ROLLING STONES – CHARLOTTE 1972

Description

Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC, USA 6th July 1972 TRULY PERFECT SOUND

The Rolling Stones’ Charlotte in 1972… was one of the best sound quality audiences in the United States that year. It was recorded on one side of the Contraband analog “REHEARSAL SESSIONS ’72 TOUR” and even in the CD era, it was released as the first audience recording release “BACK TO 1972” (although with a very high pitch) in the era when the TSP version of the LP “WELCOME TO NEW YORK” and “Philaspe” were popular, so it has been a sound source with a long history of sound quality.

After that, the VGP label finally achieved a quality improvement appropriate for the CD era with “DRIPPIN’ HONEY” (although it sounds hard now), and then DAC’s “GOIN’ BACK TO THE ROOTS” was considered the definitive version.

However, speaking of the original sound source, not only was the sound image close, but the stereo recording, which was very rare in 1972, had a rich spread and mild sound quality, which was a big attraction. On the other hand, Taper, who was not used to stereo recording, was in high spirits during the live performance, or perhaps simply because of the restlessness of Americans (lol), the stereo sound image tends to shake slightly. The DAC version probably disliked this, so it was recorded by bringing the stereo left and right closer together to alleviate this condition.

However, it is ironic that the unique stereo feeling that this sound source had was sacrificed by such processing. Originally, that rich stereo feeling was the charm, and the sound fluctuation was not at a stressful level when listening to it. In fact, the more of a maniac you are, the more you listen to the DAC version with a sense of incongruity, thinking, “Huh? Was Charlotte like this?”

So this time, under the supervision of “GRAF ZEPPELIN”, we have re-examined this 1972 American representative audience from scratch. Of course, the recording start from “Bitch”, which is a chronic problem of this sound source, and the beginning of “Midnight Rambler” is not recorded due to the timing of the tape change are also the same this time. This can’t be helped.

However, this time, by utilizing the state as it is without making any changes to the stereo sound image like the DAC board, the rich and wide stereo feeling has finally been revived. On the contrary, the condition of the tape itself is clearly better than DAC or VGP. It is clear just by listening to “Bitch”, which has an unsettled sound quality at the start of recording. Not only that rich stereo feeling, but also the mild clarity suitable for this stereo sound quality has been beautifully revived. It’s so good that you can’t help but smile as you listen to it and say, “This is it! This is the sound of Charlotte.”

Such an excellent stereo audience conveys the Stones in top form. After all, it was wonderful after the video recording in Fort Worth. Taylor’s phrases, such as “Love In Vain” that day, which has been well-known since the analog era, are truly enchanting, coupled with the pleasant listening experience.

On the other hand, the great thing about this recording is that it captures the unwavering cutting that is unique to Keith of this era in the 1972 audience recording. Needless to say, Mick is also running through with high tension, but when it comes to this recording, I tend to be captivated by Taylor and Keith’s guitar work.

And regarding the Norfolk performance the day before, “GOIN’ BACK TO ROOTS”, which was also a wonderful CD release of the contraband analog by “GRAF ZEPPELIN”, is still a bestseller, and the release of the definitive version was eagerly awaited the next day in Charlotte. The mild and clear stereo feeling that was so attractive has finally returned! Please listen carefully and enjoy such an excellent audience.

REMASTERED BY GRAF ZEPPELIN

★It’s been a long time since the Charlotte performance was released separately.
The sound quality is very good, as it was released on Scorpio POW records from the early days of CDs in the ’90s, and it’s a rare stereo recording for this period. The cut-ins for Brown Sugar Unreceived, Bitch, and Rambler are the same as those already released, so there’s nothing you can do about it.

★The sound source has the characteristic that the positioning of the performance changes frequently, and the DAC version, which has been cited as the best of this day in recent years, dislikes this, and seems to have mixed the sound image itself somewhat toward the center, and the band balance has been processed to give the impression of being quite well-balanced. However, as a result of this, the stereo separation of the original sound source seems to be somewhat spoiled, but this version does not dare to tamper with the characteristic vivid sound image positioning, and prioritizes the on-site stereo feeling on the original tape. The performance itself is very close, and you can experience a thick, relaxed, dense sound with a good balance from low to high frequencies.

(68:13)
1. Bitch
2. Rocks Off
3. Gimme Shelter
4. Happy
5. Tumbling Dice
6. Love In Vain
7. Sweet Virginia
8. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
9. All Down The Line
10. Midnight Rambler
11. Band Introductions
12. Bye Bye Johnny
13. Rip This Joint
14. Jumping Jack Flash
15. Street Fighting Man