all about yuzo kayama (1966) – yuzo kayama and the launchers: toshiba records, TP-7100

The beauty of music is that despite the fact that the different genres tend to almost always be culturally based – often through centuries of tradition - it can easily transcend culture, language, and history.

George Harrison heard Ravi Shankar, liked the sound of the sitar, and decided the Beatles needed a bit of India in their music. Jimmy Page started off riffing some hardcore Delta blues, then decided that the sound of the oud would be cool, and so a bit of Middle Eastern music found it’s way into Zeppelin. And, of course, Dick Dale basically tool some traditional Greek bouzouki music , ran it through a Strat with a bit of reverb, and suddenly the world had Surf music.

So why would anyone think it odd when some Japanese cat who found himself digging some surf music (apparently the Ventures were a huge influence) figured it would be cool to go ahead and use that to update some old-style folk music?

The result is a seriously groovy hidden gem by Japanese actor Yuzo Kayama.

Side 1: Koi Ha Akai Bara (Scarlet Roses) Black Sand Beach Kimi Ga Suki Dakara (Because I Love You) Umi No Ue No Shonen (Boy On The Sea) Los Angeles No Nisei Matsuri Running Donkey
Side 2: Monkey Crazy Kimi To Itsuamdemo (Forever With You) Boomerang Baby Violet Sky Yozora No Hoshi (Star Night Sky) Kimi No Supo Wo (Kimi Soup)

Okay, I have to say I didn’t know anything about this guy at all when I got this album. And, in fact, the only reason I got this album is through pure chance. Briefly, my wife (who is Okinawan) found a box of Japanese albums at a garage sale and bought the lot for her mom. Now, mom doesn’t have a turntable, so we did the next best thing: I ripped all the vinyl into digital format and ended up burning some CDs for her. Which meant that I now have about 25 albums from Japan, almost entirely either old folk music (koto or shamisen) or some of that orchestral crooner stuff. But there are a few incredibly cool discs in there as well, such as this one.

The first thing that struck me is that the surf-rock songs are really good. In fact, some of them (such as Black Sand Beach and Los Angeles No Nisei Matsuri) kick butt, and Boomerang Baby is something you’d expect Frankie to be singing to Annette as they dance on the beach. So it wasn’t much a surprise to learn that Yuzo was a huge fan of the Ventures, because his songs definitely have a Ventures vibe (as opposed to a Dick Dale or Surfaris vibe).

What is interesting is how easily surf rock seemed to blend with mid-60’s Japanese contemporary music. But when one considers the nasal quality of the koto and shamisen it’s easier to see how surf guitar would work. Unfortunately, the album , particularly side 1, tends to be a bit heavy on crooner songs, which breaks up the flow of the surf music. Which is a shame, because Mr. Kayama can play some catchy beach pop.

Even with the crooner tunes, this album is a nice collection of bubblegum type beach songs made popular through cheesy teen movies, and is a fun listen.

Oh, and the cherry on top? The disc is pressed in a groovy red vinyl.

Up next: Who says a funk band can’t play rock?