Who, The / Toronto 1975 / 2CD

Who, The / Toronto 1975 / 2CD / Wardour

Live at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON, Canada 11th December 1975

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1975-76 was essentially the last major tour during Keith Moon’s lifetime. At this time, combined with the timing of improvements in recording equipment, there was a wealth of audience recordings of amazing sound quality, but what was completely overlooked was Toronto on December 11th. On this day, there is a stereo audience recording that boasts the highest quality, but it is unfortunate that the only item is “TORONTO 1975” released by nostalgic HEARTBREAKERS.
Few people may remember it now, but when “TORONTO 1975” (hereinafter referred to as the “already released version”) was released, the sound quality was very good, the pitch was accurate, and it was fresh. It was a masterpiece that was highly rated among enthusiasts as it was outstanding. The same label released a variety of Who live shows from 1975 to 1976, but it was a time when their popularity in Japan, and above all the popularity of this tour, was not as established as it is now. I can’t help but feel like it wasn’t as exciting as I expected.
It was Toronto in 1975 that was completely overlooked under these circumstances, but fortunately the sound source itself is still circulating among traders even in the 21st century. Even though the genealogy is unknown, the freshness is quite amazing, and I am convinced that it is definitely low genera. However, the previously released version uses the same version, and the sound quality is already excellent.

However, since the original was an audience recording in 1975, it is true that there were occasional fluctuations in localization caused by the twist of the tape rotation and the restlessness of the taper, which will be discussed in detail later. At the same time, it is also true that corrections were impossible in the late 1990s when the pre-release version was released. Or rather, it’s in a neglected state.
Therefore, this time, “GRAF ZEPPELIN” has thoroughly adjusted these problems. Since the original is a very good audience recording, it has been reborn as an upper version suitable for the level of 2023 by adding an unbeatable sense of stability to the already easy-to-listen state. If this happens, it will be a great release that not only enthusiasts but also beginners can enjoy with peace of mind. Of course, there can only be limited press CDs. The spacious and rich sense of reality, the surprisingly active sound image, and the outstanding freshness are still overwhelming.
On the other hand, in front of “Boris The Spider” sung by John Entwistle, there is a scene where Taper himself shouts a maniacal request to him, “Whisky Man!” A maniac. Yes, it was by the same person who performed Bob Dylan’s superb audience masterpiece “DEFINITIVE DOUBLE E’S” held at the same Maple Leaf Garden in Toronto 10 days ago, and there he heard the voice requesting “Visions Of Johnna.” The person who was raising it.
Furthermore, he is also the person who recorded Jeff Beck’s 1975 audience masterpieces “O’KEEFE MASTER” and “O’KEEFE MASTER II” six months ago. No wonder the sound quality is so high.

And Maple Leaf Garden became the final destination of the tour one year later as “DEFINITIVE TORONTO 1976”, but the atmosphere of the performance is completely different even at the same venue because there is a gap of one year. While that one boasted a strong degree of perfection typical of the last day of the tour, on this day the momentum typical of the first half of the tour shines through. Moreover, in “Boris The Spider” mentioned earlier, John has two songs, a composition unique to this period. From the following year, his part was reduced to just “My Wife,” so this was also a repertoire that symbolized 1975.
Anyway, in the first half, the momentum of the performance was great and gave the impression that you could listen to it all at once. From there, the shortened version “TOMMY” set evolved into a runaway mode. It’s high tension from the beginning, especially “Sparks” is Pete’s exclusive song. Roger, who does not sing there, concentrates on the tambourine, but the sound of his hitting and the separation of Pete’s play, which approaches with a sound image close to that of a sound board, is shocking. The highlight is Keith’s shake-up as he screams and sings “Tommy’s Holiday Camp”, which flows from the runaway “I’m Free”. It was amazing how his performance was unwavering in response to him being completely blown away.
By the way, the track allocation for the “TOMMY” part was rough on the previously released edition, so this time it’s clearly divided into tracks. It is surprising that the best audience representing the 1975 tour, which has no value in terms of both sound quality and performance, has been completely overlooked since the release of the previous edition. Rather, many people should be able to touch this wonderful sound source that started with this release. Please enjoy to your heart’s content the shocking high-quality sound quality and high-tension performance that has been enhanced under the supervision of GRAF ZEPPELIN.

実質的にキース・ムーン存命時における最後の大規模なツアーとなった1975年から76年。この時期は録音機材の向上のタイミングと合わさって驚異的な音質のオーディエンス録音が豊富に残されていたのですが、そんな中で完全に見過ごされているのが12月11日のトロント。この日は正に極上なクオリティを誇るステレオ・オーディエンス録音が残されているのですが、その割にアイテムは懐かしのHEARTBREAKERSが出した『TORONTO 1975』だけという不遇の極み。
今となっては覚えている方も少なくなってしまったかと思われますが、『TORONTO 1975』（以下“既発盤”と称します）のリリース時には音質が非常に良くてピッチも正確かつ鮮度も抜群ということでかなり高い評価をマニアの間で集めていた名盤だったのです。同レーベルはこの時期75年から76年にかけてのフーのライブを色々とリリースしてくれていたのですが、今ほど日本での彼らの人気、何よりこのツアーの人気が定着していなかった時期ゆえ思いのほか盛り上がらなかったように思えてなりません。
こうした状況の中ですっかり見過ごされていた75年トロントなのですが、幸いにも音源自体は21世紀を迎えてもトレーダー間に流通。ジェネ不明とは言えども相当に鮮度は素晴らしく、確実にロウジェネな状態だと確信させてくれるほど。もっとも既発盤も同じバージョンを使用しており、音質的には既に極められた感のある音源でした。

ところが元が1975年のオーディエンス録音ですので、テープ回転のヨレやこの後で詳しく述べるテーパーの落ち着きなさが相まって生じていた定位のふらつきなどが散見されたのは事実。それと同時に既発盤がリリースされた1990年代後半には修正が不可能であったこともまた事実。というか放置プレイ状態。
そこで今回は「GRAF ZEPPELIN」がこうした問題を徹底的にアジャスト。元が非常に素性の良いオーディエンス録音ですので、ただでさえ聞きやすい状態に無敵の安定感が加わって2023年のレベルに相応しいアッパー版へと生まれ変わってくれたのです。こうなればマニアだけでなく初心者まで安心して楽しめるであろう素晴らしいリリース。当然ながら限定プレスCDしかありえない。広がりのある豊かな臨場感と共に驚くほどオンな音像、そして抜群の鮮度は今なお圧巻。
その一方でジョン・エントウィッスルが歌う「Boris The Spider」の前ではテーパー自身が彼に向けて「Whisky Man!」とマニアックなリクエストを叫ぶ場面が登場しますが、この叫び声にピーンときたマニアは相当なマニア。そう、10日前に同じトロントのメイプル・リーフ・ガーデンで行われたボブ・ディランのこれまた極上オーディエンス名盤『DEFINITIVE DOUBLE E’S』と同じ人物によるもので、そこで「Visions Of Johnna」とリクエストする声を上げていた張本人。
さらに彼は半年前にジェフ・ベックのやはり75年オーディエンスの名作『O’KEEFE MASTER』と 『O’KEEFE MASTER II』の録音を敢行した人物でもある。どうりで高音質な訳だ。

そしてメイプル・リーフ・ガーデンは一年後の『DEFINITIVE TORONTO 1976』としてツアーの終着地となった訳ですが、一年の開きがあるだけに同じ会場でも演奏の雰囲気がまるで違う。そちらがツアー最終日らしいストロングな完成度を誇っていたのに対し、この日はツアー前半らしい勢いが輝きを放っている。しかも先に触れた「Boris The Spider」でジョンの持ち歌は二曲というこの時期ならではの構成。翌年から彼のパートは「My Wife」だけに減らされてしまうので、これは75年を象徴するレパートリーでもあった。
とにかく前半は演奏の勢いが素晴らしく一気に聞かせてくれる印象。そこから暴走モードへと進化したのが短縮版『TOMMY』セット。それは序盤からハイテンションで、中でも「Sparks」はピートの独壇場。そこで歌わないロジャーはタンバリンに没頭する訳ですが、彼の叩く音、さらにサウンドボードばりに近い音像で迫ってくるピートのプレイの分離の良さは衝撃的なほど。極めつけは暴走「I’m Free」から流れ込んだ「Tommy’s Holiday Camp」を絶叫しながら歌うキースの振り切れぶり。完全にぶっ飛んでしまっている彼を受け止めて演奏が揺るがないのがお見事。
ちなみに『TOMMY』パートのトラック割りが既発盤では大雑把でしたので、今回はしっかりトラック分け。この音質面と演奏面の両方で掛け値なしに75年ツアーを代表する極上オーディエンスが既発盤のリリース以来すっかり見過ごされていたとは驚き。むしろ今回のリリースで始めたこの素晴らしい音源に触れられる方が多いはず。その衝撃のハイクオリティな音質とハイテンションな演奏を「GRAF ZEPPELIN」監修で高められた完成度で心ゆくまでお楽しみください。

Disc 1 (45:24)
01. Introduction
02. I Can’t Explain
03. Substitute
04. My Wife
05. Baba O’Riley
06. Squeeze Box
07. Behind Blue Eyes
08. Dreaming From The Waist
09. Boris The Spider
10. Magic Bus

Disc 2 (59:06)
01. Amazing Journey
02. Sparks
03. The Acid Queen
04. Fiddle About
05. Pinball Wizard
06. I’m Free
07. Tommy’s Holiday Camp
08. We’re Not Gonna Take It
09. See Me, Feel Me
10. Summertime Blues
11. My Generation
12. Join Together
13. Spoonful
14. Road Runner
15. My Generation Blues
16. Won’t Get Fooled Again

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