ROLLING STONES – ATLANTA 1981 SOUNDBOARD (2 CD)

Description

Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA, USA 26th October 1981 SBD

　Among the Rolling Stones 1981 tour soundboard remaster series released by “GRAF ZEPPELIN” from 2021 to 2022, ‘ATLANTA 1981’ was particularly popular.

　Up until then, the 1981 soundboard recordings that “GRAF ZEPPELIN” had handled were mainly leaks of multi-track recordings intended for radio broadcasts. But this one was different. This Atlanta concert was a soundboard recording derived from the PA output, and it was one of the recordings that emerged as part of the massive leak of 1981 recordings that suddenly appeared in 2005.

　At the time, the flood of leaked recordings caused a stir among fans worldwide, but before we knew it, 20 years had passed. Back then, just being able to listen to a large number of soundboard recordings all at once was enough to make us happy. However, in reality, especially with the recordings up to October, the deterioration of the cassette tapes due to age was quite noticeable in the latter half of the live performances.

　However, at the time, there was a strong sentiment of “just being able to listen to it is something to be grateful for,” and the released items did not deeply address these issues. In fact, it was not uncommon for items to be released as they were, with degradation included.

　In that respect, the tape degradation problem was precisely what “GRAF ZEPPELIN” thoroughly re-examined in the 2022 edition of “ATLANTA 1981”.

　In a series of recordings unearthed in 2005, the tape quality often deteriorated towards the end of the live performances, and Atlanta was no exception. The problem became noticeable around “All Down The Line,” and the most troublesome aspect was the tape warping that occurred along with the fluctuations in the sound. Despite being a valuable soundboard recording, it became painful to listen to all the way through as the performance progressed.

　The greatest achievement of “GRAF ZEPPELIN” in “ATLANTA 1981” is undoubtedly their thorough correction of the tape’s distortion. While the sonic undulation itself doesn’t completely disappear, the elimination of the distortion made it surprisingly easier to listen to.

　Furthermore, the cassette from that day also showed slight signs of degradation in the first half of the live performance. DAC’s “ATLANTA 1981,” which was a real-time recording, had been processed to boost the high frequencies in an attempt to improve the muffled sound, but this resulted in a finish with noticeable hiss noise. In addition, the pitch was also higher than normal.

　However, the 2022 remaster by “GRAF ZEPPELIN” eliminated such unnatural processing. While deliberately leaving parts that couldn’t be fixed naturally, the overall high pitch was properly corrected. (Furthermore, the cut sections were carefully filled in with the same day’s AUD recording.) As a result, it reached a level of perfection worthy of being called the new definitive Atlanta ’81 soundboard recording, which is why the title sold out.

　Moreover, the greatest appeal of this release is that it features a soundboard recording of a rare small gig that took place during the 1981 tour.

　In fact, at the end of “Neighbours,” there’s a slight miscommunication between the band and Mick, resulting in a somewhat awkward moment, and the unrestrained atmosphere that you don’t usually experience at their massive stadium shows is evident throughout. The soundboard captures the liberating feeling unique to a closed venue with remarkable vividness.

　The somewhat chaotic performance of “Beast Of Burden” is entertaining, and the accidental disappearance of Charlie’s drums during “Let Me Go” and “Tumbling Dice,” which were already generating buzz at the time, is captured as a charming aspect of this live performance.
　And the ultimate highlight is the inclusion of the historic event of Chuck Leavell’s surprise appearance, facilitated by Ian Stewart.

　Featuring a dynamic image of Mick on the newly redesigned jacket, this definitive soundboard recording of one of the most enjoyable small gigs from the 1981 tour is finally back.

——————————————————————————–

REMASTERED BY GRAF ZEPPELIN

(These are notes from the original 2022 release.)
★SB part: Pitch, frequency range, and volume adjustment
★Furthermore, tape distortions that can be seen after the cut of “All Down The Line” have been corrected as needed.
★The recording time is quite different from the previously released DAC version, but this is because the DAC has a higher pitch.
★The sound is a bit muffled in the early stages (around “When The Whip Comes Down”), but on the previously released DAC version, the high frequencies are too prominent, resulting in excessive hiss (up to the count-in of tracks 2-5).
Also, there is likely a tape splice immediately after the count at the beginning of “Neighbours” due to high-frequency boosting work (the hiss suddenly drops here). There are no splices on this version.

——————————————————————————–

Disc 1 (60:19)
01. Take The A Train
02. Under My Thumb
03. When The Whip Comes Down
04. Let’s Spend The Night Together
05. Shattered
06. Neighbours
07. Black Limousine
08. Just My Imagination
09. Twenty Flight Rock
10. Let Me Go ★2:28-2:51 Aud補填
11. Time Is On My Side
12. Beast Of Burden
13. Waiting On A Friend
14. Let It Bleed

Disc 2 (57:01)
01. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
02. Band Introductions
03. Little T & A
04. Tumbling Dice
05. She’s So Cold
06. All Down The Line ★2:49以降Aud補填
07. Hang Fire ★0:00-0:22Aud補填
08. Miss You
09. Start Me Up
10. Honky Tonk Women
11. Brown Sugar
12. Street Fighting Man
13. Jumping Jack Flash

SOUNDBOARD RECORDING