Is Prog "Big In Japan"?

 

Not exactly prog, but an interesting article nonetheless:

"An article describes Beijing’s small but growing experimental music scene"

 

 

 

Having said all that, mainstream Japanese music is dominated by short lived boy or girl groups (SMAP were big while I was there) and bands that reinterpret western rock - Mr Children have been releasing albums which are virtual retreads of Bon Jovi (still MASSIVE in Japan) and their ilk for more than 20 years, and doing it rather well.

 

So all in all, Japan is a country where prog never died, isn't a dirty word and where there is a huge underground network of frequently excellent bizarre experimental bands, and where big name prog acts still tour regularly. The popularity of Bon jovi is a little baffling, but we all have our weaknesses .

*New Trolls/Concerto Grosso 1

*New Trolls/Concerto Grosso 2

*New Trolls/UT

*New Trolls/Atomic System

*New Trolls/Tempi Dispari

*Osanna/L'uomo

*Osanna/Palepoli

*Osanna/Milano Calibro 9

*Osanna/Landscape Of Life

*Heldon/Agneta Nilsson

*Pulsar/Pollen

*I Pooh/Parsifal

*Ange/Guet-Apens

*Ange/Emile Jacoty

*Le Orme/Contrappunti

*Memoriance/L'Ecume Des Jours

*National Health/S.T.

*Mario Lavezzi/Iaia

*Alberto Radius/Che Cosa Sei

*Julian Jay Savarin/Waiters On The Dance

*Mauro Pelosi/Al Mercato Degli Uomini Piccoli

*Mauro Pelosi/La Stagione Per Morire

*Island/Pictures

*Pablo El Enterrador/S.T.

*Satin Whale/Lost Mankind

*Gong/Camembert Electrique

*East/Huseg

*East/Jatekok

*Airlord/Clockwork Revenge

*Eela Craig/Missa Universalis

*Eela Craig/One Niter

*Eela Craig/Hats Of Glass

*Pepe Maina/Il Canto Dell'Arpa E Del Flauto

*Atoll/Tertio

*Atoll/Mugiciens Magiciens

*Atoll/L'Araignee-Mal

*Gilgamesh/Another Fine Tune You've Got Me Into

*Windchase/Symphinity

*The Trip/Caronte

*The Trip/Atlantide

*Rustichelli Bordini/Opera Prima

*Maxophone/S.T.

*Il Balletto Di Bronzo/Ys

*Ibis/Sun Supreme

*Ibis/S.T.

*Latte E Miele/Passio Secundum Mattheum

*Latte E Miele/Papillon

*Quella Vecchia Locanda/Il Tempo Della Gioia

*Pierrot Lunaire/Gudrun

*Pierrot Lunaire/S.T.

*Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso/S.T.

*Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso/Darwin!

*Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso/Io Sono Nato Libero

*Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso/Canto Di Primavera

*Picchio Dal Pozzo/S.T.

*Picchio Dal Pozzo/Abbiamo Tutti I Suoi Problemi

*Richard Pinhas/East West

*Area/1978

*Mauro Pagani/S.T.

*Celeste/S.T.

*FM/Black Noise

*Heads In The Sky/S.T.

*Triade/1998: La Storia DiSabazio

.....etc, etc

Also Edison, King Records, Belle Antique tried to grow up Japanese bands at that time. So many bands could release their albums. Dada, Kennedy, Mugen, Bi Kyo Ran, Ain Soph, Novela, Outer Limits, Vienna, Starless, Black Page, Vermilion Sands, Ataraxia, Deja-Vu, Fromage, Social Tension, Kenso, Mr.Sirius, Gerard etc were such cases. Unfortunately Maguai, Galapagos, Green, etc could not make any own albums. Grand Guignol also could not record their best period.

 Besides, other major labels released some interesting albums in this period. Wha-ha-ha, Inoue Keizo, Senba Kiyohiko & Haniwa All Stars, Velvet Paw, Keep, Mariah, Crosswind, Namba Hiroyuki, Lalena, etc made progressive rock albums. This is very important fact. Recent new prog bands/artists cannot make debut from major labels! Flat 122, Ashada, KBB, Naikaku no Wa, Mizukagami, etc were all released by minor labels.

 

[They were active more than 10 years but now disbanded or inactive ....]

*After Dinner (Utsunomiya was a great sound creator. When he left this group, After Dinner may be over... It was stopped in 1997.)

*La'cryma Christi (I hear only Sculpture Of Time is progressive rock album. La'cryma Christi disbanded in 2007)

*Lucifer (They release 6 ablums. But most of them are very rare because of original circulation. Only Marginia was easily to get. Lucifer disbanded in 1994.)

*Sirius ~ Mr.Sirius (Sirius is a band led by Miyatake and Mr.Sirius is his solo. He is now busy to make umbrellas ....)

*Picaresque Of Bremen (Pop, pop, pop. Maybe they are more pop than your image of progressive rock. Anyway the lead vocalist Tochizawa Yukari was really cute excellent singer!)

*Providence (Because of the leader's transfer from Sapporo, Providence could not continue...)

*Teru's Symphonia (I'm sad I can't see Hirayama's name recently.)

*Velvet Paw (They were no doubtly one of the most hopeful new bands before debut. Unfortunately they became pop when they released 1st album fom CBS Sony. But I don't think 1st and 2nd are boring.Formed by only 5 girls! Velvet Paw disbanded in 1995.)

 

When I was over there I found CDs to be reasonably priced, not exactly cheap but generally a bit less expensive than in the UK. Of course, exchange rates may have had something to with that, and I was mostly buying reissues rather than new CDs.

Thanks erik. In comparison with your great efforts, this is very small contribution...

 

 1990s. Internet system made us change drastically. Once proggers were dotted. Frequeltly isolated. But now internet helps us to talk about this kind of music. It assists to keep the movement very well.

 Talking about 1990s scene, this decade is divided into first half 5 years and latter half 5 years. Windows 95 apparently changed internet as convenient tool. Prog scene was slowly ,gradually and steadily revived in the early 1990s. Dream Theater / Images And Words. Anglagard / Hybris. Maybe they were one of the key albums. But I felt true revival started around 1994. It is 1 year prior to Windows 95. Progresive rock was still maniac kind of music even in the first half of 1990s. But many hopeful bands / artists appeared in this period. Also internet made them easily to know. If there were not this system, prog scene must be very smaller than today. Latter half 5 years were close to recent scene. Many interesting albums appeared here and there.

 By the way, Japanese late 80s and early 90s scene was very hard period. Many charismatic bands disbanded / became inactive. Later some of them were reunited. Also there are some releases. But all of them stopped releasing albums or disbanded in this period; Pageant, Outer Limits, Vienna, Sense Of Wonder, Killing Time, Rosalia, Velvet Paw, Mugen, Mr.Sirius, Asturias, Kennedy, Novela, Senba Kiyohiko & Haniwa All Stars, Picaresque Of Bremen, etc. On the other hand, new remarkable prog bands began to release interesting CD albums. Ars Nova, Koenji Hyakkei, Optical*8, Tipographica, Bondage Fruit, Ground-Zero, Marge Litch, etc are such groups. ''Step Across The Border'' This phrase helped Japanese prog musicians and fans to enjoy new kind of progressive rock. There appeared many interesting groups / artists / albums .... Japanese scene seemed to go its peak of progressive rock movement.  But unfortunately the movement was enexpectedly baffled by the leading book of progressive rock. Because prog magazine Marquee gradually turned to mainly write another kind of music rather than most of readers wished for prog. Old proggers left from this magazine. So Marquee rapidly became not for prog expert book. Editor must keep the essential policy. Editor must try to find new dimension. But editor must not run for only his hobby. This editor must publish another magazine as another name in the middle of 1990s. Because of this strayed position, Marquee lost confidence as a leading prog magazine. There might be 3 or 4 years blank for Japanese to appreciate true prog magazine. Finally Euro Rock Press was published by the request of frustrated proggers in the late 1990s. It is ironically published by Marquee Inc.!  Here is the original policy of Marquee Moon.

 But this 3 - 4 years blank was really regrettable. Local proggers could not know what happened in Japanese scene. Can you believe it? Marquee's shop World Disque introduced us many Japanese albums in its monthly sale list. But this was the only source. I felt this period was harder than the middle of 1980s.

 When I noticed Japanese scene, major labels were no longer to grow up new prog bands and artists. So there have been few cases of debut album by new bands from major labels since the middle of 1990s. But independent labels became more active to release hopeful albums. This tendency continues to current scene. Major labels release only experienced bands and artists. Indeed, they keep at least required level. I wish majors try to grow up new comers as well as 80s King Records were so. But current scence is assisted by independent labels: Poseidon is the most well-known label.  

 

 

Silver Elphant give many chances for prog bands to make live concerts.

Here, I could find 3 progressive rock concerts in November.

November 4; Progressive Live 2007 - Analog Kidz, The Great Rollingflower, Hamosvorten (I don't own any albums by them!!)

November 24; Progressive Live 2007 - Hanjushin no Gogo, Kinzokuebisu (Ooops, They are very differnt types each other!)

November 28; Progressive Live 2007 - Enigmatic Drive, Takeon (I don't know them at all.)

 

I  remember Gerard have performed at Silver Elephant. But I can't remember Vienna did.

Gerard will give four concerts between December 12 and 16 in Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo. Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka are different island cities from mine!!  Also there's live in Otaru on February 17, 2008. Otaru is next to Sapporo. However it is far from my city (130 km or so....)

 

It was already closed in the end of June, 1998.

Mmmm, Tokyo is very far. I didn't know that was already closed.

 

By the way, surely Vienna gave a live at Power Station on January 15, 1989. It was the last concert for them. Because Vienna said their disbandment