Artist:		Hosono Haruomi
Title:		(MUSIC FROM) THE TALE OF GENJI
Production Co:  EPIC/SONY
Cat#:		32-8H-148
Release:	1987/../..
Price:		3200yen
Length:		12 tracks
Track Data:
	 1  TSUKIYOMI			3'03"
	 2  RAJYOMON			4'10"
	 3  FUJITSUBO			3'03"
	 4  ASATSUYU			3'04"
	 5  WAKAMURASAKI		3'43"
	 6  MIYASUNDOKORO		2'59"
	 7  UKIHASHI			3'57"
	 8  KECHIGAN			3'02"
	 9  SAMIDARE			6'46"
	        GOMA
		KITOU
	10  HIKARI			3'06"
	11  KODAMA			5'16"
	12  MAI				5'45"

Comments:
	This CD is not POP music, and therefore may not appear suitable for
the JPOP discography. But, read on. The music is the soundtrack to the 
animated movie of The Tale of Genji, and is Brian Eno style ambient music,
overlaid with traditional Korean instruments (kaya-gum, spelling?) etc. So
far I have played this music to a LOT of people, and have not found ONE who
doesn't like it. Hosono was a member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra with 
Ryuuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi, and has been very active as a JPOP
songwriter, producer, session musician, and solo artist. Recently he seems
to have been moving into more highbrow endeavours though. This music does
not have any conventional melodies or rhythms, though traditional Korean
folk melodies are worked in, and the synthesiser backings are conventional
"pads". This album is also often mistaken for traditional Japanese music,
especially since that is what you would expect from the soundtrack to the
classic Japanese novel relayed as a movie. PS: It's a good album! Nice cover
too.

(Ross Clement: ross-c@scs.leeds.ac.uk)
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Artist:		Hosono Haruomi
Title:		OMNI SIGHT SEEING
Production Co:  EPIC/SONY
Cat#:		28-8P-5258
Release:	1989/../..
Price:		????yen
Length:		47'59" (9 tracks)
Track Data:
	 1  Esashi			1'50"
	 2  Anadura			6'23"
	 3  Orgone Box			6'05"
	 4  Ohenro-san			2'44"
	 5  Caravan			4'16"
	 6  Retort			3'33"
	 7  Laugh-Gas			11'26"
	 8  Korendor			5'25"
	 9  Pleocene			6'12"
Comments:
	More conventional and varied than The Tale of Genji, though perhaps
not quite so interesting. Interestingly, although Japanese pop musicians tend
to avoid Japanese traditional music, "Esashi" hits it straight on. However,
this album seems to have a World Music theme, and Arabic voices almost 
outweigh Japanese voices. Songs are also sung/spoken in French and English.
Some interesting experiments, including a reworking of tapes of the Duke
Ellington song "Caravan". This album manages to bring together a number
of different cultures, while maintaining Hosono's distinctive prescence. 
Apart from the last song (a very nice, though undefinably unusual song
featuring sampled peacocks that lists "Japanese new music" as a reference)
most are not typical pop songs, but are interesting and enjoyable, depending
on your tastes of course. My favourite Hosono album (is a new one out yet?)

(Ross Clement: ross-c@scs.leeds.ac.uk)
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