Southern All Stars (aka SAS) is the name of a famous Japanese pop/rock band which was formed in the mid-1970s.
In order to pay tribute to this band, the Ventures have released two albums where they play instrumental versions of songs by SAS.
The first album (a CD with 12 tracks) was released in 2001. This album is also available as an MP3 download.
The second album (which is under review here) was released in 2009. There are 16 tracks on this album.
There is some overlapping between the two albums. Four tracks are found on both:
* Tsunami
* Hotel Pacific
* Erotica Seven
* Ai No Kotodama - Spiritual Message
Some parts of “Spiritual Message” sounds a lot like the song “A Woman in Love” which was a hit for Barbara Streisand in 1980.
The total running time is 1 hour and 13 minutes.
The average time for each track is four minutes and 25 seconds.
The CD comes with liner notes in the form of a booklet with information about the 16 tracks on the album.
Unfortunately, almost everything here is written in Japanese, so it will not be helpful to most customers outside Japan.
All tracks on this album are composed by Keisuke Kuwata, the front man of SAS and one of the most popular musicians in modern Japan.
Here are the titles:
# 01 - Tsunami
# 02 – Namida No Kiss
# 03 – Fruit of Summer
# 04 – Miss Brand-New Day
# 05 – Ellie My Love
# 06 – Hotel Pacific
# 07 – C-Chow Kotoba Ni Goyojin
# 08 – Omoi Sogoshi Mo Koi No Uchi
# 09 – Sinbad
# 10 – Erotica Seven
# 11 – Ai No Kotodama - Spiritual Message
# 12 – Seaside Story
# 13 – Furi Furi 65
# 14 – The Night Club
# 15 – Shiori’s Theme
# 16 – Don’t Blame Me
Obviously, some tracks are better than others.
In my opinion the least successful tracks are the following:
# 02 – Namida No Kiss
# 09 - Sinbad
# 15 – Shiori’s Theme
In my opinion, some of the most successful tracks are the following:
# 01 - Tsunami
# 06 – Hotel Pacific
# 11 – Spiritual Message
# 12 – Seaside Story
# 13 – Furi Furi 65
# 14 – The Night Club
In my opinion, the best track is the following:
# 04 - Miss Brand-New Day
This track is really fascinating. It starts gently and softly; but then it develops into something with a powerful rhythm and at the same time a very harmonious sound.
This is a good example of creative song writing. And the Ventures play this tune very well.
The band played this tune during a concert in Japan in 1990. The concert was recorded, and in 2005 it was released on a DVD.
The live version of Miss Brand-New Day with Gerry McGee on the lead guitar is very intense – perhaps it is better than the studio version?
This is not the first time the Ventures have played Japanese material.
In 1967 they recorded an album entitled Pops in Japan.
The following year they recorded a follow-up entitled Pops in Japan no. 2.
Both albums were of course released on vinyl.
In 1999, when the CD had been introduced, these two albums were released on a CD by the British company See For Miles.
This tribute to Southern All Stars is a fine album, but it is not the best ever made by the Ventures. Not every track is as good as track # 4.
This is why I think this product deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).
*****
The Ventures Plays
Southern All Stars
(Released on a CD in 2001)
(12 tracks)
*****
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