"Creation/Beau" Japanese Review - better late than never!

Of all things, a Japanese review of my old “Creation/Beau” twofer set for See For Miles has just appeared!

Anyone good at Japanese?

英シー・フォー・マイルズ社のダンデライオン・レーベルの再発ＣＤからボウさんです。
このシリーズも多くの作品が２ｉｎ１体制で出ていてＢＧＯ社同様ジャケットが斜めに
傾いていますがＢＧＯ社が３０度の傾きに対しこちらは２５度なのでちょっとマシです。
・・・ってもちろんそんな角度なんか計っちゃいませんけどね。

タイトルは「Creation/Beau」となっていますが収録順番は１ｓｔのボウが先に入っています。
ブックレットの写真を見るとボウは童顔なくせに鋭利なもみあげが強力なもみあげ芸人で
ちょっと故ロニー・レインに似た雰囲気のあるやんちゃ坊主な風貌ですが
歌声は素直で優しげでサウンドも１２弦ギターの弾き語り中心の英国フォークですよ。

１ｓｔの「Beau」は全編彼の素直な歌声とギターだけで淡々と曲が進みかなり地味です。
うおぉー！と大騒ぎするような核となる曲というのも見当たらないけれど
休日の午後のポカポカとした陽射しの中で聴いたら気持ち良くてうたた寝しちゃいそう。
全体の空気感にはあまり英国臭は感じませんが　かといって米国フォーク風味でも無く
ふっと思ったのは声質や曲調がラルフ・マクテルに似ていると感じました。　うとうと・・・

１曲目から順番に聴いていたら急に１５曲目から一気に空気を変えるロケンロー！
うとうとと気持ち良かった流れをブチ切るこの１５曲目から２ｎｄの「Creation」です。

２ｎｄは弾き語りの曲もありますがバックにダンデライオンのレーベル・メイトの
The Way We Liveが参加していてエレキギターが暴れサイケデリックな雰囲気もあります。
囁く語りと効果音で曲が進行する２０曲目とか　歪みまくったファズ・ギターが暴れ
空気を切り裂く２５曲目とかなどはアンダーグラウンドでヤバい雰囲気が漂いますねぇ。
アルバムとしてはこの２ｎｄの方が英国臭も香るし面白さはあるのですが
僕は１ｓｔのうたた寝フォークの方が好きだなぁ。

そしてやはり雰囲気の違う２枚のアルバムが合体してしまっているのは残念です。
トータルの収録時間が８０分近くあるのもツラい・・・最後まで集中して聴けません。

*****

Grateful thanks to Sakura Mori for this translation:

“This is the CD from Beau re-released on the See For Miles Company’s Dandelion Label.

In this series many of the works are two in one, this jacket is slightly askew, about 25 degrees, better than compared with other BGO releases which are 30 degrees, but I’m not really measuring them.

The title is ‘Creation/Beau’. The 1st of the recordings is Beau. When you look at his photo in the booklet Beau has got a babyface, with his sharp sideburns. He looks like Ronnie Lane with a bad boy streak and his voice is very gentle and honest. His sound is mainly English Folk with a twelve string singer songwriter style.

On 1st ‘Beau’ all of the tracks aren’t giving much away – with his honest voice and guitar, there are no surprises. You’re not going to be jumping around and going crazy when you listen, this feels as comfortable as a nap on a sunny afternoon on your day off.

You can’t feel the English Folk sensibility, but it’s not the American Folk form either. I just thought this voice and the songs are like Ralph MacTell.

If you’re listening to this CD from track 1 through to track 15, suddenly the whole atmosphere is going to change into rock & roll. All the sleepiness and comfortableness is going to disappear from track 15 onwards, that’s the 2nd part ‘Creation’.

In the second part although there are Folk songs, in the background there is a savage psychedelic atmosphere of electric guitar from participating Dandelion label mates The Way We Live.

Track 20 proceeds with a whispering style of singing and sound effects, track 25 has so much distorted fuzz guitar it cuts the air. These kind of songs are really underground and have an edgy feel. As an album this second album is very English-like and fascinating, but I prefer this 1st album with its sleepy folk.

In the end, I feel it’s a bit if a shame putting these two albums of two completely differing tastes together in one. The total playing time of the CD is about 80 minutes and it’s tough going, I can’t listen to this album concentrating until the end.”

So, the moral of the story is to buy both albums, but buy them separately! (All that’s made easier as this twofer’s no longer officially available. But nevertheless, thanks to the Japanese reviewer/blogger who’s found the CD eighteen years down the track!)