Farside Records:  "Special collaboration box set of 2 double CDs (4 discs) and DVD.

The CDs are 'Natsukashi no Eiga Daizenshu -Shochiku Eiga Hen' Volumes 1 and 2. They are compilation albums of hit songs from hit films performed by film stars and musicians fro...

青春歌年鑑 50年代総集編 [Disc 1]

"The Youth Song diary of the 50s"

(Vintage and Showa Kayo Popular Music, the very best of the 50s)

To a degree, I love Japan’s early 50s more than the earliest 30s/40s stuff. These (always) charming songs are more expressively sung, with voices show...

Meta Comp.           大東京ジャズ (Jazz in the Great Tokyo 1925-1940) (2014)***°

There are a few compilations in this series. Another one is dedicated to jazz in Osaka (1924-1941), and a last one to Jazz in the Central City - Great Nagoya's Tsuru-Asahi Jazz Son...

Erebus Rec.    Tokedashita Garasu Bako (="Melting Glass Box") (JAP,1970)****

A really great example of original creative songwriting and music on the interesting, early URC label, that was launched after a first folk boom influence from America, this mean...

Noble Label    Motoomi Doi : The Illuminated Nightingale (JP,2013)***/****

Long time ago since I have heard any folktronic related release. The Japanese one-man band Motoomi Doi delivers us a CD that has aspects of bedroom lullabies with a slightly odd, a...

Drag City Rec.     Eiko Ishibashi : Imitation of Life (JAP/US,2013)***'

Japan knows different sorts of singer-songwriters. Some of them show interests in all sorts of progressive and experimental directions for the accompaniment/band arrangements, wh...

Akuphone Rec.        Chiemi Eri (2016)****'

​I needt to mention this wonderful release, which shows a mixture of perfectly recorded ballroom jazz with Korean traditions in singing mixed with the more mambo-era related jazzy ballroom styled...

I was very curious to hear the popular music of Japan from the 30s to have a good idea what was made there to compare also with the recorded music of the 30s in Korea, simply because something does not feel right in the complaints from the Koreans that they were only p...

EMI    The Folk Crusaders : Kigen Nisennen (JAP,1968)***°'

(Tr.2, "Kaettekita Yopparai" 4 min) 

(Tr.4, "Dracula.." 3 min, Tr.6, "Oble.." 3 min)

(Tr.11, "Kobu no Nai Naku Na" 4 min, Tr.12, 4 min) 

The group adapted on the first two tracks old folk, with some humou...

Express     Kazuhiko Kato : Come to my bedside...(1969,re.1999)**°°

Tr.7, 9月はほうき星が流れる時 11 min 

Solo artist from Folk Crusaders. This is varied folkpop with some "hippie"-free mind touches. This chosen Japanese-sounding song is arranged with a complete orch...