| Karkador | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 25, 1985 | |||
| Recorded | Tokyo, 1985 | |||
| Studio | Various
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:38 | |||
| Label | Alfa, Edge | |||
| Producer | Akiro "Kamio" Arishima | |||
| P-Model chronology | ||||
| ||||
Karkador is the sixth album by the Japanese electronic rock band P-Model, and the first where frontman Susumu Hirasawa was the sole remaining founding member.
Karkador was mainly inspired by the dreams of P-Model's vocalist Susumu Hirasawa. He had been seeing a Jungian counselor, as he was in a troubled mental state at the time. The counselor suggested that he record his dreams in a notebook to aid his recovery. He developed a narrative and lyrics for the album based on those notes.
Sadatoshi Tainaka, the band's original drummer, decided to leave after the previous tour's conclusion. He was replaced by Yasuhiro Araki, a huge fan of P-Model who had formerly played in a punk rock band. The band got signed to Alfa Records's sub-label for underground acts Edge, which allowed them to use Alfa's studios and mixing equipment, which was far better than what they had access to during their independent period.
In addition to Hirasawa's journal, P-Model used songwriting contributions from their keyboardist Shunichi Miura and bassist Tadahiko Yokogawa. Hirasawa and Yokogawa had equal creative control over the band, though Yokogawa has said that his influence on the album was somewhat nuanced. [1] Although the album has a new wave style much like 1984's Scuba , it also includes a wider array of sounds; mixing live drumming with programmed drumming, march-styled rhythms, and classical instruments. The band tried to keep the album raw, with Yokogawa hoping add some raw explosive power to the material, resulting in a brighter, more upbeat sound than recent efforts. [1]
Hirasawa had many ideas in regards to the sound of the album, but faced issues with engineering. He wanted Karkador to sound "underground", feeling that in-house engineer at Gok Studio Yoshiaki Kondo was best for the job. Kondo worked on some recordings, making the drums purposefully messy, [2] but his work was altered by an Alfa in house mixing engineer—who only worked on the album due to company policy—without Hirasawa's consent. [1] Miura had doubts as to the direction that P-Model was taking and left the band [3] alongside Yokogawa, who felt that touring in support of the album was too rigorous. [1] Due to their departure, half of the album was never performed live after from 1986 onwards.
All tracks are written by Susumu Hirasawa, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Karkador" | 2:58 | ||
| 2. | "On the Organ-Yama" (オルガン山にてOrugan-Yama ni Te) | 3:13 | ||
| 3. | "Dance Subomp" (ダンス素凡夫Dansu Subonpu) | Hirasawa, Shunichi Miura | Miura, Tadahiko Yokogawa | 4:19 |
| 4. | "Cyborg" (サイボーグSaibōgu) | 3:33 | ||
| 5. | "1778-1985" | 4:14 | ||
| 6. | "Leak" | 4:19 | ||
| 7. | "Oar" (オールŌru) | Yokogawa | Yokogawa | 4:05 |
| 8. | "Hourglass" | Hirasawa, Yokogawa | 3:17 | |
| 9. | "Piper" | Yokogawa | 5:53 | |
| 10. | "Karçador" | 0:48 |
| Date | Label(s) | Format | Catalog | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 25, 1985 | Alfa Records, Edge Records | LP | ELR-28002 | |
| February 21, 1992 | CD | ALCA-258 | Released (alongside One Pattern) five days before the release of P-Model . [4] | |
| December 21, 1994 | Alfa Music, Edge Records | ALCA-9134 | Released 20 days after the debut show of the "Revised" P-Model. | |
| May 10, 2002 July 4, 2014 | Chaos Union, Teslakite | CHTE-0009 | Remastered by Hirasawa. Part of Disc 5 of the Ashu-on [Sound Subspecies] in the solar system box set, alongside phonosheet-only releases from 1983 & 1985, some of them by the members that played on this album. "Birds" is on the fan club exclusive Disc 0 (CHTE-0021). Re-released with new packaging by Kiyoshi Inagaki. | |
| July 25, 2007 April 12, 2012 | Sony Music Direct, GT Music | MHCL-1136 | Remastered, limited release. Packaged in a paper sleeve to replicate the original LP packaging. Re-pressing (without sticker to indicate packaging) sold only through Tower Records. |
Susumu Hirasawa is a Japanese musician and composer.
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.
P-Model is the eighth studio album by P-Model and the first by the "defrosted" lineup.
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.
Landsale is P-Model's second album.
Potpourri is the third album of Japanese band P-Model.
Aurora is Susumu Hirasawa's fourth solo album.
Sim City is a 1995 album by Japanese musician and composer Susumu Hirasawa. It is his fifth solo album.
The Ghost In Science is Susumu Hirasawa's second solo album.
Water in Time and Space is Susumu Hirasawa's first solo album.
Virtual Rabbit is Susumu Hirasawa's third solo album.
Big Body is the ninth studio album by P-Model and the second by the band's "defrosted" lineup.
Shun was a Japanese experimental sampling unit created by Susumu Hirasawa. The group was active from 1983 to 1987, although it was never officially ended, and was revived by Hirasawa in 1994 to 1996.
Perspective is P-Model's fourth album.
One Pattern is a 1986 album by P-Model and the last before the band's hiatus in 1988.
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.
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.
