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| In a Model Room | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 25, 1979 | |||
| Recorded | May – June 1979 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:28 | |||
| Language | Japanese, English | |||
| Label | Warner-Pioneer | |||
| Producer |
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| P-Model chronology | ||||
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| Singles from In a Model Room | ||||
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In a Model Room is the debut album of Japanese band P-Model. It was an electronic pop album, released in 1979 under the label, Warner Bros. [1]
By 1978, Susumu Hirasawa, guitarist and vocalist of Mandrake, one of the few Japanese progressive metal bands at the time, was unsatisfied with the style the band worked in, feeling that progressive rock had lost its social relevance and became solely for entertainment. [2] By then, Mandrake's only achievements were a devoted but extremely niche following by fans of Japanese progressive rock fans (who, by Hirasawa's estimate, totaled at only a few hundred people), and bit parts on releases by an all-synth band they'd befriended.
Around this time, the punk rock/new wave movements started in the west; experiencing these new forms of presenting concepts and visuals through music via promotional videos; most of the band went through a drastic change in outlook towards music, and started to write songs and gradually change their look accordingly. [3] [4]
Mandrake had turned into a half-hearted band and, after declining an offer to sign with Victor Music Industries, Hirasawa decided to "abort" Mandrake, characterizing it as the defeat to commercialism. The band's final live performance was a three-hour show at the Shibuya Jean-Jean, meant to be the symbolic burial of Mandrake's aborted body.
On New Year's Day 1979, the members of the band held a meeting to decide how they would reform. Bassist Tohru Akutu, still attached to progressive rock, decided to depart from the band. The instruments which "emitted a pretentious grandeur" (most of them painted in dignified colors like purple, gold and burgundy) were either repainted in bright colors (like yellow, light blue and pink) or sold off to buy ones more adequate for what the band envisioned. It was decided that their name would be changed to something that evoked the new development of a mass-produced industrial good. [5]
Most of the songs on the album were created by Mandrake late in the group's existence, which allowed for a quick debut release. The songs show a tendency for complex compositions and unusual time signatures. The lyrics reflect on the sociopolitical issues of Japan at the time, during the Japanese post-war economic miracle, and were influenced in part by Nineteen Eighty-Four. [6]
In a Model Room was produced by Masahide Sakuma, keyboardist of the new wave band Plastics with studio experience from being in the progressive rock band Yonin-Bayashi , who agreed to do so on the strength of the album's first track. [7] Described by Hirasawa as "an honest man who acted with a life-sized air of cleanliness", Sakuma was swiftly trusted by the band, who were cautious with making their debut. [8] Producing for the first time outside of his band, Sakuma went on to become a renowned session producer.
The instrumentation is a mix of standard punk with electronic devices for mechanical tones: A Roland CR-68 drum machine does simultaneous beats alongside a standard drum kit; the Maxi-Korg 800DV synthesizer was used for a unique blipping noise, dubbed by the music press as a "musical stapler". [9] [10] P-Model came to argue with Warner-Pioneer, Sakuma and engineer Makoto Furukawa daily over their instruments: The band picked them because they felt a rough sound was crucial to their theme, the production thought it all sounded bad. [11] [12] Ultimately, P-Model compromised on most aspects of the recording. [13]
Hirasawa re-recorded the album (with the exception of "Sophisticated") in 1999 as Virtual Live-1 [P-Model Live at Roppongi S-Ken Studio 1979].
In 2007 Rolling Stone Japan ranked it at number 52 in its list of the 100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time and Snoozer ranked it at number 125 in its list of the 150 Greatest Albums of Japanese Rock 'n' Roll. [14] Polysics covered "The Great Brain" for the 2007 album Karate House and have performed "Art Mania" live. A cover of "Art Mania" using Kagamine Rin is included on the Hatsune Miku sings NEW WAVE cover album.
All tracks are written by Susumu Hirasawa, except where noted
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Art Mania" (美術館で会った人だろBijutsukan de Atta Hito Daro, Surely I Met You at the Art Museum [15] ) | 3:09 | ||
| 2. | "Health Angel" (ヘルス・エンジェルHerusu Engeru) | Yasumi Tanaka | Tanaka | 2:32 |
| 3. | "Roomrunner" (ルームランナーRūmurannā, Treadmill) | Tanaka | Tanaka | 2:32 |
| 4. | "Sophisticated" (ソフィスティケイテッドSofisutikeiteddo) | 4:26 | ||
| 5. | "For Kids" (子供たちどうもKodomotachi Dōmo) | Yūichi Hirasawa | 3:31 | |
| 6. | "Kameari Pop" | 3:56 | ||
| 7. | "Sunshine City" (サンシャイン・シティーSanshain Shitī) | Y. Hirasawa | Tanaka | 2:03 |
| 8. | "The Great Brain" (偉大なる頭脳Idainaru Zunō) | Fumiyasu Abe (uncredited), S. Hirasawa | 2:03 | |
| 9. | "White Cigarettes" (ホワイト・シガレットHowaito Shigaretto) | 3:15 | ||
| 10. | "Pinky Trick" (MOMO色トリックMOMO Iro Torikku) | 3:18 | ||
| 11. | "Art Blind" (アート・ブラインドĀto Buraindo) | 2:39 |
The figure of "Art Mania" is a modification of a phrase from the 1952 Poly e Seus Modernistas song "Turista" (written by Ângelo Apolônio ), based on a 1963 cover by The Atlantics. "The Great Brain" is a reworking of a section of the 1973 Mandrake song Deranged Door (錯乱の扉, Sakuran no Tobira) (officially unreleased at the time, credited to Fumiyasu Abe when released on 1997's Unreleased Materials vol. 1). "White Cigarettes" contains an interpolation of the Arabian riff (believed to originate from a 17th century traditional Algerian song, published as part of various other compositions by various other musicians over time).
Two other songs were considered for the album: The Hirasawa-penned "Alien" (異邦人, Ihōjin) and the Tanaka piece "White Shoes" (ホワイト・シューズ, Howaito Shuuzu). The former, at times part of Mandrake setlists, was considered too heavy and "not the sound you want out of a pink album"; [16] it was later recorded, with new parts by Tanaka, for Landsale . The latter was first publicly released as BGM for the end credits of the Photon-1 video in 1989.
| Date | Label(s) | Format | Catalog | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 25, 1979 | Warner-Pioneer | LP | K-10017W | First limited print run was pressed on clear pink vinyl. [17] The center labels refer to the sides of the record as "Models". |
| CS | LKF-5029 | |||
| January 25, 1992 | Warner Music Japan | CD | WPCL-603 | Released (alongside Landsale and Potpourri ) a month before the release of P-Model . |
| May 10, 2002 July 4, 2014 | Chaos Union, Teslakite | CHTE-0005 | Remastered by Hirasawa. Part of Disc 1 of the Ashu-on [Sound Subspecies] in the solar system box set, alongside Landsale. The demo and "White Shoes" are on Disc 13 (CHTE-0017). [18] Re-released with new packaging by Kiyoshi Inagaki. | |
| October 20, 2003 | Warner Music Japan, sky station, SS RECORDINGS | SS-101 | Packaged in a paper sleeve to replicate the original LP packaging. Includes new liner notes by music industry writer Dai Onojima. |
Susumu Hirasawa is a Japanese musician and composer. He is well known for his work for the films of director Satoshi Kon and the animated adaptations of the Berserk manga series, alongside his work as a solo artist.
P-Model was a Japanese electronic rock band started in 1979 by members of the defunct progressive rock band Mandrake. The band has experienced many lineup revisions over the years but frontman Susumu Hirasawa was always at the helm of operations. P-Model officially disbanded in 2000, although many of its members continue to release solo albums and collaborate with each other on different projects.
Potpourri is the third album of Japanese band P-Model.
Aurora is Susumu Hirasawa's fourth solo album.
Technique of Relief is the seventh solo album by Susumu Hirasawa.
Sim City is a 1995 album by Japanese musician and composer Susumu Hirasawa. It is his fifth solo album.
Philosopher's Propeller is the eighth solo album by Susumu Hirasawa, the first to be completely self-released.
Water in Time and Space is Susumu Hirasawa's first solo album.
P-Model made a demo in 1979 to obtain a recording contract; it features 2 songs, each one being composed by Susumu Hirasawa and Yasumi Tanaka, P-Model's main songwriters at the time. The band negotiated with 8 record labels, in the end, they chose to sign a contract with Warner-Pioneer, all P-MODEL releases from 1979 to 1981 were handled by Warner-Pioneer, including In A Model Room, the album where both of these songs were included. Hirasawa also gave a copy to Plastics keyboardist Masahide Sakuma after a Plastics show after asking him to produce In a Model Room, which Sakuma accepted. Due to the demo nature of the recordings, they are rawer and punkier than the studio recorded versions. The demo was released by Hirasawa's SYUN label in 1994 as a bonus for those who bought both OOPARTS and Pause, the first release of the SYUN label. The demo was remastered by Hirasawa and re-released on the Ashu-on [Sound Subspecies] in the solar system box set on 10 May 2002; it was put on CD 13, with SCUBA RECYCLE, Air on the Wiring and the In a Model Room outtake WHITE SHOES.
Another Game is the fifth studio album by P-Model.
One Pattern is a 1986 album by P-Model and the last before the band's hiatus in 1988.
Siren is the sixth solo album by Susumu Hirasawa.
Archetype | 1989–1995 Polydor years of Hirasawa is Susumu Hirasawa's fourth compilation album.
Phonon 2555 Vision is a live video album by Susumu Hirasawa. It contains recordings of the Phonon 2555 shows from 2012, part of the "Phonon" series of Hirasawa concerts. The number on the title represents the year of the performance on the Thai solar calendar.
Fune is the tenth studio album by P-Model and the first by its "revised" lineup.
Scuba is an album by the Japanese new wave band P-Model. It is different from other P-Model albums in that it was made almost entirely made by guitarist Susumu Hirasawa alone and for its original issue in the cassette book format: the album was packaged with an 84-page booklet that contained techniques to induce rapid eye movement sleep and hypnosis, the lyric story expanded Scuba Monogatari, photos of the involved band members in a coastal area that illustrated the stories, and an interview with The Stalin vocalist Michiro Endo.
Electronic Tragedy: Enola, stylized as Electronic Tragedy/〜ENOLA, is the eleventh studio album by P-Model and the second by its "revised" lineup.
Music Industrial Wastes: P-Model or Die, stylized as Music Industrial Wastes〜P-MODEL OR DIE, is the twelfth studio album by P-Model, the third by its "revised" lineup and the final one for the band overall.
Mandrake (マンドレイク) was a Japanese progressive rock band formed in Tokyo in 1973. One of the few Japanese groups active during the genre's heyday, they distinguished themselves by developing a style of their own, harder than the jazz fusion hybrid most other Japanese groups played.
The following is the solo discography of Susumu Hirasawa, Japanese musician and composer. Since the beginning of his professional activities in 1973, Hirasawa has produced a prolific number of recordings, with a constant stream of releases since 1978, under his own name as well as multiple bands and side projects. See Mandrake, P-Model and Shun (band) for more output.
