Cat No: 19658843782
Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings, the Catalog Division of Sony Music
Entertainment, Set to Release Bob Dylan – The Complete Budokan 1978 on Friday,
November 17
Newly Remixed & Remastered from Original 24-Channel Analog Tapes, The
Complete Budokan 1978 Celebrates the 45th Anniversary of Bob Dylan’s First
Concerts in Japan
Deluxe Box Set Presents Two Complete Shows from Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan Hall
(February 28 & March 1, 1978) featuring 58 Tracks, 36 of which are Previously
Unreleased.
Columbia Records and Legacy Recording, the catalog
division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release Bob Dylan – The Complete Budokan 1978
on Friday, November 17.
A deluxe box set celebrating Bob Dylan’s 1978 world concert tour and the 45th anniversary of
the artist’s first concert appearances in Japan, The Complete Budokan 1978 presents two full
shows originally recorded on 24-channel multitrack analog tapes at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan
Hall on February 28 and March 1, 1978 and offers fans 36 previously unreleased Dylan
performances. The Complete Budokan 1978 will be available in 4CD, 8LP (Japan only) and
digital configurations. Also available, Bob Dylan – Another Budokan 1978, a 2LP highlight
edition featuring 16 specially selected unreleased tracks from the box set.
The Bob Dylan World Tour 1978 marked the artist’s first international concert dates since 1966
and his first live shows since the Rolling Thunder Revue blasted through North America in
1975-76. A major international musical event, the year-long tour found Bob Dylan performing
114 shows in Asia, Oceania, North America and Europe, to a combined audience of two million
fans.
The tour launched in February 1978 with eleven historic performances: Dylan’ first-ever
concerts in Japan which included eight shows at the revered Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo.
Two of the Budokan shows–February 28 and March 1, 1978–were recorded on 24-channel
multi-track analog tape with 22 performances excerpted from those shows appearing on Bob
Dylan At Budokan, a 2LP set first issued on Columbia Records as a Japan-only release in
November 1978, followed by a global release in April 1979 in response to widespread demand.
The Complete Budokan 1978 marks the first time any of Dylan’s complete performances from
his 1978 world tour have been officially available.
For his 1978 performances, Dylan (rhythm guitar, harmonica, vocals) led an ensemble featuring
Billy Cross (lead guitar), Ian Wallace (drums), Alan Pasqua (keyboards), Rob Stoner (bass,
vocals), Steven Soles (acoustic rhythm guitar, vocals), David Mansfield (pedal steel, violin,
mandolin, guitar, dobro), Steve Douglas (saxophone, flute, recorder), Bobbye Hall (percussion),
Helena Springs (vocals), Jo Ann Harris (vocals), and Debi Dye (vocals). The original Bob
Dylan At Budokan album was produced by Don DeVito, who also helmed Dylan’s Street-Legal,
recorded and released during the 1978 world tour, featuring the same musicians.
According to Tetsuya Shiroki, co-producer of The Complete Budokan 1978, the newly restored,
remixed and remastered recordings “…capture(s) two days of this history-making tour. Nothing
has been removed or altered in any way.”
Many individuals involved in the original Bob Dylan at Budokan album reunited for the new
release. Under the supervision of Heckel Sugano, the CBS Sony product manager for Bob
Dylan in Japan at the time, the engineer responsible for the 1978 recording has worked on the
new 2023 remix using the original 24-channel multi-tapes, while the album cover showcases
artwork by the same photographers as the original.
Chief engineer Tom Suzuki says, “We mixed the record with the keyword ‘passion’ in mind. The
result is a mix that surpasses the original 1978 release, providing a crisper and clearer sound
where each instrument and Bob Dylan’s voice are distinctly audible.”
Heckel Sugano says, “The completed album documents the remarkable sound of the legendary
Budokan shows that are forever etched in history. We tried to faithfully reproduce the sound the
Japanese audience would have heard in the concert hall..“
Presented in a luxurious deluxe box, The Complete Budokan 1978 includes newly remixed
complete live recordings from the two Budokan concert dates featuring 36 previously
unreleased tracks; facsimile memorabilia such as concert tickets, pamphlets, posters, and flyers;
60-page full-color photo book of previously unpublished photos of Dylan on-stage and behind–
the-scenes at the airport, press conferences and more; exclusive liner notes. The 2LP Another
Budokan 1978 features 16 previously unreleased tracks from the Budokan box.
In her liner essay for The Complete Budokan 1978, music critic Edna Gundersen notes that the
original Bob Dylan At Budokan album “has undergone a sober reappraisal over the decades as
consumers and critics grew to admire its adventurous arrangements and provocative
performances.” She heralds the new restored and remastered release, writing that “Captured at
Budokan, Dylan is in good spirits and fully engaged. He sings with brio and urgency, his voice
clear and melodic and his phrasing impeccable as ever….The band crackles with careening
energy…. (Dylan) saw the stage as a proving ground that brought his tunes to life.“
The Complete Budokan 1978
4-CD Deluxe Box
Live at Nippon Budokan Hall, Tokyo, Japan – February 28, 1978
CD1
1. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall*
2. Repossession Blues*
3. Mr. Tambourine Man*
4. I Threw It All Away*
5. Shelter From The Storm
6. Love Minus Zero/No Limit
7. Girl From The North Country*
8. Ballad Of A Thin Man*
9. Maggie’s Farm*
10. To Ramona*
11. Like A Rolling Stone*
12. I Shall Be Released*
13. Is Your Love In Vain? *
14. Going, Going, Gone*
CD2
1. One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later) *
2. Blowin‘ In The Wind*
3. Just Like A Woman*
4. Oh, Sister*
5. Simple Twist Of Fate
6. You’re A Big Girl Now*
7. All Along The Watchtower*
8. I Want You*
9. All I Really Want To Do*
10. Tomorrow Is A Long Time*
11. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
12. Band introductions*
13. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
14. Forever Young
15. The Times They Are A-Changin’
Live at Nippon Budokan Hall, Tokyo, Japan – March 1, 1978
CD3
1. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall*
2. Love Her With A Feeling*
3. Mr. Tambourine Man
4. I Threw It All Away*
5. Love Minus Zero/No Limit*
6. Shelter From The Storm*
7. Girl From The North Country*
8. Ballad Of A Thin Man
9. Maggie’s Farm
10. One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)
11. Like A Rolling Stone
12. I Shall Be Released
13. Is Your Love In Vain?
14. Going, Going, Gone
CD4
1. One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later) *
2. Blowin‘ In The Wind
3. Just Like A Woman
4. Oh, Sister
5. I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) *
6. You’re A Big Girl Now*
7. All Along The Watchtower
8. I Want You
9. All I Really Want To Do
10. Knockin‘ On Heaven’s Door
11. The Man In Me*
12. Band introductions*
13. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)*
14. Forever Young*
15. The Times They Are A-Changin’*
*Previously Unreleased
The Complete Budokan 1978
£184.99
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