Toshiba-EMI
V.A. : URC 1 (1969-1970) (JAP,1969-1970)***°
Tr.1, Tetsuo Saito 7 min
(Tr.5, Yasumi No Kuni 3 min)
(Tr.12,14 Kan Minami 4 + 4 min)
Tr.18, Kazuhiko Yamahira & The Sherman 3 min 10 -14
Track 1-4 Wataru Takada 5-6 Yasumi No Kuni 7-10 Tetsuo Saito 11-14 Kan Minami, 15-16 Masato Tomobe 17-18 Kazuhiko Yamahira & The Sherman
First 2 tracks are an interpretations of cowboy countryfolk with a humour wink, all by the same artist. Very good !! First track is greatly mixed with a Japanese folk tune, and there's a small funny story told with it. Also the two following two acid folk / s/sw tracks are by the same artist. Other tracks might be influenced by late '60's American and English singersongwriters (like Bob Dylan,..). Track 12 has very emotional vocals (accompanied by guitar, drum, bass, piano, flute). This singer has 4 good tracks listed. Last chosen track for eventual airplay is also arranged well. This is the first compilation of singles on this label.
Toshiba-EMIV.A. : URC 2 (1969-1971) (JAP,1969-1971)**°°
(Tr.4,8, Itsutsu No Aki Husen 5+5 min)
Tr.9, Akai Tori 4 min
(Tr.10, Akai Tori 3 min)
Tr.11, Makoto Kubota With Bizarre Hogehoge Band 5 min 9 -23
Track 1-8 Itsutsu No Aki Husen 9-10 Akai Tori 11 Makoto Kubota With Bizarre Hogehoge Band 12 Akoto Kubota With Ken Murayama Group 13 Bulluds 14 Gu 15 Hideko Hujiwara 16 Isato Nakagawa 17-18 Rokumonsen 19 Yamata No Orochi 20 Attension Please
Many of the early tracks listed here are pleasant folkpop. I chose the 4th track for airplay, which is very sweet folkpop, and track 8, almost chanson-like sweet folkpop. Track 9 and 10 have beautiful female vocals and vocal arrangements, and are based upon a Japanese folk melody. They are accompanied by acoustic guitar and bass. The 11th track is splendid humor psychfolk reminding vaguely of Tea & Symphony or so. I left out the other beautiful acoustic tracks, even when they were good also.
Toshiba-EMIV.A. : URC 3 (1969-1970) (JAP,1969-1975)**°°'
(Tr.13, Takashi Nishioka 7 min)
Tr.15 Takashi Nishioka 7 min -30
(Tr.16, Takashi Nishioka 7 min)
Track 1-2 Tomoya Takaishi 3-4 Goro Nakagawa 5-8 Ryo Kagawa 9-12 Dyllan II 13-16 Takashi Nishioka 17-18 Itsutsu No Akai Husen '75
This compilation mostly has mostly nice acoustic songs, influenced by I think by American acoustic pop and some Westcoast Pop, and are all enjoyable. I liked less two tracks with a rockn'roll foundation. One of the preferred tracks, the sixth track, is Westcoast rock styled, which does not fit to choose for the planned radioshow style perspective. The 13th to 16th track are very different, and are all from one artist who plays calm acoustic guitar explorations, with bits of flute and marimba, with some minor, often more experimental touches on piano, percussion, bass, .. combined with spoken word and some singing. This is brilliant and unique music, which makes it hard for me to put it off after one track. The last two poppy track doesn't fit well after this. First track of this series of songs that flow very much in oneanother has on an unexpected moment and as a fine contrast, a murmuring of a Beatles song (in Japanese), with acoustic guitar, flute and marimba, as acoustic intimate psychedelica.
The URC singles collection are still available on Japanese Amazon here
or a as seperate compilations with part 1 here
