장계현 - Jang Kye-Hyun

It is not so, that for all items where all the effort has been done to carefully remaster, restore and reissue them, even though the 70s were much more promising musically and had a more interesting sound compared to later years (-although ’77 is already a date where a lot has been changed, not to the benefit of creative and interesting expressions-), that all items that are reissued are really so interesting, even within the pop/rock area.

In the case of the Jang Kye Hyun item, songs accompanied by a soft rock band, just doesn’t pass that grey middle of the road area of being just ok. I could ask myself in a case like this if then it still is worth to mentioning such an item in a list of mostly pretty interesting items or at least worth mentioning some tracks, for an item that didn’t succeed to have any real pick-out tracks, an item in a great list might be as easily remembered even though it is not so necessary to do so, I still preferred and decided to review this honestly as well, simply, because I have heard this item. From the cover alone you cannot distinguish this from a more psychedelic or an emotionally gifted item. But let me be clear : this song music, even though in pop/rock area wasn’t really able to pass that middle grey area so easily. The band, like a one-off studio band, even though with two guitarists, drum and bass and keyboards played and arranged it a bit lazily, the mix is also trying not to disturb anything, and the keyboards have this cheap monotone high pitched chords sounds, which doesn’t make it much better than it is.

Some songs are a bit sing-along-with-the songs, others are simple pop/rock songs with no surprising actions or directions. There are also a few sax solos as fill-ups. It all really sounds ok, especially after more listens but as I said before not one element stands out really in any way.

The last song, as on other LP’s from this period, is totally different and sound like a propagandistic song with female and responding strong males choir, marching rhythm and full orchestra including brass, it could as well have been made in North Korea to praise the main leader by its people.

For the album itself, perhaps the songs are original and the lyrics are good, I cannot say, because it is of course all in Korean.

장계현 골든앨범 77 (Jewel case)

1. 나의 20년

2. 다시 생각나 3. 기다리고 있었어 4. 낙동강 5. 언제 다시 6. 그대 보고파 7. 말을 해봐요 8. 그 사람 기다리네 9. 나밖에 몰라 10. 나의 조국