WISHBONE ASH / Japanese Castle Magic (2CDR)

◆Club Citta', Kawasaki, Japan 14th August 2010
Disc 1
-1st set-
01. Time Was
02.Sometime World
03. Blowin' Free
04. The King Will Come
05. Leaf & Stream
06.Warrior
07. Throw Down The Sword
-2nd set-
08. Runaway
09. Driving A Wedge
10. Rock 'N' Roll Widow
11.F.U.B.B.
12. Lullaby

Disc 2
01. Persephone
02. You See Red
03. Reason To Believe
04. The Way Of The World
05. Phoenix
-encore-
06. Blind Eye
07. Jail Bait

◇Personnel;
Andy Powell (guitar, (vocals)
Muddy Manninen (guitar, vocals)
Bob Skeat (bass, vocals) & Joe Crabtree (drums)

This premium audience recording captures the first night of Andy Powell's 2010 Japan tour, held at Club Citta on August 14th. This tour featured two consecutive performances at Club Citta, with the first show touting a "perfect recreation of 'Argus, the Hundred-Eyed Giant'" and the second show featuring the band's best tracks from their golden age. Both shows were a must-see for fans. This release is digitally remastered from the premium-quality original master recording of the first night's performance, recorded from the front of the venue. It captures the twin guitars, the core of the band's sound, with exceptional clarity, while the vocals, bass, and drums are all beautifully balanced for a truly outstanding finish. Compared to the second day's performance, which was released at the same time, Muddy Manninen's guitar is a little louder, so the second day's performance wins in terms of overall sound balance, but the vividness of the lap steel on "Blowin' Free" and the wah-wah on "The King Will Come" is enough to give you goosebumps and is one of the highlights of this album. As for the song selection for the second part, only three of the 12 songs overlap with the second day's performance, truly showing a performance that lives up to its name.