(taken from a 1980.campus song festival LP where they appeared with the song "Sun")
"There were many University song contests in Korea between lately 70s and early 80s. It were big contests which were supervised by broadcasting stations. It just was a boom at the time, and Magma also was University rock band and they entered one of the contests. And they got a prize on it. The supervisor of the contest was MBC (Korean broadcasting(TV) station). So the name of contest was MBC University song contest and this album is a compilation of the contest. MBC released this compilation album which had songs of winners on the contest. It had only one song by Magma." Folkie Jin
Depending on how much time left I'll airplay also from the next item :
This is great instrumental psych, with exotic rhythms, great electric guitar and organ. Almost impossible to leave out any track. Third and last track have an additional sax improvisation. Builds up to very jazzy/swinging psych with crazy heights, freaking out. Very good rhythm section !
Second side of LP (as 1st track on CD) contains a good version of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida from Iron Butterfly. The singing is not really good, but the 16 minute performance surely is. With great electric guitars,.. Funny to hear some members being intruduced as "Ringo Star"... and "Mr.Soul man".... First side (as track 2 on CD) has a few song oriented tracks which are less interesting, still enjoyable, but the second last track (or 4th track), is great psychrock too. Worth investigating. The recording is actually a bootleg recording, but the quality is good enough. Comes in beautiful mini-LP sleeve.
Questions : Go Go Gala party (Live) :
"This is a bootleg record. It was released withouto agreement of Shin Jung-Hyun. So it is very very rare!! Shin jung hyun played here live with his his band questions with guest singers (Kim Chu-Ja, Song Man-Su, Park In-Su). Recommendable songs are Side A4 and Side B1. Side A5 "Funky Broadway" is a cover song of Wilson Picket and is a great psychedelic improvisation!! and Side B has a only one track. The song is a cover song "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" of Iron Butterfly. This particular cover of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" of Iron Butterfly is a legend, untill now. I think that this live song is a best of best Korean psychedelic live Jam!! and great and very very nice noise feast. Highly recommendable record!!" Folkie Jin
Original record was issued on King and Universal record Korea in 1970
Item with much hardrock in it, appreciated by Western collectors. Has also something primitive "tough guy attitude" in the hardrock tracks. You can hear a great electric guitar solo on this 3rd track. 4th track is a more soft poprock track. Also 5th track is more "rock". I understand the importance of the group, but still I find the full item overrated. It surely has many good elements. These tracks are the most inventive ones. Last track is brilliant instrumental hardrock, making the album more valuable.
* Seung Eun Five Fingers / 5th Fingers & Top Song (KO,1967)**°
Tr.4, "Shaking all over" 3 min (Johnny Kidd & the Pirates)
Tr.6, "Paint It Black" (The Rolling Stones)3 min (Rolling Stones)
Tr.10, “Don't let me be misunderstood” 3 min (Animals)
Tr.12, “I'll go crazy” 3 min 12 (James Brown)
Rockn’roll and early freakbeat, all cover versions. Most of it are just 60's covers. It has more special moments, which for us are even somewhat "exotic" because of an almost garage way of their performance, like “Paint it Black” (sung in Korean) which I find styllistically pretty "raw", almost like garage-psych. I personally enjoy this.
San Ul Rim's early albums have a certain primitive but honest rock sound, in essence like a kind of garage psych but with some refinement in recording. We hear simple chords but with best effect and most effective arrangements. This album also has folk ballads, like track 4, 5.
For Korea this more simple straight forwardness of the group with great effect was new. For the Western listener who grew in apreciating creativity with simplicity (with 2/3 chords) it was a recognition of talent. Without knowing San Ul Lim here created a new approach to rock for Korea. (Otherwise Magma would never had sounded like they were)....
This was an attempt to sound more international prog & hardrock. The voice on firtst track has a punk-like attitude. Of course it has the undeliberate sophistication too in the rock feel. The long track is the best "progressive" as "psychrock" effort San Ul Rim ever did. With great electric fuzz guitar and repetitive but effective drums (and bass), with some high-flute like keyboards.
See separate page with biography and more background information on San Ul Lim
Because the group was unable to play the complex structures of their music live and people didn't understand the longer tracks too well, the group was forced to change style in more mainstream directions. Only the 9th album was a renewed, but failed attempt to represent a "progressive" style.
* KLH KLH Universal record Korea Shin Jung-Hyun & Questions (KO,1970)*°°°°
Early 60's psych, partly starting more as "entertainment psych". I choose the first track because it has such a strange semi-(middle) eastern touch chords. First side is a less favourite of SJH. With organ, female backing vocals. The 8th track, track B3 is different, slower in drive and is also one of the better tracks, with very emotional singing (male voice). Also track 9 is similar. These tracks make the album very original and unique. Last two tracks are psychpop tracks sung by female vocals.
"Questions/Same 1970 : This record normal price is a over 500$. Questions Members are Bass:Lee tae hyun ; Lead Guitar:Shin jung-hyun ; Keyboard:Kim Min Rang ; Drum:Kim Dae Hwan ; Guest singers are Lim Sung-Hyun (SideB1,4,6),Park In Su (Side A1-3),Lim Hee Suk (Side A4-5),Song Man Su (SideB2,3,5). Shin jung-hyun disbanded his group Donkeys after Kim Chu-Ja debut album recording. and he organized his new band Questions in 1970 year, so this record is a debut album of his new band questions. This record music style are band musical performance plus guest singers format. Especially question musical performance are live sounds feeling. So I think that this album is a popular psychedelic album (popular singers voice plus musical performance of psychedelic band). Recommendable !! Folkie JIn
SJH & Yup Yuns (original version) (KO,1970)****°
