ROLLING STONES – BERN 1973 2ND NIGHT: LATE SHOW (CD)

Description

Live at Festhalle, Bern, Switzerland 26th September 1973 (Late Show) PERFECT SOUND(UPGRADE)

　’BERN 1973 2ND NIGHT: LATE SHOW’, which was a huge success in 2022 with a perfect remaster by GRAF ZEPPELIN, is finally making a comeback. The audience recording of the Bern second show on September 26, 1973, which served as the basis for this work, was originally known for its very listenable quality, and of the two recordings from that day, “source 1” is particularly highly regarded. The 2022 release thoroughly brought out the charm of that original recording.

　This recording has been a hot topic since its initial release in 2013, spawning numerous spin-off titles. However, ten years later, the 2022 remaster has fully unlocked the recording’s potential—particularly its naturalness and listenability—which wasn’t fully realized at the time. The already excellent mono audience recording has been reborn with an even clearer and more stress-free sound image.

　Initially positioned as a “revenge version” of “BERN 1973 2ND NIGHT SECOND SHOW,” its quality is on a completely different level. It’s not merely an improvement, but a completely revamped definitive edition that has garnered high praise and is now a difficult title to obtain. The 2022 version itself was intended to be the definitive title for “source 1,” which had disappeared from the market at the time, but even that has become scarce, leaving a gap once again. In that sense, this reissue is truly long-awaited. After all, it’s one of the finest recordings from Europe’s ’73 era.

　The major achievement of the 2022 remaster of “GRAF ZEPPELIN” is the significant improvement achieved by converting the already easy-to-listen-to mono audience recording back into mono—a process unthinkable in 2013—resulting in a much cleaner and more listenable sound. Above all, the use of a different copy than the original has dramatically improved the naturalness of the sound. Furthermore, the thorough noise reduction, even down to the smallest details such as the noise at the beginning of “Brown Sugar,” is a testament to the excellence of “GRAF ZEPPELIN.”

　Thanks to the thorough remastering of these recordings, the Bern, Second Show “Source 1” has become overwhelmingly easier to listen to, but this is Europe ’73 we’re talking about. The performance on this day was also exceptionally brilliant. From “Brown Sugar,” which I mentioned earlier, Mick’s high-energy performance is clearly that of Europe ’73. One of the great charms of the Bern, Second Show is that it conveys the distinctive Europe ’73 style right from the beginning of the live performance.

　On the other hand, the fact that various arrangements were being tried out as the tour progressed was typical of Europe ’73, and indeed, “Honky Tonk Women” on this day began with a nice opening where the band gradually joined in after Charlie’s drums. This arrangement was so loose and Stones-esque that I wished they had continued with it.

　And speaking of Europe ’73, there’s “Midnight Rambler.” This is a masterpiece where Mick’s sexy moans explode. That’s why the cut in the middle was regrettable, but “GRAF ZEPPELIN” filled it in with “source 2.” And it was so smooth that, at first listen, there was absolutely no sense of incongruity, which was one of the reasons why “BERN 1973 2ND NIGHT: LATE SHOW” was such a hit.

　This album, which was hailed as “a new masterpiece that every fan should hear” when it was released in 2022, has finally made a long-awaited comeback with a new jacket design. This classic title, an essential part of any discussion of Europe ’73, has been out of print for a long time, but now it’s finally available again.

★The following is the explanation from the 2022 release… It’s full of information that enthusiasts will enjoy reading.

　A recording from the second show of Bern in September 1973, part of their European tour, was unearthed ten years ago, delighting fans worldwide. What surprised fans even more was the revelation that two different recordings existed. One of them, “recorder 1,” was released by the Godfather label as “BEFORE THE AFFAIR.” As it was a monaural recording with a vintage feel, the label naturally applied equalization before releasing it. This involved removing some noticeable clapping around the recorder at certain points. By 2013 standards, this processing wasn’t bad, and it was rather regrettable that the crucial high pitch was left unchanged despite the effort to make it easier to listen to.

　”BERN 1973 2ND NIGHT SECOND SHOW” was created by resolving the issues with “BEFORE THE AFFAIR” and recording it in an even more listenable state. Although it uses the same master as the Godfather release, the advantage of being able to hear it with accurate pitch is significant, and it can be called a hidden gem that sold out quickly to great acclaim. However, no new items have appeared since the “recorder 1” recording of the second show on the second day in Bern, and surprisingly, after the disappearance of “BERN 1973 2ND NIGHT SECOND SHOW,” it became virtually impossible to obtain. In Europe in 1973, where it is not an exaggeration to say that all recordings should be reliably supplied, what else can this be called but a serious situation? Of course, the performance itself could be heard through DAC’s “SWISS MADE VOL.2” using “recorder 2”.

　This “recorder 1,” despite being mono, is highly appealing because it captures Mick’s vocals with a remarkably large soundstage, and it undoubtedly deserves to be ranked among the top recordings of the European ’73 series. It’s unbelievable that a current item of this recording has been unavailable for so long, but at the same time, it’s also true that the “recorder 1” item released 10 years ago now feels dated.

　The equalization I mentioned earlier, which “reduces the sound of applause that is heard nearby,” did indeed suppress the more noticeable applause, but it also resulted in a kind of fuzzy, crackling equalization in the areas where it was applied. At the time, the benefit of the applause being less prominent seemed to outweigh the drawbacks, but that was precisely the limit of technology in 2013. Therefore, while there was an urgent need for a new item containing “recorder 1,” a reissue using “BERN 1973 2ND NIGHT SECOND SHOW” (hereinafter referred to as “the previously released version”) was out of the question for the reasons mentioned above.

　This time, Graf Zeppelin has gone back to the original audio source available online and performed an overhaul. Graf Zeppelin is well-known for their meticulous adjustments to vintage mono recordings, so this time the solid, authentic mono sound that was lacking in the 2013 version has been revived. This alone clearly shows the difference from previous items. Moreover, the release from 10 years ago was by Godfather, a leading label known for equalization, so this time it is clearly more natural. Furthermore, while previous releases often had areas where the original hiss noise became more noticeable due to the added equalization, there are no such inconsistencies this time around.

　And most importantly, since the recording is in its original state without any processing to remove the handclaps, the naturalness really stands out. Certainly, after the end of “Angie,” the taper, overjoyed to hear the hit new song, accidentally clapped, forgetting that he was touching the microphone, and the sound is quite loud. Also, towards the end of the live performance, during “Jumping Jack Flash,” there are loud handclaps after each of Mick’s vocal parts. In that respect, the processing on the previously released version wasn’t wrong, but it’s undeniable that the resulting unnaturalness negated any advantages. Ultimately, recording that preserves the original sound is the better choice.

　Of course, Europe ’73’s performance was bound to be good. On this day, Mick Taylor’s solo in the opening song “Brown Sugar” started off a little hesitant, but in the next song, “Gimme Shelter,” his signature Europe ’73 style exploded. Furthermore, he built up some magnificent phrases in “Dancing With Mr. D.” There is something truly special about Taylor on this tour. Another appeal of this tour is Mick’s powerful shouts throughout the entire live performance, and “Recorder 1” captures his vocals with a large sound image, resulting in an overwhelming sense of power.

　Also, 20 days earlier in Cologne, they had tried a pattern where Keith played an intro to “Honky Tonk Women” before introducing the band members. However, on this day, instead of introducing the members, the song began with Charlie’s rhythm, a rare intro reminiscent of the Cologne performance. It seemed like a perfectly stage-worthy intro for live performances, but it didn’t become a regular feature.

　This recording of the second show on the second day in Bern, while relatively recently unearthed among the 73 European recordings, has long been difficult to obtain. Given the current state of affairs, where previous releases can no longer be considered the best, a new definitive version, recorded in its natural state, has finally arrived. Experience the robust mono quality inherent in the original recording, resonating powerfully through your speakers!

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REMASTERED BY GRAF ZEPPELIN

★A title that could be described as a kind of revenge album for “Bern 1973 2nd Night Second Show,” which was released around 2013.
★This time, the source is the same (audio mono), but it’s based on a slightly different online audio source, not a copy of the GR version.
As mentioned later, the intro has been supplemented with a different source, so it’s hard to tell, but originally this version had about 2 seconds longer at the beginning than the previous version.
★Phase correction and adjustments for issues like audio dropouts in one channel are made, and then it is finally converted to mono. The result is a clean sound localization with no phase shifts.
★Bandwidth adjustment. Adjust the low and mid frequencies within a range that is not harsh.
★In the previous release (and the GR version), the sound of audience applause was generally omitted.
This release features the original, unprocessed sound.
Of course, whether or not you like the applause is a matter of personal preference, but here we prioritize the authentic sound of the actual live performance. Note
that the previous release had traces of the applause being removed, so in the places where it was removed,
there are floating sounds like jump rope, such as “fon-fon” and “pasha-pasha”.

★There is the only cut in the song “Midnight Rambler” from this live performance, and the missing part has been refilled from another source from the same day.
I don’t think there is any audible discrepancy.
However, there is actually a cut in the song within this refilled part from another source (around 5:24 in “Rambler” on this release),
and even if you check the previous release and the GR version, the relevant part has been smoothly crossfaded.
★This is out of order, but there’s a part in the live intro where Mick’s shouting is involved, so I’ve added the first 18 seconds or so using a different source.

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★★Superb sound quality and content! This must-have masterpiece for fans is finally back!

(72:47)
01. Introduction ★0:00-0:18 Supplemented with another source
02. Brown Sugar
03. Gimme Shelter
04. Happy
05. Tumbling Dice
06. Star Star
07. Dancing With Mr.D
08. Angie
09. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
10. Midnight Rambler ★5:10 – 5:56 Supplemented with another source
11. Honky Tonk Women
12. All Down The Line
13. Rip This Joint
14. Jumping Jack Flash
15. Street Fighting Man