LOUDNESS live loud alive AZ-7173-4

Live, Loud, and Alive in Tokyo: Loudness’ Monumental Live Album (AZ-7173~4)

Today’s entry captures the electrifying live essence of Japanese heavy metal pioneers Loudness during their explosive early years. We are focusing on their first official live album, “Live-Loud-Alive (Loudness In Tokyo),” released as a double LP set on the Columbia label (Nippon Columbia) with the catalog number AZ-7173~4.

Issued on November 21, 1983, this gatefold 2LP set documents a performance recorded just two months prior, on September 24, 1983, at Tokyo’s famed Nakano Sun Plaza hall. This album arrived following their first three groundbreaking studio albums (“The Birthday Eve,” “Devil Soldier,” “The Law of Devil’s Land”), capturing the band at a peak of raw power and creative energy before their international breakthrough.

Produced by the band themselves, “Live-Loud-Alive” is a sonic assault, opening dramatically with Gustav Holst’s “Mars, The Bringer Of War” before launching into blistering live renditions of early Loudness classics. The extensive tracklist includes high-octane versions of songs like “In The Mirror,” “Road Racer,” “Black Wall,” “Loudness,” “Sleepless Night,” and “Speed,” showcasing the incredible musicianship of the classic lineup: Minoru Niihara’s powerful vocals, Akira Takasaki’s jaw-dropping guitar pyrotechnics, Masayoshi Yamashita’s thunderous bass, and Munetaka Higuchi’s explosive drumming (including a drum solo feature).

This live album is a crucial document of early Loudness, preserving the intense energy and virtuosic performance that defined their concerts. AZ-7173~4 stands as a testament to their power just before they took on the world, making it an essential release for fans and collectors seeking the pure, unadulterated force of prime J-Metal.