大滝詠一* – A Long Vacation = ロング・バケイション

Absolutely astounding album.
This is much more than a simple Beach Boys clone, as seems to be the popular opinion these days.

The album often dwells in laid back, South Pacific-esque melodies, meandering between Ohtaki's previous works and something entirely new altogether. It's a sound that hasn't been reproduced outside of this album and his follow-up, Each Time.

Take the laid-back, relaxing melodies of the Pacific and then, out of nowhere, toss in random experimental elementals in the background. Apparently, nobody noticed this.

Well, actually, someone did, as this won the award for Best Album the year it was released and was recognized as one of the greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time in his native Japan. It still seems like the album is searching for the same critical reception in modern times in the Western world, where it's often derided as derivative 60's music.

Let's just review the first side of the album to see what you're in for:

The first song, Kimi wa Tennen Shoku, begins with a lone piano tuning note, then breaks out into all-out 1980s doo-wop meets surfer rock ballad with Eiichi belting out a lilting melody that will have you grooving along with the rhythm - which, by the way, has sleigh bells driving the beat alongside the drums. The idiosyncrasies contained within this song should impress just about any fan of experimentation within music.

Velvet Motel starts off with an introduction suitable for a Y.M.O. album alongside some interesting high-string guitar work, making it sound like a harpsichord during the body of the song. And that chorus....oh my, that chorus. My jaw dropped as the track flows seamlessly between verse and chorus with a call-and-response, as Eiichi and a female vocalist exchange single syllables with one another. My personal favorite song on the album.

Canary Islands have a wonderful symphonic sound mixed with that South Pacific sound, reminiscent of a 1950s movie soundtrack, but with more modern sensibilities. A true standout track.

Pap-Pi-Doo is like doo-wop mixed with synth-pop. That alone should be enough to intrigue you. Again, super catchy melodies on this one.

Side A ends with, unfortunately, one of my least favorite songs on the album, which is an oddball 80s guitar-driven rock song. All is not lost, though, as it still has a decent melody that gets me through the song.

And that concludes the first side. The second side is, ittedly, a bit slower, but has some wonderful standout tracks, like Koisuru Karen and the final track, Siberian Railroad.

If we insist on making Beach Boys comparison, then consider this one the "Smile" of Japanese rock. It sits at the top of Japanese music rankings for valid reasons.
No idea how this one is still as cheap as it is - so grab a copy and pay attention to the tiny details. It's where the album outclasses most others.

Mine is identical but comes with a 'Sumiya Records and Tapes' outer bag that mirrors the front cover + Niagara fall of sound orchestra on the back.

A beautiful medly of styles from both the beach boys and some thing much more personal, Eiichi mixes up an attractive storm.