Tranzam's Second Funky Steps from 1976

Continuing on with Japanese music, for the moment, we return to Tranzam.

So on this record, the second in the Funky Steps franchise from this Japanese popular band we don't lose any of the funking around, the funkmeter stays turned up to max, but this time instead of tired old generic classical pieces we have tired old generic popular songs including Weill's September Song and the horrific Unchain my Heart melody (from 1961 originally).  And had I not heard the original songs, as was the case with Sound Creation, I would've enjoyed these instrumentals far far more.  (Unfortunately to have not heard the original songs, you would've had to be deaf in both ears since birth and in utero too.)  Incidentally with regards to the much better known Sound Creation, I hope all y'all realize that eventually a full copy of the album "Rock Fantasia" was made available for your consumption, partly due to popular demand...  These guys are just as good though in the virtuosity department.

It's a shame since Tranzam could have made original compositions that would've been so strong, given the originality of their arrangements, and compelling, instead of building on a bunch of old cliches in the manner of the easy listening muzak that was such a black death type plague throughout the seventies, resulting in the horrible deaths, full of pustular suffering, of possibly one third of the population of that era.  And it only ended when 'elevator music,' presumably in a decision by God, was replaced by a continuous repetition of old Beatles and other pop hits, as I've said before, which is today's huge and underestimated scourge.

As an example listen to what they do to the aforementioned chainless cardiac track:






You get a sense of how good the band is, and how unfortunate their choices are, like a really beautiful and smart girl who dates drug addict losers and breaks her poor daddy's heart...  now how about giving me her cell number, dad, and I'll see if I can straighten her out a little? Or can I take her shopping to Nordstroms for some new shoes, maybe?

After this record I've definitely had enough of these guys though, since nothing really compared or even came close in quality to the funk classics and totally original rock of the 1st and 2nd albums.
So I'll have to close the book on their discography.

Tranzam Pt 3: OST from 1976

So this is an OST and purely instrumental and illustrates, I suppose, my friend's words on the subject of the deterioration of this band from the huge funky heights of their first followed by the brilliant rock of the ST-- even though only 2 years had passed.

I didn't bother posting a sample, it's really simple seventies fusion in general, not as bad as some of the worst libraries I've posted here though.  Given this is a bit of a dud I'll post another album tomorrow.  It' ll be a dud too.

Tranzam Pt 2, August 9th: 1975

Sadly this album, although shortly temporally after, doesn't quite hit the heights of the previous installment, the ST album, but perhaps this track (Rose-Coloured Days) comes close:





Or perhaps not.  You can decide now.

Quick addendum from my friend:

 Tranzam started in 1974 with the ex-members of Flower Travelin Band  & The Happenings Four.
 This 1st album is very rare (never released as CD).   They formed this band to create original Japanese rock in Japanese language . But after releasing this 1st album, they faced a huge wall and some original members left this band (only Chito Kawachi remained as original member).
 But the band continued until 1981 and released a lot of hit pop singles.

Didn't know that connection, there's one for Tom Hayes... he should be pretty sad right about now he stopped collectin' them rarities... well I guess lucky for us there's one fewer person in the competition.

Stunning Japanese band Tranzam, Pt 1

You can see that these guys, currently unknown, were highly prolific in the 70s, starting from funky rock reinterpretations of classical music favourites a la Sound Creation (but superior in my opinion) in their debut called Funky Steps and a brilliant pop-rock-progressive self-titled record for number two, which are the 2 presented today.  Gotta dig the cover photo with the dark cloudy backdrop on the bottom album.

So, from the first record, a stunningly performed excerpt from tired old classic Peer Gynt:





Mellotron fans will jump out of their seats or perhaps wheelchairs when they listen to this one: these boys actually use the heaven-sent mello for their string section on top of the funkiest possible rendition of this classical trash.  It doesn't get any better than this folks.  Except when they returned the next year for a ST record.

So on this second album there is tons of good material that overall reminds me a lot of the School Band.  Obviously the Japanese were not just excellent at progressive fusion but could do original progressive pop seventies songwriting absolutely perfectly.  The fact that this enjoyable material was totally shut out of FM radio in that time period is tragic to say the least, the fact it's completely unknown today on for example satellite radio, is criminal.

Listen to Mr. Minomushi:





Let's see, what is it that makes this track an absolute top-40 stunner? There's the lovely guitar solo intro, the funkiness of the choppy electric piano sound, combined with slapped electric guitar, the refrain that goes 'oh-oh' (perhaps too similar to the Rolling Stones' Can't You Hear me Knocking?) the sheer grooviness of it all, the progression from seemingly talking to high-pitched chorus on the fourth chord above (i.e. key of A), the two breaks in the song-- to me, these are all ingredients of a successful pop song.  What can I say, other than that it breaks the heart to think the human population has missed this kind of genius for so many years.  And obviously will continue to do so.

I think personally this is the best track, but there's at least a handful more that are quite delectable.  Let's keep those Japanese lost rarities coming because boy do they ever beat the old tired garbage they play every day on the radio at my workplace... 'cuz she's buying a stairway to heaven...
And many thanks to my friends for helping to discover this one!!  I bow before you....


Interested note from my friend:

 Tranzam started in 1974 with the ex-members of Flower Travelin Band  & The Happenings Four.
 This 1st album is very rare (never released as CD)
 They formed this band to create original Japanese rock in Japanese language .
 But after releasing this 1st album, they faced the huge wall and some original members left this band,(only Chito Kawachi remained as the original member)
 But the band continued until 1981 and released a lot of hit pop singles.