Samurai – Samurai(2/LP)(1970 JAPAN Hard Rock, Prog Rock)Full Album

Samurai was a Japanese psych-rock band from Tokyo that released a clutch of 1968–70 singles on Nippon, London, and Philips as Miki Curtis & The Samurais. Under the mononymous nameplate, the band released two albums on Philips in 1970/71. Bassist Tetsu Yamauchi subsequently played with Free and the Faces. Members: Miki Curtis (vocals, flute), Joe Dunnet (guitar), Hiro Izumi (guitar, koto), John Redfern (organ), Tetsu Yamauchi (bass), Mike Walker (vocals, piano), Yuji [Yujin] Harada (drums), Graham Smith (harmonica) Samurai were a Tokyo rock group led by singer and flautist Miki Curtis. Early Japanese records used the Miki Curtis & The Samurais name; European releases carried the shortened Samurai credit. The Japanese-British lineup made the 1970 double album Samurai in London and completed Kappa in Tokyo the next year. Bassist Tetsu Yamauchi later joined Free and Faces. Members: Miki Curtis (vocals, flute), Hiro Izumi (guitar, koto), Joe Dunnet (guitar), John Redfern (organ), Tetsu Yamauchi (bass), Mike Walker (vocals, piano), Yujin Harada (drums), Graham Smith (harmonica) Background Miki Curtis formed Miki Curtis & The Samurais in Tokyo in 1967 when the Vanguards returned from Southeast Asian hotel engagements. Michael Brian Curtis was born in Tokyo on July 23, 1938, to a Japanese mother and an English father. He entered Japan’s late-1950s rockabilly circuit and later fronted the City Crows. Curtis renamed that group the Vanguards in 1966 before residencies in Hong Kong and Bangkok. Guitarist and arranger Hiro Izumi joined tenor saxophonist Kunimitsu Fuyuume in the revised band. Pianist Gaku Kikuchi and bassist Goro Yamamoto entered the lineup, followed by drummer Yoshisaburo “Sabu” Toyozumi. Japan Musicolor issued the instrumental album Ai no Tenor Sax under the Samurais credit before the European trip. Nippon Crown released “Fusen” in October 1967 (b/w “Ame no Promenade”). The group left Japan the next month for an engagement in Divonne-les-Bains, France, then continued to London and West Germany. Nippon Crown followed with “Taiyo no Pattaya” in April 1968 (b/w “Natsu no Yume”). The Samurais appeared at the Rome Pop Festival later that year. Former Mikes bassist Tetsu Yamauchi replaced Yamamoto in Europe, where guitarist Joe Dunnet and organist John Redfern joined the later lineup. Manager Mike Walker added piano and shared lead vocals with Curtis. Road crew member Graham Smith contributed harmonica, while drummer Yujin Harada replaced Toyozumi. King issued the London recording “Good Morning Starshine” in May 1969 (b/w “Temple of Gold”). United Artists paired “Shu Shu” with “Fresh Hot Breeze of Summer” on an Italian single later that year. The reconfigured group entered Tangerine Studios in February 1970 for a double-album A1. “Four Seasons” 00:00 A2. “18th Century” 10:00 A3. “Eagle’s Eye” 11:02 B1. “Intermediate Stages” 16:52 B2. “Boy With a Gun” 24:31 B3. “Daffy Drake” 30:01 C1. “Five Tone Blues” 32:42 D1. “Green Tea” 47:44 D2. “Mandalay” 53:21 Bass Guitar – Tetsu Yamauchi Drums – Yujin Harada Guitar – Joe Dunnet Guitar, Koto – Hiro Izumi Harmonica – Graham Smith (7) Organ – John Redfern (2) Vocals, Flute, Producer – Miki Curtis Vocals, Piano, Producer – Mike Walker