A sweetly soulful soundtrack from Cagnet – music for the extremely popular Long Vacation series in the 90s, done in that Japanese style from the time that was very heavy on influences from American soul! There's English language lyrics on most tracks – sung by Natalie and Anna, with a bit of work from male singer David too – and the music has that groove from this key moment in Japanese club, when it seemed as if productions like this could easily cross the boundaries of cultures, as ears in both the US and UK scenes were really opening up to the groove. Titles include "Here We Are Again", "Long Vacation", "Into You", "Under The Moonlight", "What Will I Do", "Deeper & Deeper", and "Our Romance". LP, Vinyl record album
A well-done batch of music for the initial season of Japanese TV show Long Vacation – served up with a sense of variety and depth that's a great change from American television music for a program of this nature! Cagnet put the whole thing together, but they've got a good sense of variety throughout – shifting singers and styles of music, and moving between vocal numbers and instrumentals that have a nice mix of beats and soundtrack elements. Titles include "Long Vacation" by Anna McMurphy, "Silent Emotion" by Calin, "Little By Little" by Section S, "To Live & Die" by David, "What Will I Do" by Natalie Burks, and the tunes "Tiny Tale", "Back Ground", and "Short Wave Radio". CD
A sweet little record from this Japanese trio – all instrumental, and put together in a style that blends elements of electro pop, electric fusion, and maybe a bit of sound library funk! The tunes are all pretty vivid – maybe evoking the scene in the title – but they also have elements that tie them more strongly to the emerging electronic groove coming from the Japanese scene at the end of the 70s – almost as if you were stripping away vocals, and coming up with spare tracks that are heavy on keyboards and other eletric touches. Titles are all in Japanese – but translate as "Aegean Fantasy", "Rose Between The Waves", "Image", "Daybreak", "Aphrodite's Mourning", and "Mykonos' Bride". LP, Vinyl record album
9
Meiko Kaji —
Gincho Wataridori ... CD Teichiku/We Want Sounds (UK), 1972. New Copy ...
$17.9919.99
The debut album from Meiko Kaji – an artist most folks knew first as an actress, but whose voice finds a wonderful setting in this record! There's a gentle current of funk to most tracks – stepping electric bass next to soaring strings, a bit of horns, and great use of koto from time to time – all to create this mellow groove that's totally great, and instantly appealing – which then opens the door to the subtle drama that Meiko brings to her vocals – beautifully sung, but with a presence that's very gripping, even if you don't understand the lyrics – and really served up in the best way possible, given the arrangements! Lyrics and titles are in Japanese – and tunes include "Shitto", "Aieno Kitai", "Ginchou Wataridori", "Jingi Komoriuta", "Ginchou Buruusu", "Hamabeno Meruhen", and "Yogiro Sukina Anata". CD
Japanese pianist Yuji Ohno started out in jazz, but soon had a role in so many different styles on his scene during the 70s – arranging for singers, doing soundtrack material, and serving up work in a whole host of different contexts – many of which are included in this mighty nice set! The vibe is funky and electric on most numbers, but Ohno plays acoustic here and there – and the set mixes vocal numbers and instrumentals in a really great way, both English and Japanese, with more than enough diversity to show you Yuji's skills in a range of different modes. Ohno is involved with every cut in the set – and titles include "Silhouette" by You & The Explosion Band, "Subterranean Futari Botchi" by Nanako Sato, "I Wish You Love" by Hatsumi Shibata, "Lilac Gai No Aki" by Ken Tanaka, "I Want To Be Happy" by Mieko Hirota, "Soaring Seagull" by Electric Keyboard Orchestra, "Mouichido Kikasete" by Hatsumi Shibata, and "Kiarameku Inner Space" by Yuji Ohno & Galaxy. (Jazz, Japanese)CD
Japanese pianist Yuji Ohno started out in jazz, but soon had a role in so many different styles on his scene during the 70s – arranging for singers, doing soundtrack material, and serving up work in a whole host of different contexts – many of which are included in this mighty nice set! The vibe is funky and electric on most numbers, but Ohno plays acoustic here and there – and the set mixes vocal numbers and instrumentals in a really great way, both English and Japanese, with more than enough diversity to show you Yuji's skills in a range of different modes. Ohno is involved with every cut in the set – and titles include "Silhouette" by You & The Explosion Band, "Subterranean Futari Botchi" by Nanako Sato, "I Wish You Love" by Hatsumi Shibata, "Lilac Gai No Aki" by Ken Tanaka, "I Want To Be Happy" by Mieko Hirota, "Soaring Seagull" by Electric Keyboard Orchestra, "Mouichido Kikasete" by Hatsumi Shibata, and "Kiarameku Inner Space" by Yuji Ohno & Galaxy. (Jazz, Japanese)LP, Vinyl record album