SCORPIONS announced the end of their activities as a band, and the large-scale world tour that began after the release of ``STING IN THE TAIL'' in 2010 is finally reaching its climax. A long time of 33 years has already passed since 1979, when Matthias Japs joined the team following the departure of Uli Jon Roth. Thirty-three years earlier, from the band's second Japan tour, which was realized with a lineup including Mattias, the Nakano Sunplaza performance on June 5, 1979, the first day of the Tokyo performance, was an ultra-high-quality audience master recorded by Miracle Man. Now available as a 2-CD set! This day is also known for the sound board sound source "TOKYO 1979: Pre-FM Master" leaked by the people involved, but this recording is a live recording comparable to that, and you can enjoy the entire live performance! SCORPIONS was one of the first hard rock bands from Germany to gain popularity in European countries with their songs ``IN TRANCE'' and ``VIRGIN KILLER,'' released when Uli Jon Roth (then known as Ulrich Roth) was a member. Klaus Meine's outstanding vocals and Ulrich's genius guitar naturally attracted attention, but even more so, the sound rich in shadows and lyricism touched the hearts of Japanese people, and was realized in 1978. The first performance in Japan ended with great success. However, at the end of this first visit to Japan, Ulrich withdrew from the band. The band, whose departure had been announced in advance, auditioned numerous guitarists to find a replacement for Uri, but no definitive player emerged. In the end, the band decided to hire Matthias Japs, who remained as a candidate until the end, to produce a new album. However, around this same time, Rudolph's younger brother Michael Schenker left UFO. Although Rudolph called out to his younger brother and had him return to the band, Michael was mentally unstable at the time and disappeared from the band at the beginning of the tour after the completion of ``LOVEDRIVE''. They had no choice but to hire Matthias as their official guitarist, and completed a UK tour in May 1979. In June, with this lineup, they came to Japan for the second consecutive year. In this work, the third performance in Japan (first day in Tokyo), the Nakano Sun Plaza performance on June 5th, is made into a disc directly from the original cassette master recorded by Miracle Man! It is a complete recording of the same day's live performance with a sound better than any previous audience source. There is also a sound board sound source recorded for radio broadcasting on the same day, but this work with high sound quality and complete recording surpasses even that and will become a new standard of the sound source that came to Japan in 1979! As you can see if you listen to the opening SE before the performance, this work reproduces the live performance with great brightness and natural sound spread (the original sound source was recorded in 9th row, number 41 on the 1st floor. The distance from the stage is also appropriate) ). From the first song “Pictured Life”, Klaus’ vocals are in great condition. Matthias' lead guitar is a little off, but Rudolph's rhythm guitar, Francis Bucholz and Herman Larebel's drums also come in with clear outlines. The impression is different from the flowing elegance of the Ulrich era, but the slowed down tempo and solid performance gives a sense of unique power. Another great feature is that the audience's cheers don't get in the way while the music is being played. The second song “Backstage Queen” has a wonderfully powerful intro. After the middle of the song, the balance improves, and you can hear Mattias' guitar solo clearly. ``We'll Burn The Sky'', which flows from the same song, and the famous song ``In Trance'' are the highlights of the first half of the live show. The delicate guitar tone that can be heard in the intro, and Klaus's vocals, which have both power and expressiveness, are full of the lyricism and drama typical of the '70s band. Mattias' guitar playing on these songs has a rather bland impression compared to Ulrich's, but "Loving You Sunday Morning" and "Lovedrive", which were selected from the new album, already have the good groove and uniformity that is common to them in recent years. Listen to the performance with a sense of experience. In addition, in the middle of the live performance, he repeated the new songs ``Is There Anybody There?'' (only on this day in the Tokyo performance, Klaus introduced the song with the Japanese title ``Meditation Reggae'') and ``Always Somewhere.'' The down-to-earth playing and melodious song will make the listener listen to the song carefully. The medley version of "Life's Like A River" and "Fly To The Rainbow" are great listening spots unique to the '79 live show. In the following “He's A Woman, She's A Man” and “Another Piece Of Meat”, they completely turn around and attack the listener hard, and in the second half of the live you can enjoy the taste of SCORPIONS. In addition, "Top Of The Bill" which includes a drum solo, "Robot Man", "Karajo no Tsuki", which can be said to be a promise for the performance in Japan (Klaus's direct vocal and the audience singing the chorus are amazing!), and the encore " Steamrock Fever" and "Can't Get Enough", the luxurious setlist that can be said to be the culmination of '70s SCORPIONS will greatly entertain fans for 92 minutes! After this, SCORPIONS gradually changed their direction from dark and pathos to positive hard rock that everyone could relate to (while still maintaining their typical melodies). By the time they came to Japan for the fourth time in total with "Super Rock '84", five years after Matthias joined, the sound of the Matthias era had been clearly established, and they were already relying on songs from the Ulrich era (all of them). So much so that it was no longer necessary. The ’79 live vacuum-packed in this work can be said to be the middle ground between the Ulrich era of the ’70s and the ’80s and beyond. In this way, it can be said that the live performance during the transitional period when the band is searching for a new direction increases its value as a real document only with a first-class live recording like the one you can listen to here. This recording is a definitive documentary that is absolutely indispensable for understanding the band's career and history, as it vividly captures Scorpion's appearance, which is about to be reborn in a bigger and more powerful form, with the highest quality sound! Fans should definitely not miss out on the 1979 version of "TOKYO TAPES" presented as a 2-CD set! Live at Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo, Japan 5th June 1979 PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1 (59:48) 1. Introduction 2. Pictured Life 3. Backstage Queen 4. We'll Burn The Sky 5. Loving You Sunday Morning 6. Lovedrive 7. In Trance 8. Is There Anybody There? 9. Always Somewhere 10. Life's Like A River 11. Fly To The Rainbow 12. He's A Woman, She's A Man Disc 2 (33:01) 1. Another Piece Of Meat 2. Top Of The Bill 3. Drum Solo/Top Of The Bill(reprise) 4. Robot Man 5. Kojo No Tsuki 6. Steamrock Fever 7. Can't Get Enough Klaus Meine - Vocals Rudolf Schenker - Guitar Matthias Jabs - Guitar Francis Buchholz – Bass Herman Rarebell – Drums
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