Sold Date: December 29, 2020
Start Date: December 23, 2020
Final Price: $35.98 (USD)
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MASAHIKO SATO 'Belladonna' LP (UK, Finders Keepers, Catalogue #FKR079LP) Brand new/unplayed copy of limited year 2015 Finders Keepers label vinyl edition of legendary Japanese soundtrack to "The mythical psychedelic free jazz/pop folk score to the stunning 1973 anime/pinky hybrid animation film Belladonna of Sadness." Originally released in 1975 on the Italian Cinevox Record label (and be prepared to shell out several thousand clams if you are insisting upon acquiring one of these ultra-rare Cinevox label originals. Here, thanks to Finders Keepers, a much more reasonably affordable option is at hand.)

(NOTE: LIMITED VINYL EDITION!)

"There was a time when the strength of a musician's vision transcended all labels; here is a chance to dip into that pool again, and emerge not just refreshed, but alive again with the sense that we all can live in that world again, but most importantly raise the flag for excellence. Fantastic." --Jim O'Rourke

An unholy grail of near-mythical status is finally now available in the form of this first-ever reissue. Masahiko Sato composed this elusive, sensual, psychedelic free jazz score for the stunning 1973 Japanese witchcraft animation Belladonna of Sadness (Kanashimi no Belladonna) directed by Eiichi Yamamoto. Since the mid-2000s, Belladonna of Sadness has risen from the ashes and now shines brighter than ever. Now, on the eve of its third or fourth global DVD release in 2015, fans no longer have to settle for third-generation VHS telecine dubs or stuff their wish-lists into the hands of lucky friends visiting Tokyo. Belladonna has been used as nightclub projections by clued-up VJs and been restored by discerning feminist folk singers and improv bands while influencing illustrators, fashion designers, and other creative types along the way. Original copies of the soundtrack, however, are much less likely to rear their heads, with prices literally doubling each time the original stock copies swap hands among the same Italian dealers at central European record fairs. Italian soundtracks are expensive anyway, but this one, originally released by the Italian Cinevox label in 1975, has extra credentials. Finders Keepers Records and Sato himself agreed that this record should finally be liberated among those who know the magic words. With the decision to keep this album "strictly Sato," a track from the original release has been removed -- the main orchestral love theme by Asei Kobayashi and Mayumi Tachibana -- which in all honesty is very much detached from Sato's psychedelic soundtrack. Kept intact, however, are the songs sung and penned by Sato's wife at the time, Chinatsu Nakayama, including the track titled "TBFS," which only appears on the master tapes and never actually made it onto the theatrical cut of the film (though the theme is briefly alluded to, with different instrumentation, in a cut-scene available on the German DVD release). This reissue project also marks the beginning of a longer intended relationship between Finders Keepers and Masahiko Sato, exploring his recorded work in film music, jazz, and avant-garde composition.

- First reissue of Masahiko Sato's mythical psychedelic free jazz/pop folk score to Belladonna of Sadness, a stunning anime/pinky hybrid animation from 1973.
- Originally released by the Italian Cinevox label in 1975, this work by an immortal hero of the celebrated Japanese rock movement is perhaps the rarest Italian soundtrack LP; extremely scarce and highly sought-after original copies fetch in excess of $1500 on certain internet auction sites.
- Features a cover sticker with endorsement from Jim O'Rourke: "There was a time when the strength of a musician's vision transcended all labels; here is a chance to dip into that pool again, and emerge not just refreshed, but alive again with the sense that we all can live in that world again, but most importantly raise the flag for excellence. Fantastic."

Tracks on this LP are as follows:

Shipping in US is $4.98./CANADA AIRMAIL is $20.98./MEXICO AIRMAIL is $23.98./EUROPE & RUSSIA AIRMAIL is $24.98./ASIA, CHINA, JAPAN, KOREA, AUSTRALIA AIRMAIL is $26.98. (Shipping totals will be consolidated for multiple winning bids.)

Record shipped in professional, superior rectangular shaped, corner-protecting corrugated cardboard record mailer with filler pads. Satisfaction guaranteed!