ROLLING STONES – WOODSTOCK REHEARSALS (4 CD)

Description

Bearsville Studios, Woodstock, NY, USA 27th May – 8th June 1978 STEREO SBD
★Soundboard recording of rehearsals held at Woodstock before the start of the 1978 tour

　Perhaps even more eagerly awaited among enthusiasts than last week’s “SO MUCH YOUNGER THAN TODAY” is the 1978 Woodstock rehearsals. Originally a familiar stereo soundboard recording from the analog LP era with perfect separation, the sound quality of this recording was dramatically improved in 2020, and the 2021 release, “WOODSTOCK REHEARSALS 1978,” is a thorough restoration of the recording.

　The impressive sound quality improvements excited enthusiasts when it was released in 2020, but it also had serious problems, such as reversed left and right stereo, double sounds, low pitch, and missing parts. Even so, it was still a surprising sound source, and there were items that were released without any modifications, which I now look back on fondly. However, “WOODSTOCK REHEARSALS 1978” was a stunningly restored album that set it apart.

　In fact, the title was highly praised among enthusiasts, and it was a masterpiece that quickly sold out as a stunning Woodstock Lethal bestseller that was listened to carefully in the stay-at-home mode world that was still continuing at the time. Five years have passed since then (quickly!), and the long-awaited re-release is finally happening.

　The 2021 release was overseen by GRAF ZEPPELIN. It’s no wonder that the Woodstock rehearsal compilation is a spectacular masterpiece, and the stunning editing and sound quality remain undiminished. In fact, the album was so well-made that no further editing was necessary. As a result, the content remains the same as the 2021 version.

　Despite the improvement in sound quality, the files released in 2020 were extremely rough, as mentioned above, so it’s great that they’ve made them so easy to listen to. In addition, the unreleased parts have been remastered and adjusted from the VGP version to alleviate as much discomfort as possible. These parts include “Beautiful Delilah” at the end of the third disc and “Memory Motel” from the rehearsal on the fourth disc.

　Compared to these, the improvement in sound quality of the low-generation version excavated in 2020 is truly remarkable. It seems like a lie that even the previous items released before that seemed to have sufficiently high sound quality.

　Another big attraction of this recording is the highly entertaining content of the entire rehearsal, which spans four CDs. Especially since the songs on “Some Girls” were still new at this point. Even from the opening track, “Miss You,” you can hear the spirited performance, and this alone should remind you that this is a record of something completely different from the usual looseness of the Stones’ rehearsals.

　For example, even when playing the second album “Beast Of Burden” in an instrumental jam-like style, you can feel the enthusiasm, and even the Stones of this era are seriously working on new songs. Therefore, when listening to the loose performance of the regular numbers “Gimme Shelter” and “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll,” it is understandable that they were not featured on the 1978 tour, and it is interesting that the stereo sound board gives off a loose, “Let’s stop on this tour” kind of atmosphere.

　On the other hand, they also play classics like “Play With Fire” and “Tell Me,” which seem like rehearsals, “Memory Motel,” a track they never got to perform live in the ’70s, and then they play oldies like “Summertime Blues,” which is where they really shine. The highlight is “Cocksucker Blues,” which makes you wonder if they were even planning to play it. This is one of the best Stones rehearsal recordings, boasting the best quality and sound quality. Enjoy the full four-CD set!

REMASTERED BY GRAF ZEPPELIN
★Flip channels left and right.
★The pitch has been adjusted to be 1.2% higher overall. By the way, in the previously released titles, the pitch was about 1.5% to 2.0% higher overall, and there were also parts where the speed gradually changed.
*In addition, the duplicated tracks at the end of Disc 1’s first track, Miss You, and second track, Respectable, which were included in the original recording, have been cut.
★Several tracks (50 minutes) not included on this album have been remastered and added. The pitch has been corrected and the sound is clearly clearer than the original recording.

Disc 1 (70:16)
01. Miss You #1
02. Miss You #2
03. Miss You #3
04. Miss You #4
05. Respectable #1
06. Love In Vain
07. Play With Fire #1
08. No Expectations
09. Instrumental Jam #1
10. Blues Jam #1
11. Blues Jam #2
12. Blues Jam #3
13. Blues Jam #4
14. Blues Jam #5
15. Gimme Shelter #1
16. When The Whip Comes Down
17. Miss You #5
18. Miss You #6
19. Miss You #7

Disc 2 (75:28)
01. Don’t Look Back #1
02. Don’t Look Back #2
03. Don’t Look Back #3
04. Instrumental Jam #2
05. Beast Of Burden #1
06. Beast Of Burden #2
07. C’mon Everybody ＃1
08. C’mon Everybody ＃2
09. C’mon Everybody ＃3
10. Summertime Blues #1
11. Summertime Blues #2
12. Summertime Blues #3
13. Tumbling Dice #1
14. Tumbling Dice #2
15. Jumping Jack Flash #1
16. Jumping Jack Flash #2
17. Jumping Jack Flash #3
18. Memory Motel #1
19. The Fat Man
20. Beast Of Burden #3
21. Hot Stuff
22. Something Else
23. Sweet Little Sixteen #1
24. Hi-Heel Sneakers #1
25. Hi-Heel Sneakers #2

Disc 3 (71:04)
01. Play With Fire #2
02. Crackin’ Up
03. Tell Me (You’re Coming Back)
04. Shake Your Hips
05. Respectable #2
06. Don’t Look Back #4
07. Instrumental Jam #3
08. Instrumental Jam #4
09. Instrumental Jam #5
10. Sweet Little Sixteen #2
11. Sweet Little Sixteen #3
12. Let It Rock
13. Shattered
14. Instrumental Jam #6
15. Instrumental Jam #7
16. Instrumental Jam #8
17. Drum Solo
18. Crazy Mama #1
19. Crazy Mama #2
20. Crazy Mama #3
21. Crazy Mama #4
22. Star Star
23. Gimme Shelter #2
24. Don’t Look Back #5
25. Beautiful Delilah #1
26. Beautiful Delilah #2

Disc 4 (74:57)
01. Cocksucker Blues
02. It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll #1
03. It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll #2
04. It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll #3
05. All Down The Line #1
06. All Down The Line #2
07. Honky Tonk Women
08. Brown Sugar #1
09. Brown Sugar #2
10. Memory Motel #2
11. Memory Motel #3
12. Memory Motel #4
13. Memory Motel #5
14. Far Away Eyes ＃1
15. Far Away Eyes ＃2
16. Let’s Spend The Night Together #1
17. Let’s Spend The Night Together #2
18. Let’s Spend The Night Together #3
19. Tumbling Dice #3
20. Happy
21. Prodigal Son #1
22. Prodigal Son #2
23. Brown Sugar #3

　Although they tried out “Memory Motel” many times here, it was more than 15 years before they were able to perform it on stage.

　The rehearsal recordings are packed with precious performances that were not possible to see at the live show, such as “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” which tries out a looser arrangement different from both Knebworth and ’81, and “Prodigal Son,” performed with a band, which was a surprise at the end of the rehearsal.This is not just an upgraded version, but the content has also been thoroughly reviewed and carefully organized to create the best version.