Various Artists - Nippon Girls Vol. 2: Japanese Pop, Beat & Rock ’N’ Roll 1966-70 - Vinyl LP Record

Few guessed it would become one of our top sellers of recent years, but that's exactly what happened to 'Nippon Girls'. with that in mind, we've commissioned international girl-pop authority Sheila Burgel to compile a follow-up volume. Former Tokyo resident Sheila also provides the notes, which expertly guide US through our second journey into the wild world of female pop and beat, Japanese style. The collection is available in 24-track CD and 12-track 180 gm red vinyl LP formats. The CD's 20-page booklet and the LP's heavy-duty gatefold jacket are sumptuously illustrated with rare items from Sheila's collection. Leaving no stone unturned on her quest for groovy sounds, the LP version alone includes compelling tracks by Kayoko Ishuu, Reiko Mari, Mari Henmi, Katsuko Kanai, Akiko Wada, Akiko Nakamura, Kemeko Matsudaira, the Peanuts, Kazumi Yasui and cover girl Chiyo Okumura, none of whom featured on the first volume.

A companion to Ace/Big Beat's 2009 Nippon Girls collection, Nippon Girls, Vol. 2: Japanese Pop, Beat & Rock 'n' Roll is the equal to its predecessor, digging up 24 aggressively stylish tracks cut in the back half of the '60s. There may be a temptation to dismiss this as the province of camp, both in its creation and Western consumption, but Nippon Girls, Vol. 2 feels fresh due to familiar elements shuffled around and reassembled in startling ways. This is nearly cut-and-paste pop, with go-go beats married to call-and-response vocals, a slow jazz vamp that takes a sudden sunshine pop detour on the chorus, surf rock given a diva makeover, a Sir Douglas Quintet number that suddenly gets drenched in fuzz -- any number of unexpected combinations derived from these Japanese musicians' passion for American pop. Appropriately, any adventurous listeners with a thirst for the swinging sound of the '60s would be advised to give this comp a spin. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Track list:

A1 Kayoko Ishuu– Bazazz No. 1
A2 Reiko Mari– Saike Na Machi
A3 Linda Yamamoto– Furi Furi 5
A4 Mari Henmi– Daniel Mon Amour
A5 Chiyo Okumura– Koi Gurui
A6 Emy Jackson & Blue Comets– Namida No Go Go
B1 Katsuko Kanai– Mini Mini Girl
B2 Akiko Wada– Boy & Girl
B3 Kemeko Matsudaira– Watashi Ga Kemeko Yo
B4 Akiko Nakamura– Namida No Mori No Monogatari
B5 The Peanuts– Tokyo No Hito
B6 Kazumi Yasui– Warui Kuse