In early April, Germany’s Speakers Corner Records will release a high-fidelity 180-gram vinyl reissue of Weather Report’s rare concert album, Live In Tokyo. 

The 89-minute 2LP was originally a Japan-only release for CBS Records in 1972 after being recorded during a stretch of five sold-out dates in January of the same year at Shibuya Philharmonic Hall, Tokyo. Production duties were orchestrated by Kiyoshi Itoh with engineering by Susumu Satoh. The music is virtuosic and singular in its performance, capturing a command of the live stage that few artists have reached. 

With saxophonist Wayne Shorter and keyboardist Joe Zawinul at the helm of the group, the lineup changes continued throughout the band’s existence. This particular performance had Miroslav Vitous on bass, Eric Gravatt on drums, and Don Um Romao on percussion. 

Clips from this same recording were used on Weather Report’s sophomore album, I Sing The Body Electric, giving the Japanese market a window into these celebrated concerts that didn’t see pressings outside of the country for over 25 years. 

To preserve the fullest state of the original masters, this reissue has been engineered using pure analog components, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. 

Listen to the opening medley of the Live In Tokyo LP, “Vertical Invader / Seventh Arrow / T.H. / Doctor Honoris Causa,” below and pre-order a copy of the new pressing here.

Tracklisting

01. Medley: Vertical Invader / Seventh Arrow / T.H. / Doctor Honoris Causa (Vitouš, Zawinul)

02. Medley: Surucucú / Lost / Early Minor / Directions (Shorter, Zawinul)

03. Orange Lady (Zawinul)

04. Medley: Eurydice / The Moors (Shorter)

05. Medley: Tears / Umbrellas (Shorter, Zawinul)