KISS – SAN FRANCISCO JANUARY 1975 SOUNDBOARD UPGRADE (CD)

Description

Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA, USA 31st January 1975 SBD (from Original Masters)

　From the unique source of leaked recordings that have shocked KISS collectors worldwide, another shocking master has been unearthed! An upgraded master of the iconic soundboard recording from the “HOTTER THAN HELL Tour” has appeared. An emergency release on a permanently preserved pressed CD has been decided!!

　This release captures the “San Francisco concert on January 31, 1975,” in superb soundboard quality. Some of you may already have a hunch about this. This performance was also officially released as a pro-shot video in “KISSOLOGY VOLUME ONE,” and our store has even released a master that surpasses the official version as a pressed DVD titled “SAN FRANCISCO JANUARY 1975.” This release, while a soundboard recording of the same live performance, is a new master with sound quality that is on a completely different level.

　Before discussing the quality, let’s first look at the show’s position within the tour. Let’s unravel its history by examining the schedule from that era, which was packed with masterpieces.

●1974
“KISS Tour”
– January 8th – February 21st: North America #1 (8 shows)
– March 22nd – August 4th: North America #2 (64 shows) ← *THE AGORA 1974 and others
– September 13th – October 4th: North America #3 (13 shows) ← *TORONTO SEPTEMBER 1974
“HOTTER THAN HELL Tour”
– October 17th – December 31st: North America #4a (39 shows) ← *DEFINITIVE HAMMOND ’74 and others
– January 7th – February 22nd: North America #4b (14 shows) ← ★HERE★
“DRESSED TO KILL Tour”
– March 19th – August 28th: ​​North America #5 (74 shows) ← *PROVIDENCE 1975 and others
“ALIVE! “Tour”
– September 10th – December 31st: North America #6 (50 shows) ← *LANDOVER 1975 and others

[An unearthed, official-quality soundboard album that far surpasses the video version]
　This is KISS in 1974/1975. The “HOTTER THAN HELL Tour” was “North America #4” which spanned into the new year, and the San Francisco performance featured on this album was the 10th concert of “North America #4b” which began after the new year.

　As mentioned earlier, this performance is best known for its black-and-white professional video footage, but this release is a soundboard album with audio only. It’s about six minutes longer than the video version and has a completely different master with far superior sound quality.

　The audio on the video version of “SAN FRANCISCO JANUARY 1975,” released three years ago, was also excellent, but that was only “in terms of audio for a 1975 video.” The mix, where the backing instruments blended together like a single mass and the vocals stood out, was very much like a 70s TV broadcast. This version, however, is on a different level. Every single instrument, every single note, stands out clearly, not merely an accompaniment to the vocals. Ace’s guitar cuts through the space with a sharp edge, and Gene’s bass grittyly hits you with every single attack. Peter’s drums are so clear that you can feel the texture of the drumhead, and the three-dimensionality and dynamism are incomparably richer than the audio on the video version.

　Of course, since it’s an unprocessed leaked master, it falls into the category of “official-level unearthed material.” However, it’s a well-crafted musical work that stands as a “live album by a rock band.” It has risen to the top of the “HOTTER THAN HELL Tour” soundboard collection, alongside “DEFINITIVE HAMMOND ’74 SOUNDBOARD (Zodiac 772)” and “EAST LANSING 1974 1ST NIGHT SOUNDBOARD MASTER (Zodiac 616).”

[Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll, which was missing from the video version, is also included in full.]
　This upgraded sound captures the full show, which is longer than the video version. The set is similar to, yet different from, the aforementioned masterpieces of the “HOTTER THAN HELL Tour,” “DEFINITIVE HAMMOND ’74” and “EAST LANSING 1974 1ST NIGHT,” so let’s compare and organize them.

●KISS (7 songs)
– Deuce / Strutter / Firehouse / Nothin’ To Lose / 100,000 Years / Black Diamond / Cold Gin
● HOTTER THAN HELL (5 songs)
– Got To Choose / Hotter Than Hell (★) / Watchin’ You (★) / Parasite / Let Me Go, Rock And Roll
*Note: Songs marked with “★” were not included on the classic pressings ‘DEFINITIVE HAMMOND ’74 SOUNDBOARD’ and ‘EAST LANSING 1974 1ST NIGHT SOUNDBOARD MASTER’.

…and so on. This setlist differs from the “North America #4a” ‘DEFINITIVE HAMMOND ’74’ and ‘EAST LANSING 1974 1ST NIGHT’ of the same “HOTTER THAN HELL Tour,” and includes “Hotter Than Hell” and “Watchin’ You.”

　Furthermore, it’s longer than the video version of the same show, “SAN FRANCISCO JANUARY 1975.” The final song, “Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll,” which was only partially included in the video version, can be heard in its entirety. The parts that weren’t in the video version have slightly different sound, but it’s still better than the DVD’s audio. Incidentally, Paul’s shout of “Good night!” at the end of the song differs between this version and the DVD version, but the correct version is in this version. It seems the ending of the DVD used audio from a different performance.

　While the video version from three years ago was already quite impressive, this release far surpasses it with its “official-grade unearthed” soundboard recording. The audio, which previously sounded like a 70s TV broadcast, has been completely transformed into a three-dimensional live album where each instrument stands out. Including the full recording of “Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll,” which was not included in the video version, this is an unshakeable definitive soundboard recording of the “HOTTER THAN HELL Tour.” Please enjoy it to the fullest on this permanently preserved pressed CD.

★ A superb soundboard recording of the “San Francisco performance on January 31, 1975.” With a new master unearthed through unique insider connections, it far surpasses the video version from three years ago with its “official-grade unearthed” soundboard recording. With a three-dimensional sound where each instrument’s note stands out, and including the full recording of “Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll,” which was missing from the video version, this is a new masterpiece of the “HOTTER THAN HELL Tour.”

(66:36)
1. Intro
2. Deuce
3. Strutter
4. Got To Choose
5. Hotter Than Hell
6. Firehouse
7. Watchin’ You
8. Guitar Solo
9. Nothin’ To Lose
10. Parasite
11. Bass Solo
12. 100,000 Years
13. Drum Solo
14. Black Diamond
15. Cold Gin
16. Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll

SOUNDBOARD RECORDING