GUNS N’ ROSES – RITZ 1988 WESTWOOD ONE RADIO SHOW RECORDS

Description

The Ritz, New York City, New York, USA 2nd February 1988
Taken from the Original Westwood One Superstar Concert Series 3LP Records

The soundboard album, which has been called “GUNS N’ ROSES’ masterpiece” and “a super masterpiece comparable to APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION”, has been brushed up. It will be released as a press CD that will permanently preserve the supreme sound created by “GRAF ZEPPLIN”. This work is engraved with “New York City performance on February 2, 1988”. It is a superb stereo soundboard recording recorded at the famous venue “The Ritz”.

[The only live album comparable to APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION]
I’ve been using exaggerated words from the beginning, but they are not enough to describe this work. After all, there is no live album better than this one in the long history of GUNS N’ ROSES. All records pale in comparison to this one, with the only exception being the pinnacle of their studio work, APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION.

What was the stage where such a super masterpiece was born? Nowadays, when we talk about “RITZ in the Appetite era,” “RITZ 1987” is also a standard, but it is a completely different performance from this work. In order not to confuse them, let’s understand the positional relationship of each in the activity history at that time.

●1987
・June 19-28: UK (3 shows)
{July 21st “APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION” released}
・August 1st-September 17th: North America #1 (24 shows)
・September 29th-October 8th: Europe (8 shows)
・October 16th-December 31st: North America #2a (49 shows) ←※RITZ 1987
●1988
・January 5th-February 12th: North America #2b (13 shows) ←★Here★
・March 31st-June 8th: North America #3 (30 shows)
・July 9th-September 17th: North America #4 + Donington (40 shows)
{November 29th “GN’R LIES” released}
・December 4th-19th: Japan/Oceania (9 shows)

This is GUNS N’ ROSES in 1987/1988. This work was recorded at the fifth performance of “North America #2b”, about three months after “RITZ 1987”. This show was not a general performance of the tour, but a club gig held for recording, and was broadcast on television (MTV) and radio (Westwood One). It was a classic among the classics that have produced many existing groups…no, it was the most classic. This work is the pinnacle of FM soundboards. It was directly digitized from the three-disc transcription LP of Westwood One’s famous program “SUPERSTAR CONCERT”.

[The ultimate sound finished by GRAF ZEPPELIN]
At this point, avid collectors will be reminded of the two-disc press “RITZ 1988 DEFINITIVE EDITION” that comes with a pro shot. The original 3LP broadcast master that was the source of this work is the same as that soundboard edition. However, it is not a complete copy, but a top-of-the-line updated edition that has been refinished with meticulous mastering by “GRAF ZEPPLIN”.

In fact, the sound of this work is supreme and ultimate. “GRAF ZEPPLIN” mastering is faithful to the basics, such as pitch / phase correction that does not allow even 1/1000th of a second of deviation, various noise processing, balance adjustment after frequency band analysis, etc., and is done with obsessive precision one by one. This work has also reached the pinnacle by going through these processes. In fact, the original sound is too amazing so it is not “altogether a different thing”, but there is no doubt that there is no sound better than this work, and even the scratch noise (so trivial that it is difficult to detect by human hearing) that existed on the previous version has been beautifully removed.

This feeling is on a different level from the so-called collector’s edition remaster. In other words, it is the dimension of high-quality CDs of official works such as “Mobile Fidelity” and “Nimbus Supercut”. It is the sound of the world of how to faithfully digitize the sound left on the analog master (in this case, the broadcast master LP) and transfer it to CD media. For example, this broadcast also has a CD master for rebroadcast, but there was some deterioration in the digital processing (you can also enjoy it in our gift title “RITZ 1988: RADIO SHOW CD”). Although it has a modern power, it cannot be said to be faithful to the “true on-site sound”. This work is committed to the “real thing”, so the original 1988 broadcast version was selected and created from the existing peak master LP.

THE WHO had LIVE AT LEEDS, DEEP PURPLE had MADE IN JAPAN, and MOTORHEAD had NO SLEEP ‘TIL HAMMERSMITH. Rock history occasionally produces live albums that even transcend the existence of the band, and this is the GUNS N’ ROSES version.

In the face of such musical works, the distinction between official and unofficial is no longer meaningful. If the official will not leave it, someone, even if unofficial, must preserve it forever. It must be preserved for future generations. This is a rare masterpiece among masterpieces that stands on such a horizon. Please enjoy it to the fullest with the ultimate sound.

★Superb stereo soundboard recording of the “February 2, 1988 New York City performance”. This was digitized from the 3-disc transcription LP of “SUPERSTAR CONCERT”, the best existing master, and is the highest peak version completed by “GRAF ZEPPELIN”. It is a masterpiece that is comparable only to “APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION”.

(63:50)
01. Introduction
02. It’s So Easy
03. Mr. Brownstone
04. Out Ta Get Me
05. Sweet Child O’ Mine
06. My Michelle
07. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
08. Welcome To The Jungl
09. Member Introduction
10. Nightrain
11. Paradise City
12. Mama Kin
13. Rocket Queen

W. Axl Rose – Vocal
Slash – Guitar
Izzy Stradlin – Guitar
Duff McKagan – Bass
Steven Adler – Drums

STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING

★★Special Event

★The greatest live album ever, “Ritz 1988: Westwood One Radio Show Records” rivals “Appetite for Destruction”. If you purchase the album with the numbered sticker, you will also receive a special bonus copy of the footage from the same show, “Ritz 1988: Promo VHS”.

GUNS N’ ROSES – RITZ 1988 PROMO VHS(Bonus DVDR)
The Ritz, New York City, New York, USA 2nd February 1988 PRO-SHOT
Taken from promo VHS

The main press CD is truly a historic masterpiece. It is a soundboard album that boasts the same value as “APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION”. As mentioned in the commentary, this show was also broadcast on MTV. Therefore, we decided to include a special bonus pro shot version so that you can get the highest peak master of the live album edition / video edition at once.

This work was shot at the same “February 2, 1988 New York City Performance” as the main CD. This is a multi-camera pro shot. If you have noticed this article, you may have experienced some kind of pre-release footage, but this work is the highest peak master. Its true identity is a promotional VHS unearthed in 2015. In other words, it is a “pre-broadcast master” that has never been on the airwaves, let alone dubbing marks. There is no deterioration at all, and there is no MTV broadcast logo on the screen. It is literally “nothing more than this” super quality.

However, this promo VHS had one drawback. That was that “Mama Kin” was missing. This work contains only the best of “Mama Kin” from the previous releases. Some of the previous versions had the song order out of whack, but this work (like the main press CD) reproduces the complete form of the day of the live performance.

The beauty of the images depicts the pinnacle stage, worthy of being called “the masterpiece of GUNS N’ ROSES images.” The awesomeness of the scene is conveyed even in the main press CD, which is a live album with only audio, but the image is still extremely persuasive. After all, Axel was a young man of 25 years old at the time (four days before his birthday), and Slash was only 22 years old. The way they uncontrollably put on the historical masterpieces with their ferocious power and energy, which they have no intention of holding back, is the very embodiment of rock. Rather than a “live performance version of APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION,” it’s a world where that great masterpiece is blown up with stage tension. You can witness an hour of miracles that the music culture of “rock” can produce.

Not only does it expand the image of the main press CD, but this work itself is a historical masterpiece of GUNS N’ ROSES… no, rock music. The legendary “RITZ 1988” has reached a height that cannot be reached even with all praise. This is the ultimate set that allows you to get the highest peak sound board and the highest peak pro shot apex master at the same time. Please enjoy it together.

(63:53)
1. Intro
2. It’s So Easy
3. Mr. Brownstone
4. Out Ta Get Me
5. Sweet Child O’ Mine
6. My Michelle
7. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
8. Welcome To The Jungle
9. Nightrain
10. Paradise City
11. Mama Kin
12. Rocket Queen

PRO-SHOT COLOUR NTSC Approx.64min.

Special Bonus DVDR for limited numbered stickered edition of “RITZ 1988: WESTWOOD ONE RADIO SHOW RECORDS”(ZODIAC 753)