김상진 - Kim Sang-Jin
This is a totally different kind of mainstream singing which isn’t western at all (despite the arrangements), but it has almost entirely a Korean context to it.
The arrangements are done with a full orchestra, some soprano sax, or other reed or brass instruments, relaxed drums, reed and brass, here and there some congas, one track with a theremin ! and another with an additional keyboard.
It is especially the voice, which stand out as being 'highly unusual' to our western ears. The singer has a deep, smoked, almost feminine voice which vibrates at a high pitch, perhaps like a Korean form of popular singing that recalls something of eastern folklore into song. It takes a few tracks to get used to, but then the context makes it logical, still for western ears as something "slightly surreal".
There is however one track sung a bit more fitting with a psychedelic rock band (track 6) with fuzz guitars, drums, flute and congas. Worth lifting out.
(After a few listens I started to realise how this voice technique gives the music a faraway eastern flavoured eastern emotional quality. Together with the arrangements it serves its purpose well).
김상진 - 오리지날 힛송 총결산집 / Kim Sang Jin-Original Song Song Collection
1. 고향 아줌마 / My Aunt's Home
2. 잘 살아다오 / Live well
3. 기다려 주리라 / I will wait
4. 미워도 당신 / I hate you
5. 나를 부르네 / Call me
* 6. 더 좋아 / Alike
7. 아들의 편지 / Letter of a son
8. 고향이 좋아 / Home Love
9. 이정표 없는 거리 / Distance without milestones
10. 모국방문 / Visit of home
11. 나를 울렸다 / Call me
12. 로타리 부르스 / Rotary Blues
13. 예산 새악시 / Cheap New City (?)
Tracks with * I consider the most essential listens or tracks to check out for sure, as the lifted out classics. It are the tracks that makes them also very suitable for western radioshow airplay.
Jigu 오리지날 김상진 골든 / Kim Sang Jin Golden 2CD KBS Media 2013.05.30
... Anyhow, when I found an extra cheap double album, I still decided to dig deeper into what kind of music the singer recorded. In this case, I am not sure how much I need to regret this or not, because this definitely is a trot-only music collection. This means this is the true save zone of mainstream music, with a certain attractive but never surprising, always light, always nice, and in a way always similar mode which after 10-15 songs I thoroughly become more bored by it.
돌아와요 부산항에 / “Come back to Busan Port” is arranged electrically, which to Western ears electric it still says / gives us so much more. 가슴 아프게 / “My heart hurts” is a trot song with a more up tempo latin rhythm (brass and string arrangements, electric bass, organ and drums). Another track which caught my attention is a kind of Moog-like organ sound that was used on 돌아가는 삼각지, still a trot song. But much more musical surprises there were not. A favorite trot track for me I think was 호수 / Lake.
(CD1)
1 고향이 좋아 / I like home
2 이정표 없는 거리 / Miles without milestones
3 눈물을 감추고 / Hide your tears
4 이정표 / Milestones
5 고향 아줌마 / My Aunt's hometown (?)
6 돌아가는 삼각지 / Returning triangle (?)
7 도라지 고갯길 / Bellflower Pass (?)
8 영시의 이별 / Farewell
9 고목 / Dead trees (?)
10 추억의 용두산 / Memories of Yongdusan
11 두메산골/ Doumesan Valley
12 울고 싶어 / I want to cry
13 오륙도 / Orland Road
14 안개 낀 장충단 공원 / Misty Changchungdan Park
15 어느 여인에게 / To a woman
16 돌아와요 부산항에 / Come back to Busan Port
17 누가 울어 / Who is crying?
18 너무나 사랑한 당신 / I love you so much
(CD2)
1-19 숙이는 어느 곳에 / Where to lean to
2-20 석양길 나그네 / Sunset path
3-21 황혼의 터미널 / Twilight Terminal
* 4-22 호수 / Lake
5-23 울먹인 안녕 / Crying goodbye
6-24 이별이 주고 간슬픔 / Parting sorrow
7-25 설악산 처녀 / Seoraksan maiden
8-26 남산 고갯길 / Namsan Pass
9-27 가슴 아프게 / My heart hurts
10-28 마지막 잎새 / Last leaf
11-29 안개 속에 가버린 당신 / You are gone in the fog
12-30 망향가 / Expression?
13-31 너와 나의 행복 / You and my happiness
14-32 세갈래 고속도로 / Three-way highway
15-33 당신뿐인데 / Only you are
16-34 청포도 사랑 / Green grapes of love
17-35 무너진 사랑탑 / Fallen Love Tower
18-36 당신 / You
Tracks with * I consider essential listens or classics, or tracks to check out for sure because for some reason they seem to stand out. This makes them tracks that makes them also very suitable for western radioshow airplay. Tracks that are only underlined can be considered fine tracks you might better check out as well, but I am not sure how essential they are.
