In The Live Of Night (Tarantura TCDUK-1-1, 2)
Kosei Nenkin Kaikan, Osaka, Japan – May 31st, 1979
Disc 1 (46:17): Opening, Danger Money, The Only Thing She Needs, Nothing To Lose, improv – John Wetton solo, coda from By The Light Of Day, Presto Vivace, Terry Bozzio solo, In The Dead Of Night, Rendevous 6:02
Disc 2 (53:13): MC, As Long As You Want Me Here, Thirty Years, Carrying No Cross, Alaska, Time To Kill, Eddie Jobson solo, Time To Kill (reprise) – encore – Night After Night, Caesar Palace Blues
UK played five shows in Japan after the release of their second album Danger Money. The band were productive during that week, recording a live album and debuting the new song “As Long As You Want Me Here.” The May 31st, 1979 show the third of the five concerts and the only one in Osaka (three were in Tokyo and one in Nagoya).
Osaka is one of the most popular shows, having been issued before on One Night (UKCD791/792) and Danger After Night (Highland HL007/8#U1), one of the earliest Highlands produced.
Tarantura utilize the master cassette tape. The taper is close to the stage and produces a very good recording. It’s a bit dull and flat in places and traces of hiss in quiet moments. The beginning also has very slight bass distortion, but clears up quickly and is not a distraction.
The tape begins with the audience clapping in rhythm as the band walk on stage and begin the heavy “Danger Money” sludge riff. The lyrics owe much to the King Crimson song “Exiles” but the music is much more funky and uptempo.
The follow with two more songs from the new album, “The Only Thing She Needs” and “Nothing To Lose” before John Wetton takes the first of three solo interludes in the set. He plays a loud, powerful and virtuoso bass solo for five minutes. It segues into the coda section of “By The Light Of Day” from the first album.
“Presto Vivace,” another piece from the debut album, is given a much rockier interpretation with this line up and serves as the vehicle for Terry Bozzio’s drum solo. It’s a powerful four minute interlude and features his synthesized drums. Jobson plays an intense keyboard solo in lieu of Alan Holdworth’s guitar solo from the original recording.
“Rendevous 6:02” is the first single from the album and one of their only semi-hits, reaching number sixty-seven in the US that year. It’s a melody and pretty little ballad sung with sincerity by Wetton. After the applause, he introduces the next song “As Long As You Want Me Here,” stating it was written specifically for their trip to Japan. It features an oriental sounding melody and is a nice gift for the audience.
The latter half of the show contain several massive epics, “Thirty Years” and “Carrying No Cross.” The set ends with “Time To Kill” which features Jobson’s surreal violin solo, perhaps the highlight of the set. The first encore is “Night After Night,” another new song, and “Caesar Palace Blues.”
In The Live Of Night is the first UK release on the Tarantura and is certainly intriguing. It is a fantastic performance in very good sound quality and is one of the better prog rock releases to come out lately.
