Let's Ondo Again - Niagara Fallin' Stars
* LP: LX-7054 (COLUMBIA) Nov. 1978
* PRODUCER: EIICHI OHTAKI
A “super session” LP in which traditional Japanese instruments and arrangements - in addition to about a million other things - go through the mixer via producer Ohtaki Eiichi’s encyclopedic knowledge of pop music past. “Around the World in 377 Seconds” aims to do just that with quotes from Satisfaction and Purple Haze married to shakuhachi flutes and zonked out sitars, while the centerpiece is a one-two tribute to Pink Lady that crib bits from the then-massive duo’s best songs, adding lyrics about legendary thief Goemon Ishikawa for period authenticity. The finale sees Ohtaki channeling Chubby Checker in a matsuri mood as he urges us to “ondo again” like we did last summer, presumably. Shouldn't work, of course, but like one of those "Weird Al" polka medlies or a Carl Stalling cartoon soundtrack, the pieces all fit together somehow. The magic's in the music, etc al.
Around the World in 337 Seconds
Pink Lady
Kawahara's Goemon Ishikawa
Let's Ondo Again!
This stuff is incredible. I've had "Let's Ondo Again" on repeat for days now, be it in my head or otherwise.
Just checked on a whim and, sure enough -- same guy who did another song you posted months ago that I found to be... at first kind of terrible, but kept coming back to it for some inexplicable reason only to realize no, this song is, in fact, amazing.
And then I Googled the name and wound up landing on some kind of album overview of his you did. Between that and a mention in the earlier blog entry, I've since dug out the Happy End albums I've had lying around for ages and have finally gotten around to processing some of it.
So yes. Your championing of the strange and wonderful works of Eiichi Ohtaki has not gone unappreciated.
Posted by: Mike | July 13, 2008 at 02:54 AM
Yeah, the LP review for japattack...I shall ad A LINK! Everyone likes Happy End now, so I think the Ohtaki love can only grow.
Posted by: Patrick Macias | July 13, 2008 at 04:45 PM
This is great! I'm so glad you put these up. Thanks!!!
Posted by: pauline | August 31, 2008 at 09:17 AM