박재란 - Park Jae-Ran
This is one of the only releases I found that show how also the late 50s / early 60s sounded like at it’s best.
The accompanying orchestra on the first 2/3rds of the album is eastern-based Hollywood-abroad ballroom entertainment that is just to a small degree comparable to the Shanghai / Hong Kong scene. You can also hear some Korean folk influence, chachacha’s, twists, waltzes and much more and a good charming voice. Some of these early recordings have electric guitar rhythms too. Such tracks are surprisingly good.
There are also some very happy songs included. Most of the last parts have Hawaiian guitars, of which the first with high voice is also very special. The third one even has an element of yodelling. Also this part is highly charming and highly enjoyable.
I wonder how much more of this kind of music was reissued. For me this album was the first of this kind I discovered of this kind. Recommended.
From the Korean pages I have learned that this singer was also involved in acting.
Tracks in this compilation:
(CD) 박재란 - 힛트앨범 Recorded 1959-1965 (Digipack)
2014-03-07도미도레코-드會社, 뮤직리서치
(MRCD-1401, 8809154802971)
Remastered, Digipack
1.님 (창살없는 감옥) / Nim (Grateless Jail) (?)
2. 아리랑 트위스트 / Arirang twist -twist-
3. 십리도 못가요 / I can't go to it
4. 명랑한 가정 / A cheerful family -twist-
5. 낙엽 부르스 / Deciduous Blues
* 6. 둘이서 트위스트 / 둘이서 트위스트 / Twist for two. -twist-
7. 아리랑눈물고개 / Arirang Tears
8. 아베크 1키로 / 아베크 1키로 / Abeck 1 kilo (?)
9. 또 다시 만납시다 / Let's meet again
* 10. 사랑은 싫어 / I hate love. -like Marlyn Monroe-
* 11.럭키모닝 / Lucky Morning
12. 푸른날개 / Blue wings
13. 맹꽁이 타령 / A batter (?)
* 14. 산넘머 남촌에는 / In the mountainous village. -Hawaiian-
15. 사랑은두번다시아니하오리다 / Love twice again. -Hawaiian-
* 16. 안녕하신가 / Hello. -Hawaiian/ yodeling-
17. 창앞에 궂은비 내릴때 / When it rains in front of the window. -Hawaiian-
Tracks with * I consider essential listens or classics, also very suitable for western radioshow airplay. Tracks that are only underlined can be considered great tracks as well, but I am not sure how essential they are. For this album it was somewhat more difficult to pick out the true highlights and must check outs.
`Other tracks can be found here:
도미도 베스트 컬렉션 100 VOL.1 / 50-60 Domido
CD2 1 럭키모닝 / Lucky Morning (already listed)
CD3 8 산넘어 남촌에는 / Beyond the mountains. (already listed)
CD4 1 님 (창살없는 감옥) / Nim (Grateless Jail) (?) (already listed)
CD4 14 둘이서 트위스트 / Twist for Two (already listed)
"Lucky Morning" I assume is a cover (with the original English title kept in the lyrics). It is a happy, nicely arranged song. I could not find the original. Original or not, it sound like a classic. "Beyond the Mountains" is very different and is led by a slide-guitar like Hawaiian theme. Also this is successful in its result. "Nim" within a slow dance rhythm once more shows an entirely other musical aspect, but its slower rhythm and progress does not make it a favourite of mine. In "Twist for Two" you hear how other styles appear and are adapted here too. Also this might not be an entirely big success number it is nice to hear how it enters new eras and still evolves with all of what its times offer extra.
가요(歌謠) 박물관 / Music Museum Best 220
CD3-9 꽃피는 소녀 / Flower Girl (1964). -mambo
"Flower Girl" is a mambo-like inspiration without much attention to the follow up of the rhythm, but used it as a means to write and sing a song.
CD4-2 행복의 샘터 / Fountain of Happiness (1964)
also with 이양일 / Yi Yang-Sun
This is a song which is started in singing with Yi Yang-Sun. It is a very slowly waltzing song, with a slowness which pulls you a bit down to a passive state I think rather than provoking the setting romance I think which is intended.
유성기로 듣던 가요사 두번째(1945~1960) / The second generation of Meteor
CD10-7 처녀일기(處女日記) / Maiden Diary
CD10-8 둘이서 트위스트 / Twist in two (already listed)
CD10-9 즐거운 목장(牧場) / Pleasant ranch
CD10-10 그대는 나의 넋 / You are my soul
CD10-11 바다가 되고 싶어요 / I want to be the sea
CD11-2 떠나지 않는 꿈 / A dream that never leaves
CD11-5 서라벌 달밤에 / At night
* CD12-10 님 / Sir
The recordings on these compilations often suffer a bit from the lack of adding a mastering process, so again it is not a preferable starter. A bit a shame, because "Maiden Diary is a good song. "Twist in Two" almost has more noise than sound, luckily we have it in a better version elsewhere. "Pleasant Ranch" is much better reserved and with great dynamics in sound. It is a very arranged almost filmic somewhat marching-like song. I assume it was from the time of the war. "you are my soul" is more trot mixed with a small flavor of jazz. On "I want to be the sea" Park's voice starts much lower in tone, being passionate in its own right. "A dream that never leaves" is voice loudly recorded with only a bit of piano and accordion is sad emotional song. It sounds very close to Nat King Cole's song "Nature Boy" but I am not sure if we have the same song here. The recording of "At Night" has some record recording flaws (repetitions because of a crack) and not only the crack should have been filtered out. The slow "Sir" is a good song too. I hope it receives a remastered update some day too.
박춘석 작곡집: 흑산도 아가씨/가슴 아프게 /
Park Chun Seok Composer Collection: Master Builder series [Disc 2]
* 10 아리랑 춘풍 / Arirang Spring Wind
12 대장군 고개 / High Warlord
This compilations luckily have remastered tracks of good quality. This one is dedicated to Park Chun Seok composer. You can hear a composed and fully arranged version of a Korean folk song, which this way here became modern pop, perfectly fit for Park Jae-Ra’s voice. “High Warlord” sound more like more common Trot music with Korean Folk elements and is less unusual.
백영호 작곡집_ 성난 독수리_지평선은 말이 없다 [Disc 2]
Baek, Young-ho Composer Collection: Master Builder series [Disc 2]
2 낙화암 / Nakhwa Rock
with 진송남 / Jin (Song) Nam
4 남자의 마음 / Men's Heart
10 못 잊을 그 얼굴 / That Face You Can't Forget
All three tracks on this compilation, "Nakhwa Rock" as a slow duet or "Men's Heart" as a trot-related song or the waltz-like last song are not revealing much of stronger underlying qualities and in that way remain a bit in the middle grey area of attracting automated attention only.
김인배 작곡집 Inbae Kim Composer Collection: Master Builder series [Disc 2]
6 항구 아가씨 / Harbor Girls
8 오동에 비가 울어 / The rain cries in paulownia
Like the previous release, "Harbour Girls" has not much extra to add. The second track has also rather tendencies to mainstream, it has somewhat distinctive accordion with strings arrangements.
Also available (but not checked is the following LP-release:
1960년대 최고의 디바 - 박재란의 초창기 녹음이 수록된 마스터 테이프가 발견되었는데, 디지털 마스터링 과정에서 음원의 부스팅이나 필터링 과정을 거치지 않아 소리의 왜곡을 최소화하여 원본과 가장 가까운 소리를 음반에 수록하는데 중점을 두었습니다. 1960년대 빈티지 사운드를 감상할 수 있는 또 하나의 명반입니다.
10인치 원본 아트웍 복원 400장 한정판매. * MRC SOUND Lab. 리마스터. LP reissue ; limited 400 copies edition
박재란을 스타덤에 올려놓은 명곡 ‘님(창살없는 감옥)’이 처음 수록된 것은 유성기 음반으로 1960년으로 추정된다. 이후 국내에도 LP 시대가 도래하면서 1960년대 초(1963년으로 추정) 유성기 시대의 히트곡 ‘님(창살없는 감옥), 둘이서 트위스트’를 포함 여러 곡을 추가하여 LP(10인치)를 발표한다. 이것이 ‘박재란 힛트앨범 제1집’인데 수록곡은 같으나 자켓 앞면 일러스트가 다른 두개의 버전으로 출시된바 있다. 이번에 재발매되는 번전은 좀처럼 보기 드문 초 희귀 버전이며 원본 마스터 테이프를 디지털 복원하여 최상의 음질로 출시되었다.
"Since Park Jae Ran's first hit in 1960 this had lifted her up to stardom. Since then several LP editions (10 inches) were released in the early 1960s (first edition estimated around 1963) with several songs including the hits of 'Yesterday's Jail' and 'Two Twist'. This is 'The 1st album of Park Jae-Ran' s hit album, the illustrations on the front of the jacket have been released in two different versions. The re-release is a limited edition. The original master tape was digitally restored to the highest quality."
Also available (but not checked is the following CD-release:
Oasis Records (CD) 박재란 - 오리지날 힛송 총결산집/ 님(창살없는 감옥)
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BIOGRAPHIES:
From Wikipedia:
Real name Lee Young Sook 李英淑 Born December 16, 1938 (age 80) ; Rigid Department of Japanese occupation Professional singer, songwriter, actor, Genre pop music, polka, waltz, jazz pop Musical instruments guitar, organ. Activity Period 1953 ~ Present Spouse Park Unyang (divorce) Family siblings are four sisters, one brother and one sister Father Lee Soo Chun (Organist) Mother Yoo, Sun-Nam (Protestant Choir) Two children: Second daughter Park Sung-shin (singer) Dropped out of Cheonan Girls' Middle School in Chungcheongnam-do ; Religious Protestants (Jewish Joint)
Born in Seoul. She grew up there after moving to Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do with her family in 1941 (4 years old), which was still under Japanese rule. In 1947, when she was 10 years old, she won his father's prize. In 1953, he made her debut at the 8th Army Underground Live Club under her real name, Lee Young-sook. Later, he was appointed by the organist and composer Park Tae-joon, who served Park Tae-joon as a teacher, enlisted the violinist and composer Kim Kwang-soo. Got. Her debut is from 1957, after which she had hit songs ever since including "Cricket Under the Garden", "Lucky Morning", "Cosmos Love", and "Straw Hat Ranch Girl". A year later, in 1958, he sang a series of hits in "The Namchon Beyond the Mountain '', composed by guitarist and composer Kim Dong-hyun, with the poem of Kim Dong-hwan. Then she had her debut as an actress. In the same year, in 1959, the American singer, guitarist and lyricist Burley Ives wrote and composed English lyrics in collaboration with Webley Edwards, an American poet and radio MC. The song was sung by Jeon-woo, who wrote the lyrics in Korean lyrics and sang “Pearl Shellfish” by Park Chun-seok. This song has become one of the most popular songs in Korea in the 1960s and 1970s.
Her second daughter, Park Sung-shin (November 22, 1968 to August 8, 2014) debuted at the MBC College Song Festival in 1987 with her first song, ``Reminisce'' a year later at the MBC Riverside Song Festival in 1988. The song won contest, and in the following year, she also had an all-time hit with the song ``One More Time ''.
