Chamber Muzak MP3s from Real Fish

In 1990, our Program Director picked up a batch of dollar LPs from the local Tower Records annex. Amid the dross were three albums from a Japanese band called Real Fish. Little is known about the band - they were somehow related to the great Japanese producer Haruomi Hosono (of Yellow Magic Orchestra), and all three of their records came out on the Invitation label. But the music was unique and fascinating - it has elements of Japanese muzak and allusions to the "new chamber" stuff that was floating around Europe at the time (Belgian bands like Julverne - realaudio clip). But it's on the undescribeable side, which is why I love it so much. If only all muzak were half this intelligent. Here are mp3s of seven tracks from their two albums - the aply titled A Very Big Band in Heaven (1984) and When the World Was Young (1987).

1. White Gloves  2. Rendezvous  3. When The World Was Young  4. Monday  5. Beach Parasol  6. Parade   7. Size of Love

Comments

[metaphysique37]

we want more!

this band is fantastic
thanks

[Matt]

There's a fair bit about this band available online in Japanese. English-readable member information here:

http://park10.wakwak.com/~techno/fairchild.html

And info on the Hosono connection here:

http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:_RfhKtBloiUJ:www.alpha.dti2.ne.jp/~nonsta/shishonen/syonen.html+%22real+fish%22+%E7%B4%B0%E9%87%8E&hl=en

(my translation): [stuff about the formation and Shi-Shonen, the release of their first album and the adding of Fukuhara Mari on keyboards, then-]

"at around this time, the mostly live unit Real Fish was formed, consisting of Shi-Shonen plus Yaguchi Hiroyasu. ... in 1984 a fateful meeting with Hosono Haruomi saw them join his label, Non-Standard."

(although, only Shi-Shonen actually released albums on Non-Standard, it seems. Real Fish were on Suizokukan)

[Gil Roitto]

Absolutely genious! This is the most fantastic music I've discovered in a long long time.

[Gareth]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B49rK2YZBi4

This (culled from the last Real Fish album I believe?) was a single which apparently got to #79 in the Japanese charts. It is, suffice to say, NOTHING like the material presented here, but very cool nonetheless. It reminds me particularly of Pump Up The Volume (especially when you remember that MARRS were also derived from arty post-punk coalitions). It features Keisuke Kawata, the singer of Southern All Stars, and Seiko Ito, who appears to be some kind of 80s oddball Japanese rapper (I can see why they got him involved!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLf1kxTTiY4

Wasn't aware of the Hosono connection. Thanks! I'll have to check out Julverne as well.