The Time Was Then Is Now
TNR002 Eric B. of Tokyo No Records: I
am awfully proud of this release. Seven contemporary bands each
contribute one original song and one cover of a classic Japanese
rock song. Plus two bonus tracks (50 Kaitenz!!!). Mastered by
the legendary Souichiro Nakamura (Guitar Wolf, Boris, Keiji Haino...)
at Peace Music in Tokyo. Digipak release with an eight page booklet
and faux vinyl CD face.
1. The Captains "Jenny" (Carnabeats,
1967)
2. The Captains "Cassiopeia" (original)
3. Kinoko Hotel "Koi no Touch and Go" (Hatsumi Shibata)
4. Kinoko Hotel "Kinoco Hotel Shouka" (original)
5. The Syrup "Ban Ban Ban" (The Spiders)
6. The Syrup "Love's Solitary Island" (original)
7. The Psycrons "Psychedelic Man" (J.Y. & Blue Comets,
1968)
8. The Psycrons "My Amy" (original)
9. Thee 50's High Teens "Renown Wansaka Musume"
10. Thee 50's High Teens "Love Me Tonight" (original)
11. Salome No Kutibiru "Kokiriko Bushi" (Sergio Mendes)
12. Salome No Kutibiru "Yoake ni kieru" (original)
13. Jun Tabuchi "Empty World" (Jacks, 1968)
14. Jun Tabuchi "Rewind the Night" (original)
Bonus tracks:
15. 50 Kaitenz "Night Sky After the Rain" (RC Succession,
1980)
16. Mayuko Sakai "Catch the Wind" (Happy End)
REVIEWS
"This is one very impressive collection of greats both new
and old from a young label. Well worth keeping your eyes on."
Otaku USA (12/08)
"For anyone looking to expand outside of
the typical modern rock scene, this is a must-have album." JaME
World (10/08)
The Captains meet The Carnabeats
1. "Jenny" (Carnabeats,
1967)
2. "Cassiopeia" (original)
Modern GS champions The Captains consider themselves the "Last
Group Sounds", proudly carrying on the late 60s Japanese
R&R tradition. The Captains' first two records were released
in 2002 on the independent Autobahn Records label. These were
followed by their 2004 release The New World in which the band
solidified their sound and style. The "Last Group Sounds
U.S. Tour 2007" marked the band's first stateside appearance.
Their popularity continues to grow both in Japan and abroad.
The 1967 hit "Koi wo Shiyo yo Jenny", known outside
of Japan as "Jenny", is a famous song by The Carnabeats
who are one of the most fondly remembered bands of the GS era.
This version originally appeared on The Captains' 2006 EP entitled
GS Covers, released to celebrate the 40th anniversary
of the birth of Group Sounds.
"Cassiopeia" is a track from The Captains' 2007 album
A Cage of Roses.
3. " Koi no Touch
& Go" (Hatsumi Shibata)
4. "Shizuka na Mori de ~ Kinoco Hotel Shouka" (original)
Kinoco Hotel formed in Tokyo in the summer of 2007. They are four
good looking girls whose sound is heavily influenced by the culture
of 1965-1974. Marianne Shinonome is the leader and vocalist who
also plays the organ and composes the band's songs. Even though
they just started playing musical instruments they have already
become quite popular in Japan. Their first single, Makka na Jelly
[Red Jelly] was released in January 2008 and it soon reached number
one on the indie chart at the Tokyo record store chain Disc Union.
"Koi no Touch & Go"
is a song by AOR singer Hatsumi Shibata who was formerly known
as Hatsumi Kanna in the 1970s. The song was not a hit at the time
of its release, but has become a cult favorite since making it
a hip song to cover.
"Shizuka na mori de ~ Kinoco
Hotel Shouka" ( At quiet forest ~ Kinoco Hotel School song)
is the B-side of their single Makka na Jelly. It is arranged
like potpourri.
5. " Ban Ban Ban"
(The Spiders)
6. "Ai no Kotou" (Love's solitary island) (original) The Syrup are led by Gel Matsuishi,
a gifted musician and producer from Nagoya. Their sound is a mix
of Japanese Showa era TV and film soundtracks, Kayoukyoku [pop
music], psychedelia and R&B. They have gained enormous popularity
in the Japanese underground scene because of their maniacally
high quality songs.
"Ban Ban Ban" was originally
performed by The Spiders, the most famous of all of the late 1960s
Group Sounds bands. The Syrup combine this well-known song with
the sound of famous French yé-yé singer France Gal
and have created an astounding recording in the process.
"Ai no Kotou" is a song
from their 2000 debut album The Syrup's World. It has
been remixed for this compilation.
7. "Psychedelic Man"
(J.Y. & Blue Comets, 1968)
8. "My Amy" (original)
The Psycrons are a well-known psychedelic R&R trio from Kyoto.
They've been touring relentlessly since their first album, Let's
Go Psycrons! was released in 2004. After the release of their
second album, Miracle! The Psycrons in 2006 they released
a live record entitled TAKUTAKU LIVE. Even though they
had to replace the guitarist in 2007, their activities never stopped
as they visited the U.S. for a West Coast tour.
"Psychedelic Man" was
originally performed by the legendary GS band Jackie Yoshikawa
and Blue Comets and appeared on their 1968 album Blue Comets
in Europe.
"My Amy" is an original
song from Miracle! The Psycrons.
9. "Renown Wansaka
Musume"
10. "Love Me Tonight" (original)
Thee 50's High Teens are a four piece female garage band from
Fukuoka. Leader, vocalist, and bassist Tomo was 16 when she formed
the band and 2008 marks their 10th year anniversary. Their music
is a mix of garage rock, punk, GS, and Kayoukyo [pop music] and
they have become very popular thanks to their destructive sound
and good looks. In 2004 they had a successful tour in Germany
and Belgium and they made their debut in the United States in
2008.
"Renown Wansaka Musume"
is a fondly remembered commercial jingle for Renown, a Japanese
clothing brand, that originated in the 1960s and remained in broadcast
for many years thereafter.
"Love Me Tonight" is an original song from their second
album Punch De Beat which was released in December 2005.
11. “Kokiriko Bushi”
(Sergio Mendes)
12. “Yoake ni kieru” (Disappear at dawn) (original)
The retro ballads of Salome no Kutibiru [Salome's Lips] are unique
to modern Japanese music. The souls of the group are composer
and bassist Satoshi Mizuno and the elegant looking vocalist Kyoko
Tachibana. Their musical activities center mainly in Shinjuku
and Koenji in Tokyo. They released their first album In the
Beautiful World in 2007. The flute player, Kazumi Suzuki,
withdrew from the group at the end of that year and is now active
in many fields.
"Kokiriko Bushi" refers
to a song by Sergio Mendes. Its arrangement is based upon Japan's
oldest traditional folk song, which originated in Toyama where
Satoshi Mizuno was born.
“Yoake ni kieru” is an original song from their first
album In the Beautiful World.
13. “Karappo no Sekai”
(Empty world) (Jacks)
14. “Yoru o Makimodose” (Rewind the night) (original)
"Mood Kayou" is a Japanese musical genre created in
the 1950s by Hiroshi Wada and Mahina Stars. It is a mix of Hawaiian
and Japanese melodies. Hiroshi Wada and Mahina Stars performed
for 50 years until the leader and steel guitarist, Hiroshi Wada,
passed away in 2004. Twentysomething Jun Tabuchi soon replaced
him on vocals and thus became the youngest member of the group.
Jun has collected "Mood Kayou" and GS records since
he was a child, a big fan of Mahina Stars who never dreamed that
he would get to sing with them!
"Karappo no Sekai" was
originally released in 1968 by the famous acid rock group Jacks.
The cover's instrumentals are performed by Salome no Kutibiru.
"Yoru o Makimodose" is
an original song from Jun Tabuchi's 2007 debut single.
15. “Ameagari no
Yozora ni” (Night sky after the rain)
The 50 Kaitenz [50 rpms] are a young, Ramones-influenced garage
rock trio from Osaka. They debuted on Warner Music in 2006 and
have since toured Japan, Australia, and the United States. “Ameagari
no Yozora ni” was a popular 1980 single by RC Succession,
this cover was recorded in 2005.
16. “Kaze Wo Atsumete”
(Catch the wind)(Happy End)
Mayuko was a female rock singer who used to work with The Fools,
a popular underground Tokyo group from the 1990s. “Kaze
o Atsumete” is a very famous song by Happy End (ex-Apryl
Fool, pre-YMO), it originally appeared on their second album Kazemachi
Roman. It later appeared on the soundtrack to the film Lost
In Translation. Mayuko's version was recorded in 2004, she
passed away in September of that year.
Acknowledgments
The following people made this release possible, many thanks to
all of them: Hironori Kanda (Last GS/K&A) coordinated the
negotiations on the Japan end of things, Sammy Maeda (VOLT-AGE
Records) co-produced it with myself, Sawako Kanda translated all
of the liner notes, Mio Hayafuji did additional translations,
Hayden Brereton (KarateRice)
produced the NYC photo shoot, Daisuke Yoshida served as photographer,
the beautiful Tomoko Maeda as model, Kumiko Hirose and Tsuyoshi
Watanabe made Tomoko look picture-perfect, and Trevor Lafferty
(The Doodle Lab) did
the packaging/design.
