Who / Los Angeles 1980 2nd Night : Mike Millard Master Tapes / 2CDR

Who / Los Angeles 1980 2nd Night : Mike Millard Master Tapes / 2CDR / Uxbridge
Live at Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA, USA 24th June 1980

Play sample :

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Legendary taper Mike Millard actively recorded consecutive performances in LA in June 1980 than in the 1970s when Keith Moon was alive with regard to The Who’s live recording. It is a fact that is overlooked now, but in the 1980s The Who were at their peak in popularity in the United States, and they were on the cover of Time magazine.
That’s why the continuous performance in the LA area was realized, but the sports arena on June 23, which was the most excellent in terms of sound quality, is still the best-selling limited edition press CD of the masterpiece “LOS ANGELES 1980 1ST NIGHT”. During.
Although the sound quality of the LA Forum held three days before was not as good as the 23rd, it was still a hot performance and was released as “LA FORUM 1980 1ST NIGHT: MIKE MILLARD MASTER TAPES”, which also received high praise from enthusiasts. increase.

And this time, JEMS released it at the sports arena on the 24th, the day after “LOS ANGELES 1980 1ST NIGHT”. However, this time it was a CD-R from the UXBRIDGE label because the sound image and recording level immediately after the live started were unstable, and the sound image had a unique depth.
but. This “unique sound image of depth” is a tremendous attraction. Here, the sound of Pete’s guitar is captured with a tremendous closeness, and it is as vivid as if it were picking up the sound output from the amplifier.
Moreover, his guitar sound never gets saturated (never!), and it is a shocking mirrored recording that captures Pete’s sound with a vivid balance.

In the first place, “LOS ANGELES 1980 1ST NIGHT” also captured Pete riding and playing, but since it was the second day, his guitar on this day was already sharp. This explosive play was captured by the live sound tick from the amplifier.
Listening to the recording balance this time, for example, in “My Wife” etc., I got goosebumps knowing how well-modulated backing was played by Pete with an ensemble of one guitar.
In addition, it has been a year since the band started its activities after Kenny Jones joined, and the feeling of fumbling in the previous year was wiped out, and the appearance of Pete inciting Kenny with his guitar is vivid again. well captured.
Among them, the impromptu development as if he had awakened from the second half of “Pinball Wizard” is a spectacular word. I was pulling the band more than the day before, and I didn’t even have time to catch my breath until I finished the main part of the live with “See Me, Feel Me”.
When it comes to encore, Pete’s momentum is no longer a runaway area. The performance continues almost non-stop from “Magic Bus”, and Kenny is firmly following such a shaken Pete. All the mirrored recordings of The Who LA performances in 1980 that have been released so far have recorded performances that are more than enough to dispel the preconceptions of the Kenny era, but this time the runaway Pete is even more amazing!

伝説のテーパー、マイク・ミラードはザ・フーのライブ記録に関してはキース・ムーン存命時の1970年代よりも80年6月のLAにおける連続公演を積極的に記録していました。というのも今となっては見過ごされた事実なのですが、80年当時アメリカにおけるザ・フーの人気は正に絶頂にあり、タイム誌の表紙を彼らが飾るほどだったのです。
だからこそLAエリアでの連続公演が実現した訳ですが、そうした中で音質的にもっとも秀でた6月23日のスポーツ・アリーナは名盤「LOS ANGELES 1980 1ST NIGHT」限定プレスCDが現在もベストセラー続行中。
その三日前に行われたLAフォーラムは音質こそ23日に及ばなかったものの、それでも激アツな演奏ゆえ「L.A. FORUM 1980 1ST NIGHT: MIKE MILLARD MASTER TAPES」としてリリースされこちらもマニアから高い評価を得ています。

そして今回JEMSによって公開されたのは24日のスポーツ・アリーナ、つまり「LOS ANGELES 1980 1ST NIGHT」の翌日。ただし今回はライブ開始直後の音像や録音レベルが不安定であったこと、さらに独特な奥行きの音像であったことから今回はUXBRIDGEレーベルからのCD-Rとなりました。
ですが。この「独特な奥行きの音像」というのがとんでもなく大きな魅力なのです。ここではピートのギターの音が凄まじい近さで捉えられており、それはまるでアンプからの出音を拾っているかのような生々しさ。
なおかつ彼のギターの音が飽和するようなことも（決して！）なく、あくまでピートの音を生々しいバランスで捉えてくれた衝撃のミラード録音なのです。

そもそも「LOS ANGELES 1980 1ST NIGHT」でもピートが乗りに乗って弾きまくる様子が捉えられていましたが、その二日目ということもあり、この日の彼のギターはもうキレッキレ。この炸裂プレイがアンプからの生音チックに捉えられているときた。
今回の録音バランスで聞いていると、例えば「My Wife」などでピートがギター一本というアンサンブルでいかにメリハリに富んだバッキングを弾いているかが手に取るように分かって鳥肌モノ。
さらにケニー・ジョーンズが加入してからのバンドも活動を開始して一年が経過したこともあって前年にあった手探り感が払拭され、ピートがギターでケニーを煽りまくっている様子がまた生々しく捉えられている。
中でも「Pinball Wizard」後半から彼が覚醒したかのようなインプロ展開は壮絶の一言。前日以上にバンドをグイグイとひっぱっており、そこから「See Me, Feel Me」でライブ本編を終えるまでは息をつく暇もないほど。
アンコールになるとピートの勢いはもはや暴走の域。「Magic Bus」からほぼノンストップ状態で演奏が続き、そんな振り切れたピートにケニーもしっかり付いて行っている。これまでリリースされてきた80年ザ・フーLA公演のミラード録音はどれもケニー時代の先入観を払拭させるに十分すぎる名演が記録されていましたが、今回は暴走ピートがまた一段と凄まじい！

Disc 1 (55:22)
1. Intro.
2. Substitute
3. I Can’t Explain
4. Baba O’Riley
5. My Wife
6. Sister Disco
7. Behind Blue Eyes
8. Music Must Change
9. Drowned
10. Who Are You

Disc 2 (67:19)
1. 5.15
2. Pinball Wizard
3. My Generation
4. Long Live Rock
5. Sparks
6. See Me, Feel Me
7. Won’t Get Fooled Again
8. Magic Bus
9. Relay
10. Dancing In The Street
11. Dance It Away

Roger Daltrey – lead vocals, tambourine, harmonica
Pete Townshend – guitar, vocals
John Entwistle – bass guitar, vocals
Kenney Jones – drums
John “Rabbit” Bundrick – keyboards, piano, tambourine, backing vocals
Dick Parry – saxophone Reg Brooks – trombone Dave Caswell – trumpet

Uxbridge 1728