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Reviews

Datetenryu — 1971
(Gyuune CD95-06, 1973/1996, CD)

by Dan Casey, Published 1997-05-01

1971 Cover art

Here's something you definitely won't hear every day! Rare archival recordings from a little-known Japanese power-trio from the early 70s (as the title may have clued you in). Although the liner notes are entirely in Japanese, it's obvious the make-up of the band is bass, drums, and keyboards. Sound like ELP? Well, yes, a little. The keyboardist spends most of his time noodling on the organ, avoiding synths (probably because when this was recorded they simply didn't have one in their catalog of equipment). Similarly, the bassist sticks to his single lukewarm bass tone throughout. So, it doesn't really flesh out the way ELP did. There are elements of Crimson in here as well, and another fair comparison would be Il Baletto di Bronzo. The latter is certainly true in terms of the intensity. One caution: the vocals (in Japanese) are loaded with that over-driven distortion that Greg Lake used with Crimson a lot, probably in this case to cover up the singer's lack of ability more so than for effect. The most obvious problem though, is the thin sound they were limited to simply by their small line-up. Music this bombastic could easily have benefited from another player, most likely guitar, to help fill out the sound. Unusual stuff, to say the least, but probably more well-suited for collectors than the casual listener.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 12, 1996 releases, 1973 recordings

Related artist(s): Datetenryu

 

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