Live At The Whisky 1977 (45th Anniversary Edition)＜限定盤＞

チープ・トリック、45年間お蔵入りだった4CDライヴ盤『Live at The Whisky 1977』

1977年6月にロサンゼルスのナイトクラブ「The Whisky a Go Go」で行った公演の模様を収めたCD4枚組のライヴ・アルバム。全4公演が完全収録されており、半分以上が完全未発表音源となる。

While Cheap Trick were in a Los Angeles studio recording their second album In Color, they took a few days off to play some shows at the Whisky in order to loosen up Robin Zanders vocal chords. Just for the heck of it they set up professional recording gear to document the proceedings, which was a great idea because the band were on fire. Over the course of three nights, the quartet ran through songs from their first album, the aforementioned second album, and a handful of covers like they were being chased by hordes of angry villagers with flaming pitchforks. Full of off-the-charts vim, unrestrained vigor, and over-the-top histrionics, they gave the crowd a thrill, and the little bits of the recordings that have seen the light over the years have hinted at just how good the concerts must have been. Live at the Whisky 1977 captures two of the three nights, both the early and late shows, in clean, crisp fidelity that transmits the power of the music through the years undiminished. It was clear from their first album that the band had something special, but it was hard to capture their particular mojo in a studio environment. Its not for nothing that the album that launched them to superstardom was At Budokan. By design, that record focused on the loveable, poppy side of the band, while this record captures them at their raunchy, rowdy best. The rawness of the sound is matched by the booming, swinging thud of Bun E. Carlos drumming, the hammering thrum of Tom Peterssons bass, and most of all, the monstrous guitar work of Rick Nielsen. On records he picks his spots to go wild, on-stage at this point hes like a city-crushing Godzilla stomping and breathing fire. His solos are bonkers, his chords are loose and viscous, and its truly thrilling to hear him unchained like this. Zander meets the guitars head on, singeing eardrums with unhinging screams, pleas, and growls. For anyone who ever wanted to hear songs from their first two albums with the training wheels removed, this is a dream come true. The various takes on "Hes a Whore" are gnarly and weird, punky versions of "ELO Kiddies" are brutal, the pristine pop of "Oh Candy" sounds great with gooey guitar sludge snaking through the seams, and a couple of lesser known songs ("Loser" and the moody ballad "Cant Hold On") show up and make a solid case that they should have been recorded for real. The band also sound brilliant on covers of the Moves rollicking "Down by the Bay" and Dylans "Please, Mrs. Henry," which they manage to stretch out to over nine minutes somehow. This is the sound of a band breaking free of expectations and just letting it all out in the rockingest, most joyous, and powerful way they could. That nobody saw fit to release anything from the tapes at the time wasnt too shocking -- it probably wouldnt have had the impact of Budokan. That it has finally come out is cause for rejoicing for Cheap Trick fanatics and lovers of real, rugged, and insanely catchy rock & roll. ~ Tim Sendra