Heartbeat Drummers of Japan [Import]

Kodo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 19, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Sheffield Lab
• ASIN: B0000009FA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #450,622 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #85 in Music > Indie Music > World Music > Far East & Asia

Editorial Reviews

Review

This unedited, live recording will test the mettle of any sound system - not to mention the good will of neighbors. --LA Times --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Product Description

Kodo This unedited, live recording will test the mettle of any sound system - not to mention the good will of neighbors. - LA TIMES **CAUTION** This disc contains music of extraordinarily wide dynamic range, encompassing long passages at the threshold of audibility that build to levels of extreme intensity. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Turn it up!, October 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Heartbeat Drummers of Japan (Audio CD)

I firmly believe that Taiko drumming is not something one can capture on a recording. It must be heard and FELT live. However, as far as recordings go, this one has a good feel. I also believe the recording technique used for this cd was intentional on the part of the makers--it forces you to turn the volume up to a level which can allow you to appricate the drumming's effect. Traditionally, the softer lower-volume parts are intended to offset the louder parts. Also, the silent gaps are very important and should be appriciated, which is something Westerners are often unused to. I feel this recording is true to the nature of the art.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good stuff, just keep your hand on the volume control., January 27, 2000

By 

Adam Weiner "rhythmyk" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heartbeat Drummers of Japan (Audio CD)

People have been commenting on the quality of the actual recording when they listen to this CD, and I can understand the negative feedback. On tracks 1 (Miyake) and 5 (Hae), there are sections where volume needs to be adjusted to hear practically anything above a whisper. It does detract from the overall enjoyment to fiddle with the volume knob, but aside from that, it's got a good acoustical feel to it. Miyake has a traditional song just before it, and the harmony of the voices really adds a great touch. Monochrome is on a few other CD's; it's not the easiest thing to listen to - it's a long piece and best served as a blend of visual/audial. The Odaiko piece is powerful - but then again, it always is... Chonlima is a personal favorite, and this time it's played fast, on the edge of amazingly so. Hae is only on this album, but it's got a soothing, relaxed feel even through the build at the end. I'd recommend this for Kodo/Taiko fans, but not for first-time buyers or just the curious. You'll like it better if you know what you're in for.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Technically Excellent, Musically Good, August 3, 2007

By 

winstonk "winstonk" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heartbeat Drummers of Japan (Audio CD)

The complaints about the technical quality of this recording are off-base. It was originally made during the analog era as a "direct to disk" recording. This means that it was recorded live onto vinyl (not tape) without compression or limiting. This provides an enormous dynamic range (difference between softest and loudest peaks) that will, if done correctly, reflect what the music sounds like in a live environment. It also requires leaving substantial "headroom" - i.e., not recording at too loud a level, in order to avoid distorition in loud passages. The dynamic range on the CD version is anything but limited - there are easily 60db jumps from quiet to loud passages. As one reviewer points out, the soft passages - perhaps unusual to western ears - do reflect the actual performance experience. As a second reviewer points out, the virtues of the recording are best appreciated with very high quality playback equipment. Much music today is highly compressed - the difference between loud and soft passages evened out to provide "punch". Compression also changes the way the music sounds and destroys nuance ([...]). The reviewer who increased sound levels by 980% probably did so through "normalization" - a type of compression. I'll take the original "pitiful" engineering on this disc (carried out by Doug Sax, probably the most renowned pressing engineer in the business) any day.