Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans - Rashomon (1996)

In 1972, Terauchi released another album deeply connected to film-making: Rashomon. Rashomon was the name of a novel written by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, but it is here the film inspired by it and directed by the great Akira Kurosawa that was in focus. Although it wasn’t a huge success in his home country, neither public nor critic, it was the film that suddenly made Westerners realize that Japanese knew how to make movies and make them like no one else. Terauchi’s Rashomon album is not a rendition of Fumio Hayasaka’s soundtrack but its own personal interpretation. Once again mixing traditional music and electric sounds, Terauchi comes up with a powerfully imaginative creation. This time, the mighty guitarist crosses all boundaries and frontiers, opening with a backward psyche recording, before letting a flute set the spirit of yesterdays and letting everything go wild with a magnificent frenzy guitar sound. At the time, King Records had big expectations for this record, even releasing it in quadraphonic. Sadly, Terauchi’s Rashomon suffered an almost similar fate to Akira Kurosawa’s one. Both were met without much panache during their original release but both raised to legendary status overseas. To the point that Terauchi’s album has been bootlegged at least twice in the West!

Guitar, Flute – Takeshi Terauchi
Second Guitar – Iwao Ishii
Bass – Hajime Shinjo
Drums – Shinichi Yamamoto
Flute – Tamotsu Osuga
Piano, Electric Organ – Kazushi Kiryu
Rhythm Guitar – Kaoru Ishii

Tracklist:
1-1 Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans - Rashomon [6:13]
1-2 Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans - Chidori [4:06]
1-3 Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans - Akegarasu [3:47]
1-4 Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans - Matsu No Midori [4:42]
1-5 Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans - Takesu [2:55]
1-6 Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans - Taki No Shiraito [3:21]
1-7 Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans - Narayama Bushiko [5:39]
1-8 Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans - Dannoura [4:26]
1-9 Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans - Yakkosan [2:30]
1-10 Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans - Fukagawa [3:19]
1-11 Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans - Hamachogashi [4:39]