Closed Town / Carmen Maki & OZ Lyrics: Tsuyoshi Kajiki Music composed by Hirofumi Kasuga From their (2nd album)" Closed Town" (Released on July 10, 1976 Kitty Records Japan) (English translation of the rough meaning of the Japanese lyrics) Closed in this town, above me, too, the sunset fell from that sky today As I was sitting on a high hill under the sunset sky, looking at your city The area where your house is located turned red. Unusually, there was no wind on the hill that day I could see the rotting corpse of a cat lying on the bank of the river over there. “Go home soon, your happy dream days must be over,” The bird of paradise who had forgotten how to fly said with a forced laugh... Today, too, I can hear the sound of someone blowing a grass whistle from somewhere. Listening to the sound of that, I always kept thinking “Someday I'm going to change the color of this city.” And as I was thinking that thought, the city began to glow with the color of a mirror Smiling and pointing to that sky, at my fingertips Your house sinks into the sunset without a trace Before I know it, my body is also tinted with the color of sunset My shadow appears on the horizon in a sad gesture Carmen Maki & OZ (1976) Vocals: Carmen Maki (Maki Annette Lovelace) Guitars: Hirofumi Kasuga Bass: Shigeyuki Kawakami Keyboards: Masafumi Kawasaki Drums: Yoshikazu Kudo Side A 1.INTRODUCTION 2.The Day before the Collapse_(HOKAI no ZENJITSU) 3.Clock without Pendulum_(FURIKO no NAI TOKEI) 4.Phoenix_ (HINOTORI) B-side 5.LOST LOVE 6. the Closed Town_(TOZASARETA MACHI) 7.EPILOGUE All music composed by Hirofumi Kasuga, (except A2, Hirofumi Kasuga & Shigeyuki Kawakami) All lyrics by Tsuyoshi Kajiki (Daddy Takechiyo) (except A4, Yuko Kurihara & Tsuyoshi Kajiki) Arranged by OZ & Eric Scott Produced by Shohei Kaneko & Eric Scott Recording Engineer: Kevin Ayers Mix Engineer: Dee Robb Recording Studio: Cherokee Recording Studio L.A. California in 1976. 〇Carmen Maki / Maki Annette Lovelace Maki was born in Kanagawa Japan in 1951. Her father is American and her mother is Japanese. In 1969, age 18, she made her debut as a solo singer in Japan with "Sometimes Like a Child Without a Mother" (lyrics: Shuji Terayama, music: Michiru Tanaka). It suddenly became a million hits in Japan, and she participated in NHK's KOHAKU annual song contest at the end of the year,and she became famous singer in Japan. But next year in 1970, she declared turn to Rock Singer, and next in 1971 she released an album "Carmen Maki / Blues Creation" with "the Blues Creation" led by guitarist Kazuo Takeda. The collaboration ended with the release of only one album. On this album, she made it clear that she was a Rock Singer, not a folk singer. In 1972, she met guitarist Hirofumi Kasuga who was 18 years old at the time and formed "Carmen Maki & OZ". Three years later, they released their first album in 1975, their second "Closed Town" in 1976, "Carmen Maki & OZ III" in 1977, disbanded in October 1977, and released their live show as "Carmen Maki & OZ LAST LIVE" in 1978. The OZ’s first album attracted attention due to Maki's name recognition in Japan, singing ability and charisma, and became an unusual million hit for a Japan rock album of that time. OZ played more modern rock in the 70's than “Blues Creation”, with heavy, hard, and progressive songwriting rather than the sound of Kazuo Takeda's blues-rock tendencies, partly due to Hirofumi Kasuga composition. It's surprising that OZ was already born in Japan before the NWOBHM movement and Metal genre were born in the World. It was very unfortunate that they couldn't have the opportunity to be released in Europe and the United States, for world market at that time, ended up buried only in domestic sales Japan. In Japan Maki has continued to influence the power vocal styles of later “Show-ya / keiko Terada” and current Japanese female Metal Bands Vocal style. Keiko Terada is a fan of Carmen Maki, and their song “I am storm / ARASHI” is a famous answer to OZ's “I am wind/ KAZE”. “Japanese Female Metal Rock history has Started with the arrival of “Queen” Carmen Maki..”
OZの音楽に支えられていた当時を思い出します😂やっぱり今聴いても最高🎉❤
やーぁ、もう40年以上前かな？盛んに彼らのLP聴いてた。
懐かしいよ、
今の若い人達にも聴いて欲しいな。
この年頃のマキOZバンドは最強❗茂ちゃんの和音ベースは鳥肌もんです🦾
文句無しの日本のロッククイーンだったマキさんカッコ良い〜🎶🎸🎤❤😂
この当時、ホントにホントに大好きでした！
今また映像を見ることができて夢のようです。
シゲさんのベース、大好きです。マキさんのヴォーカル、現在までずっと聴き続けています。チャッピーさんのドラムもずっと好きです。春日さんも、結局全員好きで聴き続けているんですけどね。現在の活躍も素晴らしいと思います。これからも聴き続けていくでしょう。
この曲が表題の閉ざされた街ってアルバムジャケットも内容もオズの最高傑作だと思います🎉
時代的にディープ・パープル風の曲が多かった中にあって、この曲はブラックサバス風で好きでした。人間椅子に演奏して欲しいですね。
懐かしい…。涙出る…。
最高です。
最高だぁ〜！
Makiさんかっこいいです
Gah damn! This never gets old 🤩🤩🤩
What a great fucking rock band ! 💟
Carmen Maki is the shit, she's like a female Klaus Meine from the Scorpions but calling her that is underrated
ＮＨＫロックフェスティバル
での演奏ですかね？
春日さんのギターが凄かった
ですね
クリエーションの竹田さんも
凄いけど春日さんの演奏時の
スタイルが又独特でしたよね
Closed Town / Carmen Maki & OZ
Lyrics: Tsuyoshi Kajiki
Music composed by Hirofumi Kasuga
From their (2nd album)" Closed Town" (Released on July 10, 1976 Kitty Records Japan)
(English translation of the rough meaning of the Japanese lyrics)
Closed in this town, above me, too, the sunset fell from that sky today
As I was sitting on a high hill under the sunset sky, looking at your city
The area where your house is located turned red.
Unusually, there was no wind on the hill that day
I could see the rotting corpse of a cat lying on the bank of the river over there.
“Go home soon, your happy dream days must be over,”
The bird of paradise who had forgotten how to fly said with a forced laugh...
Today, too, I can hear the sound of someone blowing a grass whistle from somewhere.
Listening to the sound of that, I always kept thinking
“Someday I'm going to change the color of this city.”
And as I was thinking that thought, the city began to glow with the color of a mirror
Smiling and pointing to that sky, at my fingertips
Your house sinks into the sunset without a trace
Before I know it, my body is also tinted with the color of sunset
My shadow appears on the horizon in a sad gesture
Carmen Maki & OZ (1976)
Vocals: Carmen Maki (Maki Annette Lovelace)
Guitars: Hirofumi Kasuga
Bass: Shigeyuki Kawakami
Keyboards: Masafumi Kawasaki
Drums: Yoshikazu Kudo
Side A
1.INTRODUCTION
2.The Day before the Collapse_(HOKAI no ZENJITSU)
3.Clock without Pendulum_(FURIKO no NAI TOKEI)
4.Phoenix_ (HINOTORI)
B-side
5.LOST LOVE
6. the Closed Town_(TOZASARETA MACHI)
7.EPILOGUE
All music composed by Hirofumi Kasuga, (except A2, Hirofumi Kasuga & Shigeyuki Kawakami)
All lyrics by Tsuyoshi Kajiki (Daddy Takechiyo) (except A4, Yuko Kurihara & Tsuyoshi Kajiki)
Arranged by OZ & Eric Scott
Produced by Shohei Kaneko & Eric Scott
Recording Engineer: Kevin Ayers
Mix Engineer: Dee Robb
Recording Studio: Cherokee Recording Studio L.A. California in 1976.
〇Carmen Maki / Maki Annette Lovelace
Maki was born in Kanagawa Japan in 1951.
Her father is American and her mother is Japanese.
In 1969, age 18, she made her debut as a solo singer in Japan
with "Sometimes Like a Child Without a Mother"
(lyrics: Shuji Terayama, music: Michiru Tanaka).
It suddenly became a million hits in Japan, and she participated in NHK's KOHAKU annual song contest at the end of the year,and she became famous singer in Japan.
But next year in 1970, she declared turn to Rock Singer, and next in 1971 she released an album "Carmen Maki / Blues Creation" with "the Blues Creation" led by guitarist Kazuo Takeda.
The collaboration ended with the release of only one album.
On this album, she made it clear that she was a Rock Singer, not a folk singer.
In 1972, she met guitarist Hirofumi Kasuga who was 18 years old at the time
and formed "Carmen Maki & OZ".
Three years later, they released their first album in 1975,
their second "Closed Town" in 1976, "Carmen Maki & OZ III" in 1977, disbanded in October 1977, and released their live show as "Carmen Maki & OZ LAST LIVE" in 1978.
The OZ’s first album attracted attention due to Maki's name recognition in Japan, singing ability and charisma, and became an unusual million hit for a Japan rock album of that time.
OZ played more modern rock in the 70's than “Blues Creation”, with heavy, hard, and progressive songwriting rather than the sound of Kazuo Takeda's blues-rock tendencies, partly due to Hirofumi Kasuga composition.
It's surprising that OZ was already born in Japan before the NWOBHM movement and Metal genre were born in the World.
It was very unfortunate that they couldn't have the opportunity to be released in Europe and the United States, for world market at that time, ended up buried only in domestic sales Japan.
In Japan Maki has continued to influence the power vocal styles of later “Show-ya / keiko Terada” and current Japanese female Metal Bands Vocal style.
Keiko Terada is a fan of Carmen Maki, and their song “I am storm / ARASHI” is a famous answer to OZ's “I am wind/ KAZE”.
“Japanese Female Metal Rock history has Started with the arrival of “Queen” Carmen Maki..”
ユーライアヒープの影響力かな
当時日本では大人気だったよね
それにしても春日博文すげえギタリストだ。
あああ---なんて泣かせるストラトキャスターの音なんだ！
ウリやリッチーにも負けてねえぜ。
曲の展開が浮世離れしてるのが、当時の日本で異質だったと記憶してます。外国かぶれをぶっとばしましたね。
私はやっぱりストラスキャスターが最高❗️アイボリーの。
ラッキーのピアノ・ハモンドこのバンドにマッチしてましたね！
作詞が竹千代さん
太厲害了 整整跑在歌德搖滾前面二三十年
リアルタイムで聴かなかったけマジにいいね！OZ.。
70年代の日本ロックの四人囃子も「二人」になり、「フュージョン」とは云われたが「インストルメンタル・ロック」のプリズムは、和田アキラが死去して事実上LIVEはない。ロックがクラシックになった！？
世界レベルのクオリティ
😂🎉