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)

D/L

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!

D/L

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!

D/L