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This live concert features footage from various venues on their 1996 world tours. The tour is also notable for being one of the first concerts to be “live-streamed” on the internet with Ryuichi documenting much of it in his public/online journal and some footage of the very vintage, Windows 95 streaming server contained within this recording!
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This is “Rakuen: Maldives” (AHM-6) from the extremely rare Victor AHD format. The AHD was developed in the late 1970’s along with the Compact Disc audio format. AHD discs had a 2.54GB capacity with the ability to play either 4-channels of 44.1kHz PCM digital audio or a 2-channel 44.1kHz PCM stream like a CD with simultaneous digital pictures at a 456 x 572 resolution with 16 million colors. Furthermore, each side of the disc could hold up to 59 minutes and 59 seconds of audio data for up to a two hour play time. While this does not seem impressive now, this was cutting edge consumer technology in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.
The system used the Victor/JVC VHD video disc system as a transport and required a separate AHD decoder for any of these digital streams. The VHD system, unlike the CD, used an extremely-low mass needle to read discs like an advanced vinyl record. Unfortunately, the VHD system was delayed in Japan until about 1983 at which point the already established Laserdisc began to seamlessly implement digital audio tracks. Also, by 1985, advancements in data storage/retrieval on the CD paved the way towards CD+G which is functionally equivalent to AHD (albeit at 16 colors instead of 16 million colors). Finally, VHD was only released in Japan and never released internationally (except for educational purposes in Europe) due to lack of interest & competition.It was rumored that since VHD was delayed for many years, the AHD decoder was never released. In reality, the AHD decoder was released in very limited numbers in late 1985 thru 1986 and it cost much more than the VHD players themselves. That means AHD was the first consumer digital “video” disc format! It even slightly beat the D-1 professional video format out of the gate!
“Rakuen: Maldives” features a number of photos of the scenic Maldive Islands and both local & foreign people having fun next to and beneath the crystalline blue waters. The photography was done by Kazuyoshi Miyoshi who won the 11th Kimura Ihei Photography Award for his photography of the Maldives and Seychelles Islands. The relaxing ambient music was written by the great Joe Hisaishi, known for his many wonderful soundtracks for Studio Ghibli & others. “Rakuen” (楽園) means “Paradise” in Japanese and this video will definitely whisk you away to a distant paradise.
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Tracks 3, 4-9 standouts.
actually not sure if this is 80s or 90s but still it is good
Q14: What car do you drive currently?
Tatsuro Yamashita, in 2011 : BMW 320i. I’ve been driving it for around 20 years now, and it’s never even had a blown fuse. People all over the world love this model so they still sell parts for it even now. I bet I’ll end up driving it for the rest of my life. I even had ETC installed on it. I do like the small cars with powerful engines, and for me the absolute peak of that are Porsches, but they’re so hard to drive. And besides, you can’t fit a family in a two-seater. (laughs)
— It’s crucial to you whether something is rock or not.
Tatsuro : Yeah. The entire reason I do music is because I love rock’n’roll. That’s all. American music, especially stuff that is a fusion of African-American and white music — like rockabilly and rhythm & blues and such — I like stuff that’s derived from traditional American music. The definition of rock differs from person to person, but I guess for me it’s all in the feeling of groove in the rhythm. Having determination and guts — that’s what rock is all about for me.
— Incidentally, I get the feeling that American rock has been more influential for you than UK rock.
Tatsuro : Well, I’m actually quite familiar with 60’s British rock, too. The three records that have left the biggest impression for me throughout my life are The Zombies’ “ Tell Her No ,” Procol Harum’s “ A Whiter Shade of Pale ,” and The Flowerpot Men’s “ Let’s Go To San Francisco .” They’re all British.
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Extremely choice stuff in here.
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Opening my private tracker…
I wish I could hear more music that sounds just like that track, from him, the rest of the album has a different vibe. So incredible sounding.
The third track on his '83 vocal record Out of Reach, “Lonely Man”, has a similar sounding bass line/sound; not good enough.
Sayonara Yukihiro.
Damn.
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I knew Sakamoto has cancer and publicly winding down activity but this blindsided me and it hurts