Blur announced to its eager Western fans that the band's performance album Live At The Budokan would be rereleased to European and North American listeners after having only previously been sold to Japanese audiences.
It's just one of many live albums that have been recorded at Nippon Budokan, a former Olympic arena turned music venue. The gig is almost a "must" for aspiring rock stars, who rightly see it as the symbol of the Western trope that you know you've made it when you can play solid out shows in Japan.
Music Times has checked out six prominent live releases recorded at the historic venue and ranked just how well they stack up.
06) Bob Dylan at Budokan by Bob Dylan (1979)
A performer such as Bob Dylan has a catalogue of songs that stretches as far as the eye can see, so when people go to see folks like him and Neil Young in concert, they aren't offended when the performers bust out some dusty relics. This is how Dylan normally tours but we guess he just figured he'd play his "greatest hits" for fans that get to see him less often. That's admirable, but it doesn't make for much of a live record. The stage band also livens up some of Dylan's more mellow tracks a little too much.
05) Live at Budokan by Dream Theater (2004)
Dream Theater tends to play some pretty long live sets and it rarely edits much out when it drops the live album. Three songs were dropped from this set including the excellent "Under A Glass Moon," which hurts considering this isn't the best playlist we've seen on a live record from the band. "Glass Moon," "Metropolis" and "Raise The Knife" all make appearances two years later for the Dream Theater's Score album, which makes Live At Budokan somewhat a second place effort for the timeframe in which it was recorded.
04) Live at Budokan by Ozzy Osbourne (2002)
Unlike Dylan, Osbourne isn't a performer where you expect a huge setlist change from gig to gig. This disc was cut down to 13 tracks, only two of which came from his most recent release Down To Earth. So yes, you get classic tracks such as "Crazy Train," "Road to Nowhere" and "Paranoid." A bonus is this is Osbourne's most packed lineup to date, still featuring Zakk Wylde on guitar and Robert Trujillo on bass before he split for Metallica.
03) Live at the Budokan by Blur (1995)
We were a little coy when we introduced this piece with the most recent update from Blur. This album's rerelease to Western audiences is even more relevant in that it's the only official live release that the British band ever authorized. Now superfans won't need to eBay expensive Japanese versions to get it. This recording, despite having quite a lengthy and quality setlist, cheats a little bit. The version of "She's So High" present on the set was actually recorded earlier at the NHK Hall in Tokyo, not the Budokan.
02) Live at the Budokan by Chic (1999)
All acts know when the show they're playing is being recorded for a live album or DVD. Stage banter tends to be friendlier and guitar solos more flashy. Chic takes the cake however, bringing several guests onstage with them to boost excitement. Sister Sledge joins the band for "He's the Greatest Dancer," but Nile Rodgers gets a huge boost with the guitars. Slash joins him for "Le Freak" and then returns alongside Steve Winwood for a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Stone Free." Well played, Chic.
01) Cheap Trick at Budokan by Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick at Budokan is not one of the greatest live albums of all time, regardless of what your parents think. It is however the defining moment in the band's career and the defining moment in the history of the Budokan. "I Want You to Want Me" wasn't a new track, but it didn't chart in the United States. Turns out all it needed was vocalist Robin Zander comically introducing the track and an excitable Japanese audience chanting "yeah, yeah, yeah" in response to his calls of "didn't I see you cryin'?" There's a reason this is the most famous of the Budokan releases.
BONUS JOKE!
Q: Who was the first performer to go gold at Budokan?
A: Takehide Nakatani of Japan for Judo, lightweight class.
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