A live album with the best sound containing the last “Bowie in Japan” is now available. The last time he visited Japan was in 2004 for “A Reality Tour 2003-2004”. It was the longest and final part of Bowie's world tour in his career. This Japan tour was a total of three times, twice in Tokyo and once in Osaka, and this work is an audience album containing the last day of the tour, ``March 11, 2004, Osaka Castle Hall Performance''. This recording was a hot topic only among core enthusiasts/collectors at the time, and was not even featured in reviews in specialized magazines, so it is a master known only to those in the know. ``Then, is it for enthusiasts?'' I thought, but that's not the case. The quality is of the highest quality. Although the realism of the cheers and applause between songs certainly has an audience recording feel, if even one note sounds, and Bowie holds the microphone, a super beautiful sound just like a line recording will flow out. The beautiful tone far exceeds the common sense of "audience recording", each instrument and each note is clear and the balance is perfect. The reverberations from the venue were so faint that they could not be distinguished from the core of the musical sound even when concentrated through headphones, and the low tones, which are difficult to hear in the audience, were so beautiful that they seemed to fade. Bowie's voice also has a direct feel, as if he were singing inside his head. If it's this amazing, it can't even be called "sound board level". Truly an “official grade” audience recording. Even in David Bowie’s entire career and all audience recordings, there is almost nothing that surpasses this work…that’s the sound. When you come across such an original sound, you just want to push it to its limits. In this work, he goes into detail and searches for flaws in the original sound, as if poking into the corners of the box. Remastering has been performed to improve the stereo feel and create a more three-dimensional finish, by sorting out the treble that had slightly clogged nuances and the bass that interferes with the bass sound. However, this is also a super-high-dimensional story. In other words, the work is like polishing the minute irregularities on the golden surface with silk cloth to make it shine to the utmost. Therefore, the original feel of the master who has breathed the air directly from the scene has not been lost in any way, and yet the brilliance exudes unparalleled beauty. Of course, what I wanted to do to the extreme was not only the beauty of the original sound, but also because the concert drawn with that sound was the last "Bowie in Japan". At that time, I'm sure there were many people who came to the venue with the excitement of coming to Japan for the first time in eight years, and I can clearly feel that emotion. Their silhouettes illuminated by the lights behind them, standing in T-shirts and jeans, they were talking as MCs, repeating “Thank you, thank you, thank you…” and singing “Jap girls in synthesis…” from “Ashes To Ashes”. That image of him pouring his energy into lyrics such as “cat from Japan…” in “Ziggy Stardust” and “Ziggy Stardust.” It's not just Bowie. Sterling Campbell played a thrilling beat on “Hallo Spaceboy,” Earl Slick spun a passionate solo on “Sunday,” and so did the audience. The reason why I feel that this work is "official grade" may be due to the silence of the venue. At overseas performances, Bowie's singing voice resonates even in songs that are sung in chorus, and he listens intently along with the audience at the venue. However, the atmosphere was not at all dull, and as the song ended, the audience cheered lavishly, and the intro was filled with excitement. The joy of being reunited for the first time in eight years is firmly recorded in the silence where the musical sounds permeate. It's so clear that it's hard to believe that 12 years have already passed. After singing "Ziggy Stardust," David Bowie said "goodbye" in Japanese and left. This short greeting ended up being the last words we heard. After the Japan performance, he traveled the world from North America to Europe, but fell ill in Germany on June 25th, and never toured again. This work is filled with the music and singing voice that Bowie showed us at the end. And with a tone so beautiful and delicate that it couldn't be any better. Please don't get me wrong. This work is not a sad live album. This is filled with the joy of being reunited with Bowie, and is filled with the classic songs and memories we have loved. I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel lonely when he was gone, but more than that, I was filled with the happiness of meeting him, the joy of ``he came again'', and the feeling of being in the same time and space. It's made by me. Eventually, we will get used to the earth without Bowie and return to our normal lives. But before that, I want to meet him just one more time. That voice that sang to Japan like no other. A book that will make that wish come true. Live at Osaka-Jo Hall, Osaka, Japan 11th March 2004 ULTIMATE SOUND Disc 1 (68:38) 1. Intro 2. Rebel Rebel 3. Hang On To Yourself 4. New Killer Star 5. Fame 6. Cactus 7. All The Young Dudes 8. China Girl 9. Reality 10. 5:15 The Angels Have Gone 11. The Man Who Sold The World 12. Hallo Spaceboy 13. Sunday 14. Heathen (The Rays) 15. Band Introductions 16. Under Pressure Disc 2 (76:21) 1. Slip Away 2. Looking For Water 3. Quicksand 4. The Loneliest Guy 5. Be My Wife 6. Sound And Vision 7. Ashes To Ashes 8. I'm Afraid of Americans 9. "Heroes" 10. Bring Me The Disco King 11. A New Career In A New Town 12. Five Years 13. Suffragette City 14. Ziggy Stardust David Bowie - vocals, guitars, harmonica Earl Slick - guitar Gerry Leonard – guitar Gail Ann Dorsey - bass, backing vocals Sterling Campbell - drums Mike Garson - keyboards, piano Catherine Russell - keyboards, percussion, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
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