ROLLING STONES – BIRMINGHAM ODEON 1973 (CD)

Description

Birmingham Odeon, Birmingham, UK 19th September 1973 1st Show PERFECT SOUND
★The long-awaited second press edition is here. Everything except the cover is a new design.

The “GRAF ZEPPELIN” series, which began with the recently re-released “BERN 1973 2ND NIGHT LATE SHOW,” has been revisiting the Stones’ 1973 European tour. “BIRMINGHAM ODEON 1973” can be considered the culmination of this series.

The audience recording of the 1973 Birmingham concert that served as the basis for this work was known from the beginning as a highly regarded recording. Furthermore, it’s an interesting commonality that the initial release was by the OH BOY label, which also handled the acclaimed Perth concert recording.

However, many of the early releases suffered from pitch and generational issues, and it wasn’t until the 21st century that titles that fully brought out the potential of the sound source appeared. It was only with later releases such as IMP’s “BIRMINGHAM REMASTER 1973” and DAC’s “BIRMINGHAM ODEON” that its reputation finally became established.

Among them, the DAC version had long been recognized as the definitive edition, but the one that thoroughly resolved the remaining issues and made a significant leap forward in terms of sound quality was “BIRMINGHAM ODEON 1973,” released in 2023 under the supervision of “GRAF ZEPPELIN.”
The main reason this 2023 edition has been so highly praised is that it uses a source that is clearly from a lower generation than previous editions. A comparison with the previous edition makes this immediately obvious, resulting in a more natural and richer sound quality.

On the other hand, the DAC version features equalization that emphasizes the mid-range frequencies, and some felt that this processing detracted from the analog quality. Therefore, a certain number of people preferred the IMP version in terms of sound quality. Amidst this, the “GRAF ZEPPELIN” version presented a well-balanced sound, solidifying its reputation.

What’s particularly noteworthy is the correction of the left channel wobble that occurred between “Happy” and “Starfucker.” This issue, which couldn’t be completely resolved in previous releases due to the technical limitations of the time, has been naturally corrected in this version. This is another important factor that supports the 2023 version’s reputation as the definitive edition.

Originally, this recording was one of the finest audience recordings from Europe ’73, boasting a large soundstage and excellent stereo imaging. Nevertheless, this release reveals that previous releases had not fully captured its charm, which is a significant point of this work.

As is well known, the performance is excellent. The thrilling development of “Midnight Rambler” is the highlight of the evening, and “Angie,” sung with the same melody as the album version, is another must-listen. In addition to the high sound quality, the richness of the performance is clearly conveyed, which is what supports the popularity of this recording.

The high level of perfection and compelling content of the 2023 release quickly made it difficult to obtain. This re-release uses the same master and also inherits the popular “Velodragon” artwork from the OH BOY release. It returns as the definitive version, allowing you to enjoy this renowned recording from Europe ’73 in its best possible condition.

★This is considered by many to be the Rolling Stones’ greatest masterpiece, a remastered version of GRAF ZEPPELIN.

★The previous album’s back cover was an homage to OH BOY, so it used a horizontal image, but it was a photo from 1972. This time, we’ve used a live photo from 1973. We’ve changed everything except the front cover, including the inside photos.

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REMASTERED BY GRAF ZEPPELIN
★This is a remastering memo from 2023 (for reference only).
★The previously released DAC version, which was considered the best, lacked left-right spatial breadth, and this new version
is undoubtedly the best in every aspect. The pitch on the DAC version was also slightly too fast.
★Phase correction, pitch correction, and correction of the frequent left channel wobble between Gimme Shelter and Star Star have been corrected.
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(69:41)
01. Introduction
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
11. Honky Tonk Women
12. All Down The Line
13. Rip This Joint
14. Jumping Jack Flash
15. Street Fighting Man