어니언스 - Onions
This looks like a "best of" from the South-Korean duo called Onions. In their repertoire there must be some better and more original songs.
Most of these 16 most popular songs are mellow, almost schlager-like songs arranged with strings, oboe, some drums and organ and acoustic guitar mostly, a few are more folk-pop. The vocal harmonies are always nice.
At least two tracks stand out much better. The sixth track, a sad song, is played with acoustic picking guitar and is sung with much more emotion and a certain emotional vibration in the voice, and a bit of vocal harmonies. Also the second guitar with fast and skilfully played bluesy improvisations, with some piano accents to it, is very nice to hear. Second stand-out is the tenth song, arranged with lush string and swinging drums and organ arrangements is a very good and enjoyable 60s song (with harmony vocal elements in papapaa-form). The thirteenth track starts promisingly too, with a strong intro of fuzz guitars, drums and bass but isn’t really getting outside an obvious melody and somewhat easy going pop/rock arrangement just after that.
1. 편지 / Letter
2. 저별과 달은 / Goodbye and the Moon
3. 초저녁별 / Early evening star
4. 외길 / Outer road
5. 그리움 찾아 / Finding what's Missing
(*) 6. 뭐라고 쓰나 (Love Song) / What do you write
7. 외기러기 / Wild goose
8. 바람소리 / Wind Sound
9. 작은 새 / Little bird
* 10. 사랑의 진실 / The truth of love
11. 잊으리라 / Forget
12. 하얀 미소 / White Smile
13. 몰라주네 / I don't know
14. 돌에 핀꽃 / Pink flower on the stone
15. 어떤 일 / What a day
16. 누나 / Sister
Their 1983 with this cover is not from 1974 but from 1983 hs the following tracks:
Side A1. 편지2. 저별과 달을3. 초저녁별4. 외길5. 그리움찾아6. 뭐라고 쓰나7. 외기러기8. 바람소리Side B1. 작은새2. 사랑의 진실3. 잊으리라4. 하얀미소5. 몰라주네6. 돌에 핀꽃7. 어떤일8. 누나9. 시장에 가면
Tracks with * I consider essential tracks to check out, also very suitable for western radioshow airplay. Such tracks should be essential listens. Tracks that are only underlined can be considered equally great tracks as well, but I am not sure how essential they are. Only from track 10 I am totally convinced.
* 16 사랑의 진실 / The truth of love
* 17 외길 / Outside road
18 잊으리라 / The truth of love
19 가을이면 / In autumn
This is a really fine compilation of two groups and two related soloists from the same era that were influenced by pop/folk/rock and made original music.
* Twin Folio were from the dual harmony vocals folk/pop style (already reviewed with another compilation before here).
* The solo works from Lee Jong-Yong and Yoon Hyung-Ju are more ballad arranged song folk/pop/rock with acoustic, still good music.
The best and must-check-out tracks in this collection for the western collector are all those of Onions, sadly only 4 of them, all great, rather English-styled 60s pop/rock with acoustic guitars, drum, bass and harmony vocals, with the last track only harmony vocals and pickings. I am sure such tracks as those of Onions will really do it for collectors if they were made available to the western market.
-----------------------
BIOGRAPHY:
Onions is an acoustic guitar duo of Lee Soo-young and Lim Chang-je.
'어니언스' 30년 만에 화음
"언제 출감하셨나?" 개그맨 고영수씨가 어니언스의 이수영(左)씨를 보자마자 이렇게 농담을 던졌다. 25년 만에 가요계로 돌아온 그를 맞는 '고영수식' 축하 인사다.
지난 6일 오후 서울 마포의 썬악기 연습실. 10일 서울 상암월드컵경기장에서 열릴 '추억의 낭만 콘서트(02-540-7181)'를 준비하느라 펄시스터즈.유심초.어니언스.김세환씨 등 출연진이 모여 있었다. 이 콘서트는 트윈폴리오.라나에로스포.뚜아에무아 등 1970~80년대를 풍미한 가수들이 대거 출연해 화제를 모으고 있다. 그 중 가장 큰 뉴스는 어니언스 임창제(53.(右)).이수영(53)씨가 30년 만에 재결합한다는 것이다. 세월이 흐르긴 흘렀다. 기자가 명함을 건네자 두 사람은 일제히 손을 멀찍이 내뻗는다. 모두 노안이 찾아왔다는 사실을 깨닫고 한바탕 웃음을 터뜨린다.
어니언스는 73년 결성돼 음반 두 장을 발표한 뒤 75년 해체, 각자 솔로로 활동했다. 81년 재결성을 시도하며 한 무대에 섰지만 이씨는 결국 결혼한 뒤 장인을 따라 사업가의 길을 걸었다. 지금은 독립해 종합건축회사 대표를 맡고 있다. 임창제씨는 '어니언스 임창제'라는 이름으로 혼자 꾸준히 활동하면서 포크싱어협회 회장직도 맡았다. 그러다 지난해 열린 '임창제 디너쇼'에 이수영씨가 게스트로 출연하게 됐다. 이씨는 그 일을 계기로 가수 활동을 재개할 뜻을 품었다고 말한다.
"성인이 들을 노래라곤 트로트밖에 없다며 옛 정서를 담은 노래를 들려달라는 사람이 많았어요. 아직 목소리가 살아있다고 격려도 해주고요. 저도 더 늦기 전에 뭔가 남기고 싶다는 생각이 들더군요."(이수영씨)
이씨는 8일 25년 만의 새 앨범 '어니언스 이수영' 발매 기념 행사를 연다. 새 앨범은 신곡과 옛 노래를 섞은 두장의 CD로 구성됐다. 테너인 친동생 이창씨와 듀엣으로 부른 '머나먼 사랑'이 타이틀곡이다. 앨범은 따로냈지만 10일 콘서트를 시작으로 임씨와 함께 어니언스의 이름으로 무대에 오르기로 했다. 이번 콘서트에서 '작은새''편지''저별과 달을''초저녁별' 등 추억의 히트곡을 함께 부르며 재결성을 알린다. 올 연말부터는 '어니언스 콘서트''어니언스 디너쇼'등 둘만의 여정에 오를 계획이다. 임씨는 "재결성은 당연한 순서"라고 말한다.
"'편지'는 어니언스의 노래가 아니에요. 국민의 노래죠. 국민이 부르라면 불러야 합니다. 자신이 부른 노래에 끝까지 책임지는 게 가수의 도리 아니겠습니까. 함께 무대에 서는 걸로 마무리하겠습니다."(임창제씨)
글=이경희 기자, 사진=신동연 기자
[출처: 중앙일보] [사람 사람] '어니언스' 30년 만에 화음
Rough translation:
Harmony in 30 Years
"When did you go out?" Gagman Ko Young-soo joked as soon as he saw Lee Soo-young of Onions. Congratulations to Ko Young-soo, who returned to the music industry after 25 years.
Sun instrument practice room in Mapo, Seoul on the 6th afternoon. Pearl Casters, Yoo Sim-cho, Onions and Kim Se-hwan were gathering to prepare for the Romantic Concert of Memories (02-540-7181) to be held at the Sangam World Cup Stadium in Seoul on the 10th. The concert attracts a lot of singers from the 1970s and 1980s, including Twin Folio, Lanaerospo and Tuamua (Toi et Moi). The biggest news is that Onions Lim Chang-je (53. (右)) and Lee Soo-young (53) will reunite in 30 years. Years have passed by. When the reporter passes his business card, they reach out in unison. Everybody realizes that presbyopia has come and bursts into laughter.
Onions formed in 1987 and released two albums. In 1981, Lee tried to regroup, but he eventually married and followed his father-in-law as a businessman. Now he is independent and represents a general architectural firm. Mr. Lim Chang-je was also the Chairman of the Folk Singer Association. Then, Lee Soo-young appeared as a guest at the 'Lim Changje Dinner Show' held last year. Lee says the intention was to resume singer activities.
"There are many people who only listen to the song that contains the old emotions. They encourage me to hear that the voice is still alive. I thought I wanted to leave something before it was too late."
Lee will celebrate the release of the new album 'Onions Lee Soo Young' for 25 years. The new album consists of two CDs, a mix of new and old songs. This is the title track of his `"long-distant love"' which he sang as a duet with his tenor, his brother Lee Chang. The album was released separately, but starting with the concert on the 10th, I decided to go on stage with Mr. Onion in the name of Onion. In this concert, we sing together with the hit songs of memories such as "Small Bird"', "Last Star and Moon"and "Early Evening Star"' to announce the reorganization. From the end of this year, they will be on their own journeys such as "Onion Concert"' and "Onion Dinner Show"'. Mr. Lim says "reconstruction is a natural order."
"'Letter' is not a song of onions. It's a song of the people. If the people who sing, it's a singer's responsibility to end the song they sing. I'll finish it with the stage."
Written by Lee Kyung-hee and Photographed by Shin Dong-yeon
[Source: JoongAng Daily] [People] 'Onions' Harmony in 30 Years
--------------------------
CONCLUSION:
Onions have potential but hardly can make that potential hard from start to finish from what I heard on the first compilation. Certain tracks prove what they have. It's soft folk-pop with a mellow undertone but with a certain progressive potential of a folk-rock sound. The four tracks on the second compilation however show how they truly can be essential. I do not know yet where to search best. At their best they are a folk-rock or folk duo who uses some harmony vocals too. There are certain similarities to a duo like April & May or Twin Folio.
Korean pages at https://m.blog.naver.com/... & http://blog.daum.net/...
