Aug 6, 2013

The Lost Records of Iwo Jima

Or should I call this -

"The Unknown Japanese Boxset"


Last Saturday, we went down to Laguna for family event and on our way I saw a couple of Japan Surplus shops so I paid them I visit during the low down of the event (well I snuck out). The store was small, with a very few surplus items mostly old Japanese furnitures so I don't wanna waste my time looking around and felt hopeless to find any vinyl record so I asked the lady if they have such, and without looking at me she pointed me to the corner of the store and told me they have one piece, so I checked it and I saw something that looks like a photo album, covered with dust and and gold scripts reflected when it hits the light and I was like - for real? Is this a boxset or what? this just adds to the atmosphere and the feeling of discovering a lost treasure... so I grabbed it and it's very heavy, and when I opened it it still looks like a photo album because the booklet was placed on top but when I grabbed the second box and opened it and holy shit! I saw the individual records and I quickly yelled! HOW MUCH for this!! That's how I discovered the lost treasure of Iwo Jima.




 I don't have any idea on what the hell is this boxset. I cannot google it because I don't know what to search. No English text on the whole vinyl. No clue. None. Which makes this more exciting. It could be very expensive, or could be worthless.


The Boxset contains 2 small boxes containing 10xLP each, a 136-page booklet, and a separate LP.


The condition of the boxset itself have some issues on the edges, and it looks like a fake leather but sturdy, the individual boxes are in pristine condition so I quickly expect that the vinyl should be in near mint condition - but, I was wrong, the wax can pass as brand new!! All are in mint (M) condition, absolutely perfect in every way and maybe played only once or not.





The inner sleeves have picture that looks like 70's or maybe 60's. The first box have 10xLP and numbered properly and that's the only readable character to me in the whole entire set. box number looks like his early years in music and box number two looks like the second half of his career. And yeah, I don't know the artist, don't have a single clue.

Box # 1


Box # 2




The Booklet

The booklet is in near mint condition. Total of 136 pages all written in Japanese with pictures of the artist and maybe those that he worked with. Looking at the pictures, and judging his looks, he's like Ryan Cayabyab or maybe Gerard Salonga.



I also found one LP inside the box. Not sure if it is really included but it's the same artist. The jacket is in near mint condition and the wax is mint. Tried spinning it and the sound was very clear, no remarkable clicks and pops and it the tracks were amusing, it sounds like they are recording and forgot to click the stop button. There's a lot of chatting, maybe an instruction from the guy then they play music and then another round of conversation.



 

So,yes, this is not from Iwo Jima and obviously I just made that up but it feels like I found a treasure. I don't know who's the guy on the cover but he reminds me of the nemesis of 80's japanese series like Shaider and Bioman. This boxset can be worth a lot of $ or nothing.

If you can read Japanese and if you know this boxset please help me identify this awesome find! Use the comment box below and you don't, please tweet or share it in facebook until it reach someone who might know (pls use the buttons below) and here's the another shot of the title


watashi-wa tasuke-ga hitsuyō desu!!

No comments:

Post a Comment