YES / Long Beach 1979 2nd Night Mike Millard Master Tape / 2CD

YES / Long Beach 1979 2nd Night Mike Millard Master Tape / 2CD / Virtuoso

Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA, USA 26th May 1979

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Mike Millard, an absolute master of the audience who loved symphonic rock. The original master of YES recording, which was one of his lifeworks, is now available.
Millard rarely recorded one band twice. The exception in the exception is YES, and the number of works is enormous. At our shop, we have permanently preserved the original master of many famous recordings. This work is the latest bullet of such an original excavation project. It is a super-best audience recording of the “May 26, 1979 Long Beach Arena” performance. Speaking of the mirrored masters of the “TORMATO” era, “L.A. FORUM 1978 2ND NIGHT (Virtuoso 470/471)” and “LONG BEACH ARENA 1979 1ST NIGHT (Virtuoso 486/487)” have already become major classics, and this work 3rd work. You can see how deep Millard’s YES love is, but each has a different meaning. In order to explain it, let’s first look back at the activity summary at that time.

● 1978; “TORMATO Tour”
・ August 28-September 25: North America #1a (26 performances)
《“TORMATO” released on September 26th》
・ September 27-October 8: North America # 1b (11 performances) ← * L.A. FORUM 1978 2ND NIGHT
・ October 24-28: UK (6 performances)
● 1979: “TEN TRUE SUMMERS Tour”
・ April 9-May 8: North America # 2 (27 performances)
・ May 24-June 30: North America #3 (32 performances) ← Coco

[Original cassette excavation of Millard Hisei’s famous recording] This is YES in 1978/1979. The 1978 edition was the usual “TORMATO Tour”, and the 1979 edition was the 10th anniversary “TEN TRUE SUMMERS Tour”. “L.A. FORUM 1978 2ND NIGHT” was the former masterpiece, but this work is the third performance of “North America # 3”, which is the final stage of the latter. It is a sister work that will be the day after “LONG BEACH ARENA 1979 1ST NIGHT”, which is also a mirrored work. On this day as well, a super-famous recording that competes for the best tour masterpieces from the old days is known, and it has been half-confidently told that “probably this is also a mirrored recording” because of its clarity. And this time, the Omoto cassette was discovered in Millard’s master excavation series. It was decided that ‘it was a mirror after all’.
And the noteworthy master sound is …… Super Natural. Speaking of the highest peak of the conventional master, it will be “IN COLOURS OF JADE” that has already been released from our shop, but the recording is the same but the feel is completely different. The already released sound quality was amazing, but it was also the result of remastering. Both the sharp contours and the dynamic sharpness were achieved after polishing. On the other hand, this work has high sound quality with freshness as it is recorded. If the beauty of the ringing is natural, the feeling of turning on is also a real “sense in front of you”. Even if you pay attention to each note, there is no intentional emphasis on the rise and reverberation, and there is a real feeling that “the PA sound has reached your ears.” At the same time, the vividness is tremendous because it remains clear to the smallest details. It’s a realistic sound that goes beyond the sense of hearing.

[Updated the highest peak while remaining super natural] On the other hand, this work is not the net sound source as it is. It has been meticulously mastered and updated the highest peak. You may get yelled at, “Is it processed or unprocessed?”, but please understand that “the sound quality is unprocessed, and only small scratches are fixed.” As a matter of fact, the Omoto master excavated this time seems to have deteriorated, and there was a sway of the left and right stereo feeling in some places. Overall, the natural feeling is wonderful, but here and there it feels like “Huh?” for a moment. This work thoroughly repairs such points. Seamless beauty.
If I had to add one more point, it would be the beginning. For some reason, I can not determine, but the excavation master this time had the opening BGM part that fueled expectations about 3 minutes earlier than the previous episode (Is there a flaw in this part as well?). In this work, the part is reprinted from “IN COLOURS OF JADE”. In the first place, it was not a live performance, so there was no sense of incongruity, but furthermore, the feel of the main part was aligned with the mastering, and it was finished as a full live album.
Following the first day “LONG BEACH ARENA 1979 1ST NIGHT”, the second day of Ron Beach where Millard’s original cassette excavation was realized. With this, the two major recordings, which were said to be “the best masterpiece of the TEN TRUE SUMMERS Tour”, have been sublimated to the ultimate quality. This work itself is the top live album of 1979, and by combining it with the sister work “LONG BEACH ARENA 1979 1ST NIGHT”, “Long Beach 2 days” becomes a complete body. Mirrored recording is absolutely inevitable in the YES collection, but it is a rare two blockbuster among them. The younger sister. By all means, please complete with permanent preservation press 2CD.

★ Superb audience recording of “May 26, 1979 Long Beach Arena” performance. “LONG BEACH ARENA 1979 1ST NIGHT (Virtuoso 486/487)” is a large standard sound source for the next day, and is the ultimate Gene product that was raised from the original cassette of Millard. Unlike its predecessor, whose sound quality was improved by mastering, it is a super natural sound that is clear and clear only with the freshness of the master. Although the instantaneous stereo disturbance that was in the net original sound has been adjusted, the master sound itself is the birth of a historical decision board that has been permanently preserved without processing.
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シンフォニック・ロックもこよなく愛したオーディエンスの絶対名手マイク・ミラード。そのライフワークの１つだったYES録音の大元マスターが登場です。
１つのバンドを二度録ることは希だったミラード。その例外中の例外がYESであり、その作品数は膨大。当店でも数々の名録音の大元マスターを永久保存してきました。本作は、そんな大元発掘事業の最新弾。「1979年５月26日ロングビーチ・アリーナ」公演の超・極上オーディエンス録音です。『TORMATO』時代のミラード・マスターと言えば、すでに『L.A. FORUM 1978 2ND NIGHT（Virtuoso 470/471）』『LONG BEACH ARENA 1979 1ST NIGHT（Virtuoso 486/487）』が大定番となっており、本作で３作品目。ミラードのYES愛がいかに深いかが分かるというものですが、それぞれに意味合いも異なる。それをご説明する為にも、まずは当時の活動概要から振り返ってみましょう。

●1978年；“TORMATO Tour”
・８月28日ー９月25日：北米#1a（26公演）
《９月26日『TORMATO』発売》
・９月27日ー10月８日：北米#1b（11公演）←※L.A. FORUM 1978 2ND NIGHT
・10月24日ー28日：英国（６公演）
●1979年：“TEN TRUE SUMMERS Tour”
・４月９日ー５月８日：北米#2（27公演）
・５月24日ー６月30日：北米#3（32公演）←★ココ★

【ミラード畢生の名録音が大元カセット発掘】
これが1978年／1979年のYES。1978年編が通常の“TORMATO Tour”で、1979年編が10周年の“TEN TRUE SUMMERS Tour”でした。『L.A. FORUM 1978 2ND NIGHT』は前者の最高傑作でしたが、本作は後者でも終盤にあたる「北米#3」の３公演目。同じくミラード作品である『LONG BEACH ARENA 1979 1ST NIGHT』の翌日となる姉妹作なのです。この日も古くからのツアー最高傑作を競う超名録音が知られており、あまりのクリアさに「恐らくこれもミラード録音だろう」と半ば確信的に語られてきました。そして、今回はミラードのマスター発掘シリーズで大元カセットが発見。「やっぱりミラードだった」と確定したわけです。
そして、注目のマスター・サウンドは………スーパー・ナチュラル。従来マスターの最高峰と言えば当店既発の『IN COLOURS OF JADE』になるわけですが、録音は同じでも感触がまるで異なる。既発も驚異的な高音質ではありましたが、それはリマスタリングの成果でもありました。くっきりした輪郭も、ダイナミックなメリハリも、磨き上げた末に獲得されたものだったのです。それに対し、本作は録音そのままの鮮度で高音質。鳴りの美しさも自然ならオンな感触もリアルな「目の前感覚」が宿っている。１音１音に注目してみても、立ち上がりと残響に意図的な強調が感じられず、「ＰＡ出音が耳に届いている」という実感ある。それでいて、微細部まで克明に残っているからこその鮮やかさも絶大。聴覚さえも超えた肌感覚の現実感のサウンドなのです。

【スーパー・ナチュラルなまま最高峰を更新】
その一方で、本作はネット音源そのままでもない。細心マスタリングを施し、最高峰を更新してもいるのです。「加工なのか、無加工なのか、どっちやねん」と怒られてしまいそうですが、これは「音質は無加工で、小さいキズだけ直した」とご理解ください。実のところ、今回発掘された大元マスターには劣化があったらしく、ところどころでピンポイントに左右ステレオ感の揺れがあった。全体的にはナチュラル感が素晴らしいのに、ところどころ一瞬「ん？」となる感じです。本作は、そうしたポイントを徹底修復。シームレスな美しさ淀みなく途切れないのです。
もう１点付け加えるなら冒頭部。どういう理由か断定できませんが、今回の発掘マスターは期待を煽る開演BGMパートが既発より３分ほど省略されていました（やはりこのパートにもキズがあったんでしょうか？）。本作では、そのパートを『IN COLOURS OF JADE』から復刻。そもそも生演奏ではないので違和感もなかったのですが、さらにマスタリングで本編との感触を揃え、フル・ライヴアルバムに仕上げられているのです。
初日『LONG BEACH ARENA 1979 1ST NIGHT』に続き、ミラードの大元カセット発掘が実現したロンビーチ２日目。これで「TEN TRUE SUMMERS Tourの最高傑作」と言われた２大録音が究極クオリティに昇華されました。本作自体が1979年の頂点的ライヴアルバムですし、姉作『LONG BEACH ARENA 1979 1ST NIGHT』と合わせることで「ロングビーチ２日間」が完全体となる。YESコレクションにおいてミラード録音は絶対不可避とされてはおりますが、その中でも希な２連の超大作。その妹篇。ぜひ、永久保存プレス２CDでコンプリートしてください。

★「1979年５月26日ロングビーチ・アリーナ」公演の超極上オーディエンス録音。『LONG BEACH ARENA 1979 1ST NIGHT（Virtuoso 486/487）』翌日の大定番音源で、ミラードの大元カセットから起こされた究極ジェネの銘品。マスタリングで高音質化していた既発とは違い、マスター鮮度だけで鮮明・克明なスーパー・ナチュラル・サウンド。ネット原音にあった瞬間的なステレオ感の乱れを整えてはいますが、マスター・サウンド自体は無加工で永久保存した歴史的決定盤の誕生です。

 

Disc:1 (67:25)
1. Young Persons Guide To The Orchestra
2. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind Intro.
3. Siberian Khatru
4. Heart Of The Sunrise
5. Future Times / Rejoice
6. Circus Of Heaven
7. Time And A Word
8. Long Distance Runaround
9. Survival
10. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)
11. Perpetual Change
12. Soon

Disc:2 (71:47)
1. The Clap
2. And You And I
3. Starship Trooper
4. Rick Wakeman Solo
5. Awaken
6. Tour Song (Long Beach)
7. I’ve Seen All Good People
8. Roundabout

Jon Anderson – Vocals
Steve Howe – Guitar, Vocal
Chris Squire – Bass, Vocal
Rick Wakeman – Keyboards
Alan White – Drums

Virtuoso 488/489