Samurai - 1970 - Samurai (Green Tea)

Samurai

1970

Samurai (Green Tea)

German Version

01. Four Seasons (9:51)

02. 18th Century (1:03)

03. Eagle's Eye (5:50)

04. Intermediate Stages (7:35)

05. Boy With A Gun (5:06)

06. Daffy Drake (2:46)

07. Five Tone Blues (14:56)

08. Green Tea (5:38)

09. Mandalay (6:23)

Japanese Version:

01. Green Tea (5:38)

02. Eagle's Eye (5:50)

03. Boy With A Gun (5:06)

04. 18th Century (1:03)

05. Four Seasons (9:51)

06. Mandalay (6:23)

07. Daffy Drake (2:46)

Mickey Curtis / voices, flute

Mike Walker / voices, percussion

Joe Dunnet / guitars

Hiro Izumi / guitars, koto

John Redfern / keyboards, recorder

Tetsuo Yamauchi / bass

Yujin Harada / drums

Graham Smith / harmonica

An exotic offspring of the proto-progressive era. At the dawn of the seventies, the Samurai ensemble had a good chance of becoming a competitive product for the British apologists of the genre. Alas, it didn't work out. And yet it would be a shame to pass by such a wonderful formation.

It began with Mickey Curtis (b. 1938). In truth, coming up with a more colorful personality is difficult even for a person with imagination. This original of the mestizo breed (a terrible cross between Japanese and English bloodlines) has always strived to build bridges between East and West. His career started in 

1958 - by imitating Elvis Presley. In parallel with the singing affairs, Miki came to grips with cinematography. As a guest star, he "lit up" as many as 70 films. However, the main thing for our hero was music. Having had enough of making pop hits, in 1967 the smart Asian muddied the then-avant-garde project Miki Curtis & Samurais in 1967 . With the recruited staff, Curtis traveled not only in the Land of the Rising Sun, but also in the old Europe. So, at the German studio Metronome Records, the taciturn rockers managed to arrange several things. Having supplemented the team with people from Foggy Albion ( Joe Dunnet - guitar, John Redfern - organ) and changed the name to Samurai, Mickey associates arrived in London. We met them well. Commissioned by United Artists, the sextet bungled a couple of singles. However, the small forms of self-expression of the mastermind were not very satisfying. Curtis could see perfectly which way the wind was blowing. That is why he ventured into an experiment in the style of art-rock.

In the moderately eclectic content of the disc "Green Tea" everyone will find something of their own. The opening (title number) is a carefully balanced symbiosis of the frontman's melodically bright vocal monologue with mixed-type playing structures (rhythm and blues, flute fusion, charming organ background). The assertive "Eagle's Eye" pursues other goals. Here you can feel the influence of the Zeppelinswith their original viscous psychedelic hard. Guitarrero Dunnet, in collaboration with Hiro Izumi, stuffs the palette with rollicking solos, and Graham Smith ( String Driven Thing , Van der Graaf Generator ) strapped in for the company saturates the action with passages of harmonica. The chamber ballad "Boy with a Gun" is a chic fusion of ethnics (koto, flute) with an intimate baritone narration in the best traditions of transatlantic singer-songwriters; impeccably constructed piece. The acoustic interlude of "18th Century" has the Nordic melancholic overtones of neo-folk bands like Tenhi .and others like them. The epic panorama of "Four Seasons" stretches from the freaky heavy prog with nuclear flashes "Hammond" to the total LSD astral. "Mandalay" looks unusual - an attempt to find the threads between a purely oriental fabulousness and an Americanized kind of jazz. The final mural "Daffy Drake" is an absurdist psychedelic tale with a Beatle tinge and a superbly exposed artistic angle; a happy ending to an incredible journey.

To summarize: an attractive artistic act worthy of bearing the banner of early British-style progressive rock; a great find for those who like to delve into the past.

I have only a cd of the Japanese version, as far as I know, there has never been a cd release for the German version, so, if anyone out there has the German version and would be so nice to upload us a copy, We would be really grateful!