Pop 623 Items

Super rare album now reissued on BBE!

Japanese folk-rock legend Morio Agata stunned fans with this way-outta-left-field dispatch - a synthesizer-laden, new-wave/post-punk classic. Originally released by Osaka’s Vanity Records in 1980 and back on vinyl for the first time in nearly 40 years, this fully authorized reissue has been remastered from the original analog tapes. In tip-on sleeve, with double-sided insert.

50 years ago, Hokkaido-born singer-songwriter Morio Agata released his debut single, Sekishoku Ereji (Red Elegy), an emotive, shuffling piano ballad that (shockingly) sold half a million copies in Japan. While he would never have another Top-40 hit, Agata would spend the next half century issuing a series of idiosyncratic, experimental pop albums. Today, he’s a beloved cult figure, still actively touring and recording in his seventies.

In his first decade as a recording artist, Agata released a stream of classics right out of the gate — Otome No Roman (1972) melded American-styled folk rock with traditional Japanese melodies, Zipangu Boy (1976) was a sprawling, Haruomi Hosono-produced psychedelic opus, and Kimi No Koto Suki Nan Da (1977) saw Agata tackle slick, lightly funky AOR. While this sort of stylistic schizophrenia might sink your average artist, Agata’s singular voice and magnetic charisma elevates everything he touches, and subsumes it all into Morio Agata World — a joyous, playful and frequently unhinged world.

Arguably the biggest left-turn of Agata’s early career, however, came in 1979, when legendary experimental label Vanity Records’ Yuzuru Agi paired Agata with major players from his label’s roster and the Osaka punk scene for an impromptu recording session. An impressive list of musicians took part (sab, Yukio Fujimoto (Normal Brain), Masahiro Kitada (inu), Taiqui (Ultra Bide), Jun Shinoda (ss), Chie Mukai (Che-Shizu), and others) and even though they all came from different wings of the underground music scene, together they built an arresting, minimalistic bedrock of synthesized and acoustic sounds for Agata to work his magic over. The recording sesssions were tense and it took a while for the collective to find their footing. But the hard work paid off — Norimono Zukan is a masterpiece of ramshackle new wave and droning dirges, topped off with Agata’s unmistakeable croon, at times delicate, other times twisted. It’s a relatively short album, but a deep one, and Mesh-Key is honored to introduce it to a new generation of music fans.

* Originally released in 1988 * Shimada's 6th album * Pressed on Black Vinyl / Curiosity' is Nami Shimada's 6th album, and is known by many to be a city pop and 80s boogie masterpiece. The album features poems and songs by Takashi Matsumoto and Shinji Harada, two of the era's most famous artists. Also included on the record is a diverse lineup of songs such as, 'Curiosity Girl', which Shimada wrote under her real name, Naoko Shimada, and 'HE Loves Her', a song composed by Kenichi Kurosawa.

The English synthpop, new wave group formed in 1977 in London and was led by Tony Mansfield, who later worked as a producer for furthermore Naked Eyes, a-ha and the B-52's. Their success already kicked off with the first single, “Straight Lines” entered the UK Singles Chart within no-time.

Their second studio album Anywhere was originally released in 1981 and contained 12 tracks. The expanded edition contains 4 bonus tracks; “The Office”, “From The Village”, “Guitars” and the 12” version of “While You Wait”.

This expanded edition of Anywhere includes the corrected D-side and is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on blue marbled vinyl.

2018 Remaster

Released in May 1984, ‘Murder’ was originally recorded in Winter 1982 during the sessions for the Power, Corruption & Lies album. Peter Saville's cover art is a "night-time" version of the "Thieves Like Us" sleeve.

Originally released on Factory in April 1984, the title is taken from the Robert Altman movie "Thieves Like Us". The cover design by Peter Saville is based on a painting by Giorgio de Chirico

Remastered 12" single of the classic New Order single that reached the top5 in 1987. Originally released in as the lead single from the band's classic compilation 'Substance '87', True Faith was co-produced by the band Steven Hague. One of New Order's most popular tracks, it's still played to audiences around the world today.

Originally released via the legendary Factory Records, Substance compiled all of the band's singles to that point in their 12" versions with many of their respective B-sides, and specially new recorded versions of 'Temptation' and 'Confusion'. The album also included the biggest selling 12" single of all time, Blue Monday, alongside other classic singles The Perfect Kiss, Bizarre Love Triangle and the band's debut single release Ceremony.