Harumi - Harumi 1968 (Japan, Psychedelic Folk-Rock)To be clear - this double album in the late 60s was ... I have it in 1972 in his hands he held. But was this the most Harumi (Harumi)? I did not hold in their hands, and always doubted - and whether it was a Japanese singing and speaking in English without an accent and recorded in New York? A draw on the cover of the Japanese, and all, it's even Bender can ... Maybe it's even a Vietnamese ... He speaks in English, here you will not understand ... And then there's Frank Zappa wrote on the cover that he personally acquainted with this Harumi Tom Wilson ... But this volume, and the more that I very much Frank (one might say - the strongest), believe ... But it is not important, but it is important that an outstanding music ... And no matter by whom written, but in the late 60's ...Recorded by Tom Wilson (who else?) for Verve in 1967 and 1968 in New York, this set originally appeared on a double LP (which has been reissued on both vinyl and CD by Fallout). This is one of the wildest and most unbelievably ambitious recordings to come from the psychedelic era. Harumi (a mystery man who recorded one more album before vanishing into the ether) could write pop songs and sing them. He also sounds like he did a lot of acid. Harumi (who sings and speaks in English), Wilson, arrangers Harvey Vinson and Larry Fallon, and engineer Gary Kellegren assembled a tripped-out collection of pop, Eastern folk, and experimental music and production techniques, with sounds, textures, and atmospheres that incorporated everything from strings and horns to Japanese folk instruments to vibraphones and (of course) plenty of guitars and drums and organ. Of the 13 cuts here, 11 are of conventional length and are utterly seductive in their hypnotic power and pop brilliance. The last two, "Twice Told Tales of the Pomegranate Forest" and "Samurai Memories," are 24 minutes and 18 minutes long, respectively. These two have plenty of cosmic spoken word by Wilson (Rosko) and Harumi, and on the past by his parents and his sister. The first of these, the longer one, is a bit difficult to take with its slow pace, minimal orchestration, and nearly nonsensical story (that's what the remote is for). The second one, with its discotheque go-go boots beat and orchestration, phased sounds, and Japanese language, is an exotic masterpiece. It grooves throughout, especially when the electric guitars and strings play counterpoint to one another. Simply put, there is nothing at all like this record in the known universe. It has been compared to the adventurousness of the Mothers of Invention, but only insofar as its wide range. The music here, while a huge compendium of sources, is unlike anything you have ever heard when it is put together. Harumi's self-titled album is simply a classic from the underground brought back into the light.Tracks:All tracks written by Harumi.01. Talk About It - 0:0002. First Impressions - 4:1903. Don't Know What I'm Gonna Do - 7:3304. Hello - 10:4405. Sugar In Your Tea - 14:4606. Caravan - 18:1507. Hunters Of Heaven - 21:2308. Hurry Up Now - 24:2309. What A Day For Me - 28:1610. We Love - 31:0411. Fire By The River - 33:2612. Twice Told Tales Of The Pomegranate Forest - 37:0113. Samurai Memories - 1:01:02Personnel:- Harumi - vocals, arranger- Harvey Vinson, Larry Fallon - arrangers- Tom Wilson - producer