Songs You May Have Missed #770

23 Mar 2025 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: , ,

Shoukichi Kina: “Haisai Ojisan (Hey Man!)” (1972)

If there’s one song that instantly puts me in a good mood, this is it.

Admittedly it’s pretty far afield from my usual fare and I think that’s the point. If music can be thought of as a drug, sometimes one develops a tolerance for the lower dose and seeks something that delivers a bigger kick.

I get a kick out of “Haisai Ojisan”

Shoukichi Kina and his band Champloose (the band name is derived from a traditional Okinawan stir-fry dish) were part of the Okinawan folk-rock movement of the 1970’s and 80’s. “Haisai Ojisan”, Kina’s first big hit, was a song he’d written in high school.

Kina and Champloose adding bass, guitars and drums to traditional sanshin music was the Okinawan equivalent to Dylan going electric in America, or Fairport Convention electrifying British folk.

Fittingly, Fairport alumnus Richard Thompson covered “Haisai Ojisan” in 1987 on the same French, Frith, Kaiser, Thompson Live Love, Larf & Loaf album that contains a cover of “Surfin’ U.S.A.” and an assortment of other strange musical bedfellows. Thompson and company’s “Haisai Ojisan” is a remarkably reverent take on the original:

The song has also spawned a group folk dance, or more accurately a variety of group folk dances, none of which seem to resemble the others much:

Shoukichi Kina is probably equally well known as a peace activist and politician, and was elected to the House of Councillors in 2004.

English translation:

Hey, man! Hey, man!
If there’s a drop of sake left in last night’s little bottle
Won’t you give me some?
Hey, boy! Hey, boy!
You think I’m satisfied with a little bottle?
Don’t say there’s none left!
Ok, man! If the little bottle’s not enough, give me a big one

Hi, man! Hi, man!
I wanna marry, I’m not a kid anymore
Can I marry your daughter?
Hey, boy! Hey boy!
Marry? No kidding!
You’re still too young to talk about such things
Ok, man! I’ll wait till my hair turns white

Hi, man! Hi, man!
What a big bald spot you have!
Hey, boy! Hey, boy!
Bald men are excellent
My forefathers were really excellent
Ok, man! I’m gonna have cosmetic surgery to add bald spots

Hi, man! Hi, man!
Your beard is funny, like the whiskers of an attic mouse
Hey, boy! Hey, boy!
Laugh at my beard, but women love bearded men
Ok, man! I don’t wanna be outdone by you,
Starting tomorrow, I’ll grow a beard that looks like the whiskers of a mouse

Hi, man! Hi, man!
Last night’s hooker was really pretty, you should go there, too
Hey, boy! Hey, boy!
In Chiji, Nakajima and Watanji,* I’m a big shot
Okay, man! Going around here and there, I’m wasting my money
You’re wasting your money

Rumor and Sigh: An Appreciation of Richard Thompson’s Solo Albums

12 Jun 2022 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags:

(via Allmusic) By Daniel de Visé 

Fifty years ago, in June 1972, Richard Thompson released his first solo album, the magnificent Henry the Human Fly. It sounded like a record of British folk standards, but Richard had written the songs himself.

Several lazy months later, Warner Brothers issued Henry the Human Fly in the States. A handful of folkie “weirdos” – Richard’s term – snatched up copies. It may be the poorest-selling record in Warner history.

“As rare as hen’s teeth,” Richard said, in an interview with AllMusic. “Promoted zero, and not a suitable record for the American audience, really, because it’s far too parochial, far too British. Worst-selling ever, in which I take great pride.”

Read more: https://www.allmusic.com/blog/post/rumor-and-sigh-an-appreciation-of-richard-thompsons-solo-albums?traffic_source=Connatix

Video of the Week: Richard Thompson Performs ‘I Feel So Good’ on Letterman, 1991

12 Jun 2022 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Video of the Week Tags: ,

Songs You May Have Missed #307

27 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: , , ,


thompson

Richard and Teddy Thompson: “Persuasion” (2001)

This pretty tune has a pretty convoluted history. Written by Richard Thompson with keyboardist Peter Filleul as an instrumental for the 1991 film Sweet Talker, it originally sounded like this:

Tim Finn (of Split Enz and Crowded House) loved the melody and wrote words to accompany it, releasing his version as a British single (which is now unavailable so I can’t reproduce it here).

Then Thompson liked Finn’s lyric so much that he re-recorded it as a vocal version with his son Teddy. Not the typical writing process for a song, but the end product is a thing of beauty.

A performance from a Scottish TV show

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/10/06/songs-you-may-have-missed-187/

Recommended Albums #21

18 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Recommended Albums Tags: ,

Rumor & Sigh

Richard Thompson: Rumor and Sigh (1991)

For the uninitiated, Richard Thompson is, quite literally, a legendary British singer, songwriter and guitar god. His renown is somewhat limited outside circles of fans of British folk rock, but catalog is rich with musical treasures waiting for those of eclectic tastes to explore.

Thompson was the teenage lead guitarist and contributing songwriter with the iconic folk rock band Fairport Convention, where he made a huge impact despite his limited time with the band. Shortly after going solo, he made a series of highly regarded albums with his then-wife Linda, herself a leading light of the English folk rock movement. Two of their albums, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight and Shoot Out the Lights made Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the Top 500 Albums of All Time.

After his early 80’s breakup with Linda, Richard again recorded alone, and Rumor and Sigh is a highlight of his solo career. There’s lots to like here, from RT’s twisted, acerbic outlook, often presented through the point of view of a made-up character (a la Pete Townshend) to catchy almost radio-friendly hooks, to his incredible virtuosity on acoustic and electric guitar, to songwriting of the highest caliber.

“I Feel So Good” is sung from the viewpoint of a newly-freed inmate looking to make someone pay for the time he lost. “Keep Your Distance” is an acknowledgment of weakness in the face of an old love (with us it must be all or none at all). And “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” is nothing short of a modern folk classic–the tale of an ill-fated relationship between a red-headed girl, a hell-bent boy, and his prized bike–featuring some of Thompson’s finest acoustic picking.

If you appreciate intelligent rock with an English flavour and aren’t yet familiar with this man’s work, allow me to hold the door for you: you’re about to enter a dark wonderland…

Listen to: “I Feel So Good”

 

Listen to: “Keep Your Distance”

 

Listen to: “1952 Vincent Black Lightning”