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Oho: Okinawa

Oho are one of those bands that once you hear them they will be forged in your memory as this music is some of the most weird yet endearing stuff you will ever hear. It does not always work but fortunately it does more often than not and that makes this a worthwhile and satisfying listen. Because of the weirdness factor Oho will not be for everyone and you will have to listen to the samples to separate the good from the bad but no one can accuse the band of being formulaic or catering to the powers that be.

First a little history of the band. The story begins in 1970 when Joe O'Sullivan, Jay Graboski and Mark O' Connor began playing at a club called Bluesette. In 1973 fusion drummer Larry Bright and bassist Steve Heck were added to the threesome and Oho was borne. The band has been referred to as "Baltimore's answer to Pink Floyd" and played a style of music that did not fit in with the trends of the day so suffice to say they did not get a lot of help from the radio. Let's just say they were unique and developed their own underground following. Their music has been compared with the late Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart which is a fair assessment but this band oozes their own style and does not quite sound like anyone else. Okinawa was their first album, originally released in January, 1974 and caught an unsuspecting world by surprise but did not catch on very well with their American audience. The album has recently been reissued on Rockadrome Records.

Eclectic, quirky, strange are just a few words I would use to describe Okinawa but surprisingly the strangeness often works. Because of the limitations posed by vinyl all of the original songs could not be included when Okinawa was first released but the compact disc has solved that problem as all are included here as they were originally intended. Some stand out tracks include the avant-garde psychedelic rock of "Duva" with its early Roxy Music feel, especially in the vocals and the quirky pop/rock of "Horse Remorse", a real tongue and cheek ditty with perky organ and bluesy touches of dissonance. The off kilter psychedelic pop of "Hogshead" and the Kinks inspired acoustic sounds of "Plymouth Ascendants" featuring the excellent lead vocals of Greg Coulson are also personal highlights.

Oho deserve credit for stretching their musical boundaries and for creating such diverse and interesting music. Listening to Okinawa will expand your musical horizons and take you on an unusual but beautiful path into the strange world that can only be Oho. Recommended for open minded listeners everywhere.


Track Listing:
1. Laughing
2. Opposites
3. Duva
4. Hyphenate Ice-less
5. Horse Remorse
6. Parts & Ponds
7. Ain't Life Dumb
8. A Frog For You
9. Hogshead
10. Manic Detective
11. Brown Algae Is Attractive
12. Plymouth Ascendants
13. The Salient Sickle Sucker
14. Hairy Bag
15. Fast Bananas
16. The Unfortunate Frankfurter Vendor
17. Last Dance
18. Fill the Sheet
19. The Still Nite
20. Dance of the Ivy Dog
21. Gotta Write A Poem
22. The Insipid City of York
23. Board Organ (edit)
24. The Continuing Story of Cragwheel the Corpse Pt. II
25. Lemon Flowers
26. Corrective Shoes
27. Pale Hippo
28. Sorry
29. Chess is Boring
30. The Plague

Added: October 24th 2010
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 2006
Language: english

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