Haruomi Hosono

Artists with similar names that you get mixed up

Sandii & the Sunsetz
Sheena & the Rokkets

so good. 'zoot kook' still sounds like it was beamed in from the future.

Zoot Kook feels like it launched a whole genre -- Yoko Kanno did a lot more good work within it in the '00s (and specifically sought out Chris Mosdell to help). Alive is wonderful.

mmmm, that's awesome -- not the greatest cover art, but I'm all for great albums in unassuming sleeves.

the thing about the cover art is it just looks like all those 50s and 60 exotica albums with a hot girl on the sleeve. its not like say the Miharu Koshi albums which hint at the oddness of the music. wonder how many people bought it for that reason, put it on and were like what the hell am I listening to.

zoot kook: song of the week

i haven't heard Yoko Kanno - will be checking that out today i hope

damn, there's too much music. artists should only release one album, preferably just one song

apparently this is getting a reissue? never heard of this, apparently it's just a demo album but with songs written by a bunch of familiar names. Hosono produced it, apparently there are just a couple test pressings out there (one of which sold for 2 grand!)

https://www.discogs.com/release/9974042-Linda-Carriere-Haruomi-Hosono-Produced-%E7%B4%B0%E9%87%8E%E6%99%B4%E8%87%A3-%E8%A3%BD%E4%BD%9C-%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%80%E3%82%AB%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A8%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB

some of the tracks are available on YouTube, but not the Hosono-penned ones (unless I just can't find it). here's one...sounds great

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuMSAfGPdbM

oh, that's funny that this is getting a reissue. I listened to some of the stuff on YT a while ago and thought, "pretty cool, guess I'll never hear it all tho." guess again!

1977! That's the year of Our Connection, isn't it? -- for me, one of the peaks of Hosono's songwriting discography. I had no idea he'd done another five songs for someone else that year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIyZn2UbU4I

popped up in my feed - not sure exactly what it is but John Carroll Kirby is involved

must be from this?

https://fruitandgroovescollective.com/2024/02/21/stones-throw-records-announce-haruomi-hosono-tribute-album/

The World Standard record that Harry produced in 1985 is melodic bliss. Tonally it reminds me of Memphis, Milano but with the landscape covered in snow. At first everything just sounds like the same bright, major-chord, new-agey song. Then I find myself blissing out to some riff that only appears right before a fade-out. Or I notice the crazy celestial section in the back half of the opener. Or I realize that there is a long, sad, dramatic song (like an ambient Mass!) tucked away towards the end of the album. There's even a sermon in Esperanto! And this came out in 1985, the height of Hosono's Monad period.

and it's recently been reissued! pricey though. I kinda forgot about it until now, I love Hosono lending his weird touch to other musicians like this, you can tell his production style right off the bat. track #8 pops into my head a lot, its like one of those upbeat Penguin Cafe Orchestra tunes that always lifts your mood up

Country Gazette is also worth a listen, I don't think Hosono is involved but the concept of it (ambient musician who's never been to America makes an instrumental country album based on 50's Americana) very much sounds like something he would do

I was just reading about the other World Standard records today and, he was! Country Gazette is one of the three with Hosono production. He even put a new original song on it.

Are the Interior and Inoyama Land records this good?

It's one of the relentlessly fun things about the Hosono catalogue: every time I get wise to one of these epic production jobs, I think, "The hell! My idea of his body of work has been woefully insufficient!! And I call him my favorite artist?!"

I really like both those Interior and Inoyama Land albums. They're up on YT if curious.