"MAGICAL MUSIC TOUR"
When I first learned about this album in early 2000, I thought it was a takeoff, or homage to The Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" (mainly from the title), but when I listened to this 1979 offering around 2010, I discovered it was quite a remarkable album that I believe didn't get it's props, and while it didn't feature any blockbuster songs (save for "Nami Nori Pirates"), perhaps that was for the better as the whole was better than the sum of it's parts, or rather, it's songs. After a quirky, spacey sounding opening, we lead off with “The Queen in Rio”, a jazzy, toe tapping, fast tempo number with a noticeably South American flavor with Mie and Kei sounding dynamic, that’s followed by “Chinatown”, as the title implies, this song has quite a peppy feel like it might’ve been recorded in Canton or Beijing instead of Tokyo. “Sorrowful Praries” takes us to the Russian Steppes for a strident, high stepping number, and the Ladies sounded equally strident, in “Erotica the Flying Carpet”, Mie and Kei takes the listener to mysterious India for a musical carpet ride, complete with sitars for ambiance. From there, comes “Carmen Shower”, it’s not the famous “Carmen ‘77”, but this song is certainly done in a predominately Spanish style with fine acoustic guitar work, make you feel like you’re in Barcelona.
Next is “Amour Impressionists”, and with amour in the title, it can only mean Paris is the next stop on the tour in this light and breezy song, followed by the rhythmic crashing of waves on the shore that herald “Nami Nori Pirates”, the U.S. version with The Beach Boys providing the wonderful background harmonies that made them legendary. “Red Moon in the Nile” is a bubbly and charming tune with Egypt as a theme of sorts, “Woman Play The Game” is stylish and airy power pop song that’s easy to tap your feet to, and I sure did while “Oriental Feelings” was another song with a decided East Indian flavor. “South Pacific” floats you far away to the islands for a soft and mellow ballad, and lastly, “Planet Hollywood” (not associated with the old restaurant chain), a power pop/Disco number straight from the electric heyday of the latter. The concept of this album was a musical travelogue with Mie and Kei as your guides, at 57 minutes, MMT is also the longest non-live or compilation album, in any event, it was a genuine treat that deserves a place in your PL album library.
