CHEAP TRICK – NAKANO SUNPLAZA 1992 SOUNDBOARD (2 CD-R)

Description

Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo, Japan 6th May 1992

　Following the groundbreaking press masterpiece ‘SHIZUOKA 1978 SOUNDBOARD (Zodiac 864)’, a sequel to Bun E. Carlos’s publicly released soundboard recordings has arrived! A new masterpiece has been born that will pour the live performance in Japan from the ‘THE GREATEST HITS’ era, packed with rare tracks, into your brain!!

　This release features a recording of the May 6, 1992 performance at Nakano Sun Plaza, recorded in stereo from the soundboard. But this isn’t just any soundboard recording; it’s sourced from the archives of drummer Van E. Carlos himself. Van E. has not only been involved in performance activities, but has also been collecting and preserving photographs, posters, audio, and video related to Cheap Trick for many years. This is a truly authentic and official soundboard recording, unearthed from his private collection.

　As you know, the early 90s saw Cheap Trick make a comeback with the return of Tom Peterson and the hit album “Lap of Luxury.” 1992 was also the year of their tour in support of their greatest hits album, “The Greatest Hits.” To understand the situation, let’s start by looking back at their activities during that time.

February 20th – March 9th: USA #1 (14 shows)
May 5th – 11th: Japan (5 shows) ←★HERE★
June 13th – July 5th: USA #2 (7 shows)
August 5th – 30th: USA #3 (10 shows) September 28th
– November 20th: USA #4 (13 shows) December
26th – 31st: USA #5 (5 shows)

　This is Cheap Trick in 1992. Having spent the entire year of 1991 on the “Busted Tour,” they restarted with a greatest hits tour in 1992. They had also visited Japan during the “Lap of Luxury Tour” and the “Busted Tour,” but their enduring popularity in Japan led to another visit. This performance is well-known from the classic TV broadcast pro-shot “Live in Japan 1992 (Shades 2458),” but this new soundboard recording is from a completely different performance. Let’s take a closer look at the dates here.

■ Details of “Japan”
– May 5th: Kanagawa Prefectural Hall
* May 6th: Nakano Sun Plaza ←★This work★
* May 9th “LIVE IN JAPAN 1992 (Shibuya)”
– May 10th: Osaka Festival Hall
– May 11th: Shibuya Public Hall

[A completely official-grade soundboard recording, a treasured possession of the band members
]…and so it goes. This recording of the Nakano Sun Plaza concert was on their second day in Japan, and it was the performance just three days before the release of the masterpiece pro-shot recording, ‘LIVE IN JAPAN 1992′.

　This recording, capturing that show, is a completely official-quality soundboard recording that surpasses even professional-shot audio. While the overall balance of the band and the texture of the mix are reminiscent of the classic professional-shot “LIVE IN JAPAN 1992,” the performance and vocals are featured more prominently and with greater clarity in every detail. Robin’s soaring vocals, Rick’s versatile guitar, Tom’s grooving bass, and Bun E’s own lively drumming all come at you as if they were playing right in front of you. Combined with the fact that the roaring crowd has receded like a distant ripple, you get the feeling that the four musicians’ performance is really surging forward.

[A fantastic full set including the extremely rare track “In This Country”]
　In addition to its superb sound, the fact that it’s a complete full show is wonderful. The pro-shot “LIVE IN JAPAN 1992” included interviews and behind-the-scenes footage because it was a TV broadcast, but this is a full live album of approximately 83 minutes. Of course, it also includes repertoire that wasn’t heard on “LIVE IN JAPAN 1992”. Let’s take a look at the track listings here and compare them.

● 70s (10 songs)
– Pale Highway: Hello There / I Want You To Want Me / Clock Strikes Ten
– Heaven’s Trap: Oh Claire / On Top Of The World / Heaven Tonight (★) / Surrender (★)
– Others: Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace / Voices (★) / Dream Police
● 80s and later (9 songs)
– The Flame of Eternal Love: Never Had A Lot To Lose / Don’t Be Cruel / The Flame
– Others: I Can’t Take It / Standing on the Edge (★) / Walk Away / Magical Mystery Tour (★) / If You Want My Love / In This Country (★★)
*Note: Songs marked with “★” were not included in the classic pro-shot “LIVE IN JAPAN 1992”. Songs marked with “★★” are especially rare, as they were only recorded once on this day.

…and that’s how it is. “Heaven Tonight,” “Surrender,” “Voices,” “Standing on the Edge,” and “Magical Mystery Tour”—all songs marked with a “★” that weren’t on TV are included. The biggest highlight of all is “In This Country.” This is a solo number by Robin Zander, which was featured in the arm-wrestling movie “Over the Top” starring Sylvester Stallone. In fact, this song is an extremely rare track, as there is no record of it ever being performed anywhere else, whether under the name CHEAP TRICK or as a solo artist. This legendary performance, which was thought to never see the light of day, has been revived in superb soundboard quality from the members’ own archives. It is truly nothing short of a landmark release.

　This two-disc set lets you fully enjoy the authentic master sound released by the band members themselves, fresh live performances from a different show than the standard pro-shot recordings, a wealth of greatest hits that have brought them back into the spotlight, and a miraculously rare track performed only on this day… It is truly an absolutely essential new masterpiece from an official source. Please enjoy it to your heart’s content.

★A stereo soundboard recording of the “May 6, 1992 Nakano Sun Plaza” concert. This is a genuine soundboard master released from Bun E. Carlos’s own archives, and it’s a different concert from the standard pro-shot “LIVE IN JAPAN 1992 (Shibuya)”. This is an absolute new masterpiece that allows you to enjoy the full show in completely official-quality sound, including the ultra-rare song “In This Country,” which was only recorded being performed once on this day, and many other great songs that weren’t heard on “LIVE IN JAPAN 1992”.

Disc:1 (66:00)
1. Intro
2. Oh Claire　
3. Hello There
4. I Can’t Take It
5. Speak Now
6. Standing on the Edge
7. Walk Away
8. On Top of the World
9. I Want You to Want Me
10. Heaven Tonight
11. Magical Mystery Tour
12. Voices
13. Never Had a Lot to Lose
14. Don’t Be Cruel
15. The Flame
16. Dream Police

Disc:2 (17:09)
1. If You Want My Love
2. Clock Strikes Ten
3. In This Country
4. Surrender

Robin Zander – Vocal, Guitar
Rick Nielsen – Guitar, Vocal
Tom Petersson – Bass, Vocal
Bun E. Carlos – Drums