BUDOKAN 1979  FINAL NIGHT

2 CD

Label: Wardour 645
Country: Japan.
Released: December 2024.
Recorded: Live at Budokan Hall, Tokyo, Japan  April 25th 1979.
Sound: Audience recording.
Comments:  This 2cd from Wardour label, looks to be from a new audience recorded tape, which hasn't been released before. This concert was also filmed, but only around 35 min was broadcasted on Japanese television. This TV broadcast are available on a handful of DVD bootlegs (silver pressed and DVDR).

A DVDR are enclosed separate with some limited copies of the 2cd with stickers on the cover.
Roots: Audience recorded tape.
Time: 62:03 / 55:10

Front cover



Back cover




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A DVDR are enclosed separate with the 2cd.
Numbered Stickered edition only..























































































































 CD 1
 1. Intro.
 2. We Will Rock You  (fast version)
 3. Let Me Entertain You
 4. Somebody To Love
 5. Death On Two Legs ~
 6. Killer Queen ~
 7. Bicycle Race ~
 8. I'm In Love With My Car ~
 9. Get Down, Make Love ~
 10. You're My Best Friend
 11. Now I'm Here
 12. Teo Torriatte
 13. Don't Stop Me Now
 14. Dreamer's Ball
 15. Band Introductions
 16. '39
 CD 2
 1. It's Late
 2. Brighton Rock  (incl. Guitar & Drum Solo)
 3. Keep Yourself Alive
 4. Bohemian Rhapsody
 5. Tie Your Mother Down
 6. Sheer Heart Attack
 7. We Will Rock You
 8. We Are The Champions
 9. God Save The Queen  (tape)









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Information from web page.

Live at Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 25th April 1979 TRULY PERFECT SOUND (from Original Masters) New Source

The "JAZZ Tour" was the most successful tour in the history of QUEEN's visit to Japan. The new recording that conveys the symbolic performance is being released for the first time! The new recording that updates the highest peak will be released on a 2CD press that will permanently preserve it!!

The "April 25, 1979: Nippon Budokan performance" is engraved on this work. It is the best audience recording. QUEEN visited Japan six times while Freddie was alive, but the most was the 1979 "JAZZ Tour". Of course, we have archived as many masterpieces as possible, so let's start by organizing our collection and exploring the position of this work in the schedule of visits to Japan 45 years ago (2024).

・April 13th "BUDOKAN 1979 1ST NIGHT"
・April 14th "BUDOKAN 1979 2ND NIGHT"
・April 19th + 20th "DEFINITIVE OSAKA 1979"
・April 21st "KANAZAWA 1979"
・April 23rd "PRIDE AND JOY (Budokan)"
・April 24th: Nippon Budokan
・April 25th: Nippon Budokan ←★This work★
・April 27th "COMPLETE KOBE 1979"
・April 28th "NAGOYA 1979"
・April 30th + May 1st "MEMORIAL GYM (Fukuoka)"
・May 2nd "YAMAGUCHI 1979"
・May 5th + 6th: Makomanai Ice Arena
*Note: Only representative works will be played on each day.

[A shocking master sound that is not just a new discovery]

A total of 15 performances. Globally, the Nippon Budokan was the venue where Freddie performed the most during his lifetime (17 times in total. The second place was "Forest National (Belgium)" with 13 performances), and in particular, the "JAZZ Tour" was performed five times. This work was recorded at the last one.

This day is also famous for being broadcast on TV, and audience recordings such as "DREAMER'S BALL (Wardour-006)" have also been popular. This work is completely different from those already released groups. It is a completely different recording that was suddenly excavated recently.

It is surprising that it is a new excavation that transcends 45 years of time and space, but what is even more shocking is the sound itself. This is already ferociously vivid and clear. If you have noticed this article, you may have experienced "DREAMER'S BALL", but compared to it... no, it is incomparable. The crystal clear air is penetrated by a vivid core like a laser beam, and even the fine details reach your ears clearly. Its fineness and strength are much closer to the TV broadcast pro shot than "DREAMER'S BALL". Although it is undoubtedly an audience recording in terms of tone, the quality is an impact sound that approaches the sound board.

[The scent of the climax of the "Western music boom" that transcends 45 years of time and space]

In addition to the tone, the reality of the scene is also a testament to the audience. The orderly clapping that synchronizes perfectly with the rhythm section, the yellow cheers that make it impossible to tell what is being shouted (probably the names of the members), and the calls such as "Encore!", "Number One!!", and "One Mo!" in katakana. Of course, such enthusiasm does not block the vivid and clear performance and vocals between songs or when waiting for an encore. However, such scenes are undoubtedly "Japan 45 years ago". This work blows out of the speakers so realistically that the scent of that era can be felt even to the dusty atmosphere of the site.

Of course, what makes you feel "that era" even more is the full show by QUEEN. As mentioned above, this day is famous for the TV broadcast pro shot, but it was only about 30 minutes. This work is a complete live album where you can enjoy plenty of unbroadcast songs. Let's compare the number of songs and get a feel for the volume.

●Songs that were also broadcast on TV
・News of the World: We Will Rock You (fast)/We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions
・Jazz: Let Me Entertain You/Bicycle Race/Don't Stop Me Now
・Others: Killer Queen/I'm In Love With My Car/Teo Torriatte/Keep Yourself Alive/Bohemian Rhapsody
●Unaired songs
・A Night at the Opera: Death on Two Legs/You're My Best Friend/'39
・To the World: Get Down Make Love/It's Late/Sheer Heart Attack
・Others: Somebody To Love/Now I'm Here/Dreamer's Ball/Brighton Rock/Tie Your Mother Down
QUEEN is still immensely popular in Japan, but in 1979 they were a real frenzy that is unimaginable in modern times. This is a live album that allows you to experience the best of the heat of the Nippon Budokan. Moreover, the sound is clear and vivid enough to rival TV broadcasts. A shocking new discovery loved by the goddess of recording. Enjoy it forever with the press 2CD that will never lose its shine.

★A superb audience recording of the "April 25, 1979: Nippon Budokan" performance. A new recording that was suddenly discovered recently, completely different from the conventional recording. Moreover, the quality has been updated to the highest peak. The crystal clear and transparent air is penetrated by a vivid core like a laser beam, and even the fine details reach your ears clearly. The fineness and strength are wonderful, approaching TV broadcast pro shots. A shocking new masterpiece is born that allows you to experience the mood of the Western music boom in a super realistic way.

★It will be released with a numbered sticker.
_______________________________________________________________
★The new excavated live album "BUDOKAN 1979 FINAL NIGHT" is the highest peak update that conveys the symbolic performance of the climax Japan tour. Only the first limited number sticker will come with a special video version "RENNES 1991: THE VIDEO" that makes full use of the same show's material.

QUEEN - BUDOKAN 1979 TV BROADCAST DEFINITIVE MASTER (Bonus DVDR)
Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 25th April 1979 PRO-SHOT (UPGRADE)
*Taken from the original Sony Beta video master

The main press 2CD is a new masterpiece of the "JAZZ Tour" visit to Japan that has come over 45 years of time and space. It is a real experience album that will symbolize the climax of QUEEN. As mentioned in the commentary, this show has also symbolized "QUEEN in 1979" by being broadcast on TV. Therefore, it has been decided to include a bonus of a masterpiece pro shot that conveys the "other side" of the new masterpiece.

[After 18 years, the highest peak update master has finally been newly excavated]

This work was, of course, filmed at the "April 25, 1979: Nippon Budokan" performance. This is a multi-camera pro shot. It is now known as a classic among classics, but it was not released at the time of the visit to Japan. It was broadcast as "The Live QUEEN Live at Budokan PART I & II" by a certain commercial broadcasting station in the early 1980s, several years after the live performance. This program was divided into two parts of about 15 minutes each in a late-night frame, but this work is a DVD that puts it together with the best master. In the first place, the broadcast itself has a reputation, so let's start from there (please skip if you already know).

This broadcast is famous as a "phantom" for enthusiasts. Many broadcast images can be upgraded by rebroadcast, but this image alone has no possibility. It was fine until the Nippon Budokan live was recorded with a professional shot, but Freddie Mercury, who was not satisfied with the show, gave a NG for the public release. Normally, it would have been buried in the darkness of history, but a few years later, a Japanese broadcasting station aired it in a late-night slot. However, since it was NG footage, there is no official archive, let alone a rebroadcast. To this day, it has only been broadcast once for the first time.
And that broadcast was in the early 1980s. Although home video gradually became more popular, there were not many people who could easily record late-night programs. It was such an era that only a few recordings remained. Not only could it not be rebroadcast, but enthusiasts have checked the few masters one by one. And the pinnacle of that is this work. It is not a famous master from long ago, but a Betamax master newly excavated in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was shaking. At the time, it was the peak of the VHS vs. Beta video war, and Beta was still in full use. Beta was especially superior in terms of image quality, and many record enthusiasts who were particular about high-end quality favored Beta. This work is a treasured master by such record enthusiasts at that time.

[Not only has the image quality been improved, but the new highest peak is even longer]

This new master is a sudden shock immediately after playing it! It starts with a screen that has never been seen in the conventional master. Although the scenery of the Nippon Budokan before the show is overlapped with the narration of Mr. Fukudome, the words are much longer. Let's write it out for a moment.

●Parts that can be heard in the new master
"April 24th. Now, QUEEN, who stands tall at the summit of the world rock scene, is about to begin their third visit to Japan. The video of this performance has been kept as a phantom VTR among those involved. Please only watch their records and tours until QUEEN truly becomes the group that represents the 80s. This is QUEEN's"
●Parts that can be heard in the previous version from here
"It was a passionate request. And now, QUEEN is celebrating its 10th anniversary since its debut, and we can make our first public appearance. The Budokan is full of hot expectations and excitement!"

And it's not just the narration. It's also the first time we've seen the suffocating sight of the packed Nippon Budokan. The banner hanging in the first floor seats is particularly impactful. Not only is it about 6 meters wide and eye-catching, but the yellow color scheme on a black background seems to say, "You can see this even in the dark." And the content is "TEOTORIATTE!", and it's a request with all their might.
Then, the hall goes dark. The familiar pro shot begins... but the quality is not familiar. The darkness, which was whitish in the conventional master, is now pitch black, and the proof that stands out from there is the vividness of the primary colors. Of course, this is not something that has been digitally raised. It is a natural color beauty that only the freshness of the master can achieve, and rather, it is less digitally deteriorated than the conventional version. All scenes are beautiful from end to end of the screen, but what stands out in particular is the subtitles. In the conventional version, the outline of the letters was sharp, but the color inside the letters was blurred, and the ghosts were also eyesores. Of course, the new master is also an analog recording, so there is some blurring and ghosting, but it feels like it is about 1/5 or 1/10 of the conventional version.
Freddie sings passionately in leather and sunglasses, and is carried by Superman while wrapped in red glitter. Just seeing that figure moving is moving, but the heat that erupts from the screen is also wonderful. As is widely known, Freddie was in a terrible state in this show, and it is no wonder that he would give up on the broadcast even if you actually see it. However, because he is desperately trying to squeeze out the voice, his voice is full of spirit, and the big action that seems to cover the voice that does not come out is so touching because it is a video. The passionate performance that has been loved so far can be witnessed even more vividly and smoothly. A phantom Japanese performance pro shot that cannot be rebroadcast or officially archived. Please enjoy it with this press 2CD, which is a new masterpiece of the live album, and enjoy it to your heart's content.

(32.44)
1. Pre-Show
★Intro recorded for 22 seconds longer (★Super important. Discovery of the century) *The huge "TEOTORIATTE!" banner visible in the stands is a must-see! ! ! ! ! 2. Intro
3. We Will Rock You (fast)
4. Let Me Entertain You
5. Killer Queen ★Intro recorded for 1 second longer. 6. Bicycle Race 7. I'm In Love With My Car 8. Teo Torriatte 9. Keep Yourself Alive 10. Don't Stop Me Now 11. Bohemian Rhapsody 12. We Will Rock You 13. We Are The Champions PRO-SHOT COLOR NTSC Approx.33min. Special Bonus DVDR for limited numbered stickered edition of "BUDOKAN 1979 FINAL NIGHT"(Wardour-645)