくれます。ややブーミーながらボブ・ディスリーのベースがはっきり聴こえるのもファンには嬉しいでしょう。オープニングの「Kill The King」から「Mistreated」挟み、ロニーの「ニューアルバムから2曲」というMCに続き、トリッキーなリフが刻まれて本作目玉の「L.A. Connection」がスタートします。あまりライヴ向きでは無いと思われる同曲ですが、ファットな音色のリズムとロニーのパワフルな歌はさすが。リッチーもスライドを用いたソロで中近東音階のアドリブを聴かせるなど、演奏内容もなかなか面白いです。ここからメドレーで「Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll」に展開する構成は新作アルバムのプロモーションにかけるバンドの意気込みを感じます。
時間制限の都合からか、この日は「Man On The Silver Mountain」イントロで「Lazy」が取り上げられず、曲本編へストレートに突入します。日本公演で聴けたパターンとは異なる曲のスタートはむしろ新鮮です。この「Man On The Silver Mountain」メドレーでは、「Blues」からロニーのヴォーカル・インプロヴィゼーションにかけてテープ反転に伴う微細なカットが発生します。しかしそれ以降は全体的な音の抜けや明度も(多少ながら)向上し、ややブーミーだった低音も歪みがほとんど気にならなくなります。「Still I’m Sad」とコージーのドラムソロもクリアさと迫力を併せ持ったサウンドで満喫できます。ここは既発のノイズ感が気になった人にぜひ聴き比べて欲しいパートです。

ディスク2はフレスノ公演から6日後に当たる5月27日のルイビル公演です。テーパーがマイクの設置に手間取ったのか、こちらでは「Kill The King」冒頭でやや音が揺らぐ部分もありますが、以降は低域から高域まで無理なく録音された上質なサウンドでショウの模様を堪能できます。
このルイビル公演における「L.A. Connection」では、イントロ・リフの間にブレイクを挟んでいるのが特徴です。結果として全員の演奏が入るタイミングが合わず、締まりのない演奏になってはいますが、よりフックの効いたアレンジを聴かせようとした試みは評価されます(また中間のスライドソロでは、フレスノと違い通常の音階で弾いています)。全体的にカッチリした演奏に終始していますが、ラストの中途半端なブレイクも含み、やはり「ライヴに向かない」印象は残ります。この日をもって同曲がセット落ちしたのも、リッチーが演奏の出来を振り返り「もうこの曲は止めよう」と考えたからかも知れません。なお、この日も「L.A. Connection」からメドレーで「Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll」に展開します。
この2曲の後でリッチーがチューニングを始め、「Man On The Silver Mountain」へ入るのに2分ほど掛かりますが、これ以降は磐石の演奏で、ラストまで安定感と爆発力に富んだ演奏を楽しませてくれます。本録音もディスク1と同様「Man On The Silver Mountain」(1:27頃)にテープチェンジと見られる微細なカットが発生しますが、全体的な録音時間では20分近くも上回り、3分以上長く演奏している「Mistreated」や、「Lazy」を用いたイントロが聴ける「Man On The Silver Mountain」、演奏冒頭で5分以上に渡るギターソロがフィーチャーされた「Still I’m Sad」など、’77年ヨーロッパツアーや同年来日公演にも通じる充実した演奏は大きな聴き所です。細部のアレンジも含めてショウの構成が完成に向かっていく時期の演奏は聴き所に溢れており、’78年の「LONG LIVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL」ツアーにおける重要な一場面だと言えるでしょう。

1978年のライヴ音源は日本公演でのテイクが定番でしょうが、「LONG LIVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL」リリース後のライヴではこのアメリカツアーの、しかもごく一部の音源しか知られていません。同ツアーは結果的にロニー時代RAINBOWにおいて最後期に当たり、ロニー時代の総決算と位置づける事も可能です。その中でもトップクラスのレアライヴを極上の音質で収めた本作は、RAINBOWファンならば絶対に手に入れておきたい一本。本来ならばプレスCDでの単独リリースがあって然るべき歴史的音源を、未所有の方は今度こそ手に入れてください!

Disc 1
Live at Warners Theater, Fresno, CA. USA 21st May 1978

1. Intro. 2. Over The Rainbow 3. Kill The King 4. Mistreated 5. L.A. Connection
6. Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll 7. Man On The Silver Mountain 8. Blues
9. Vocal Improvisation/Night People/Man On The Silver Mountain 10. Still I’m Sad
11. Beethoven 9th/Keyboard Solo 12. Drum Solo feat. 1812 Overture 13. Still I’m Sad(reprise)

Disc 2
Live at Louisville Gardens, Louisville, KY. USA 27th May 1978

1. Intro. 2. Over The Rainbow 3. Kill The King 4. Mistreated 5. L.A. Connection
6. Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll 7. Lazy/Man On The Silver Mountain 8. Blues
9. Vocal Improvisation/Night People/Man On The Silver Mountain 10. Guitar Solo
11. Still I’m Sad 12. Beethoven 9th/Keyboard Solo 13. Drum Solo feat. 1812 Overture
14. Still I’m Sad(reprise)

Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar Ronnie James Dio – Vocal Cozy Powell – Drums
Bob Daisley – Bass David Stone – Keyboards

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