Review
by Bootleg
Encyclopedia
For Stadium Rock the Wardour label present a new tape source for
the Osaka performance (discs one and two of the four disc set or standing
alone). It is paired with the older tape source previously released
and available on the LP Get Down on Lora Records. The tape
source for the two disc set and the first half of the four-disc set
is brand new, not even circulating with collectors. It is excellent,
very well balanced and detailed, one of the best from Queen's tour of
Japan in 1982. The only cut is a tape flip in "Body
Language" which Wardour edited with the older source. On this
tour Queen gave some of their most unique performances. It seems
they could never settle on which songs from the new LP they wanted to
incorporate into the set list, so they changed the numbers all throughout
the tour. This show in Kobe has the welcome addition of a
two-minute fragment of "Spread Your Wings". Freddie plays
a unique arrangement of the piece and sings the first verse and says,
"I've forgotten the chords" before banging the piano for "Saturday
Night's Alright". The Elton John piece then segues directly
into "Bohemian Rhapsody".
Brian
May plays the opening to "It's Late" as an introduction to
one of the most unique versions of "Now I'm Here" on record.
Several of the Japan shows contain the
Hot Space
track "Put
Out The Fire", but before they get into that they play some bars
of "We Can Work It Out" by The Beatles and "Shake
Rattle & Roll". The encore consists of the first
half of "Another One Bites The Dust", which segues directly into
"Jailhouse Rock", "Brown Sugar" and other tunes
including "Shake Rattle & Roll" (again) before Freddie tries
two times to end it! "We Will Rock You" is included in its
entirely (some sources miss this tune). Some say that "Teo
Torriatte" was played, but there is no evidence to support that
claim. The LP source on discs three and four is one of the
best sounding audience tapes from the era. The used an excellent
vinyl source and declicked it making it sound very nice. They also
spliced in the first tape source for "We Will Rock You".
Wardour have corrected the speed problem. The two-disc set is
probably enough for most collectors although it is nice to have the two
sources available. It isn't superfluous as was the four-disc
At
Last Budokan release which presented to versions of the same tape,
the second of which was unlistenable. (GS) |