Rough Guide to the Music of Japan [#1] (1999)

About this title: If you conducted a really exhaustive study of Japanese musicians, you'd hear everything from religious Buddhist chanting and traditional shakuhachi and koto music to heavy metal, alternative rock and rap. Hip-hop, in fact, became huge in Japan in the 1980s. There is no metal or rap on The Rough Guide to the Music of Japan, but it does provide an interesting and eclectic survey of Japanese artists in the 1990s. This CD isn't for purists -- much of it consists of modern Japanese pop -- but it isn't without its share of traditional acoustic sounds. The compilation ranges from the contemporary ... read more

Tracks:

1. Makura [Kunimoto]
2. Kakin Ondo [Shimoji/Iwamoto/Shi]
3. Fukko Bushi [Traditional/Satuski]
4. Nikata Bushi [Traditional]
5. Takio'l Soran Bushi [Traditional/Ito]
6. Amagoi Bushi [Traditional]
7. Mangetsu No Yube [Nakagawa/Yamaguchi]
8. Hiyami Kachi Bushi [Yamauchi/Taira]
9. Moji Banana No Tatakiuri [Traditional]
10. Utuwaskarap [Kuzuno/Kano]
11. Nyorai Shizune [Naoki]
12. Ubue [Tamura]
13. Asadoya Yunta [Traditional]
14. James Bond Theme [Norman]
15. Haisai Ojisan [Kina]
16. Agari Jo [Tsuha]
17. Ho Na Mi [Excerpt] [Yoshimura]
18. Utage [Excerpt] [Hayashi]
19. Shi Chome [Traditional]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.