DEEP PURPLE – DEFINITIVE SPRINGFIELD 1976 SOUNDBOARD (2 CD)

Description

Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA, USA 26th January 1976 STEREO SBD (from Original Masters)
★UPGRADE

　The shocking soundboard that shocked collectors around the world two years ago has been brushed up! The highest peak update by “GRAF ZEPPELIN” mastering, which pursues the feeling of the work, will be released on press 2CD!

　This work permanently preserves the “Springfield Performance on January 26, 1976.” This is a stereo soundboard recording. This work is a live album alongside the official traditional albums “LIVE AT LONG BEACH 1976” and “THIS TIME AROUND,” and together they form the “three major soundboards of the Tommy Bolin era.” It is not just a masterpiece soundboard, but also has the aspect of being the “official complete version.” To explain the circumstances, let’s first take a bird’s-eye view of the activities at that time and check the relative positions of each of the three major soundboards.

●1975
{October 10th: “COME TASTE THE BAND” released}
November 8th: Honolulu performance
November 13th – December 1st: Oceania (10 performances)
December 4th + 5th: Indonesia (2 performances) December 8th
– 15th: Japan (4 performances) ← *Official THIS TIME AROUND December 19th
: Hong Kong performance
●1976
January 14th – March 4th: North America (34 performances) ←★Here★
March 11th – 15th: UK (5 performances)
{July 24th: DEEP PURPLE disbands}

[The complete soundboard unearthed by our shop that amazed the whole world]
　This is the overall picture of the IVth period of DEEP PURPLE, which welcomed Bolin. The official “LIVE AT LONG BEACH 1976” and this work are soundboards born from the “North American” leg. This Springfield performance was the ninth performance, a concert one month before “LIVE AT LONG BEACH 1976” (21 performances before).

　The complete soundboard of this show was a collector’s dream. Only three tracks, “Smoke On The Water,” “Going Down,” and “Highway Star,” were included as bonus tracks on the official “LIVE AT LONG BEACH 1976,” making collectors around the world dream of a complete version someday. And in 2023, that dream came true. The complete soundboard master was unearthed through our own unique route. Of course, its impact spread worldwide, and the first-release version quickly sold out and was discontinued. It’s now becoming a “modern holy grail” that’s difficult to obtain even secondhand.

[Meticulous mastering in pursuit of perfection as a musical work]
　Naturally, such a cultural heritage cannot remain out of print. This work is a new edition that has been meticulously remastered by “GRAF ZEPPELIN” to permanently preserve the impactful full sound board with the highest updated quality.

　The key point is the “feel of the work.” The original release, in order to widely publicize the truth of the newly discovered master, only minimal sound processing, such as pitch adjustment, was used. It was preserved in its original state. However, the original sound was not optimized for modern audio, and the balance was not perfect. Therefore, this time, these points have been finely adjusted, pursuing a level of perfection as a musical work that can be listened to over and over again. Of course, it is not a meaningless, flashy sound. As with the natural-oriented “GRAF ZEPPELIN” mastering, distortions and noise have been thoroughly corrected while the essence remains unchanged. By restoring the actual sound of Deep Purple’s performance, its vividness is also restored.

　There are many different techniques, but perhaps the most effective was balance adjustment. Adjustments made after frequency band analysis dramatically improved clarity and sharper contours. What’s more, the sound itself became more taut, with a bright, clear sound.

　Noise processing is also an important point. There was some hum and hiss, especially towards the end, but it was beautifully treated (just enough to not affect the sound of the performance). The key here is the stereo feel. In fact, the noise is not equal on both sides, and this soundboard was also slightly stronger on the right. Simply processing the noise would result in the volume of only the right channel being lower, but the “GRAF ZEPPELIN” mastering has meticulously handled even such small details. As expected, the balance of each range is adjusted through frequency band analysis, and the balance of the left and right channels is also precisely adjusted.

[A reborn Bolin in top form with this full live album]
　This reborn sound is a full show that is different from any other era, the “COME TASTE THE BAND Tour”. The set is different from the official traditional album “LIVE AT LONG BEACH 1976”, so let’s compare and organize it here.

●Come Taste the Band (5 songs + α)
Lady Luck / Love Child / Gettin’ Tighter / This Time Around / Owed To “G” / Drifter (★)
●Other (6 songs + α)
Phase II: Lazy / Smoke On The Water (incl. Georgia On My Mind) (＊) / Highway Star (＊) Phase III
: Burn / Stormbringer
Other: Homeward Strut / Going Down (＊)
*Note: Songs marked with an “＊” were bonus tracks on the official album. Songs marked with an “★” cannot be heard on the official “LIVE AT LONG BEACH 1976” album.

…And so it goes. The biggest highlight is undoubtedly “Drifter,” which wasn’t heard on “LIVE AT LONG BEACH 1976.” It was on “THIS TIME AROUND,” but unfortunately, Bolin was in poor form during his Japan tour. The “Drifter” soundboard, which really brings out Bolin’s true value, is Springfield’s exclusive patent. And the show as a whole was a masterful performance. Bolin was at his best in every song, incomparable to Japan. In particular, “Gettin’ Tighter,” which was a hot topic at his first appearance, was incredible. It usually lasts more than 10 minutes, but on this day it was a smashing performance that lasted over 16 minutes. All of it is brought back to life with vivid sound…it’s truly moving.

　This album maximizes the potential of the original sound, while the previous album permanently preserved the truth of the excavated soundboard master. While the previous album still shines in terms of the value of sound source history, this album is the best way to experience the simply cool IVth stage of DEEP PURPLE. This is a full live album with the highest peak update. Enjoy it anytime, anywhere with the Press 2CD, which will forever speak of its brilliance.

★Stereo soundboard recording of the “January 26, 1976 Springfield Performance.” This is the highest-quality updated version, with GRAF ZEPPELIN refining the complete master unearthed by our shop, which astonished the whole world. The clarity has improved dramatically, the sound itself is more taut, and the hum and hiss in the latter half has been addressed. This is an absolute must-have album, where you can enjoy the delicious full show with a richly upgraded sound, including “Drifter,” where Bolin’s true value explodes.

REMASTERED BY GRAF ZEPPELIN
★ Overall volume increase and frequency band adjustment for a slightly brighter sound
* The hum and hiss noise that was noticeable on the right channel in the latter half has been somewhat corrected and slightly eliminated.

Disc 1 (68:45)
1. Intro
2. Burn
3. Lady Luck
4. Love Child
5. Gettin’ Tighter ★Over 16 minutes of intense performance
6. Smoke On The Water
7. Georgia On My Mind
8. Keyboard Solo
9. Lazy
10. Drum Solo
11. Homeward Strut

Disc 2 (52:53)
1. Tuning
2. This Time Around
3. Owed To “G”
4. Guitar Solo
5. Drifter ★Not played in Long Beach
6. Stormbringer
7. Going Down
8. Highway Star

STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING

David Coverdale – Vocals
Tommy Bolin – Guitar
Glenn Hughes – Bass & Vocals
Jon Lord – Keyboards
Ian Paice – Drums