WHITESNAKE – BUDOKAN 1983 SOUNDBOARD (2 CD)

Description

Live at Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 22nd February 1983 STEREO SBD
(from Original Masters) *UPGRADE Taken from the original cassette tape (TDK SA-X 90) Belonged to Cozy Powell

　. This is the superb stereo soundboard recording of the 1983 Nippon Budokan concert, originally recorded on the legendary Cozy Powell tapes. This treasured recording has been polished up by “GRAF ZEPPELIN” and is now available in a top-of-the-line updated version.

　This release captures the “February 22, 1983: Nippon Budokan” concert, a stereo soundboard recording. This soundboard recording is one of the most important recordings from the “SAINTS & SINNERS Tour” featuring Cozy Powell. It stands alongside West Germany’s “LIVE… IN THE WEST OF THE RHINE” and the official video “MONSTERS OF ROCK ’83” as one of the “three great soundboard recordings.” And even among them, it holds a special place. To explain why, let’s first examine the context of their activities at the time.

●1982:
October – “SAINTS & SINNERS” completed;
November – “-THROUGH REHEARSAL 1982 SOUNDBOARD”
; December 10-31: Europe #1a (14 shows)
●1983
: January 1-31: Europe #1b (18 shows)
; February 7-23: Japan (10 shows) ←★HERE★;
March 19 – “LIVE… IN THE WEST OF THE RHINE”
(April – Production of “SLIDE IT IN” begins)
; August 14-September 6: Europe #2 (11 shows) ←※Official MONSTERS OF ROCK ’83
(September-December: Moody/Hodgkinson → Sykes/Murray replacement)

[The only leaked of the three major recordings / direct-to-board soundboard]
　This is WHITESNAKE from 1982/1983. In April 1983, they traveled to West Germany to produce the masterpiece album “SLIDE IT IN,” and “LIVE… IN THE WEST OF THE RHINE” was a special live performance for TV/FM broadcast that took place during that trip. On the other hand, “MONSTERS OF ROCK ’83” is a professionally shot recording for official release. Although there is a difference between broadcast and sales, both works were produced with the intention of being played on home devices.

　In contrast, the Nippon Budokan soundboard (this release) is completely different. It’s a raw, unprocessed real soundboard recording directly from the mixing console, sourced from Cozy Powell’s treasured cassette tapes, completely different from the neatly organized broadcast/official mixes. In fact, the directness of this soundboard… no, the sense of synchronization where your whole body is perfectly aligned with the live performance is on another level. The sense of intimacy as if your ear is pressed against the drumhead, the wide stereo panning from left to right, the reality where you can see the vibrations of the strings right in front of you—it is truly a soundboard in a class of its own.

[LIVE AT Budokan polished to perfection with meticulous mastering]
　This treasured soundboard has been featured in various classic live albums in the past, but this release is the latest version. It is a top-of-the-line updated version polished by “GRAF ZEPPELIN”. “GRAF ZEPPELIN” mastering employs every possible technique to reproduce the sound from that time, but perhaps what was particularly effective this time was the supplementary part using audience recordings. The Cozy Tapes had recording gaps in parts such as the opening, the latter half of “Crying In The Rain,” and parts of “Soldier Of Fortune,” and it was traditional for this soundboard to fill in those gaps with audience recordings.

　This time too, the sound has been complemented in the same way, but the precision of that part has improved dramatically. In particular, the strict phase correction that does not allow for even a 1/1000th of a second deviation is superb, and the stereo image is perfectly centered. As a result, the connection with the soundboard is more natural, and the sense of unity as a full show has increased. The original soundboard was an extraordinary, superb one to begin with, so rather than an extreme improvement, the true essence of GRAF ZEPPELIN is the high level of precision that brings out the best in the source material.

[A powerful but not metal full show of Whitesnake from 1983]
　This top-class sound depicts Whitesnake from 1983, unlike any other era. The set is the same as in ‘LIVE… IN THE WEST OF THE RHINE’, but it is different from the official video ‘MONSTERS OF ROCK ’83’. Let’s compare and organize them here.

●Saints and Sinners (3 songs)
– Rough An’ Ready / Here I Go Again / Crying In The Rain (★*)
●Classics (9 songs + α)
– Lovehunter: Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues (*) / Lovehunter
– Fool For Your Loving: Ready An’ Willing / Fool For Your Loving
– Come and Get It: Don’t Break My Heart Again (★) / Wine, Women An’ Song (Thank You Blues) (★)
– Others: Soldier Of Fortune (*) / 633 Squadron & 1812 Overture (drum solo: ★) / (Ain’t No Love) In The Heart Of The City
*Note: “★” indicates songs not included in the official video “MONSTERS OF ROCK 1983”. “*” indicates songs partially completed by the audience.

…and so on. You can hear tracks not seen in the official video, such as “Crying In The Rain,” “Don’t Break My Heart Again,” and “Wine, Women An’ Song,” as well as Cozy Powell’s drum solo using “633 Squadron & 1812 Overture” as themes, all directly from the mixing board. This is an experience that cannot be replaced.

　And the ensemble that performs that set is the very essence of 1983. The beats by newly joined Cozy Powell and Colin Hodgkinson are simply intense. Hodgkinson’s bass, with its soulful, bouncy sound reminiscent of the jazz-rock legend BACK DOOR, doesn’t back down an inch from Cozy’s powerful drumming. The sparks flying in their beat battle, as if refusing to be merely supportive, are captured with terrifying force in this recording’s superb soundboard. Mel Galley’s rhythm guitar, which explored funk-rock in TRAPEZE, and Mickey Moody’s slide guitar, reminiscent of Elmore James, join in. John Lord is also in top form, declaring it “the best performance he’s ever given in Japan,” and lead singer Coverdale roars with a powerful, deep voice—all of this is poured directly into your brain by the superb soundboard recording of the Cozy Powell tape.

　Looking back, WHITESNAKE began its journey towards “powering up” from the moment Coverdale shifted from his blue-eyed soul solo career to forming a rock band. And in 1983, Whitesnake finally embraced Cozy Powell’s powerful beats, while still barely clinging to the realm of blues rock. This soundboard album imprints that “powerful but not metal” ensemble onto your mind. A 2-CD set permanently preserving the pinnacle of sound from the “Cozy Powell Tapes x GRAF ZEPPELIN” collaboration. Please enjoy it to the fullest.

★A superb stereo soundboard recording of the “February 22, 1983: Nippon Budokan” performance. This is a top-of-the-line updated version of a treasured recording taken from the legendary Cozy Powell Tapes, meticulously mastered by “GRAF ZEPPELIN”. Strict phase correction has been applied to the audience filler parts, resulting in a more natural connection with the soundboard. This is an absolute masterpiece that stands alongside “LIVE… IN THE WEST OF THE RHINE” and “MONSTERS OF ROCK ’83” as one of the “three great soundboard recordings.”

Disc 1 (41:40)
1. Intro.
2. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues
3. Rough An’ Ready
4. Ready An’ Willing
5. Don’t Break My Heart Again
6. Here I Go Again
7. Lovehunter
8. Micky Moody Solo
9. Colin Hodgkinson Solo
10. Micky Moody Solo (reprise)
11. Lovehunter(reprise)

Disc 2 (56:57)
1. Crying In The Rain incl. Mel Galley Solo
2. Soldier Of Fortune
3. Jon Lord Solo
4. Cozy Powell Solo feat. 633 Squadron & 1812 Overture
5. (Ain’t No Love) In The Heart Of The City
6. Fool For Your Loving
7. Thank You / Wine, Women An’ Song
8. We Wish You Well