Among the many branches of the rich Japanese progressive/fusion/avant/experimental rock scene, there are a lot of groups and records that stand out due to how special the lineups were during their active years, be it due to collaborations that one would never expect or just because the selection of members is so stacked one just can't help but wonder how it all came to be due to the ""all-star"" nature of it. O-U is one of such cases. A fully incredible selection of musicians that can lead anyone to a fantastic rabbit hole of amazing projects if one chooses to select individual members and go through their other bands and solo efforts. Efforts from Tipographica, Chakra, Killing Time, Haniwa All Stars, Qujila and many others came together in one solid live project that mainly performed over the course of eight years (1987 to 1995). It is definitely one of the most curious lineups one will ever be able to find from this scene, and the main result that is linked to it is their 2003 self-titled album, which gathered performances from 1988 to 1995, allowing one to see just how dynamic and particular their performances had been throughout their active years.
Even if it is far from being flawless, I still think their only official document is well worth a listen. It is far from it being a particular gem or perfect record from the japanese progressive/fusion scene, but it had always stood up to me due to how some of these compositions were truly held by how talented every single member involved was. It just leaves one wondering on how the hell a full complete live show from this lineup would even sound like. To my distress, there really wasn't any bootleg of a complete live performance from their active years, so the proper question itself wasn't likely to be answered at any given moment, but to my surprise I stumbled upon a full recording of a show they had done after they had broken up, as a part of some reunion shows done during the year where their one and only album was released. This is the band under a new light, with 8 more years of individual experience from each member coming together and making up for a truly particular show. A couple of members had formed part of Seatbelts or different projects with other giants from the japanese experimental scene like Otomo Yoshihide, so there was a breath of fresh air in how every member approached these old compositions they had made beforehand.
All the tracks that appear here appear on their official live album, and I do think that comparing these performances to those from eight or more years before is a very refreshing and entertaining activity. They are not entirely new versions, but there is a big feeling of newly found experience in how each member approaches the songs, more dynamic and seamless in the performances, and you can really tell everyone is just more experienced in their fields. The sound quality is not the best, but it is far from being horrible, and one really is able to appreciate most of what is going on here in a clear way. It is just one of those odd documents one would never expect to find in the wild, and I really think that sharing such thing is important to keeping the memory of such a unique band alive just a little bit longer. It just really is fun and rewarding exploring how fantastic music can be in general, specially if it comes from very unique scenes and artists.
Hope you enjoy!
Tagging and artwork made by yours truly.
DOWNLOAD HERE -
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-nQXrJBCUkXQCHbHj1AzixqvMw8WQ0zG?usp=sharing
https://archive.org/details/buddy-ekoda-tokyo-japan-14-11-2003
O-U - Buddy, Ekoda, Tokyo, Japan, 14-11-2003
Kazuto Shimizu: piano, keyboards, clarinet, vibraphone
Yuriko Mukoujima: violin
Tsuneo Imahori: guitar
Hitoshi Watanabe: bass, fretless guitar
Hiroyasu Yaguchi: tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
Osamu Matsumoto: trombone, tuba
Reichi: drums, vocal
Set 1
1.1. Blivits (7:36)
1.2. Epistrophy / Variation (6:26)
1.3. Walts #4 (6:41)
1.4. Wakamono Modoki (6:16)
1.5. Contrarily (3:46)
1.6. Tango Modoki (7:56)
1.7. Syuyojo (3:01)
Set 2
2.1. Kazuto Shimizu Solo Performance (9:43)
2.2. Minerals ~ Tasmania (12:11)
2.3. Gymnesia (4:29)
2.4. Johnson Blues (4:48)
2.5. Habanerege (12:47)
Encore
2.6. Epistrophy / Variation (8:43)
