[johnfowles]

Originally Posted by johnfowles

Note that the Japanese album will be released just as soon as I have completed the artwork

OK here it is
"Sunrise" the Japanese Album
"Rising Sun" geddit??
I had noted that there were several uniquely Japanese vinyl record sleeves,
in particular a Japanese language reworking of the (Spanish) Sundown single picture sleeve

and the Summertime Dream LP

and especially a significant "inside out' reworking of the original 1969 Sunday Concert gatefold

Plus several LPs were sold with an "obi" (sash) example:-







All this indicated to me that there must be quite an Imperial Army of Japanese lightheads, and that a special album of Nipponised Gordsongs would sell well
So here is my artwork for "Sunrise" on the newly launched Bard's Tale Corfid label

the front insert
A fully featured back inlay/insert will follow once the actual tracklist is finalised.
At the moment the CD consists of some 22 tracks as follows:-
1. 14 Karate Gold
2.The Pagoda You Live In
3.All the Lovely Geishas
4.Race Among the Ruins Of Hiroshima
5.My Toyota Won't Go
6.The Starrion Man
7.(Japanese Bullet Train) Trilogy
8.A Bonsai Tree Too Week To Stand
9.I'm On My Umpteenth Glass Of Saki
10.Shogun-Boss Man
11.The Wreck of the Yamamoto Maru
12.Mount Fuji and Teriyake Marinade
13.Early Morning Rain Chain
14.Ranbow Sushi
15 DatSundown
16.On The Ginza
17 Hokkaido Bound
18 Dream Street Tokyo Rose

________________________________
Bonus tracks
Special adaptations from the Mikado
19.Behold The Lord High Auctioneer
20.Willow,Tit-willow Cattails
21.A Wandering Minstrel of the Dawn I
22 I've Got A Little List
I could not think of suitable Gordsongs to adapt for Kimono or Judo..... any ideas.
_____________________________________________
Some "liner notes" are in order":-
Note that due to the tendency for mispronunciation and the Japanese passion for "footie"
(Soccer) Gord is here being marketed as Golden Rightfoot
My overall favourite has to be "14 Karate Gold"
although Hokkaido Bound has the memoriable line
"The skyline of Kyoto is something you get to say "Oh to"
The reference to "On The Ginza" is a reflection of Toronto's famed "Yonge Street" and has nothing to do with the UK Searcher's 1964 hit "Needles and Pinza" (a song by Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono.The song's original was recorded by Jackie DeShannon in 1963)
the "Wreck' would ideally have referred to the 1945 Japanese battleship
IJN Yamato that failed in a kamikaze attempt during the
battle of Okinawa,

but Gord obviously and correctly felt that Yamamoto Muru scanned far better
The "Starion" Man refers to an attempt in 1969 by Mitsubishi to sell a rival to Ford's very successful Mustang. The problem was what name to give it:
according to a lovely bit of urban legend a Japanese from their sales department phoned a mate in California and explained that they wanted an English word to suit their new "pony" car.The American said " how's about "stallion"". "How do you spell that prease" "s.t.a.l.l.i.o.n."
"Oh yes "starrion" thanks"
this is confirmed on:-
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/edi...omment-page-6/
which also has this delightful tale:-
"My nomination for the worst name is the Nissan Cedric.
Legend has it that upon release in Australia way back in the early ’60s, a motoring journalist asked one of the Datsun (Nissan) execs at the release "Why have you named this car after a poofter?"
Datsun exec: "What is this "poofter"?
Journo: "You know, um, a homosexual"
Datsun exec: "Ahhh so. You have many homosexual in Australia?"
Journo: "Yeah, the bloody place is full of ‘em"
Datsun exec: "Ahhh good - we sell many Cedric then!""
Finally it was most gracious of Gord who rarely records anything that he has not written himself to adapt 4 of his recordings to acknowledge the great songs written by Gilbert and Sulivan for The Mikado
Enjoy!!!