This was their first studio album in four years since their last album, "Endless Talking", and their first release since moving to EPIC/SONY RECORDS.
This work was the result of sessions and collaborations with Arabian musicians, with an inclination towards the 'world music' that was gaining attention at the time.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Haruomi Hosono, except where noted
Hosono was watching NHK Nodo Jiman in 1988 and could not forget the song Esashi Oiwake sung by then 14-year-old Kimura Kasumi from HokkaidoEsashi Town, so he sought her out and recorded it a cappella.[1]
Hosono himself says: "A compilation of quotations, a ghost band of ghost musicians"; the names Les Paul and Duke Ellington are credited, but this is a simulation, not an actual performance and recording.
RETORT
The lyrics are included on the lyric card, but the singer himself explains, "I can't sing it very well, so I'm hoping someone will record a song version of it for me one day." He explains,.[2]
A song version self-cover was included as "Retort - Vu Ja De ver." (M11) on his album Vu Jà Dé, released in 2017.
LAUGH-GAS
The lyrics are in French and the song is sung by "Amina Ben Mustapha".[2]
KORENDOR
Image of "a deranged alien playing piano in the Japanese countryside", according to the man himself.
