Song of the Week: Kiro No Sekai
J Girls
Kiro No Sekai
This weeks long-delayed Song of the Week is testament to the power of two things: musical memory and the Amazon recommendation system.
I first heard this song in a club called The Sounds of Seduction in Sydney around 1996. I heard it once, had an excellent time on the dancefoor with it, and never again. However, that one night together was enough for its ’shoop, shoop, shoop, shoop–shoop, shoop shoops’ to move into my brain, unpack their things and put their feet up on my mental sofa forever more. I haven’t resented this; I’ve only been annoyed by the fact that I don’t know who sang them or even what the name of their song was. And since my Japanese is pretty much limited to ‘I’d like to look at cherry blossoms and drink sake’, I’d resigned myself to never finding out.
Well, you’ve already guessed what happened next. Taking a queue from my fondness for French pop, Thai-funk and the glorious Japanese psych stuff I’ve never got round to posting, a few months back Amazon recommended a compilation called Nippon Girls: Japanese Pop, Beat & Bossa Nova, 1966-70. And there it was: those shoop- shoops suddenly and unexpectedly blasting out in all their glory, complete with the rest of their song.
I’m pleased to say that they sounded exactly like the version that’s been in my head these past 14 years. And since I can’t remember that important information that my boss told me last Monday, I can only say that memory works in mysterious ways.
‘Kiro No Sekai’, J Girls, 1969 from Nippon Girls: Japanese Pop, Beat & Bossa Nova, 1966-70
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Tags: song of the week
March 25th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Your record collection truely scares me ;o).
March 25th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Carl, your record collection scares ME !!
March 25th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
I have this, but I’m intrigued by your Japanese psych. Do tell me more.
March 25th, 2010 at 6:57 pm
I’ve had ‘Nippon Girls’ on order for the last month. Maddening.
This reminds me of ‘Tokyo Drifter’, which I would put money on you having seen (don’t let me down, now!).
March 25th, 2010 at 10:37 pm
F-C, its from a series of garage pop compils released by the same people who did Nippon Girls. I have vol 2 – it’s pretty good if you’re into that kind of thing!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gs-Love-You-Vol-2-Japanese/dp/B00002M86M/ref=pd_bxgy_m_h__text_b
ISBW, How can 3 of us be into this?! And how brilliant there has been a run on the album. You’ll love it when you get it though.
I’m going to have to let you down though. I haven’t actually seen Tokyo Drifter. I’ve seen Seijun Suzuki’s other infamous film ‘Branded to Kill’ though – which was more than enough. I have an inbuilt allergy to virtually all films from the late 60s/early 70s which is very, very hard to overcome, particularly if they involve men getting turned on by the smell of cooking rice…
March 26th, 2010 at 12:30 am
Ha it would n all !!!! , although you don’t know much about mine cos i don’t put it on the web :-). I do like some garage / psych stuff though. I’ve a couple of albums by Jap bands one is called Speed Glue and Shinki the other Flied Egg (ha great name). These i fear would sacre you :-).
March 26th, 2010 at 12:32 am
SCARE that was supposed to say , i type rather less well than a horse !!!
March 26th, 2010 at 10:03 am
For some reason, Carl, I just imagine that the contents of your record collection looks something like the contents of this book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Known-Metal-Bands-Mcsweeneys/dp/1932416927/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269597708&sr=8-1
Wonder if Flied Egg is in there though? Top band name that.
March 26th, 2010 at 10:34 am
This is just magic, right from the off – my only grumble, it’s too short. You’ve got to post some more from this cheeky treat Cocktails
March 26th, 2010 at 11:52 am
‘Tokyo Drifter’ is one of the most insanely trippy, off-it’s-face films I’ve ever seen, Cocktails! Wild go-go scenes in Tokyo nightclubs, car chases, and 60s yakuza in sharp sharp suits. No rice porn, I promise. Give it a go…
March 26th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
You should definitely get the CD Mondo. You’d love it, especially since this could even be said to be one of the weaker tracks. The rest is superb.
OK, ISBW next time I see it in the BFI programme, I’ll think about going. I can do wild go-go scenes; I can’t do pretentious trippy.
April 7th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
The trouble is because i fly the flag for Rock N Roll and Heavy Rock that i grew up loving people assume thats all i like. I don’t like much out n out “metal” although i LOVE Metallica. I’ve got all kinds of stuff from Can to Sex Pistols , Isaac Hayes to ELP , Black Sabbath to Linda Ronstadt, Brand New Heavies to Count Basie , Madonna to Bauhuas, Led Zeppelin to Maria McKee. I’ll listen to any thing that grabs me but i love loud Rock N Roll best and i defend it from those that don’t get it, they can kiss my butt LOL :-).