Showing posts with label Parallel World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parallel World. Show all posts

Monday, May 25, 2009

AOTW - Far East Family Band - Parallel World





Well, seeing as no-one else has, here's one i've had up my sleeve for a while.


Far East Family Band were formed in the early 1970's in Tokyo, with the band developing their esoteric and otherworldly sound around the nucleus of Fumio Miyashita in a sort of improvised commune on Miyashita's parents' farmhouse in the shadow of Mt. Fuji.

Released in 1976, this album was their fourth release and is a world away from the previous three (the others are more prog-rock than space-rock, but still well worth a listen). Recorded in England (Manor Studios - the birthplace of "Tubular Bells", no less) by a German producer, the acclaimed Krautrock producer and musician Klaus Schulze. "Parallel World" is a prime example of mid- 70's space-prog that occasionally tips over into cliche and self-indulgence and, for me at least, is all the better for it.

Julian Cope said: " Virtually without vocals, "Parallel World" occupied the kind of vast and eternal kosmiche space that only the greatest Krautrock albums had thus far commanded. Whatever crazy titles Miyashita would at a later date decide to impose on these tracks, Klaus had created one seamless and ever unfolding earth-shaking, occasionally skanking masterpiece".

I say: I always go back to this album if I get the flat to myself of an evening. The perfect soundtrack to a late night tipple that has the power to transport my mind to another realm for an hour or so.

Pull your best prog-cape over your knees pour a glass of port, kick back and enjoy!

Quite unbelievably, there doesn't seem to be a Wiki for them yet!

N.B. A quick note about the song titles. I've given the English titles that are on the record sleeve which mostly bear no resemblance at all to the Japanese ones. Also, track 2 is in two parts, but i've only given the one title to keep it simple. And the epic final track is broken down into 7 parts, which has seven song titles, but as they all blend into one i've just kept the main song name.