ROLLING STONES – RUBBER BOWL 1972 (CD)

Description

Live at Rubber Bowl, Akron, Ohio, USA 11th July 1972 PERFECT SOUND

　Among the audience recordings produced from the Rolling Stones’ 1972 US tour, Akron’s Rubber Bowl is extremely popular among enthusiasts for its “stereo” and “close sound image” conditions. The 2020 release “RUBBER BOWL 1972 REVISITED,” supervised by “GRAF ZEPPELIN,” has become the definitive edition that eliminates some of the flaws in previous releases.

　Then, in 2023, Graf Zeppelin re-examined the sound source and released the “Rubber Bowl 1972 Revised Edition.” Rubber Bowl had always sold out, but the original recording sounded particularly good to the 1972 tour audience. The appeal of the past two releases is that they restored the original analog feel.

　This marks the third re-release, but the 2023 edition was already complete. The content itself remains the same as the “RUBBER BOWL 1972 REVISED EDITION.” Another major benefit was that GRAF ZEPPELIN had successfully recaptured the original analog feel of the 2020 edition. While the sound quality is different from the crystal-clear “CHARLOTTE 1972,” another renowned stereo audience recording from the same 1972 tour, the appeal of the Rubber Bowl sound source lies in the powerful sound that can be felt due to the close sound image.

　On the other hand, from the middle of the concert, the excitement of the surrounding audience was picked up in a reasonable balance, which was also interesting. The applause around “Midnight Rambler” was quite intense, but isn’t it rare to see such unified applause in America? lol. It was interesting, like a Japanese concert, and it was clearly different from the excitement at MSG or the LA Forum, both in the US.

　However, there was a PA problem that caused the sound from the venue to be cut off during the famous “Tumbling Dice” that day. This is an incident that the Stones on stage have no way of knowing, so the audience recording really conveys the excitement of the venue.

　And above all, the performance on this day was fantastic. Come to think of it, the Rubber Bowl was held a week after Charlotte and ten days before Philly, so the timing couldn’t have been worse. Taylor’s interlude of “Gimme Shelter” was especially foreshadowing of the Philly explosion. His phrases were captured so prominently, it was all the more impressive.

　Another attraction of the Rubber Bowl recordings is how they capture Nicky Hopkins’s brilliant piano playing with such a realistic sound image. His playing, which tends to be a little off-key on recordings like Philsperd’s and Ladygen’s, is clearly evident. What’s great about the Rubber Bowl recordings is that they don’t just stand out, but also convey how much he strives to elevate the songs.

　Rubber Bowl’s easy listening appeal also lies in the fact that it conveys the Stones’ performances were already reaching their peak even before the latter half of tours like Philly and MSG. GRAF ZEPPELIN’s work, thoroughly adjusting the naturalness and stability of the sound source capturing that scorching performance, is truly impressive. Rubber Bowl returns for the third time. While the 2020 edition featured a blue background and the 2023 edition a black one, this time it features a mid-1980s vinyl bootleg style reminiscent of “OAKLAND 69”!

REMASTERED BY GRAF ZEPPELIN
★ Overall review and correction of bandwidth
* Fixed flutter (uneven rotation) as much as possible
Removes occasional sharp distortion on the right channel
★ Slightly reduces low-frequency hum noise

(78:54)
01. Introduction
02. Brown Sugar
03. Bitch
04. Rocks Off
05. Gimme Shelter
06. Happy
07. Tumbling Dice
08. Love In Vain
09. Sweet Virginia
10. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
11. All Down The Line
12. Midnight Rambler
13. Band Introductions
14. Bye Bye Johnny
15. Rip This Joint
16. Jumping Jack Flash
17. Street Fighting Man

Mick Jagger – Vocals, Harmonica
Keith Richards – Guitar, Vocals
Mick Taylor – Guitar
Bill Wyman – Bass
Charlie Watts – Drums
Nicky Hopkins – Piano
Bobby Keys – Saxophone
Jim Price – Trumpet, Trombone