Chappie
I'm not sure how to describe Chappie. Maybe it's impossible, Chappie must be experienced.
compiled by Nicholas D. Kent
email: ndkent "at" optonline.net
Last updated 00.6.20
(*) means I don't own this album or
(@) means I only listened to this album
1980 WAX cd: TKCA-30117
Mishio Ogawa is the lead singer in this 5 piece Makoto Yano produced new wave meets exotica band. A fine fun album but not full out technopop in my opinion. Probably out of print? It is probably a "must have" for people into this era of J-Pop
1983 cd: VPCC-83001
This seems to be their third album.The core of Chakra on this album is Bun Itakura and Mishio Ogawa with other musicians backing, notably drummer Shuichi 'Ponta' Murakami (who was in Wa Ha Ha with Ogawa). It seems Ogawa is the only member remaining from the first album.This is a short 7 song album, new wavy with with lots of indian sounds. Itakura and Ogawa later took part in the band Killing Time. Probably out of print
ChappieI'm not sure how to describe Chappie. Maybe it's impossible, Chappie must be experienced. |
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(@) 99.3.3 AICT 1046 (deluxe packaging) AICT 1047 (regular) AIJT 5015 (12")
songs by pal@pop, deluxe version has acetate art, diecut sleeve, stickers and a postcard
(@) 99.5.5 AICT 1059 (deluxe) AICT 1060 (regular)
songs by the Japanese band Coil. Includes some art that changes as tilted, a big sticker, booklet of art, box sleeve
(@) 99.7.7 AIDT 5048-5049 (special package double CD3) AICT 1090 (regular CD5)
the second of 2 tracks is by Tin Pan Alley (!) a '70sTropical Band led by Hosono, here reformed with him and his song.
ChappieNEW CHAPPIE(@) 99.10.10 cd: AICT 1126
Almost always catchy, loads of fun. While some singles have non-album tracks, this is a pretty good way to experience Chappie as most of the singles wound up here. |
99.6.21 File cd: FRCD-081
a mix of ambient synths, dub and exotica type material. Kaoru Inoue is the man behind chari chari. It has a little problem in that some of it is a bit too uptempo to be relaxing, but neither does it really fall into much of a groove. Still it has some interesting sounds and textures. Probably out of print.
ChocolatHamster
(@) Neosite/Sony ESCB-2020
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(@) 99. 11 Tratoria menu.199 PSCR-5862
5 song ep. Neat sounds, sweet voices, a great final track. They seem to only make EPs.
ColdcutLet Us Replay98.10.21 toys factory CD: TFCK-87963-4 Coldcut is a U.K. electronica act on the Ninja Tune label. Why they are on my page is because this version of their remix album is different from the one sold outside Japan and has a very impressive lineup of remixers, most notably Yukihiro Takahashi, Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto each remix a track, this I believe has never happened all on the same album before. Also Nobuzaku Takemura and Yoshinori Sunahara remix a track each. Plus Cornelius appears on theis Japanese version and apparently the U.S. and UK versions too, unlike the others who only appear in the Japanese version. Finally there is a bonus disc of PC software included. While I'm not bowled over by the remixes of music material, it does make pretty good listening and both Hosono and Sakamoto remix the same track so its a good opportunity to compare the 2. |
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US version minus most japanese artists |
Japanese Version |
Quite entertainingly and probably not intentionally silly. They only play electronic instruments manufactured by (the long out of the synth business) Firstman musical instruments company, who engineer the album. They look teenaged (they are!) in two sets of photos, but on the cover their bad makeup makes them look in their 40s. It is wall to wall bloops and bleeps though. Re-released on CD circa 1995 (but out of print again). . They are the guest band in the YMO 1980 TV concert concert that many fans have seen. I'm told the female drummer's dad ran Firstman. She later did shows as a member of Sakamoto's solo live band
They did a cover single of YMO's "Cosmic Surfin" thats quite a collectors item. (that track reissued as part of the Techno Cayo series.
92.2.26 Kitty cd: KTCR-1151
Date of Birth (d.o.b.) are one of those pop acts that are a little synth related but not quite a synth band.
This is a fairly early soundtrack album for a "mysterious psycho drama" with a handgun theme. Strange for a more happy band like d.o.b. then again I bought this used along with a soundtrack by psys for a gorry horror film. This one has some songs and instrumentals.
a later album released by Bungalow (Germany)
Denny was a big influence on Hosono and Melon in the late 70s. He did about 40 albums since the late 1950's. This is the album with Firecrackers (later performed by YMO) and Quiet Village (Later by Melon). Denny's version of Quiet Village, a Les Baxter instrumental was a #1 single in the US. This album includes the single version as a bonus. The album was also a huge seller in the late 1950s. The sound was state of the art back then and is still snappy today. Used American vinyl of this album is easy to find since it was a big hit. Make sure it is in stereo, not mono, and don't pay too much unless it's in superb condition (as it is common in worn shape).
Scamp in the US released several pairs of two intact Denny albums on one CD. There is also some other material on other labels which is either compilation (Rhino and Capitol) or mediocre late material. Watch out, there are usually some inexpensive Denny albums out. While some may be okay, some of the work he did when he was old and apparently not very motivated is dissapointing, some of these have his big hits so they might seem like either best ofs or the originals, they aren't
I'd definitely get the Scamp reissues over compilations for intactness and original playing order.
Until someone puts it out on CD (there is already a bootleg cd version made from an LP) for real, this is a much sought after album. Very entertaining. Sure to get strange responses from people when played. It seems to have done that back in 1969. After this one Liberty/Capitol stopped releasing new Denny albums for years, (some blame this album for going too far) and by that time they started releasing new albums again in the 80s they were then released mostly as "nostalgia" albums.
Since he is semi-retired, this is probably his last solo album. About one third of the tracks are the re-united Exotic Sounds ensemble with Arthur Lyman (!!!), Augie Colon and Julius Wechter. This stuff is great. Another third have the same ensemble expanded along with male vocals. I don't care for this material due to the vocals. The final third was recorded in Japan with only Wechter and Denny but adding Sandii vocals on 2 tracks (something is seriously wrong with you if you don't like Sandii) and some Yann (Water Melon) Tomita synths plus a huge crowd of Japanese musicians to cheer him on. He finally plays Firecracker with synths (he didn't on Exotic Moog), so you can compare Denny & Yann Tomita to YMO. One thing to be said is Yann Tomita does not get weird and avant garde for better or worse.
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