buy it
I wanted to love this CD. An old Japanese psych reissue produced by Velvet Underground and Dylan producer Tom Wilson, this disc looked like it had a lot going for it. Even the artwork, featuring cartoon versions of Harumi and his pals traipsing through the forest dressed as Japanese peasants seemed to foretell rediscovered greatness. Yet there was a warning sign too--psych reissue label Fallout described the record as "a goldmine for sample hunters" in their promotional blurb. Faint praise indeed--after all, so is the latest Teletubbies record.

Listening to Harumi's self-titled, 1968 effort, I understood the reason for Fallout's understated promotions. Unfortunately, the record does not live up to its promise. Not because the recording quality is surprisingly poor (any frequent reader knows I like lo-fi 60s releases). Not because Harumi trades on the exotic potential of his ethnicity in the meandering mysticism of "Samurai Memories" (I'm all for that sort of thing too). No, this is not a good record because the songs are weak and the "mystical" parts are boring.