Because I say so fool!
:D
Actually I was among the last to know, but in a way that makes it all so much more fun. I have had lots of catching up to do. I have been listening to the albums continuously recently, since being totally mind blown by the reunion dvd, and they are all spectacular. What is most stunning about this band is their originality, versatility and their musical skill. I cannot find anyone to compare them to East or West. Unique Unicorn. If anyone deserves world wide fame it is them, or maybe looking at it from the other direction, we all need their soul medicine most urgently in these end times. Whether or not the world is capable of comprehending them is another question. Perhaps having never experienced good music they are no longer capable of recognizing it.

The whole phenomena of the Eighties band boom in Japan is quite unique. There was no such creative flowering in the West at that time. Of course there were buds, but mostly these ended up shriveled on the bush due to the fact that the corporate swill machine had taken effective control of popular rock and pop. Any original successful musicians around in the Eighties had usually already become established in the Seventies. Of course the Eighties now seem almost interesting in comparison with the oceans of bland shite that have followed in the last two decades, but the fact remains music was dead and buried in the West.

Strange then that Japan should have not one great band but a dozen, and probably many more I am as yet unaware of. Strange and very delightful, from the point of view of someone just discovering it all. It's almost like someone rewrote the Eighties, and made it cool. XDD


It has to be said, I was at first blinded by the Tamio. I guess it's to be expected, as I am particularly interested in vocals, and he is the best. I have heard his singing described as Rococco or maybe you could even say Baroque. Whatever it is its way beyond the skill level of any other rock musician. He is not just technically skilled either but fully connected heart and soul and beyond. Totally spectacular really. And his solo is an epic sonic adventure that I am still half way through.

But all of them together is something else again. It's a very powerful magic, and you only really understand how it beautifully it works when you see them live. Now I think the others are all just as cool as Tamio, and I love all of their songs and personalities and I love the chemistry they all have together. Every member of this band can and does do everything brilliantly. They swap roles and instruments continually. This makes for an amazing show, a collective experience that demonstrates the ultimate truth that we are all stars. I guess that's why they have always been so empowering and powerful. Though of course there is probably a great deal I am missing out on. The feeling coming from the vast crowd was amazing. It was a really potent love helix they had going down. You could feel all the happy memories awakened by familiar songs, peoples life times coming around again, all the emotion of it. They generated so much warmth and affection. They are basically a happiness machine, which in these times is a very good thing to have handy. It's a funny thing just how truly world changing something like that can be.

And I have to admit, I was totally starstruck by Abe Yoshiharu. For his electric charisma on stage, and also for the gorgeous songs he wrote for the reunion. He is the Fire Starter. Unicorn are two snake trees grown wild and profuse in the earth of Nishikawa Koichi,  and the water of the fluid fingered Tessy, then set on fire by the mad pyromaniac Professor Abe. Ebi is the Yin snake and Tamio the Yang, so they make a very pretty spectacle especially when all lit up. What is most cool about Abe B though, are his transformations. He hovers behind his wall of keyboards looking all sultry and boffinish and then suddenly he explodes out into crazy karate Elvis pastiches! ADORABLE! XD

Amazing, amazing, amazing!
@___@
So much exuberant, passionate energy. It's really beautiful to watch and hear.
Unicorn have come back even better than they ever were, I suppose because the qualities that made them great in the first place, were timeless ones, that just keep getting better with age.

Awesome song, with an English translation, and lovely pink suits. Hope it doesn't disappear this time.
Anyway there's an Okuda Tamio Live Journal Community now, with quite a few translations, so please go and join it.

I'm so happy to report the new King Show album is really really good!
Much better than last years. Full of passion and energy this time around. Favourite tracks are 4, 6, 7, and 12. Especially track 4 for some reason. That really stood out straight away.

Seemed like a good excuse to post one of Morgianasamas' scans of the lovely O Ken. Not going to say much more than that, except to make sad faces at Toys Factory about not letting me see their Jet Ki video. ;__;

Here's a Love Song to the World, which isn't the best song on the album but it's growing on me (and the sentiment is nice ^_^)...

Been meaning to say something about the 50 Kaitenz for ages now.
They are amazing! Great songs, great heart and humour too.
Vocalist/guitarist Danny is incredibly talented. He does both Hiroto and Marcy at the same time...XD
Seriously though, The Blue Hearts must be very proud of their children. I hope they will tour Australia again sometime. I missed out the last time sadly.

My latest vocal addiction, discovered thanks to the Unicorn connection. How many more astonishing secrets does Japanese music have to reveal to me I wonder?
Miyata Kazuyas' voice is incredible, gorgeous, amazing and sublime. And I get the feeling that his voice is very much a reflection of his sweet personality. Really you just can't sing like that unless you have a good heart.
I have been listening to the 2006 release J(S)W KEEP WALKING non stop, as well as the marvelous Jet-ki singles. Jet-ki...what a great name for a band. :D
Here is the first Jun Sky Walker(s) song I fell in love with from the 97 Last Live:

A PV of FULLSWING by Jet-ki (his band with Unicorn drummer Nishikawa Koichi).

And it has nothing to do at all with his cute jacket....;P

I love this picture. He looks so wise and kind. Who else could look so cool in such a silly hat?
I only got addicted to RC Succession about seven months ago and it was this video that started it all. Watching it I was instantly won over by his huge talent, great humour, flamboyance, originality and class. And his super cute guitarist. ;)


And this is my favourite RC song at the moment:

<33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
T_________________T
Miwa is my IDOL.


A translation I found on Youtube some time ago...apologies for the lack of credits.
This song feels very personal to me. I had also a mother who sacrificed everything for me. No wonder it makes me cry every time I hear it.

Working Mothers' Song

"For the sake of my husband, heave-ho!"
"For the sake of my child, heave-ho!"
"One more time,heave-ho!"
"One more time,heave-ho!"

Still, this song's coming to me, Yoitomake no Uta",
Day laborer song, that's my lullaby song.
In the lunch time at the construction site,
When I smoke with my eyes closed,
This song comes up to my mind, Yoitomake no Uta,
Day laborer's song, that's for poor workers.

When I went to an elementary school, 　　
Everybody says "Hey you! day laborer's son of bitch".
I was always bullied and teased terribly.
In my mortification with tears,
I run away from the classroom.
Being crying on my way home,
I saw my mother working hard.
I saw my mother working hard.

With a towel around head, covered with mud,
Deeply tanned, in the sweat of her brow,
Together with laborers, she was pulling a rope,
Looking upwards and singing repeatedly
In tune at the top of her lungs.
I saw my mother working hard.
I saw my mother working hard.

I was running to my house in a hurry,
Wishing to be cheered up and hugged by my mother,
But when I saw my mother working hard,
I gave up weeping and forgot all the bullying.
Then I went back to school.
Mumbling away to myself "I swear Mam to study hard".
Mumbling away to myself "I swear Mam to study hard".

How many years has it been passed since then?
I graduated at high school and finished university, too.
Nowadays, it's an age of machinery.
Further, I've become an IT engineer.
Look at me! Mam, who died after many hard works.
Look at my job, Mam! my brave figure, Mam!

I was sometimes on the verge of going astray,
But finally I stayed on the right track.
Than any other beautiful songs,
Than any other beautiful voices,
My mother's song was more encouraging and consoled me.
My mother's song is certainly the best in the world.
My mother's song is indeed the best in the world.

Now this song reminds me of that Yoitomake no Uta,
Day laborer song, that's my lullaby song.
"For the sake of my husband, heave-ho!"
"For the sake of my child, heave-ho!"
"One more time,heave-ho!"
"One more time,heave-ho!"

New Kegawa album was released on the 8th of April, and its superb! :)
Really the best thing they've done so far. They've ascended to a whole new level.
I'm not really in review writing mode at the moment though, and I want to see the booklet before I write anything. I-tunes is useful but basically not good value when all is considered. The oz dollar is slowly creeping back up from its total devastation last year so maybe I'll get a copy if it keeps on rising.

Anyway I managed to glimpse the tracklist on yahoo auctions on the back of a cd. Totally different to the romanization on the I-tunes files and much more amusing...so here it is:

1. Die In The Church
2. Fool In The Hell
3. Love and Let Die
4. Honey Apple
5. The Fool
6. (In My) Life
7. God Only Heavy Metal
8. Image
9. Me And My Little Bird
10. Across The Love
11. The Peace
12. The Heart of Dixie
13. Sympathy From The Devil

When I've listened to it some more I'll probably add some comments to the list, but for now I'll just say track one and track seven are the outstanding gems. Oh and track two. They've even managed to trump the recent Unicorn album because there isn't a single track on it I want to fast forward. So that's impressive. So far 2009 has been a fine vintage.

The cover is AWESOME XDD Is it just me or is there something rather phallic about that Sitar?
Reminds me of J.A.Seazer, whose wonderful music recently ensnared me. I doubt that is an accident....

New single PV