"COVERS"...An Original and Inspiring Cover Album
Havergill Milk | nyc | 11/13/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"In 1988, RC Succession was finding itself in a creative slump. Perfect time for a cover album. This is a great album. I don't say this about many albums. The guest appearances (Izumiya Shigeru, Yamaguchi Fujio, Johnny Thunders, Sakamoto Fuyumi, Miyake Shinji of the Timers, etc.), and the songs they covered were perfectly chosen and placed. The renditions had so much of Kiyoshiro's original ideas infused that it made for a very worthwhile effort.
This became a HUGE news story. The reason was because Kiyoshiro had added some controversial lyrics protesting nuclear power in Japan. Little did he know that the record label, Toshiba EMI, being owned by Toshiba....a company that built nuclear power plants would see a real conflict of interest...well, Toshiba bent backwards to try and screw Kiyoshiro and the band out of any airplay, and Polydor eventually put the album back out....around this time Kiyoshiro started a band called the Timers, and look at my review of The Timers to read the rest of the story...so! The songs, yes, the music on this CD...well, it's a great cover album. Lots of good electric guitar, lots of great Kiyoshiro vocals...Paint It Black, Imagine, Summertime Blues, Blowin' In The Wind, Love Me Tender, and Imagine are my favorites, but the whole album is great. Secret Agent Man actually starts out with clips from an interview with Kim Hyun-Hi, the North Korean terrorist. This album is a must if you are a fan of Kiyoshiro and/or RC Succession. Part of the soundtrack to those times....if you can find the Hagakure Re-master, then get that one. This is just as good sound-wise."
