KOREAN PSYCH-ROCK & ACID FOLK reissues : Yang Hee-Eun

SJH mvdYu Seok Suh & He Eun Yang (KO,1973)****°

Airplayed : Tr.6, "Your dream" 5 min (HEY)

Classic reissue with very beautiful folkpsych/rock songs. The first track, from Yu Seok Suh is one of my real favourites.

Folkie Jin : "Seo Yoo-Seock Shin Jung Hyun songs collection. From this record only the side A songs were reissued only CD format together with the Yang Hee Eun records in 2003. Side A songs are Shin Jung Hyun's songs ; Side B are other music writers songs. I think that this record is a good folk rock or psychedelic folk album from Korea."

audio track 9

Hee Eun Yang : Review : http://www.weiv.co.kr/review_view.asp?code=album&num=1774

Korean info on http://themen.musicchain.net/...

Some items from Yang Hee Eun : http://hot.asiamusic.net/artist.asp?mode=view&num=70

Discography : http://haizea.com.ne.kr/yhe01disco.htm

Folkie Jin introduction to Korean folk/pop:/rock

Korea had a Folk scene in the 70's too. But it only had few folk rock albums then. Mostly Korean folk singers were influenced by American folk singers (Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, Peter Paul and Mary, Joan Baez etc.). So almost folk singers belong to modern folk. Only a few singers tried add western folk music (mostly American folk) to traditional standards.

Only occasionally folk rock was made by a rock musician. This musician was Shin Jung-Hyun. I think there was no another musician like him in Korea. He made three psychedelic folk rock albums with folk singers.

First is Kim Jung-Mi's "Now"(1973) and Seo Yoo-Seok's "Shin Jung-Hyun Jakpeangok jip" (Shin Jun-Hyun songs collection, 1973) and Yang Hee-Eun's "Shin Jung-Hyun Jakpeangok jip"(1973). I think that he was interested about adding psychedelic music to folk music by the year 1973. Both albums (Seo Yu-seok and Yang Hee-Eun) were made only sides A by Shin Jung-Hyun. Sides B were composed by other composers. These records were a new experiment for the Korean Folk history.

Yang Hee-Eun is a famous female folk singer and early her albums songs are all Korean folk godfather Kim Min Gi's songs. But at this album she meets Shin Jung Hyun. So her voice of this album is a different than her other albums. Her voice is a dry voice with no feelings at this album. Shin Jung Hyun was interested to combine Western music with Korean traditional rhythm at this time. So this album is combination music of Western folk music plus Korean traditional rhythm and Psychedelic sounds. But nobody tried such experiment like Shin Jung- Hyun ever since. I think that it is a very sorrowful thing. Also featuring here is Professor Lee Kyo Suk played the harp at this album. (He taught music theories to Shin Jun Hyun).

Yejeon Media Music Yang Hee-Eun -1st album- (SK,1971,re.2011)**°

This is a nice, rather good folk-pop album of the kind of acoustic songwriter with guitar. One of the songs, the third, has some Korean song flavour. It also includes various covers like “Plaisir D'Amour”, partly sung in English, partly in Korean, ”Puff”, ”Seven Daffodils” another beautiful tearful song arranged with two picking guitars. The part with Korean lyrics strangely enough sound better or a bit more emotionally strong/fitting compared to the still fine English part. Further we have ”Try To Remember”, ”Both Sides Now”(Joni Mitchell) with a slightly changed version, also partly in English and Korean, and ”All My Trials Lord”. As far as I heard well Yang Hee Eun started to become popular in the universities. But the choice on the album still suffered from government control. The songs could never be safe enough, and the album was taken off the market for many years to come.

Folkie Jin : "Yang Hee-Eun is a called the Korean Joan Baez, especially her second album is a lovely female voice and pastoral folk music with a little Jazz approach. I personally think that the (1972) record is a best of best korean female folk music in 1970th Korea."

Full discography : http://www.maniadb.com/artist.asp?p=106891&o=d

iTunes Yang Hee Eun : title ? (SK,1974,re.2008)***°

A nice, charming, unpretentious and inspired songwriter folk album with attention to the additional arrangements in some songs. Some of the most heartfelt, mostly a bit more sad, and most original songs keep the foundation of guitar picking(s) with voice(s) with not much more added. Track 5 this is with an additional male voice for some harmonies. Some lalalaa's in some songs too. Track 3 is a bit more mellow, like an adult lullaby (track 3), but within acceptable proportion within the song collection. In general the songs are well sung with convincing voice, nice pickings and fine arrangements. These arrangements include strings and reed instruments with some studio band on drums, electric bass and electric rhythm guitar. The ninth and more up tempo track is a rock song with the electric band only and with some electric organ arrangements. This track has some small electric guitar solo (with organ / drums) and short distorted wah-wah ending. The last track is a light and almost funny waltz instrumental led by two acoustic guitars, and some instruments leading the solo, one by one, like by a wahwah-trumpet, organ, oboe, Hammond organ, Moog synth, while relaxed rhythm leads the track (-triangle accents and shakers included-). For the moment the album is available on Itunes only.

Audio : http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/id359713823

http://askakorean.blogspot.com/2010/04/50-most-influential-k-pop-artists_27.html :

(about the importance of) Yang Hee-Eun, 1971 :

"In 15 words or less: Perhaps the greatest female folk rock singer.

Maybe she should have been ranked because… See above.

She was not ranked because… Much of her success was fueled by Kim Min-Gi who composed her songs. Kim deserves the rank."