GOLDEN PICNICS

(From PA blog "Japanese Progressive Rock presented by DamoX")

As I've mentioned before, Isshoku-Sokuhatsu may be the most famous YONINBAYASHI's album all over the world. But believe me, I'm sure their second album Golden Picnics should be one of the most progressive and most brilliant shots in their history. And let me say, I cannot tell YONINBAYASHI's progressive life without their first two, the most important albums.

The year after Isshoku-Sokuhatsu released, Masahide Sakuma, a new bassist and another key person, joined YONINBAYASHI and their music style could get to be more progressive and more psychedelic. The goal was not copying from Pink Floyd but getting the rigid identity and originality. In this sense, could you notice why they should play The Beatles' "Flying" as the first track? Their Flying can get wetter, slower and more psychedelic than The Beatles', so this should let us predict what will come here. On the contrary, Carnival has dry voices and lyrics, funky and percussive kicks by drums, keyboard and guitars - with slight warmth. A rebellious rock artist out of harmony with the carnival is playing rock and roll music out of place I feel. The song is very dry but can make us warm...very wonderful. Nasu No Chawan Yaki (Continental Laid-Back-Breakers) is one of their standard numbers in live performances. In this only 5 minute gem are their terrific play and technique, their humour, and their soul of music. They always played much pleasantly this song on the stage - and now on our turntable too. Anyway, this is about boiled eggplants in a Japanese rice bowl...the last repetitive and highly speedy play can sound like the cooking completed. Boiled eggplants with nice flavour and taste, please help yourself while they are hot...? Suddenly the atmosphere will change. Kool Sailer & Fools gets started with somewhat pop and catchy flavour but don't be deceived. In the middle part, a slow but twisted tune can lengthen and shorten our brain again and again. Here are Fool's various imaginations. The lyrics, telling about the space and relationship between the sky, the sea and "me", are very psychedelic and very dreamful. And the highlight of this album is Birds & Nessy's - Oyoguna Nessy (Nessy, please don't swim, please keep quiet)! Nessy, a mysterious and imaginative animal, is our precious friend, that should not be found by adults. Well, there are lots of dangerous sounds - electronic, traffic, or fraudulent ones...please hide away from here, Nessy! These sounds, above mentioned, should be expressed by various plays of all of their instruments, with extreme psychedelia. Basically Nessy is very kind for us children...so please, please never swim here, never open your eyes... very imaginative glimmers in front of us. We can be on Nessy's back! The end of our golden picnics will be with Lady Violetta. In A Song For Lady Violetta Katsutoshi's laidback guitar sounds are very impressive and can remind us "her" love and kindness. This graceful song may not be suitable for this progressive work but we can be completely absorbed into her deep love. Sadly the laidback guitar sounds were Katsutoshi's last work in the first YONINBAYASHI...

Highly recommended.

Men who were able to announce the debut album as a condition of producing the music of the movie announced "Isshoku Sokuhatsu" in 1974. The element of very various music and the culture of Japan were contained in this debut album. They were acknowledged as a band with the element of Pink Floyd and Genesis and the performance was exactly an impact for the music of Japan at that time. Anacatesthesia to which debut album is involved and original melody that flows indifferently. And, it was an album that had remarkably executed the methodology of Prog Rock at that time at the time of thought by Japan. A lot of fans of them exist still in Japan.

They got into the news after the debut album had been announced at once. There were not too much a lot of music to which the element of Prog Rock was remarkably taken in Japan at that time. However, they begin to walk on the following road at the same time as the Bass player's seceding. Hidemasa Sakuma will be received in a new Bass player.

After having already announced the debut album, they were announcing the single. And, it begins the production of this "Golden Picnics" inviting a new Bass player.

It was a masterpiece in the debut album from which Prog Rock was exactly taken to the culture of Japan well. And, a transparent feeling and the anacatesthesia of the debut album remain a little in this album. However, width might be expanded further and the element of the lock strengthened further, too. It gives the impression that the power involved in a good meaning diffuses to the outside. And, the flow of progressing the tune to which the forecast doesn't adhere and a complex rhythm has been established as their styles.

Abstract lyrics seen with the debut album also make working as Prog Rock enough alive and well. Band leader's idea has been established further by this album. Complex development of Pink Floyd and a few Frank Zappa will not end in a simple lock with opening "Flying" at the top.

This album secedes and the band leader will secede the band at the end. The band develops further and reorganizes the band from a different angle. I might feel the performances of men who can listen since this album in another band a little. The directionality of the music had pros and cons also in Japan. Directionality and the method of the music that this band had might appear remarkably in an initial work. By the way, "Golden Picnics" is said to the festival of the recording that they are names of the eaten ice cream.

2 years passed since their excellent debute and Yonin Bayashi comes with their second release from 1976 named Golden picnics. Well this quite diffrent then the predecesor, more influenced by Pink Floyd and even experimental passages that remind me of the great Frank Zappa who was at the top of his game in that period who influenced many bands and artists across the years from diffrent regions of the world, that heavy prog sections are almost gone, only here and there can be heared, but the result is not band , only less intristing for me , at least. Anyway they still have complex rhythm sections, this is another worthy prog rock album from Japan, but I think that their most popular and the most loved album Yonin Bayashi ever released is their first one and I'm agree completly with that status. Not a particula piece is better then other , maybe Nasu No Chawan Yaki has more intristing parts, the rest are only ok for my taste. The CD version issued by Sony almost 10 years ago is again very well packed with obi. In the end a good album, little to experimantal for me, I prefere 100% their first one, nevertheless another good example of how great was prog rock from Japan in those times. 3 stars for this one, good cover art aswell.