Description
The long-awaited solo LP reissue of that early Vanity Records release, a Japanese (pre-)new age masterpiece that has undergone a major re-evaluation in recent years. This definitive edition features a high-resolution A/D transfer from the original master and the latest mastering, and is presented with the correct track titles, correcting long-standing misconceptions. It also includes numerous unearthed rare photos! Liner notes by Yuji Shibasaki.
Released in 1978 as the second release from Vanity Records, a leading independent label in post-punk Osaka, “Crystallization” is an album that “crystallized” the epic musical odyssey envisioned by the then 19-year-old musical genius known as SAB onto magnetic tape using electronic music equipment. It is a masterpiece of pre-new age music that appeared before the term “new age” and its associated aesthetics became widespread in Japan. Although two other musicians provided support during the recording, most of the album was produced by SAB himself through multitracking. SAB’s only solo release, “Crystallization,” features arrangements and instrumentation that reveal influences from Brian Eno, the Obscure label roster, and Popol Vuh, while simultaneously attempting to distance itself from those influences. As a result, it has earned the status of “a masterpiece that belongs to no lineage of synth music” (*Note), becoming a new classic for audiences in the 2020s. Furthermore, amid recent trends such as the new age revival and the rediscovery of Japanese environmental music, its musical value has become even more brilliant over time. The artwork was inspired by the writings of philosopher Roger Caillois, and the cover illustration (Saturn) was drawn by Haruui Matsuoka (wife of Masataka Matsuoka).
*Note) From the “New Japanese Masterpieces 1970–89” feature in the November 2023 issue of Record Collectors, featuring a review of “Crystallization” by Miki Tayama.
＝Product Specifications＝
+ High-resolution A/D transfer from the original master / Latest remastering
+ 4-page insert featuring rare unearthed photos
+ Liner notes by Yuji Shibasaki / English translation included
＝Special Bonus＝
As a bonus, we are including two special sheets featuring reproductions of the “Crystallization” release announcements (two versions) published in Rock Magazine at the time, printed on A4-sized paper.
Side A
Dream Stone (Yume-no-ishi “marble”)(19:37)
N
Side B
Agate (Menou “agate”)
1. I (9:20)
2. II (4:38)
3. III (7:07)
A beautiful album re-emerges from realms of mystery! The long awaited vinyl reissue of a Japanese neoclassical/experimental/new age/electronic music classic, originally released in 1978. ”Crystallization” is a work of unwavering perfection, whose sparkle has become even more brilliant over time, in the midst of the new age music revival that has emerged in recent years and the rediscovery of Japanese environmental music so-called Kankyō-ongaku. This was SAB's first and only solo album, recorded at his home and a studio in Osaka by a 19-year-old musical prodigy who, after the album's release, left Japan for the U.S. to follow the teachings of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and has never been heard from again. Two other musicians provide instrumental contributions, but the majority of the album was recorded and produced by SAB himself with multiple recordings & overdubs of various instruments, captured and crystallized on magnetic tape. The arrangements and instrumentation on this album show the influence of Brian Eno and the Obscure label of the time, but SAB's weave of electronics, field recordings and conventional instrumentation simultaneously avoids those influences and sits outside any direct electronic music lineage; it has achieved the status of a new classic for audiences in the 2020s. This reissue of the second release on the legendary Osaka label Vanity Records, run by the eccentric producer Yuzuru Agi, is a 24bit/48kHz A/D transfer from the original 1978 master tapes, high-quality cutting. Comes with Japanese/English liner notes, a lot of rare photos.
