Whitesnake – Nagoya 1980: The Japanese Broadcast (Bootleg)

Whitesnake was touring Japan in the Spring of 1980 in support of the band’s 1979 album ‘Love Hunter’. This was only a month prior to the release of their new album ‘Ready ‘an Willing’ and surprisingly they didn’t test out any of those songs yet so close to the album release. So, we are getting some really old school songs and Deep Purple cuts here and I am thrilled about that myself. The show on April 12, 1980 at Aichi-Ken Kinro Kaikan in Nagoya, Japan was a live broadcast on FM radio. This is the entire show which is awesome. The band is David Coverdale (obviously), Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden on guitars, Neil Murray on bass, Ian Paice on drums and the great Jon Lord on keyboards.

This bootleg was released recently back in 2023 like the last one we discussed from Whitesnake. I love getting a newer version of such an old show. I love old school Snake so this was a no-brainer for me. This is a 2 LP set and both are on a beautiful white vinyl. It is a beautiful set and the sound quality is off a soundboard with some roughness on the mix the first couple songs, but all-in-all in it fantastic sounding for what it is.

LP 1:

The show opens with “Come On” which is from the ‘Snakebite’ E.P. from 1978. Written by David Coverdale and Bernie Marsden and right away you can hear how big the guitar sound is.  The song is a pure rock song with a great groove and a blistering solo.  A great opener and I love the fact that David has two Deep Purple references in the song…“Soldier of Fortune” and “Gypsy”. They go in to “You ‘N Me” from ‘Lovehunter’, and this is normally a real bluesy track with some slide guitar, but here it feels more straight-up rock & roll. The guitars are a little weak in the mix these first two tracks, but you can still hear them and know they are the main focus behind David of course. You can hear the organ, barely, as Jon Lord is going to town, wish it was higher in the mix as I love Jon Lord and as soon as I wish that, the organs get louder and bam, Lord is killing it. Much better live then studio version for this one.

Then it is a couple of down & dirty blues tracks with “Walking in the Shadow of the Blues” and “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City”. The first from ‘Lovehunter” and the latter from ‘Snakebite’. Both are dang brilliant and just listen to the rip roaring guitars and organ again. David is fine form and sounds awesome. Two of their best songs played with one of the best line-ups Whitesnake has seen!! What more do you need? I’ll tell you…nothing. And finally we end Side A with one of three solos on the album. This one is Micky Moody’s and well…you know what you are going to get so sit back and enjoy! Micky does a really cool slide-guitar solo and it is brilliant.

Flipping over to Side B, it starts out with the title track, “Lovehunter”, and it is full of David’s sexually inappropriate lyrics and even in today’s #MeToo movement, I don’t give a shit.  His lyrics still rock even if his vocals are a little rough on this one. Not quite hitting the notes..  The song has the that blues tone and some serious slide guitar by Micky Moody accompanied by Neil Murray’s bass line and it is fantastic as he lays down the coolest groove.  Along with Moody’s slide guitar you get a twin solo with both Moody and Marsden.  It is that duo that really brings this one home.

The we get double treat of Deep Purple tracks with “Mistreated” and “Soldier of Fortune” brought together for a musical enjoyment. In 1980, smart move to still play off that Deep Purple connection. “Mistreated” is down and dirty with a slow nasty groove and things slow down even more with some great guitar picking that turns in to a beast of a solo and back to “Mistreated”. And then music stops and David sings a little “Soldier of Fortune” and it is a little too quiet and hard to hear (and it doesn’t help my neighbor is mowing his lawn!) Let’s just say with “Mistreated” portion was pretty killer.

LP 2:

The second LP kicks off with one of my favorite parts and that is a Jon Lord solo. I generally don’t care too much for keyboard solos, but this is Jon Lord. So, hell to the yeah for this one. The man is a legend and a master. He even mixes a little 2001 Space Odyssey in to his solo. The solo then turns in to the instrumental track “Belgian’s Tom Hat Trick” from the ‘Trouble’ album. The band jumps in and it is an all out master class of greatness. The song has a great melody and a real blast to hear, especially live. If I’m not mistaken, there are at least 3 solos racing through this song.

And since everyone has had a chance to shine, it is now Ian Paice’s turn for a solo on the drums. It plays beautifully out of “Belgian” without missing a beat. Ian goes to town on those drums and doesn’t hold back. And after the barrage of beats, we slip back in to “Belgian” where they all slam it home. After some Ian Paice chants, we go in to the final song on Side C with the Deep Purple track, “Might Just Take Your Life” after David goes “Here’s a song for ya!”…which we know he rarely says before a song (cough, cough – dripping with sarcasm). The band plays it well, but I do miss having Glenn Hughes on the song. They hand over the vocals to Bernie Marsden and he does a great job actually. But I still miss Glenn.

Flipping over to Side D, they kick it off with “Lie Down” and it is time for some sleazy cock rock as the song is really only about one thing. I love the honky tonk boogie of the keys from Lord. Speaking of Lord, he rails through a solo that is crazy. Another track where someone else sings a little and Bernie is back on the mic. Aside from a Lord solo, Micky Moody he gets a killer solo as well. This was definitely a band and not David focused which is great to see. A fun, upbeat track that has no artistic value, but who cares…have some fun. They then go in to “Take Me With You” and this is where David introduces the band and they each do a little notes. This drags the song down for me, but you know, he needs to do it. But when the song comes back in, it completely rocks out.

Then it was time for “Rock Me Baby” which is an old blues song. It has been covered by Muddy Waters and B.B. King. This is part of the encore and it is pretty rock & roll, although there are some blues elements to their performance like the slide guitar and the groove. The Micky Moody solo is the coolest part of the song for sure. Then we end the night with a little ‘Northwinds’ with “Breakdown” and mixed with some “Whitesnake Boogie”. A high energy, bluesy rock ending to a show that showcases the talent that is early Whitesnake. The band sounds like they are having fun and that is a good thing.

And there you have it. A great 1980’s Whitesnake show. I love the early years of Whitesnake about as much as the later years. You know what, I guess I like all the years. The sound quality is really good for what it is, which is a bootleg. A soundboard recording with some minor sound issues, mostly with sound levels. What I loved about this is how much it is the boys jamming and all the solos. There is nothing but talent in this band and it is showcased throughout. A great show so grab it if you ever see it. My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars. It is the band as raw as they are with not fixes…I like that. This is how the show sounded and is as it should be.

The David Coverdale Series:

  1. Deep Purple – Burn
  2. Deep Purple – Stormbringer
  3. Deep Purple – Come Taste the Band
  4. Deep Purple – Made in Europe
  5. David Coverdale – Whitesnake
  6. Deep Purple – Last Concert in Japan
  7. David Coverdale – Northwinds
  8. David Coverdale’s Whitesnake – Snakebite
  9. Whitesnake – Trouble
  10. Whitesnake – Lovehunter
  11. Whitesnake – Ready an’ Willing
  12. Whitesnake – “Fool For Your Loving” 7″ Single (Bonus Review)
  13. Whitesnake – Live at Hammersmith
  14. Whitesnake – Live…in the Heart of the City
  15. Whitesnake – Come An’ Get it
  16. Deep Purple – Live in London
  17. Whitesnake – Saints & Sinners
  18. Whitesnake – Slide It In
  19. Whitesnake – “Give Me More Time” 12″ Single (Bonus Review)
  20. Whitesnake – ‘The Best of Whitesnake (Bonus Review – 1982 release)
  21. Whitesnake – Whitesnake (1987)
  22. Whitesnake – “Is This Love” 12″ Promo (Bonus Review)
  23. Whitesnake – ‘Best’ (Greece Version)
  24. Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue
  25. David Coverdale – “The Last Note of Freedom” – Single Review
  26. Coverdale/Page – Coverdale/Page
  27. Coverdale/Page – “Take Me For A Little While 12” Single (Bonus Review)
  28. David Coverdale & Whitesnake – Restless Heart
  29. Whitesnake – Starkers in Tokyo
  30. David Coverdale – Into the Night
  31. Whitesnake – Live…In the Still of the Night (DVD)
  32. Whitesnake – Live…In the Shadow of the Blues
  33. Whitesnake – Good To Be Bad
  34. Whitesnake – Forevermore
  35. Whitesnake – Live at Donington 1990: Monsters of Rock
  36. Whitesnake – The Purple Album
  37. Whitesnake – The Purple Tour (Live)
  38. Whitesnake – Flesh & Blood
  39. Whitesnake – The Rock Album
  40. Whitesnake – Love Songs
  41. Whitesnake – The Blues Album
  42. Whitesnake – The Albums Ranked Worst to First
  43. David Coverdale – The Albums Ranked Worst to First

Other David Coverdale Albums reviewed – (Box Sets and Bootlegs):

  1. Whitesnake – 1987 (30th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
  2. Whitesnake – Slide It In (35th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
  3. Whitesnake – Unzipped – Box Set
  4. Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue (30th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
  5. Whitesnake (Snake) – Still of the Night Live in Battle Creek, Mich. July 26, 1987 (Bootleg)
  6. Whitesnake – Restless Heart (25th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) – Box Set
  7. Whitesnake – Still…Good to Be Bad (15th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) – Box Set
  8. Whitesnake – Little Box ‘O’ Snakes (The Sunburst Years 1978-1982) – Box Set (2013)
  9. Whitesnake – Washington State Wipeout (Spokane & Glasgow Broadcasts 1984) – (Bootleg)
  10. Whitesnake – Nagoya 1980: The Japanese Broadcast (Bootleg)

Queen – ‘Command Performance: Live at the Hammersmith Odeon – Christmastime 1975’ – Bootleg Review

I love me a good bootleg and I found with this one. It is from Queen and it is called ‘Command Performance: Live at the Hammersmith Odean at Christmastime 1975’. In fact, it was recorded on December 24, 1975. The bootleg came out some time in 1976 and I love the simplicity of it all. A green sheet with a photocopy of the band and setlist in black. Nothing fancy about it at all. Nothing on the back cover and the labels on the vinyl were white and someone had typed ‘Side One’ or ‘Side Two’ depending on the side. No expense was spared…LOL!!

And like all bootlegs, there are mistakes. The opening track is listed as “Now I’m Sure”…and I’m sure that is wrong. It should be “Now I’m Here”. If that wasn’t enough, Roger Taylor is now spelling his name differently as Rodger Taylor. That “d” makes a difference. The other thing, this isn’t the full show. It is a single LP so several songs and medley were cut, but what you get here is still rather amazing. It is the best of the best.

What was special about this show is it was broadcast live on the BBC and it was the first time the band had ever done that. With that being said, the sound quality on this is exceptional (with minor exceptions). This is one of the cleanest sounding bootlegs I have ever owned. However, what makes this bootleg obsolete now is that the band actually did release this show officially on November 20, 2015. It was called ‘A Night at the Odeon – Hammersmith 1975’.

That didn’t matter to me, as I love bootlegs and still wanted it as it was a cherished piece in the bootleg world back in the 70’s. Plus, nothing beats the simplicity of the whole set. This was so prized because several songs on this set were later dropped from the setlist and did not appear on any official live release back in the day. In the grand scheme of things, yes, I can get the official release, but this to me is more authentic and more special. Now, let’s get to the music.

Continue reading “Queen – ‘Command Performance: Live at the Hammersmith Odeon – Christmastime 1975’ – Bootleg Review”

Whitesnake – Washington State Wipeout (Spokane & Glasgow Broadcasts 1984) – Bootleg (The David Coverdale Series)

Out on my constant vinyl digging adventures, I found a couple Whitesnake bootlegs at the same store. They weren’t old bootlegs, rather they were released recently in 2023 out of Europe. The shows, however, are not recent. First one up is one called Washington State Wipeout and is a 2 LP set that comes in a nice gatefold with a picture of the band included. The vinyl that comes with the set are a beautiful clear color and they look stunning as you will see in one of the pictures below. It was a brand new set, unopened…well at least until I got my hands on it obviously. Now, it is open and has been played!

The 2 LPs carry a different a show for each. On LP 1, we get the Spokane Washington show that was on July 24, 1984. This would’ve been after the release of their 1984 album, ‘Slide it In’, which came out on January 30, 1984. The show was at the Spokane Coliseum and had the line-up of David Coverdale, John Sykes, Richard Bailey (no Jon Lord), Neil Murray and Cozy Powell. A stellar line-up, just wish Lord was still playing. They opened for Dio so not a long setlist and it is all captured here on LP 1. The recording was an FM Radio Broadcast.

On LP 2, we get a show that was recorded on March 1, 1984 and was another FM Radio Broadcast. It was recorded at the Apollo Theater in Glasgow, Scotland where they were the headliner with Great White opening. The full show is 16 tracks so we don’t get the whole show, but we do get 5 tracks at least. If you want the full show, pick up the Slide It In Super Deluxe Edition as Whitesnake issued it officially in that box set. I believe this show would include Jon Lord as he left the band in April. Correct me if I’m wrong.

LP 1:

Continue reading “Whitesnake – Washington State Wipeout (Spokane & Glasgow Broadcasts 1984) – Bootleg (The David Coverdale Series)”

Motley Crue – ‘On With The Show’ (1988) – Bootleg

In my quest for interesting, unique and rare albums for bands I like, I found this bootleg of an old Motley Crue concert from 1986. It says it was recorded at Fresno & Boston in 1986. It was released on Toasted Records in 1988 out of Australia, so pretty cool I found a copy here in the States. The show, as I said, states it is 1986. The label on each of the 2 LPs included in this set have a copyright of 1985 which is impossible if the show didn’t take place until 1986. Actually, the 1985 is probably correct as the Fresno, California pieces of this disc are from November 25, 1985 and the Boston, Massachusetts parts of this show are from a 1984 show.

But Bootlegs are never known to be very accurate. Just take a look at the cover above. That picture is from at the very least the ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ era which was 1987. And the picture on the back looks more like ‘Shout at the Devil’ which is probably where the Boston piece of this show was recorded. A 1985 show (Fresno) would’ve been ‘Theatre of Pain’ era. Based on all this we have two eras in one with this bootleg. And from what else I can find on this album, two of the songs are from the US Festival in 1983. Sound quality of the release isn’t bad. It doesn’t sound like a soundboard, but I’ve read it is and an FM broadcast, but the quality isn’t a normal soundboard if it is. There is a little hollowness to it, but still very listenable.

LP 1:

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Billy Idol – ‘California FM 1990’ – Bootleg (The Billy Idol Series)

If you follow the site, you know I’m a huge Billy Idol fan and anytime I can find a rare piece that I don’t have in the collection, I jump on it. This time around, I found a bootleg. And I do love my bootlegs. This is my fourth Idol bootleg and this one is from way back in 1990. It was recorded at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California on October 27, 1990. That means this would’ve been in support of his latest album at the time, ‘Charmed Life’ and we get a few from that album in the set list. Be warned, this is not a full show. This is a best of that was broadcast on radio at the time. But still, 10 songs of Billy is better than nothing am I right? Yeah…I am.

The version I have is a European release and was released recently back in 2023. I found it down in Tamp Florida at a store called D&J Records. I like to hit up local record stores when I am on vacation so this one was found back in June earlier this year. And I was thrilled to grab hold. Sadly, you will notice in the band credits, that there is no Steve Stevens on guitar as he and Billy were still on the outs at this time and for many years still to come. Does it impact the show? We will find out shortly.

SIDE A:

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Aerosmith – ‘Rattlesnake Shake’ (Live at Countpart Studios – New York 1974) – Album Review (The Aerosmith CollectioN Series)

In my quest for Aerosmith vinyl, I stumbled across this gem of a bootleg from very early on the band’s career. It is called Rattlesnake Shake: Live at Counterpart Studios in New York 1974. The bootleg vinyl was released in 1977 by Slipped Disc Records and like most bootlegs there is an error. Counterpart Studios is actually a radio station called WKRQ out of Cincinnati, OH. And the show was not recorded in 1974, it was actually on September 26, 1973. which I guess is close.

Aerosmith had not broken big yet as they would do with ‘Toys in the Attic’ in 1975, but so far all they had out was the debut and ‘Get Your Wings’ wouldn’t come out for about another 6 months. The band was Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Joey Kramer and Tom Hamilton as they would stay for years to come. One cool thing that I found inside of the album jacket was an envelope to a DIR Broadcasting Corporation on Park Avenue in New York City. And they are just that, a broadcasting company. If they are still in business I do not know, but I think they are no longer on Park Avenue.

The album kicks off with the song “Make It” which is the opening track to the debut album. The sound is a little muddy and thick, but still sounds really great. The bass is heavy in the this one and the guitars rip. A bluesy little track that has Tyler sounding amazing. Almost as good as the album. They go in to “Somebody” and which has a killer opening riff that gets lost in the sound. Bass is still heavy, but those riffs are what is cool about this one. Another bluesy track that they do so well.

After a little noodling around and a quick introduction to the song, we get a song called “Write Me” per the label, but it is really “Write Me A Letter”. It opens with some nice Kramer drumming and then the nasty guitars. A straight-ahead rock song and not the most exciting one they’ve done. Live might be better though as the guitar playing is exceptional and a highlight. I do love Steven’s harmonica as it adds some flavor. Then we get to what might the best song they’ve ever written and that is “Dream On”. The song is driven by a piano and Tyler sings the hell out of it. Can he hit those notes on the studio track live? Hell yeah he can. The vocals are magic to this song and those screams he hits will send chills up and down your spine. It is an awe-inspiring track.

The first side ends with “One Way Street” and it is a pure jam session.  Steven gets everyone clapping along and then right in to it. The studio is piano driven but this one is all guitar and harmonica. It feels like blues and straight-up rock and roll as well as one bit that feels a little honky tonk. The solo on this one is handled by Brad Whitford and there is a nice little jam section as this song goes on for an extended amount of time and it is all worth it. Side 2 says it kicks off with “Walking the Dog”, but that ain’t the truth. It actually ends Side 1 and it ends it in style. I mentioned the studio version has a whole Led Zeppelin vibe and think that holds true here, but it is also Aerosmith blues rock too and that is cool enough.

“Pandora’s Box” actually opens Side 2 and this one is from their upcoming album. But before he goes in to the song, Steven mentions it is off their new album named “Night in the Rut”, but as we know it is “Get Your Wings”…they save that title for a later album. There is no Motown here as the studio, this is pure Rock & Roll. The song is long as they jam some more on this one too and all I can say is thank you very much.

The album cover mentions “Rattlesnake” and then we get the bluesy cover of “Rattlesnake Shake” and it is bluesy. It is slow and they play it so nasty and it is great. The band lets loose and they are killing, the bass lines are stunning and the guitar licks are insane. The drum solo at the end to wrap it up is crazy as well. Holy crap do these guys slay live.

Next is the new track, “Train Kept A Rollin'” but it is a cover made famous by the Yardbirds, but Aerosmith have made it their own. The guitar work is again sensational and that solo, damn!! More pounding on the drums as he goes crazy for two songs in a row. The song bleeds right in to “Mama Kin” and the band closes out the song in style. No saxophone here like the studio track, nope. Just more wicked guitars, bass and drums and Steven Tyler’s vocals. What more do you really need.

And that is the bootleg “RattleSnake Shake”. As I said the sound is a little muddy to start, but that cleared up quickly and it all sounds great. You hear all the instruments and thank goodness because these guys were young and hungry and damn they could play. Steven’s vocals are in prime form and he hits every note. This early stuff from the is the best. Nothing better then a band in their prime and to think, they’d only get better over the next couple albums at least until the drugs kicked in. This is one you should seek out and grab if you are an Aerosmith fan. How this hasn’t been officially released is crazy. My Overall Score is a 5.0 out of 5.0 Stars. Might be some muddy sound, but none of it bothered me in the least. Just listen to their playing and nothing else matters.

THE AEROSMITH COLLECTION SERIES:

  1. ‘Aerosmith’ (1973)
  2. ‘Get Your Wings’ (1974)
  3. ‘Rattlesnake Shake’ (Live at Counterpart Studios, New York 1974) – (Bootleg)
  4. ‘Toys in the Attic’ (1975)
  5. ‘Rocks’ (1976)
  6. ‘Draw the Line’ (1977)
  7. ‘Live! Bootleg’ (1978)
  8. ‘Night in the Ruts’ (1979)
  9. ‘Greatest Hits’ (1980)
  10. ‘Rock in a Hard Place’ (1982)
  11. ‘Done With Mirrors’ (1985)
  12. Run DMC – “Walk This Way” 12″ Single (1986)
  13. ‘Classics Live!’ (1986)
  14. ‘Classics Live! II’ (1987)
  15. ‘Permanent Vacation’ (1987)
  16. “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” (1987) – 7″ Single & 12″ Maxi-Single (Bonus Edition)
  17. “Angel” (1988) – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
  18. Rag Doll” (1988) – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
  19. ‘Gems’ (1988)
  20. ‘Pump’ (1989)
  21. ‘Pandora’s Box’ (1991)
  22. ‘Get a Grip’ (1993)
  23. ‘Nine Lives’ (1997)
  24. “Pink” (1997) – CD Single
  25. ‘Made in America’ (1997)
  26. ‘A Little South of Sanity’ (1998)
  27. ‘Just Push Play’ (2001)
  28. ‘Honkin on Bobo’ (2004)
  29. ‘Rockin’ The Joint (2005)
  30. ‘Music From Another Dimension’ (2012)
  31. ‘1971: The Road Starts Hear’ (2021)
  32. The Albums Ranked Worst To First

The Collection: Ep. 32 – Bon Jovi Vinyl (Part 1 – 80’s & 90’s)

To Celebrate the end of the Bon Jovi Series, it was time to do a show on The Collection where we walked through the vinyl. For Part 1 of 2, we are going to go through the vinyl in the collection that covers the 1980’s and the 1990’s capturing all the studio albums, compilations, solo albums and even some 12″ Singles and a Bootleg. Come join as we talk all things Bon Jovi from the debut up to Richie Sambora’s ‘Undiscovered Soul’. Now, this isn’t everything there is, but it is everything in my collection and that is the show!

So go check it out as it will be live tonight right now, September 9, 2024 at 8pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

Scorpions – ‘Rock And Roll Queen’ (2019) – (Bootleg – The Scorpions Collection Series)

I love to find bootlegs from my favorite bands. I was out and about doing some digging and came across this beauty. It is called ‘Rock And Roll Queen’ and it is a Scorpions bootleg taken from a live show all the back on the Fly to the Rainbow Tour. The show was recorded at Grugahalle, Essen, Germany on April 26, 1975. The line-up is great as it was Klaus Meine, Uli Jon Roth, Rudolf Schenker, Rudy Lenners and Francis Buchholz. There were various different colored vinyl released like red, white and peach and those are all listed on Discogs. My copy is traditional black and is not listed on Discogs…hmmm…that is strange. Maybe the black is more rare…who knows.

It opens with a straight up jam. It is a lot of guitar showboating and it is awesome. A nice drum and bass groove with Uli and Rudolf going to town. It is simply called “Jam” which is very appropriate. Not a traditional opening, but I’ll take it. They then go in to “This is My Song” off ‘Fly to the Rainbow. A mid-tempo rocker and it sounds great. It is a bootleg so it is a little rough, but I can hear everything. It only sounds like it does because it is from 1975. There are some cool moments with some dual guitar work with Uli and Rudolf wailing a solo. And if that isn’t enough, listen to Francis on bass…what a cool groove he is laying down. Lyrically, not the most stellar track, but musically, it does kick some ass. When the songs ends there is some polite clapping no huge cheers or roars.

Since they are in German, when Klaus addresses the crowd he does it in German which is cool and makes sense. They then go in to “They Need a Million”. It opens as a ballad with just a guitar that you can barely hear and Klaus singing away. A little ways in, a killer riff kicks in and the song explodes with some heavy drums. Someone else is on vocals and I believe it is Rudolf, Klaus comes back in and sings some harmonies, but this is a Rudolf track. The studio track has a Spanish vibe, this is pure rock & roll.

Continue reading “Scorpions – ‘Rock And Roll Queen’ (2019) – (Bootleg – The Scorpions Collection Series)”

The Collection: Ep. 27 – Aerosmith The Vinyl

Last week, Aerosmith announced their retirement from touring. To honor the band, I figured why not go through their vinyl I have in my collection. From the 1973 debut album up to the more recent Record Store Day live album, let’s walk through the albums from one of the greatest bands of all time. Come join the fun.

So go check it out as it is live now on August 5, 2024 at 8 p.m.…because why not!! Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

Def Leppard – ‘Tokyo 1999: The Japanese Broadcast 2 CD Set’ (Bootleg – 2022) – Album Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

Def Leppard toured extensively for their latest album, ‘Euphoria’, which came out June 8, 1999. That tour brought them to Japan where they played 8 shows, three of which were at Tokyo’s famed Kokusai Forum where this disc was recorded. It is said that this was the October 1st show. However, the bootleggers have it wrong. The band only played “Wasted” on the October 2nd show which was actually recorded in full and broadcast on the radio and it was actually filmed to be shown on TV as well. Why we don’t have an official release of this show from the band is strange. We do have a few songs that from this show that were released on The Collection, Volume 2 Box Set on the Rarities 3 LP from that set.

As with most bootlegs, this CD has one glaring mistake. Look at the picture below and see if you can spot it. And no, it isn’t the fact the picture is with some of the members of Journey. Nope. It is the fact that the picture has the late, great Steve Clark in it who died back in 1991 a full 8 years prior to this release. He isn’t even on this release so shouldn’t have a picture. The bootleggers, however, seem to get all the song titles right and even the spelling. That is pretty rare! Now, that is all I have on this release so let’s get to the show which is the full set list with 22 songs and almost 2 hours worth of music spread over 2 CDs…it is awesome. And one cool thing is they play at least one song from every Leppard album released to date. Good job boys…good job!

The album opens with “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” which is played at 100 mph as the band seems to be in a hurry to get through it. The band sounds fantastic though, guitars are crisp, drums are powerful and Joe sounds terrific. Always a great opener. And they don’t slow things down as they rip through the Sweet cover of “Action” and I do love Lep’s version of this one. They made it their own. A high energy romp that keeps the pace at breakneck speed. They go in to the first new song and play “Demolition Man” and talk about fast…holy crap I think they sped it up the tempo even more. It is bam bam, next song, bam bam, next song…you get the idea. The new song fits well into the vibe of the live setting. I dig it.

Continue reading “Def Leppard – ‘Tokyo 1999: The Japanese Broadcast 2 CD Set’ (Bootleg – 2022) – Album Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)”