Key Brothers - Go Go 춤을 춥시다 [1971]

 

키보이스 (Key Boys) were one of the first rock bands from South Korea. (Don't worry, we'll get to them in a future post) After 1967, the band members slowly left to join other bands or persue solo careers. The drummer and co-leader 윤항기 (Yoon Hang Gi) left to perform in Vietnam. When he returned, he formed another group. At first he called this new group the Key Boys, however after releasing their first album, they encountered a problem. The original Key Boys were still active at that time, albeit with different members. It was later decided to name this new group "Key Brothers". The Key Brothers started out by making experimental, psychedelic latin-influenced music. However, they slowly morphed into a Yoon Hang Gi backing band before Yoon left completely during the mid-70s. This first album by the group is by far their most celebrated. It features three creative covers of Shin Joong Hyun songs, one original by the name of 별이 빛나는 밤에 (Star Shining Night), and a cover of Santana's Evil Ways. The latter is my personal favourite on this album. The song was retitled to Go Go 춤을 춥시다 (Let's Dance the Go Go) is a whopping 9 minute long song. The track goes from Evil Ways and transitions into a chaotic rendition of a Korean traditional folk song before returning back to the Santana number.

This is an album I never I'd get hold of as it's very rare. In fact, this is the most I've paid for a single record. This particular pressing is a second pressing, made shortly after the first. Thus, there shouldn't be any auditory differences from the first pressing. Still, it sounds a million times better than the recent reissue. Enjoy the music!

Oh and I almost forgot! The first and second pressings curiously mention that this is an album by "Key Boys". I assume this was before they negotiated the name usage and changed it to the Key Brothers. There is a later pressing with the Key Brothers name.

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Pearl Sisters - 님아! & 펄씨스더 특선집 [1968/1969]

 

펄시스터즈 (Pearl Sisters) were a sister duo that were taking lessons from 신중현 (Shin Joong Hyun). After a series of albums that were unsuccessful in the public market, Shin was getting ready to leave to Vietnam. But before he left, the Pearl Sisters requested that they make an album together to commemorate their time together. Soon after the release, the song 님아 (You) became a massive hit. This made Shin reconsider and he would stay in Korea for many years to come, making hit record after hit record. Essentially, without this album, South Korea might not have had many of the great psychedelic masterpieces that are still praised to this day.

The album's first side shows musical elements that mix early psychedelia with glimpses of 60s beat rock. Still, the simple 60s beat rock sound have a distinctive Korean sound to them, a signature style of Shin. Other than the catchy hit, tracks like 떠나야할 그 사람 (The Man Who Must Leave) show what kind of songwriter Shin would become later on. That track in particular was re-sung by 김선 (Kim Sun) and is my preferred version for many, as it is even on the American-made compilation album Beautiful Rivers And Mountains. 커피 한잔 (A Cup Of Coffee), a remake of an old Add4 song, has been greatly upgraded, and this too was a big hit with listeners. This would eventually start a trend of Shin reusing and improving upon his early Add4 songs for other singers.

The second side might be a little underwhelming upon first listen as it's all instrumentals. However, these tracks should not be ignored, as Shin's band the Donkeys give great musical performances and the guitar sounds especially psychedelic.

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Their debut was released at the tail end of 1968. After seeing the success of the record, they rushed to release a follow up in 1969. This album's A-side is very much the same as the previous album, albeit with the track order shuffled. However, on the B-side, we now get more Pearl Sisters songs. And although they are only covers, I assume this was essential to buy for those fans back in 1969 just for those songs.

I've had the follow up album for a few months now, and I was looking for their debut, as I really enjoyed the instrumental tracks from that album. I finally found it for a good price, and now I'm uploading both my rips here. Both are admittedly 2nd pressings, however they were only pressed mere months or even days after the 1st press, so they shouldn't really sound different to a first pressing. Enjoy the music!

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Black Butterfly - Album Vol. 1 [1974]

 After He6 broke up (famed for their hits and remembered today for their psychedelic experiments), their lead singer and rhythm guitarist Choi Hyun formed another group by the name of 검은나비 (Black Butterfly). Although the band only made 3 albums before Choi Hyun left, they still left their mark in Korean rock history with their fancy instrumentation and catchy adaptations of western hits.

This record not only includes Choi Hyun's biggest hit at the time, 당신은 몰라 (You Don't Know), originally performed by He6, but also lots of new catchy songs. My personal favourite is the track 그녀 (Her) which is a cover of War's Me And Baby Brother.

There are two main versions of this record. One pressed by Jigu Records and a second pressed by Universal Records. Jigu Records pressings came first and thus are slightly more harder to find. I originally purchased the Universal pressing, however I had to return it as the record was warped and would skip. I was pretty disappointed since the record sleeve looked to be in near mint condition, however I soon found a rarer Jigu Records pressing for the same price. And although the sleeve doesn't look too good, the record still sounds great. If you like collecting different pressings of the same album, this might be a neat treat as most rips of this records are on Universal. (Not that there are any auditory differences between the two)

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He6 - Vol. 1 & 2 [1970/1971]

 

When talking about Psychedelic Korean bands, He5 and He6 shouldn't go unmentioned. He5 originally started as a 5-piece band making very strong psychedelic songs, often with heavy fuzz guitars. Then in 1970, a lot of the members left the group and got replaced. Now as a 6-piece, He6 emerged with more of an emphasis on merging popular music with psychedelia. They of course still did psychedelic music, but their first two records are an example of the group dipping their toes into the popular music scene. It ended up working very well for the group, as these two albums are the most common He6 albums you can find today.

The first record's A side is made up of originals and rock-interpretations of Korean folk music. And the B side shows the group performing western rock songs with great energy. Most notable original track from this album is the first song 초원의 사랑 (Love in the Grassland), which was the 2nd song in a series of three He6 songs about Grasslands.

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He6's second album seems to be a lot harder to find than their first, often going for hundreds of dollars. I've heard many stories from collectors about how they had to sell multiple rare records to get this one. I managed to find mine at a good price but I still had to sell about 9 records to purchase my copy. This particular record seems to have been used at a radio station at one point. This record also has a mix of originals and covers, but this time, they are not seperated by record sides. The most notable track on this album has got to be the 6th track and the final entry to the trilogy of Grassland songs, 초원의 빛 (Light in the Grassland). This song is often the reason why many record collectors seek out this record.

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The first two He6 albums have been reissued, and if owning a physical copy is your priority, they don't sound half bad. However, these first pressings do sound significantly better. And if you're going to buy a He6 reissue, I recommend you get their 5th album 사랑의 상처/아름다운 인형 (Love Hurts/Beautiful Doll), as that record still has its mastertapes and the recent reissue was cut at Abbey Road studios. It sounds magical. (That I have yet to find an original pressing for)

Shin Joong Hyun & Yup Juns - Vol. 1 (Beautiful Woman) [1974]

 

Shin Joong Hyun & Yup Juns Vol. 1 (신중현과 엽전들 제1집) needs no introduction for many Korean and even western collectors. Written and performed entirely by Shin Joong Hyun, the godfather of Korean rock, it is regarded to be one of his best albums.

Now, there are two main versions of this album. First pressing, which was more of a test pressing, has a completely different early recording with less overdriven guitars and the songs are longer. This version, although more difficult to find, has been reissued in 2012 by Lion Productions in the US. The version I have for you today is the second version, with more commercial production styles, shorter songs, and more overdriven guitars. If you prefer a more complex version of this album, hit up Spotify and listen to the Lion Productions version. However, this 2nd version doesn't seem to get enough love. This is the version that hit number 1 and launched the Yup Juns into success, so I'd say this is just as notable.

This second version has had many re-releases over the years, on vinyl, cassette, and CD, however the download I have for you here is an original pressing, dated 20th of August, 1974. I hope you enjoy a bit of Korean funk/psychedelia!

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As a little bonus, here's a slightly later pressing, made only 5 days after the previous one! As you can see by the cover, this record is in a sorry state. However, the record surprisingly plays all the way through after some cleaning. There doesn't seem to be any auditory differences between the two pressings, but if you're that type of person that likes collecting different pressings of the same album, this one's for you!

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