13:34 AKIRA TAKASAKI -Tusk Of Jaguar /1982 |
 AKIRA TAKASAKI -Tusk Of Jaguar (Reissued-1993) Tracklist ^ Band ^ Доступно только для пользователей
Quote [EAC-WV] by SHI [MeTaLMaDNeSS.TeaM].zip This was Loudness guitar whiz kid Akira Takasaki's first solo album waaay back in the day, and I remember hearing tracks from this years ago on my college radio heavy metal show du jour; the DJ was capitalizing on Loudness' American debut ("Thunder in the East") and it was actually pretty neat to hear. This record doesn't really hold up too well with its dated production, which is a bit muffled on the drum and bass front, but Akira's signature clear guitar sound rings out well enough and there are some nice songs on display here. Musically, it's a mixed bag, surprisingly enough. There is the usual hard rock/heavy metal material ("Say What?", "Wild Boogie Run"), leavened with some R&B-sounding material ("Steal Away"), and even a very sweet and melodic Queen-influenced tune, "Macula (far away from Mother land)" that is my favorite song on the album. About half the album is vocal tunes as well, as opposed to the usual all-instrumental guitar hero format, and both Akira and Loudness' vocalist, Minoru Niihara, contribute in that realm, with mixed results. Niihara-san is his usual self, over the top but with lots of character, while Akira doesn't fare quite so well--it's hard to tell if he's singing in Japanese or English, but he's not as good a singer as he is a guitarist. There is of course lots of shredding, and he steps out in fine enough fashion to make up for his vocal shortcomings. As mentioned, "Macula..." is a lovely, relaxed little song featuring ornate guitar harmonies with a tone very reminiscent of the great Brian May, and it really stands out as a master work. While this is not essential, it's certainly worth a listen or three. Akira is not a typical guitar hero type and you have to give him credit for trying something different instead of just writing a bunch of shred fests. I'm not familiar with his more recent solo material, but it wouldn't surprise me if it continued in the same quirky yet distinct vein. Respect is due this guy.
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