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.
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.
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)
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