RAINBOW / FREEZING BLOW DAY-ONE (2CDR)

RAINBOW / FREEZING BLOW DAY-ONE
(2CDR) SD0034 Day 1
Live at Festival Hall, Osaka, Japan – October 12, 1982

Disc 1
1. Introduction
2. OVER THE RAINBOW
3. SPOTLIGHT KID
4. MISS MISTREATED
5. I SURRENDER
6. CAN’T HAPPEN HERE
7. TEARIN’ OUT MY HEART
8. LAZY – WOMAN FROM TOKYO – ALL NIGHT LONG
9. STONE COLD

Disc 2
1. POWER
2. BLUES
3. DIFFICULT TO CURE
4. David Rosenthal keyboard solo
5. DIFFICULT TO CURE (reprise)
6. Bob Rondinelli drum solo
7. LONG LIVE ROCK’N’ROLL (incl. HEY JOE)
8. MAYBE NEXT TIME
9. SMOKE ON THE WATER

The ultimate "holy grail"—a previously unreleased recording of the three-night Osaka run from the 1982 Japan tour—has finally arrived! Released by the Smooth Dancer label, this is undeniably a must-have item for fans! The full picture is finally revealed after all these years. It features a complete recording with top-tier sound quality for that era!

[Review from a specialized music magazine]
Until recently, the 1982 Osaka three-night run had strangely not circulated widely outside of a few select collector circles, making this a welcome release for enthusiasts. The sound quality is excellent for an audience recording across all shows, with crowd noise effectively enhancing the sense of realism. The content is virtually complete; it is an essential listen for readers who attended these shows some 20 years ago, and it offers plenty of enjoyment even for those who didn't.
(Applies to all three days)

Let’s take a look at the specific performances.
As this was the opening night of the 1982 Japan tour, I was—naturally—following the band on the road. I was there at the venue myself. Naturally, I had expected the opening number to be "Death Alley Driver" from the new album out at the time, so I was quite let down when the first track on [Disc-1] actually started playing. Needless to say, while I felt that way, the energy of both the band and the audience was surging. During the intro to track 8 on [Disc-1], they briefly teased "Lazy" and "Woman From..."—but this was the only show in Osaka where they played both of those songs. Track 2 on [Disc-1] was also performed only on this night; it seems Ritchie was in a particularly good mood right from the start of the tour (lol). After the drum solo, a chant of "Ritchie! Ritchie!" erupted from the crowd—reminiscent of the famous "Ei-chan" chants for Eikichi Yazawa. He must have found it hard to maintain a poker face while trying to suppress a smile of delight. True to the rule that an amazing main set is followed by a quick, no-frills encore, they wrapped things up briskly. I left the venue thinking, "Well, there are still two more shows to go."