JUN FUKAMACHI At Steinway TOSHIBA Pro-Use DIRECT CUTTING 1976 JAPAN Sealed

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JUN FUKAMACHI At Steinway
New & Sealed Audiophile Vinyl Record

Record Label: EMI/Toshiba LF 95001 (Japan)

1976. Toshiba Pro-Use Series. Direct Cutting. Japanese jazz-fusion composer, pianist and pioneering synthesizer player.

Condition: LP is new and still sealed in it's original shrink-wrap. Shrink is cloudy... looks to have been stored for a long time. Corners are sharp and unbent. Spine top and bottom are solid with no wear or splits. Mint!

Side One
1. Nocturne in E flat major (Chopin)

Side Two
2. Just driving you crazy (J. Fukamachi)
3. Rah-Man (J. Fukamachi)
4. Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player (J. Fukamachi)

Review: this is a disc for demonstrating to yourself and to other audiophile friends what pure sound is all about.  It is for convincing people that LPs really do sound better than most CDs.  It's for arguing about which of the two cartridges used for playback is better.  That kind of thing.  You know:  The stuff that audiophiles dream of and live for.

The first thing I noticed about the sound is that it is, indeed, terrific.  It is probably the best piano recording I've ever heard.  I just wish it were, like, sixty full minutes of Chopin Nocturnes or something worth sitting down and actually listening to as music instead of just sound.  The dynamics are, as Winston says, strong and wide; the definition is superb, startling, in fact, in its clarity; and the sonics are perfectly natural, perfectly realistic, with no harsh overtones, no glassiness, no edge. ~ Classical Candor

Japanese vinyl releases are premium quality pressings, much sought after by audiophiles and collectors alike. In the 1960s Toshiba pioneered top quality red vinyl pressings using their trademark ‘Ever-Clean’ process this utilised a special ingredient intended to prevent the build-up of static electricity on the vinyl. Japanese pressings are synonymous with quality - the vinyl shines like no other vinyl - everything about their releases feels special.

When US audiophile label Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab first released their series of high quality pressings the records were manufactured in Japan. The sonic quality of Japanese pressings is considered to be among the best in the world and, in addition, they are beautifully presented, their covers usually printed on better quality heavy stock paper and often including a bonus lyric insert with dual language Japanese & English text. Nearly all Japanese LPs were issued with an ‘obi’ - literally translated this means ‘sash’ and is derived from the obi (sash) worn around the traditional kimono dress. This delicate paper strip, usually wrapped around the left side of the album cover, often contains marketing information and album content details, all printed in Japanese kanji and ~kana script. Obi designs can be as varied as the LPs they adorn, and some series of obi designs can be as collectable as the artists’ albums they decorate. ‘Hankake’ (3/4 length obis) are nearly impossible to find, and the ‘Rock Age’ series of obis are especially rare and valuable. Obis make a unique, attractive addition to the overall package and are becoming increasingly rare, especially on LPs from the 1960s and 70s. Their delicate and disposable nature meant that very early obis were routinely discarded, so that now they can often be worth several times more than the record they accompany.

In addition to Japanese pressings of regular albums there are numerous Japanese-only releases. Labels and artists often issued exclusive records timed to coincide with their Far East tour, or they re-released back catalogue albums with a re-designed obi, displaying revised graphics and other consumer information. Regardless of your musical taste, Japanese records make a stunning addition to any collection. Audibly and visually they present the collector with a feast of delights.