HIROSHI SATO
ORIENT (1979)
CD / LP on WEWANTSOUNDS
Release Date: 16 February 2018
CD WWSCD12 3700604716273
LP WWSLP12 3700604716280
Wewantsounds are pleased to announce the release of Hiroshi Sato's ultra rare synth masterpiece, originally released in 1979 on Kitty Records in Japan only. Digitally remastered from the original tapes, Orient features the cream of Japanese musicians including Shigeru Suzuki on guitar, Haruomi Hosono on bass, Pecker on Percussion and Sato himself on keyboards and synthesizers. This highly sought-after album on the Balearic scene, changing hands for high prices, is a superb breezy mix of Japanese synth-pop and exotica with subtle touches of mid 70s Herbie Hancock-style funk and AOR.
Hiroshi Sato who sadly passed away in 2012 has achieved cult status on the international music scene over the years, thanks to soulful albums like "Orient," "Awakening" and "Seaside Lovers." He came to prominence in the mid 70s first playing with Happy End and then setting up Caramel Mama with Shigeru Suzuki, Tatsuo Hayashi and Haruomi Hosono which would morph into super-group Tin Pan Alley. All musicians would appear on Haruomi Hosono cult 1978 album "Paraiso" and legend has it Hosono wanted Hiroshi Sato and Tatsuo Hayashi to join his newly formed group YMO but Hayashi was reluctant so Hosono went for Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi (who also feature on Paraiso) to join.
Orient is very much at the crossroad of the different styles that made the fertile Japanese scene of that time so interesting with the use of synthesizers at the core of this mutation and the rise of YMO and labels like Alfa Records and Better Days.
Contributors include Hiroshi “Monsieur” Kamayatsu, singer songwriter and guitarist of 60s band The Spiders who pens the lyrics for “Son Go Kuw” a tongue-in-cheek ode to the eponymous character from the cult manga Dragon Ball.
Wewantsounds will release the album on CD and deluxe LP edition. Fully remastered from the original Kitty Records tapes by Universal Japan, the album will come with its original 4-page colour insert including English translations of the original liner notes by leading Japanese journalist Yasufumi Amatatsu plus the full track-by-track musician line up.