Band Wagon is the 1975 debut solo album of Japanese musician Shigeru Suzuki recorded with musicians from Los Angeles.[1] Two singles were released from the album "The Smell of August"/"Snow Express" and "100-Watt Lover", both in 1975.
| Band Wagon | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 25, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | October 28 – November 28, 1974 | |||
| Studio | Different Fur in San Francisco and Clover Studio in Hollywood | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Label | Panam/Crown | |||
| Producer | Shigeru Suzuki | |||
| Shigeru Suzuki chronology | ||||
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Background and recording
editThe solo album followed the disbanding of Happy End and formation of Tin Pan Alley with Haruomi Hosono and Masataka Matsutoya. Suzuki's fellow Happy End bandmate Takashi Matsumoto wrote the lyrics to the songs.
The album features American musicians from notable acts such as Little Feat, Santana and Sly and the Family Stone.[2] Suzuki had previously worked with Bill Payne, Dick Hyde and Kirby Johnson on Happy End's final album.
The track "Woman in the Dunes" was named after the novel of the same name and its film adaptation.
Touring and live recordings
editTo tour the record, Suzuki formed the band Huckleback (ハックルバック, sometimes written as "Hucklebuck"), consisting of keyboardist Hiroshi Sato, bassist Akihiro Tanaka, and drummer Toshiaki Hayashi. The group played around 10 shows, before disbanding on November 16, 1975.[3]
Live recordings from the tour appear on 2008's Shigeru Suzuki History Box - Crown Years 1974-1979 box set. In 2014, Suzuki performed Band Wagon in its entry for his Get Back Sessions Special "Band Wagon" Live concert video. It peaked at number 272 on Oricon's DVD chart.[4] A 2-disc live album recorded during the original 1975 tour on April 4 and May 15 was released on September 23, 2015 under the title 1975 Live.[3]
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Takashi Matsumoto; all music is composed by Shigeru Suzuki.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Woman in the Dunes" (Suna no On'na (砂の女)) | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Smell of August" (Hachigatsu no Nioi (八月の匂い)) | 3:38 |
| 3. | "Low-fever Boy" (Binetsu Shōnen (微熱少年)) | 3:40 |
| 4. | "Snow Express" (Sunō Ekusupuresu (スノー・エクスプレス), Instrumental) | 3:51 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "The Night of Man-powered Aircraft" (Jinryokuhikōki no Yoru (人力飛行機の夜)) | 2:33 |
| 6. | "100-Watts Lover" (100-Watto no Koibito (100ワットの恋人)) | 4:36 |
| 7. | "Wood Pecker" (Uddo Pekkā (ウッド・ペッカー), Instrumental) | 3:08 |
| 8. | "Sunset Wharf" (Yūyakehatoba (夕焼け波止場)) | 4:45 |
| 9. | "Galaxy Rhapsody" (Ginga Rapusodī (銀河ラプソディー)) | 3:48 |
Personnel
editAccording to 2008 re-release CD booklet:
- Shigeru Suzuki – all vocals & guitar, strings synthesizer on track 9
- Bill Payne – piano on tracks 2, 5, 6, 8 & 9, electric piano on tracks 3 & 4
- Doug Rauch – bass on tracks 1–3, 5–7 & 9
- Greg Errico – drums on tracks 3, 5, 6 & 9
- David Garibaldi – drums on tracks 1, 2 & 7
- Don Grusin – keyboards on tracks 1 & 7, clavinet on track 3
- Wendy Haas – clavinet on tracks 5 & 6, strings synthesizer on track 6
- Richie Hayward – drums on tracks 4 & 8
- Ken Gradney – bass on tracks 4 & 8
- Sam Clayton – congas on tracks 4 & 8
- Gene Goe – trumpet on track 2
- Pete Christlieb – tenor saxophone on track 2
- Dick Slyde Hyde – trombone on tracks 2
- Kirby Johnson – horn arranger on tracks 2, 3, 7 & 9
- Technical
- Dane Butcher – engineer
- Mike Boshears – recording engineer
- Bernie Grundman – mastering engineer
References
edit- ^ Hideo Okuda "Rock n Roll from the village" Korean translation Kwon Yong-ju 권영주 시골에서 로큰롤 : 오쿠다 히데오 에세이 2015 "지금 들으면 역시 시대가 느껴지 는데, 이 순진함은 일본 록의 역사보다 쇼와 풍속사 에 기록해야 할지도. Band Wagon/Shigeru Suzuki 전(前) 해피엔드의 .."
- ^ "鈴木茂、歴史的名盤「BAND WAGON」再現ライブ実施". Natalie. March 10, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ a b "鈴木茂とハックルバック、1975年ライブ音源CD化". Natalie. September 23, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ "鈴木茂 GET BACK SESSIONS Special"BAND WAGON"LIVE". Oricon. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
External links
edit- Live performance of "Woman in the Dunes" on YouTube from Suzuki's 2014 Get Back Sessions Special "Band Wagon" Live concert video