Lily - Onion (Japan, 1971)

Don't know much about this one but it has taken quite some time tracking down a copy at a good price. From what I've managed to find on the internet about it the first pressing was in 1971 and quickly followed up with another pressing on May 5th 1972.
Some of the musicians involved: Kimio Mizutani (Out Cast, Love Live Life), Hiro Tsunoda (Jacks, Strawberry Path, Flied Egg), Takasuke Kida (Jacks).


Great disc by at that time 20 years old female vocalist Lily. It was her first disc and right from the start the tone is set as Lily sings away in her husky styled voice that is reminiscent to a post-Carmen Maki folk and blues era style. The overall tone is folk-like with some psychedelic undertones, which get infused by some of her excellent backing musicians such as Foodbrain / Out Cast / Path Through Haze / People guitarist Kimio Mizutani and Jacks / Asakawa Maki drummer Tsunoda Hiro. Some tracks are embedded in a bluesy atmosphere, where her voice gets some effects that resemble singing through a telephone. Stunningly beautiful. Great acid folk-like bluesy and psychedelic album of 1972.
The whole album is a folk/pop/psychedelic rock fusion sung in Japanese with enough variety to sound like they're mixing it up, but not too much to sound like a real mish-mash of an album. There is one blues track sung in English, 'woke up blues', which is probably one of the weaker songs.
Considering this cost $2 I think its a gem - and a bargain having looked at the popsike.com prices - with only a couple of faltering tracks, but it would be interesting to see other opinions.

A1. Alone Am I
2. I Had A Dream
3. Train Window (Reminds Me Of Your Smile)
4. Woke Up Blues
5. Twelve Midnight
6. As I Can't Sleep

B1. How Have You Been
2. My Movie
3. Calender With Just August
4. Life Is Repeating
5. Close Your Eyes
6. So Far Away

*Sorry for the skipping in the last 30 seconds (B-side), my computer decided it wanted to hibernate*

Download

Keyboard: Jun Fukamachi
Drums & Percussion: Hiro Tsunoda
Side Guitar: Masatsugu Matsumoto
Acoustic Guitar: Takahiko Ishikawa
Electric Guitar: Kimio Mizutani
Bass: Jun Suzuki
Harmonica: Hiromi Yasuda (A-4)
Acoustic Guitar: Nobuyoshi Hagiwara (A-4)

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