ISSHOKU-SOKUHATSU

Under the shadows of Far Out,Flied Egg and Far East Family Band,Yonin Bayashi were another good Japanese psych/prog band,found in 1970 in Tokyo by Kasutoshi Morizono(guitar and vocal), KazuoNakamura(bass and vocal) and Daiji Okai(drums),initially named as ''The San-Nin'',which means three persons.In 1971 Hidemi Sakashita joins as a fourth member on keys and the band was renamed to Yonon Bayashi (quartet in old Japanese).After recording the 1973 soundtrack ''Hatachi no Genten'',they enter the discography with ''Ishoku Sokuhatsu'' a year later.

After a short intro,'' Sora To Kumo'' is a soft Psych Rock track with a great end-section,including jazzy soloing and ethereal electric piano.''Omatsuri'' clocks at 11 minutes and reminds me a lot of circa ''Caress of steel'' RUSH,while this track blends Jazz,Psychedelic and Hard Rock in one nice package.''Isshoku-Sokuhatsu'' is the definite opus of the album,either you talk about its length or quality.Long Heavy Rock number with complex passages,changing tempos,very strong organ work,excellent vocals and some extreme energy.The closing ''Ping Pong Dama No Nageki'' is an instrumental mix of Symphonic,Space and Jazz rock heavily based on Sakashita's keys,with fantastic mellotron,bells,electric piano and some organ throughout,presenting another unknown side of the band.

This overlooked Japanese progsters deserve some attention from both Progressive and Classic Rock fans.''Ishoku Sokuhatsu'' is a fine example of Progressive Rock music,including influences from Jazz,Psychedelic and Heavy Rock as well as some symphonic touches.Recommended.