Who, The / Boston 1971 Final Night / 2CD

Who, The / Boston 1971 Final Night / 2CD / Wardour

Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA, USA 7th August 1971

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The Who in 1971 has just been summarized in the official super-class box, and what was heard there was the Young Vic Theater in April and Santa Monica in December. Of course, the Who were still performing live during this time. The tour started when Pete gave up on the “LIFEHOUSE” concept, which was too complicated at the time, and compiled it into his masterpiece “WHO’S NEXT”. In the first place, live sound sources from this period are rare, and there are even fewer sound sources in the first half of the tour, when they played “Pure And Easy” and “Love Ain’t For Keeping”, which still had the lingering scent of the “LIFEHOUSE” concept.
A groundbreaking release created more than 10 years ago was “FOREST HILLS 1971,” which recorded two days in New York at the end of July. It was a masterpiece of a maniac title that released a press CD of a unique period in 1971 when they were playing those rare songs. However, recently, an audience recording of Joe Maloney’s show in Boston in August was unearthed. This is a week after New York, and it’s tough because it captures the last time when the two rare songs still coexist. What’s more, the sound quality was better than in New York.
However, although the current sound source had already been given to Maroney in 2006, it was apparently abandoned because the tape was damaged. In 2021, the familiar Krw_co dug up the tape again and asked a friend to restore it using the latest technology. In other words, it is a sound source that has seen the light of day.

It was a sound source with such a reputation, but as expected from a Maroney recording, the sound quality was monaural, refreshing, and clear, making me realize that there was a sound source that was so easy to listen to at this time when I was grateful that the sound source existed. I can’t help but be surprised. What’s more, as the live progresses, the balance gets better and better, and the sound image turns on, making me happy to listen to it. At a time when items were scarce, even compared to the paper jacket CD of “CHICAGO 1971” released on August 16th on the nostalgic Killing Floor label, this was an overwhelming victory.
However, it is also true that it was a so-called sound source that had the same problems as before, and this time, “GRAF ZEPPELIN” who produced “FOREST HILLS 1971” carried out a thorough restoration of the sound source. For the reason mentioned above, the tape was repaired and then released to the public, but even then, “Magic Bus” and other songs where the tape was not completely distorted were thoroughly adjusted to show GRAF ZEPPELIN’s true potential. Dare to do it. They have transformed it into a state so beautiful that you are under the illusion that it was originally in such a stable state.
Unfortunately, the ultra-rare “Daddy Rolling Stone” from the second half of the live performance was not included because it was in an irreparable condition. The shocking 1969 version of the same song was discovered in “FILLMORE WEST 1968 3RD NIGHT”, which is still fresh in my memory, but fortunately, “recorder 1”, which has been around for a long time, exists on this day, so the same song We adopted that method for some missing parts, including . Unfortunately, compared to the Maroney Master, the sound quality is typical of a vintage audience, but the point that complete recording was achieved is high.

And the bonus includes a take from Boston on the 5th. This is also not as good as the Maroney Master, but the quality is good enough to listen to. Furthermore, it includes the first half of the live show where the precious “Pure And Easy” and “Love Ain’t For Keeping” were performed, and “GRAF ZEPPELIN” is included in the content that allows you to fully enjoy the live setlist of this short-lived period. He put it together for me.
I am reminded that not only is this a rare set, but the performance content is unique to the period between the Young Vic and Santa Monica. In addition to the two rare songs mentioned above, the songs included in “WHO’S NEXT”, which was just released, such as “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, are played carefully and carefully without any playfulness, which is refreshing. In such a situation, it is a big appeal of this sound source that you can see how Keith is really playing the drums lively.
However, from “Pinball Wizard” onwards, Pete’s signature improvisational extensions are toned down. The neat performance around here is also fresh, and it is completely different from Santa Monica, where Pete was running wild. However, it’s not as surprising as the Young Vic. In a sense, this is a shocking audience album that captures The Who’s 1971 stage at the final stages of trial and error with great sound quality. The first sound source of Who Mania’s surprising “transitional period at its peak”!

1971年のザ・フーがオフシャルの超ド級ボックスで総括されたばかりですが、そこで聞かれたのは4月のヤング・ヴィック・シアターと12月のサンタモニカ。当然これらの間にもフーはライブをこなしていました。ピートが当時は複雑すぎた『LIFEHOUSE』コンセプトを諦め、傑作『WHO’S NEXT』にまとめ上げたところからツアーを開始しています。そもそもこの時期のライブ音源自体が稀有で、まだ『LIFEHOUSE』コンセプトの残り香を漂わせた「Pure And Easy」や「Love Ain’t For Keeping」を演奏していたツアー前半は音源がいよいよ少ない。
そんな中で10年以上前に生み出された画期的なリリースが7月末のニューヨーク二日間を収録した『FOREST HILLS 1971』でしょう。正にそれらレア・ソングを演奏していた71年の中でも特異な時期をプレスCDでリリースしてくれたマニアック・タイトルの傑作でした。ところが最近になって、かのジョー・マロニーによる8月のボストンでのショーを捉えたオーディエンス録音が出土。これがニューヨークから一週間後、まだ辛うじて先のレアな二曲が共存している最後の時期を捉えていたものだからさあ大変。おまけに音質もニューヨークより上質ときた。
ところが今回の音源、既に2006年にはマロニーから譲り受けていたものの、テープに損傷がみられたことから放置されていたそう。それを2021年になっておなじみKrw_coが再びテープを掘り起こし、友人に最新テクノロジーでの修復を依頼したとのこと。つまり今だからこそ日の目を見た音源ということなのです。

そんな曰くつきの音源だったのですが、さすがはマロニー録音だけあってモノラルでスッキリ、クリアー音質はこの「音源が存在しているだけでもありがたい」時期においてこれほどまで聞きやすい音源が存在していた事に驚きを禁じえません。おまけにライブが進むにつれてどんどんバランスも良くなり音像もオン、聞いていて嬉しくなるほど。ただでさえアイテムが少なかったこの時期、懐かしのKilling Floorレーベルからリリースされていた8月16日の『CHICAGO 1971』紙ジャケCDと比べても今回の圧勝。
とはいえ先のような問題を抱えた曰くつき音源であったことも事実で、今回は『FOREST HILLS 1971』をプロデュースした「GRAF ZEPPELIN」が音源の徹底したレストアを敢行。先の理由から頑張ってテープ修復された上での公開だった訳ですが、それでもなおテープのヨレが攻め切れていなかった「Magic Bus」などは「GRAF ZEPPELIN」が本領発揮とばかりに徹底したアジャストを敢行。元々このような安定した状態だったのだろうと錯覚してしまうほど見事な状態へと生まれ変わらせてくれたのです。
惜しむらくはライブ後半の超レアな「Daddy Rolling Stone」が正に修復不能な状態であったことから痛恨の未収録。同曲は衝撃の1969年バージョンが『FILLMORE WEST 1968 3RD NIGHT』で発掘されたのも記憶に新しいところですが、幸いにもこの日は従来から出回っていた「recorder 1」が存在しますので、同曲を始めとしたいくつかの欠損部にはそちらを採用。残念ながらマロニー・マスターと比べると典型的なビンテージ・オーディエンスの粗い音質なのですが、これで完全収録が実現したポイントは高い。

そしてボーナスには5日のボストンからのテイクを収録。こちらもマロニー・マスターほどではないにせよ、十分に聞き込めるクオリティ。なおかつ貴重な「Pure And Easy」と「Love Ain’t For Keeping」が披露されたライブ前半を収録しており、短命に終わったこの時期だけのセトリのライブをたっぷり楽しめる内容に「GRAF ZEPPELIN」がまとめてくれました。
そんなレアなセトリだけでなく、演奏内容が正にヤング・ヴィックとサンタモニカの間という時期ならではであることを思い知らされます。先のレアな二曲に加え、アルバムがリリースされたばかりだった『WHO’S NEXT』の収録曲、例えば「Won’t Get Fooled Again」などは遊びのない丁寧かつ慎重な演奏ぶりが新鮮。そんな中でキースが実にいきいきとドラムを叩いている様子が解るのも本音源の大きな魅力かと。
それでいて「Pinball Wizard」以降ではピートお得意のインプロ引き伸ばし展開が控えめ。この辺りの端正な演奏ぶりも新鮮であり、ピートが暴走し放題だったサンタモニカとはまるで違う。かといってヤング・ヴィックほどおっかなびっくりでもない。ある意味いい塩梅、試行錯誤の終盤にあったザ・フー71年のステージを素晴らしい音質で捉えた衝撃のオーディエンス・アルバム。「絶頂期の過度期」というフー・マニア驚愕の初登場音源！

Disc 1 (58:53)
01. Introduction
02. Love Ain’t For Keeping
03. Pure And Easy
04. My Wife
05. I Can’t Explain
06. Substitute
07. Bargain ★3:31-3:33 Rec2で補填
08. Behind Blue Eyes
09. Won’t Get Fooled Again
10. I Don’t Even Know Myself ★4:55以降 Rec2で補填
11. Baby Don’t You Do It

Disc 2 (78:37)
01. Tuning
02. Pinball Wizard
03. My Generation
04. Magic Bus
05. Naked Eye
06. See Me Feel Me ★2:56以降 Rec2で補填
07. Daddy Rolling Stone ★丸ごとRec2 音は厳しい
08. Roadrunner ★0:00-0:56 Rec2で補填

Bonus Tracks:
Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA, USA 5th August 1971

★ボストン公演の二日目から序盤をボーナス収録
09. Love Ain’t For Keeping
10. Pure And Easy
11. My Wife
12. I Can’t Explain
13. Bargain
14. Behind Blue Eyes
15. Won’t Get Fooled Again

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