Kōri no Sekai
Encyclopedia
is the third studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Yōsui Inoue
, released in December 1973.
and Advision studios in London
, United Kingdom
, with musicians including two former members of the band Quatermass
, John Gustafson
and Pete Robinson. Three of them including title track were co-arranged by Nicky Harrison. Harrison was also the strings arranger for The Rolling Stones
' Goats Head Soup
album, which topped the chart in the U.S. and UK in Autumn 1973.
A song "Kokoro Moyou" was released as a lead single in September 1973 and became his first top-ten charting hit consequently, peaking at #7 on the Oricon. It was originally titled "Futsū Yūbin" and written for the folk duo Betsy & Chris, but the pair refused to record his song. A pop idol
Saori Minami covered "Kokoro Moyou" on her album Natsu no Kanjou released in a following year. Ayaka Hirahara and Akina Nakamori
also recorded the song in later years.
Flip side of a single "Kokoro Moyou" was "Kaerenai Futari", a ballad Inoue and Kiyoshirō Imawano
wrote together. Reportedly, then-unknown co-writer eked out a living by the income of the song, until he became popular as a frontman of the band RC Succession
in the 1980s. Imawano joined the songwriting on "Machibouke" too, and occasionally collaborated with Inoue in later years.
The lead-off track of the album was initially written by Inoue alone, and it was previously issued on his live album Modori Michi. The studio recording version of "Akazu no Fumikiri" heard on Kōri no Sekai is completely different song, which features renewed composition by the arranger Katz Hoshi.
stated that the vinyl release of Kori no Sekai was sold more than 1.35 million copies. Comprising other formats such as audio cassette and compact disc, the album has sold nearly 1.4 million copies to date.
In the history of the Oricon Albums chart started in 1970, Kōri no Sekai has been the album with the most weeks at number-one. About two weeks after the release, the album topped the Japanese Oricon Weekly LP chart for the first time, and stayed there for 13 consecutive weeks. Since then, it continuously remained on the top-ten of the chart for 113 weeks, and returned to the number-one spot again and again, while Inoue himself subsequently released some albums. Eventually Kōri no Sekai entered the Oricon for 150 weeks, spending 35 weeks in total at the top.
Yosui Inoue
is a Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, guitarist and record producer, who is an important figure in Japanese music. He is renowned for his unique tone, eccentric lyrics, and dark sunglasses which he always wears....
, released in December 1973.
Overview and song information
Kōri no Sekai was recorded after a single "Yume No Naka e" became a smash hit. Part of the recording took place at the TridentTrident Studios
Trident Studios was a British recording facility, originally located at 17 St. Anne's Court in London's Soho district. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield a drummer of former 1960's group The Hunters and his Brother Barry....
and Advision studios in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with musicians including two former members of the band Quatermass
Quatermass (band)
Quatermass was a British progressive rock band formed in London, England in September 1969. Lauded as a band of the future on the release of their debut album and supplementing single, "Black Sheep of the Family", major commercial success eluded the band throughout its brief duration.-Career:The...
, John Gustafson
John Gustafson
John Gustafson may refer to:*John Gustafson , computer scientist, inventor of Gustafson's Law and Director of Research at Intel Labs*John Gustafson , bassist and vocalist...
and Pete Robinson. Three of them including title track were co-arranged by Nicky Harrison. Harrison was also the strings arranger for The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' Goats Head Soup
Goats Head Soup
Goats Head Soup is the 11th British and 13th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1973. It featured the song "Angie", which went to #1 as a single in the US and UK.-Recording:...
album, which topped the chart in the U.S. and UK in Autumn 1973.
A song "Kokoro Moyou" was released as a lead single in September 1973 and became his first top-ten charting hit consequently, peaking at #7 on the Oricon. It was originally titled "Futsū Yūbin" and written for the folk duo Betsy & Chris, but the pair refused to record his song. A pop idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
Saori Minami covered "Kokoro Moyou" on her album Natsu no Kanjou released in a following year. Ayaka Hirahara and Akina Nakamori
Akina Nakamori
is a Japanese pop singer and actress. She was one of the most popular singers of the 1980s in Japan. She is known for her deep, power-house voice....
also recorded the song in later years.
Flip side of a single "Kokoro Moyou" was "Kaerenai Futari", a ballad Inoue and Kiyoshirō Imawano
Kiyoshiro Imawano
, born , was a Japanese rock musician, lyricist, composer, musical producer, and actor from Tokyo, Japan. He was dubbed "Japan's King of Rock". He formed and led an influential rock band RC Succession....
wrote together. Reportedly, then-unknown co-writer eked out a living by the income of the song, until he became popular as a frontman of the band RC Succession
RC Succession
RC Succession was an influential Japanese rock band fronted by singer-songwriter Kiyoshiro Imawano.- History :In 1966, Kiyoshiro formed a band named the Clover with Kenchi Haren. This band broke up the following year, however, the remaining members added some new members and called it the...
in the 1980s. Imawano joined the songwriting on "Machibouke" too, and occasionally collaborated with Inoue in later years.
The lead-off track of the album was initially written by Inoue alone, and it was previously issued on his live album Modori Michi. The studio recording version of "Akazu no Fumikiri" heard on Kōri no Sekai is completely different song, which features renewed composition by the arranger Katz Hoshi.
Commercial success
Yōsui Inoue's Kōri no Sekai album marked unprecedented success for the Japanese music industry at the time, becoming the first long-playing record that has retailed more than a million copies in Japan alone. Universal Music GroupUniversal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
stated that the vinyl release of Kori no Sekai was sold more than 1.35 million copies. Comprising other formats such as audio cassette and compact disc, the album has sold nearly 1.4 million copies to date.
In the history of the Oricon Albums chart started in 1970, Kōri no Sekai has been the album with the most weeks at number-one. About two weeks after the release, the album topped the Japanese Oricon Weekly LP chart for the first time, and stayed there for 13 consecutive weeks. Since then, it continuously remained on the top-ten of the chart for 113 weeks, and returned to the number-one spot again and again, while Inoue himself subsequently released some albums. Eventually Kōri no Sekai entered the Oricon for 150 weeks, spending 35 weeks in total at the top.
Side one
All songs arranged by Katz Hoshi (except "Chie-Chan" and "Kōri no Sekai" co-arranged by Nick Harrison)- "" (Inoue/Katz Hoshi) - 2:34
- "" - 0:35
- "" (Inoue/Kiyoshirō ImawanoKiyoshiro Imawano, born , was a Japanese rock musician, lyricist, composer, musical producer, and actor from Tokyo, Japan. He was dubbed "Japan's King of Rock". He formed and led an influential rock band RC Succession....
) - 4:20 - "" - 2:43
- "" - 4:11
- "" (Inoue/Kei OguraKei OguraKei Ogura is a Japanese singer, songwriter and composer. He was also a bank clerk of Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, after graduation from the University of Tokyo. His musical career was in parallel with banking activity.His major works include Saraba seishun and Oretachi-no-tabi...
) - 2:27 - "" - 2:38
Side two
All songs arranged by Katz Hoshi (except "Fun" co-arranged by Nick Harrison)- "" - 3:25
- "" (Inoue/Imawano) - 2:41
- "" (Inoue/Kunio Nagatani) - 3:05
- "Fun" - 2:40
- "" - 3:07
- "" - 2:51
Personnel
- Barry DeSouza - Drums
- Tatsuo Hayashi - Drums
- Shuichi Murakami - Drums
- Tadaaki Misago - Drums
- Peter Robinson - Piano, mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, harpsichordHarpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard... - Ann Odell - Piano
- Jun Fukamachi - Piano, synthesizer, Mellotron
- Naoya Matsuoka - Piano
- John GustafsonJohn GustafsonJohn Gustafson may refer to:*John Gustafson , computer scientist, inventor of Gustafson's Law and Director of Research at Intel Labs*John Gustafson , bassist and vocalist...
- Electric bass - Haruomi HosonoHaruomi Hosono, also known as Harry Hosono, is a Japanese popular musician, best known internationally as a key member of the rock band Happy End and the pioneering electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra.-Biography:...
- Electric bass - Takao Yamamura - Electric bass
- Masayoshi Takanaka - Electric guitar. bass guitar
- Joe Gammer - Electric guitar
- Mark Warner - Electric guitar
- Hiromi Yasuda - Acoustic guitar, flat mandolin
- Yosui Inoue - Vocals, acoustic guitar, blues harp
- Judd Mcniven - Blues harp
- Toshiyui Ōe - Steel guitar
- Toshio Tanioka - Violin
- Arrival - Chorus
- Katz Hoshi - Chorus
Awards
| Japan Record Awards | |||
| Year | Title | Category | Winner(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 (16th) | Kōri no Sekai | Best Products | Yōsui Inoue / Polydor Japan |
Album
| Year | Album | Country | Chart | Position | Weeks | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-76 | Kōri no Sekai | Japan | Oricon Weekly LP Albums Chart (top 100) | 1(x35) | 150 | 1,390,000+ |
| Oricon Weekly CT Albums Chart (top 100) | 2 | 70 | ||||
Single
| Year | Single | B-Side | Chart | Position | Weeks | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | "Kokoro Moyou" | "Kaerenai Futari" | Japanese Oricon Weekly (top 100) | 7 | 35 | 423,000 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | December 1, 1973 | Polydor | LP LP album The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry... |
MR5038 |
| Audio cassette | CR1122 | |||
| Unknown | LP LP album The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry... |
MR3304 | Re-issue with alternative cover art | |
| September 1, 1983 | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
3113-11 | ||
| September 1, 1990 | POCH-1025 | |||
| June 26, 1996 | POCH-1574 | Original recording digitally remastered (clean version) | ||
| December 19, 2001 | Universal Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
UPCH-1126 | Original recording digitally remastered (24-bit) | |
| October 4, 2006 | UPCY-6255 | 2001 Remaster | ||
| LP | UPJY-9003 | |||
| December 17, 2009 | SHM-CD | UPCY-6503 | ||