I: Ippu-Do / Masami Tsuchiya

10-13-09 I: Ippu-Do / Masami Tsuchiya

Ippu-Do:

LP LIVE AND ZEN EPIC/SONY JPN 35.3H-135/6

1984 13 TRKS Live; insert, LP + 12"

CD LUNATIC MENU EPIC/SONY JPN 35.8H-3

1982 11 TRKS

LP LUNATIC MENU EPIC/SONY JPN 28.3H-67

1982 11 TRKS insert, promo

LP NIGHT MIRAGE EPIC/SONY JPN 28.3H-94

1983 10 TRKS insert

LP NORMAL EPIC/SONY JPN 25.3H-16

1980 12 TRKS insert

LP RADIO FANTASY EPIC/SONY JPN 28.3H-42

1981 13 TRKS insert

LP REAL EPIC/SONY JPN 27.3H-25

1980 12 TRKS insert

LP SOME-TIMES EPIC/SONY JPN 28.3H-76

1982 11 TRKS insert, promo

CD VERY BEST OF EPIC/SONY JPN ESCB 1866

1998 18 TRK Collection

Masami Tsuchiya solo:

CD LIFE IN MIRRORS EPIC/SONY JPN 32.8H-141

1987 10 TRKS 'DDD'

CD RICE MUSIC EPIC/SONY JPN ESCB 1363

1982 10 TRKS with Toshio Nakanishi

LP RICE MUSIC EPIC NL EPC 85935

1982 10 TRKS with Toshio Nakanishi

CD TIME PASSENGER EPIC/SONY JPN 32.8H-5113

1989 9 TRKS

LP TOKYO BALLET EPIC/SONY JPN 28.3H-164

1985 10 TRKS insert

Some of you will know Masami Tsuchiya as the one-time guitarist for the British band, Japan. Others will have stumbled across Ippu-Do after experimenting with Y.M.O. and The Plastics or P-Model. Both Ippu-Do and Tsuchiya’s solo work will definitely appeal to fans of Japan / David Sylvian. That being said, the earliest work in this list, the “Normal” LP, always reminded me of The Ventures – a real guitar affair.

In the CD universe, these days Ippu-Do have been served well – with a CD boxed set, little album covers, re-masters etc. But I don’t have one. Maybe I’ll find a copy next time I get to go to Japan. For some reason, until the “Very Best Of” CD came out in 1998, the world’s only Ippu-Do CD has always traditionally been “Lunatic Menu”. I’ll never forget when that came out on CD, way back in the 80’s. I remember thinking, “I guess they’ll do everything on CD in Japan.” Seems I was forever waiting for “Night Mirage” (easily their best album) to come on CD.

From the early days of MTV (I think), I was also forever looking for an Ippu-Do cut called “Magic Box”, which had a really super music video. I did eventually find it, but either the title on the vinyl wasn’t in English or…I don’t remember. I just remember always looking for it, and then discovering that I had it all along – back home, in the LP wall.

Pictured above: Masami Tsuchiya, Akira Mitake and special guests Steve Jansen, Richard Barbieri (of Japan) and Percy Jones (of Brand X).