TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Harumi" - Harumi (1968)

"Harumi" - Harumi (1968)

The mysterious Japanese singer, Harumi, traveled to New York and recorded this self-titled double album, his one and only, and then just disappeared.  Literally.  But what a groovy psychedelic treat he left us.  The square is in a beautiful gatefold filled with four sides of psychedelia.  Two sides are wonderful baroque-ish psych-pop gifts each dusted with gentle mind-pleasing studio effects.  Not a misstep in the bunch.

The other sides, three and four, are a totally different psych bag with each having only one track. "Twice Told Tales..." is a floaty mind-expanding Japanese musical journey that travels beneath a soft-spoken (stoned-like) conversation.  "Samurai Memories" is a jammy trip with Harumi, his parents, and his sister sharing memories in spoken Japanese.  Different, for sure, but not at all bad.  And in the proper state of mind, can take you on a magic bus.  Tom Wilson (Velvet Underground, Dylan, S & G, Zappa) produced this double-square so the cred is all over it.

"Harumi" - Harumi (back)

"Harumi" - Harumi (inside gatefold)

Favorites include:
"Talk About It"
"Hello"
"Sugar In Your Tea"
"Caravan"

I found this OG copy of "Harumi" in the legit wild at an estate sale in the NW part of Wichita on a side street that winds and twists around a small hill in the Amidon area.  Beautiful.  Seeing the sign and stopping was a spur-of-the-moment thing.  There was an old 70s-style stereo console with about thirty or so albums inside it.  Some guy before me had already pulled a handful of albums out, so I was sweating.

When it was finally my turn, the "Harumi" album was still there.  It had a $41 price tag.  The gatefold was a solid VG and the vinyl was almost near-mint.  Hardly played.  You just never see this album on the loose, record shop, or otherwise, and I got a finder's rush when I stumbled on it.  Since I was buying a couple of other albums along with it, I tried to bundle, but it was the first day of their sale.  The owners weren't having it.  I didn't get a squeal of a deal, but I thought it was a fair price if not a bit outta my comfort zone.  It's a highly sought-after psych spin and I'm glad to add it to my collection.

Verve Forecast label
(Side 1-4 & Side 2-3)

Cat #  
FTS-3030-2 / FTS-3030-2X
SIDE 1  DEADWAX
FTS-3030-2  SiDE-1  MGS-1476    
SIDE 4  DEADWAX
FTS-3030-2  SiDE-4  MGS-1479  
SIDE 2  DEADWAX
FTS-3030-2  SiDE-2  MGS-1477
SIDE 3  DEADWAX
FTS-3030-2  SiDE-3  MGS-1478

"Hello" - Harumi / "Harumi" (1968)

TRACKS:
A1  "Talk About It" 4:10
A2  "First Impressions" 3:10
A3  "Don't Know What I'm Gonna Do" 3:09
A4  "Hello" 4:02
A5  "Sugar In Your Tea" 3:22
A6  "Caravan" 3:05
B1  "Hunters Of Heaven" 2:52
B2  "Hurry Up Now" 3:51
B3  "What A Day For Me" 2:47
B4  "We Love" 2:17
B5  "Fire By The River" 3:35
C1  "Twice Told Tales Of The Pomegranate Forest" 24:00
D1  "Samurai Memories" 19:15

PERSONNEL:
Harumi - vocals, composer, arranger, spoken word (C1, D1)
William "Rosko" Mercer - spoken word (C1)
Harumi's Parents and Sister - spoken word (D1)
Tom Wilson - producer
ADDITIONAL:
Uncredited session musicians

Good stuff.

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