Description

Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, MI, USA 9th February 1982 STEREO SBD

★UPGRADE!!!

The legendary soundboard known as “Randy Rhoads’s final professional recording” has been brushed up. A press CD that permanently preserves the supreme sound of “GRAF ZEPPELIN” has been decided to be released.

[A special soundboard featuring Don Airey]
　This work features the “Kalamazoo performance on February 9, 1982.” Randy died in a plane crash on March 19, so this stereo soundboard recording was made 38 days before that. The Randy era was a short, golden age lasting just a year and a half, but several soundboards were also left behind during that time. The Kalamazoo performance is the last of these, and this is its pinnacle. This is a good opportunity, so let’s take a look at the soundboard collection from the Randy era and see where this work fits in.

●1980
October 2nd: Southampton performance (5 official songs)
●1981
{March: Daisley/Kerslake replaced by Sarzo/Aldridge}
April 28th: AFTER HOURS (4 TV broadcast songs) May
2nd: New York performance (1 official song) May 11th
“DEFINITIVE TRIBUTE (Cleveland)” July 28th
“DEFINITIVE TRIBUTE (Montreal)” {
December: Lindsay Bridgewater replaced by Don Airey}
●1982
January 15th “BLOOMINGTON 1982”
*February 9th: Kalamazoo performance ←★This work★
{March 19th: Randy Rhoads passes away}

　This is the soundboard situation during Randy’s time. In fact, since the recording date of the official album “OZZY LIVE” is not revealed, it cannot be said with certainty that the above is the entire record, but it is likely everything. Starting with the iconic “TRIBUTE,” most of the records are focused on the 1981 US tour, but Don Airey officially joined after that, completing the best lineup. The soundboards that convey that live performance are “BLOOMINGTON 1982 SOUNDBOARD (Zodiac 688)” and this work.

[GRAF ZEPPELIN’s Ultimate Sound Update]
　This recording has long been a renowned classic. This release is a reworking of the best source, the first-generation master, by GRAF ZEPPELIN. The sound is truly the best ever. While the original source is the same as the previous release, “KALAMAZOO 1982 (Zodiac 406),” the sound quality has been further improved. GRAF ZEPPELIN’s mastering utilizes a variety of techniques, including frequency band analysis, balance correction, noise reduction, and pitch correction, to bring out the full potential of the original sound. Perhaps phase correction was particularly effective this time. If you own a previous release, try listening with headphones. Perhaps the guitar and vocals are slightly to the left—as if coming from above your left eye, rather than between your eyebrows. This is due to phase misalignment that occurs during analog dubbing and digitalization. This release has been precisely corrected, allowing for even a thousandth of a second of deviation, resulting in a crisp, stable sound centered directly between your eyebrows.

　It may seem like just a matter of positioning, but when you actually listen to it, it makes a big difference. After experiencing this album, when I go back to the previous version, I’m constantly struck by the feeling of being grabbed by the hair and pulled to the left. This recording in particular is known for a mix that has a fairly strong pan on the guitar, and this album has that beautifully balanced out. Above all, the sense of immersion in the performance itself is dramatically increased.

　Such a top-notch updated sound is depicted as a full show unique to 1982, the end of the Randy era. The set is also different from “TRIBUTE”, so let’s organize it by comparison.

●Solo (8 songs + 3 songs)
Blizzard of Oz: Mr. Crowley / Crazy Train / Revelation (Mother Earth) / Steal Away (The Night) / Suicide Solution / Goodbye to Romance / I Don’t Know / No Bone Movies (*)
・Diary of a Madman: Over the Mountain (★) / Believer / Flying High Again
●Sabbath (3 songs)
Iron Man / Children of the Grave / Paranoid
*Note: Songs marked with “★” cannot be heard on the official “TRIBUTE.” Songs marked with “*” are not included on the most recent soundboard, “BLOOMINGTON 1982.”

　In the later years of the Randy era, the performances generally became more sophisticated, and the ensemble that even Don Airey had achieved was truly outstanding. This work is a soundboard album that will imprint such a climax full show in your brain with the highest quality sound. Even in the special Randy era, it is an extremely special soundboard, so you want to experience it with the ultimate sound that has been pursued to the limit. Please enjoy this press CD that permanently preserves the desires of such enthusiasts to your heart’s content.

REMASTERED BY GRAF ZEPPELIN

★Phase correction has been performed to improve the left-biased sound image. UPGRADE!!

★Stereo soundboard recording of the “Kalamazoo Performance on February 9, 1982.” GRAF ZEPPELIN has refining the best existing first-generation master, creating a top-of-the-line updated version. The phase correction, which doesn’t allow for even 1/1000th of a second of deviation, is particularly effective, with a stable localization that penetrates right to the center of the forehead. This new, definitive edition also dramatically improves the sense of immersion in the performance itself.

(70:52)
1. Diary of a Madman
2. Over the Mountain
3. Mr. Crowley
4. Crazy Train
5. Revelation (Mother Earth)
6. Steal Away (The Night)
7. Suicide Solution
8. Guitar Solo
9. Drum Solo
10. Goodbye to Romance
11. I Don’t Know
12. No Bone Movies
13. Believer
14. Flying High Again
15. Iron Man
16. Children of the Grave
17. Paranoid

Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
Randy Rhoads – guitar
Rudy Sarzo – bass
Tommy Aldridge – drums
Don Airey – keyboards