田中寛 ・ 不破洋一 「題名のないホワイトアルバム」FLR-001
Hiroshi Tanaka & Yoichi Fuwa 「Untitled White Album」
- Limited edition of 500 on black vinyl
- Double LP release with gatefold tip-on jacket
- Bonus LP features 16 previously unreleased songs from the original sessions
Hiroshi Tanaka and Yoichi Fuwa are two mysterious creatures who in 1974 recorded over 50 nameless songs in Fuwa’s apartment. Since they could not fit all of the songs on an album they choose 19 of their favorites and self-released their Untitled White Album. The album has since grown a fitting mystic, often referred to simply as an Untitled Album by Unknown Artist.
Their music is like a fairy tale. It’s leisurely and relaxed yet bursting at the seams with melodies and youthful ambition, exactly what you would expect from the self-proclaimed heirs of the Beatles.
A holy grail of Japanese psychedelic pop, the Untitled White Album was originally only made in 100 copies and is one of the most sought after Japanese private press albums of its time. Reissued here for the first time with an additional LP, an Untitled White Album II featuring 16 previously unreleased songs from the original sessions.
Excerpt from liner notes
In the midst of his wordplay, John Lennon sometimes creates poetry. Similarly, Tanaka and Fuwa’s music indulges in all sorts of nonsense. “Sometimes when we are punning back and forth,” they say, ‘we unintentionally end up with something fun, like when you score in a card matching game.” It may be that they don’t believe that words have meanings. This is something you often see in artists. Andy Warhol doesn’t talk much at all, but occasionally he just gives a one-word opinion, “Beautiful.” Tanaka and Fuwa don’t believe in communicating with words. Instead, they think that true communication is felt with the entire body. For that reason, music, not words, has become their companion.
This record is an untitled first album. Each person who receives one of the 100 records will paint his or her own colors on the white base. The flowering of discovered talent, arriving late to a frustrating degree to be the heirs of the Beatles. An unsophisticated sensation. Now that they are finally here, let’s wait for the buds of their music to mature and come to full flower.