Nishin, Japan

Nishin - Dai Dai. 1987 Panama.

There was a period from 1991-1997 (that is, pre-marriage, haha) that yours truly spent every week at the post office. I was sending records to all corners of the Earth, and thus receiving some back in turn. My wheeler-dealer days as it were. Many of the albums in this list came from back then (though just as many have since been reissued and are not featured here). I can go on and on, but examples are Mirror, Lethe, Marakesh, Avalanche, Mad Curry, Kvartteten Som Sprangde, Saisai Koubou, (everything from Canada), Picaresque of Bremen, Orpheus, Osiris (Japan), Nattura, etc, etc... and many, many more (most I kept, some I sold). I'm forever grateful to those dealers from Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, England, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Czechoslovakia, even the good ole' USA. Those dealers that allowed me to sample great music from all over the world. They didn't have to trade with me. They could have insisted on cold hard cash which I didn't really have. But they did anyway, because they too were legitimate music fans, who had an interest in what I had to offer. I only mention this, since 1) I haven't done so before and 2) This Nishin has to be one of the most obscure I ever picked up. Not rare/expensive, but obscure for certain. And from a European dealer no less, not from Japan like you would expect. I thought I'd have to pull out the digital camera, but I found an auction buried in Google with a scanned cover (which is attached). The back cover is cool too, with textured lettering (the Alaskan Connection was kind enough to send in a scan, since I'm too lazy to photo mine). Comes with a 2 page insert, and I don't think it was release with an obi. Either that, or mine is missing....

Musically there is no doubt of Nishin's influence - that of Adrian Belew-era King Crimson. Specifically the Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair albums. A 4 piece, with dual guitars (one known as a Carimbaguitar, which sounds somewhat like a violin), the lineup is exactly like Fripp's bunch from this time, minus the Stick bass. The production and vocal style are mid 1980s all the way. But there's no doubting the complexity and energy of the music, and the true spirit of progressive rock is alive here. A nice little album, that has few peers in terms of sound and composition.

Priority: 3