박은옥 - Park Eun-Ok

박은옥 - 사랑하는 이에게/회상 1985.10.31 대성음반 DAS-0315

박은옥* ‎– 박은옥 2집 / 양단 몇마름 · 회상

박은옥 1집 - 사랑하는 이에게 [ LP Sleeve ] 뮤직리서치 | 2008년 03월 20일

MRCD-080421 Mar 2008

2집 1978-1980/ 사랑하는 이에게/ 회상 (Remaster 2020)

(180g) (Yellow Splatter Color) LP 2020-06-10

01 양단 몇 마름 / Both ends

02 사랑하는 이에게(3) / To Loved Ones (3)

03 나그네 / Wayfarer

04 어리야 디야 / Aria Diya

05 젊은이여 / Young Man

* 06 회상 / Remember

* 07 윙윙윙 / Buzz buzz

08 하늘위의 눈으로

09 사랑하는 이에게(2) / To the Loved Ones (2)

10 작은일 쉬운일 / Small things first

Although the onset of singer/songwriting is here for grading the album for accessibility to foreigners this might miss the right elements to overcome the foreign language. It was difficult to grade.

Tracks with * I consider the most essential listens or classics from a western point of view of filtering and listening, as tracks that stand out as such. This makes them also very suitable for western radio show 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 really are.

This is a fine song/singer/songwriter album with a nice, slightly mellow flavour.

Melodically it is not always surprising but it is everywhere enjoyable once you know it. The style compared to the 70s approach of folk has been softened a bit.

The arrangements are good with several acoustic guitars, duo or solo clarinets and/or flute, some sparse violin string arrangements, some keyboards and electric piano, some electric bass and drums and in the first and fourth tracks I think a kind of balalaika-like approach of an additional arrangement, and an occasional mouth harmonica arrangement (on track 3).

The second track is sung by male/female duet. I took out the sixth track for airplay. It is sung with an unclear melancholy of completely tempered or swallowed emotions, the voice expression coming out well, accompanied by picked guitar, electric piano, drum, electric bass.

The 7th track is a lighter uptempo happy track that sounds a bit like a childrens song expression, accompanied by a string orchestra, flute and clarinet and band, and a part with happy whistling.

While all tracks fit well together, the last track is different in style, and is a big hall entertainment song with louder vibrating voice, accompanied by a brass band combo, more related with what comes from the 50s and early sixties.

- 180그램 Yellow Splatter칼라 500장 한정판매
- 라이너노트_최규성
- MRC SOUND Lab. 리마스터
* 컬러 LP는 특성상 약간의 혼색이 있을 수 있으나 음질 자체에 영향을 주는 불량이 아님을 알려드립니다.

박은옥의 초창기 목소리가 담겨있는 1978-1980 
이 앨범은 1978년과 1980년 발표된 박은옥의 1, 2집에서 대중의 사랑을 받았거나 음악적으로 중요한 노래들을 선곡한 베스트 음반이다. 베스트 LP의 재킷은 그녀의 앨범 중 가장 희귀한 2집 초반 커버 디자인으로 제작되었다. 
박은옥의 1, 2집은 모든 곡이 정태춘의 창작곡으로 채워졌다. 박은옥의 차별성은 정태춘의 곡을 단순히 노래하는 차원을 넘어 독창적인 음색으로 자신만의 따뜻한 포크송으로 소화해 낸 지점에서 빛난다. 모든 곡에는 박은옥의 섬세하고 따뜻한 보컬의 매력이 듬뿍 담겨 있다. 바이브레이션이 담긴 그녀의 포근한 음색과 창법은 한국적 정서를 투박하게 노래한 정태춘과 완전히 다른 낭만적이며 여성적인 질감이다.  (라이너노트 중 발췌)

1978-1980 containing the voices of Park Eun-ok's early days

This album is the best album from Park Eun-ok's 1st and 2nd albums released in 1978 and 1980. Best LP's jacket was made with the cover design at the beginning of her second album, the rarest of her albums.

In Park Eun-ok's 1st and 2nd albums, all songs were filled with Jung Tae-chun's original songs. Park Eun-ok's distinction goes beyond simply singing Jeong Tae-chun's song, and shines in the point where she digested her own warm folk song with her original tone. All songs contain plenty of the charm of Park Eun-ok's delicate and warm vocals. Her warm tone and singing method with vibrations is a romantic and feminine texture that is completely different from Jeong Tae-chun, who sang a crude Korean sentiment. (Excerpt from Liner Note)

박은옥 - 회상 SRB Records in 1978

MRCD-0803 21 Mar 2008

* 01 회상 / Remember

02 바람 / Wind

03 3월 단비 / March rain

04 아하! 날개여 / Aha! Wings

05 서해에서 / On the west sea

06 나는 누구인고 / Who am I?

* 07 윙윙윙 / Buzz Buzz

08 시인의 마을 / Village of poets

09 에헤라 친구여 / Ehera Friend

10 봄 / Spring

* 11 비오는 나루 / Rainy naru

12 너와 나 (군가) / You and me (military song)

Listening to the first album of Park Eun Ok I enjoyed it better than the second, even though there are comparisons.

This more clearly a singer/songwriting album (compared to the song cover albums), with inspired, somewhat soft songs and with subtle arrangements of string orchestra, nylon string strums, electric piano or organ, electric bass, relaxed rhythms, and some oboe or reed instruments and an occasional flute (with a bird like melody arrangement on the third track).

The songs are soft but not too light. Two songs have an additional male accompaniment. The 7th track sounds like a childrens song, a successful interpretation. On the 11th track the string and reed arrangements are almost classical in nature.

The last track is a bit of more a mystery of why, it sounds like a (not really bad as a result) politicised song with a marching band singing-in-one-voice choir, like a part of a musical.

I understand in listening closer to this release how Park Eun Ok is regarded an important songwriter in Korea.

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CONCLUSION:

Although one can sense an honesty in the singer/songwriting style, its tendency towards a mellow character for a foreign listener it does not make it less easy to consume each track and each moment with full attention. So I would suggestion caution.