Diamond Lifetime: Sade 60

I completely forgot it was a big milestone-type birthday today, but thankfully the b'day girl's beloved enough that social media is lit up with tributes to remind me.

I blogged her 56th four years ago, but someone like this I'd do one for every year.

There isn't really much to say about her. She's been one of the world's most revered vocalists ever since people first heard her open her mouth in public in the early 1980s.

There's some artists that as soon as they hit, they are indelible, forever superstars invulnerable to the sophomore jinx.

Back 35 years ago when she initially hit the airwaves, it was if she was not there and then suddenly she was everywhere. Some folks' talent just blows up the world and for them there is no racing up the charts... they are born up there.

Sade Adu is surely one. I was thinking that she could announce a concert five minutes from now at a baseball stadium sized venue anywhere on Earth, and within the hour the whole 55,000 seats would be sold straight out.

Speaking of concerts, what about this one right here? How this has never seen any official release I really cannot say, but no matter.

This was apparently taped for Japanese radio back 30-something years ago, and when I look at the spectral analysis here it does get over 20,000 kHz. Sounds like a pre-FM source too, indistinguishable from a real live release.

Sade

Promise In Tokyo

Nakano Sun Plaza

Tokyo, Japan

5.11.1986

CD1

01 Why Can't We Live Together

02 Cherry Pie

03 Smooth Operator

04 Be Thankful for What You Got

05 Hang On to Your Love

06 Fear

07 Never As Good As the First Time

CD2

01 Your Love Is King

02 Mr. Wrong

03 Punch Drunk

04 It's a Crime

05 The Sweetest Taboo

06 Jezebel

Total time: 1:27:00

Sade Adu - vocals

Paul Denman - bass 

Andrew Hale - keyboards

Stuart Matthewman - guitar & saxophone 

Martin Ditcham - drums & percussion

Gordon Matthewman - trumpet 

Jake Jacas - trombone & vocals 

Leroy Osbourne - vocals

Gordon Hunte - guitar

spectral looks like a pre-FM capture

sourced from the 2016 boot 2CD "Promise In Tokyo" on the Wardour label

541 MB FLAC/January 2019 archive link

If you love her, you'll be all over this show. Nothing else needs to be said, really.

Nothing except Happy 60th birthday to Sade Adu, born this day in 1959 and timelessly showing no signs of age whatsoever.--J.