Char by Char - 1976

I've said before that Japan has no shortage of guitar legends, one of the best ones from the 70s has to be Hisato Takenaka（竹中尚人）, who would be known more famously by his stage name, Char. Born in 1955 in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, Char started his musical journey learning piano in elementary school. It wasn't until he was inspired by Eric Clapton, that he would end up hooked on the guitar at 8 years old. In junior high, Char began work as a session guitarist, and at 17, he formed the band Smoky Medicine in 1973 with Mari Kaneko. Although the band only lasted a year, it garnered much media attention. In '76, Char eventually signed up with Canyon Records and released his debut single "Navy Blue" followed by his debut album CHAR which came out in September of that year. The album featured composer and keyboardist, Jun Sato, as well as various American sessions musicians like Rob Brill (drums), George Mastrich (bass), and keyboardist Jerry Margosian, who also provided lead vocals on two of the album's songs,  "It's Up to You"  and "I Tried".

THE MUSIC

1. Shinin' You, Shinin' Day ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2.  かげろう  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. It's Up To You ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. 視線 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
5.  Navy Blue ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6.  Smoky ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7.  I've Tried ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8.  空模様のかげんが悪くなる前に ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
9.  かげろう ⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE VERDICT

Char's eponymous album is a fantastic introduction to one of Japan's premier guitar heroes. Showcasing a unique blend of jazzy, bluesy, psychedelic-funk rock reminiscent of Cream and The Sons of Chaplin, with a dash of Jimi Hendrix. Some of my favorite songs include "Shining You, Shining Day", a summary Sunshine-Pop shuffle not unlike something from Lovin' Spoonful. There's also "Kagerou", a funky jazz-rock number that features some awesome Stevie Wonder-style clavinet playing and a breezy backing chorus. The album is also littered with epic, groovy guitar solos, my favorites being in the fast-paced funk number, "Smokey", which sounds like Jeff Beck going into hyper speed, and the sorrowful countertop blues ballad, "I Tried", sang by  Jerry Margosian . Speaking of which, man, did Jerry sure as heck take me to church on both of his songs. Char himself is no slouch of a singer either, showing off his soulful singing chops in both English and Japanese. Both singer's have a vocal style reminiscent of Bill Chaplin, who I'm a big fan of.  If you are someone who loves 70's rock, then this is the album for you. CHAR is one of the few Japanese albums from the 70s that I would say could have hung with the best of its western counterparts.