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Thread: Kenso Complete Box

  1. #1

    Kenso Complete Box

    Just last week I bought the Kenso box set on a lark, having only heard a couple of their more recent albums.

    After getting through Sparta and Yume No Oka, I am in awe of these guys. What a spectacular group of musicians. They are tied with Koenjihyakkei and Casiopea on my personal list of favorite Japanese bands. Love the mix of jazz fusion and symphonic rock.

    Their newest CD is certainly no slouch, but this box set has opened my eyes to how much great stuff they've done over the years.

    Anyone fans here who would like to discuss and share some insight?

  2. #2
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    I have a few of their titles and find that Yume No Oka is my favorite. Their cd's are always so expensive that I tend to shy away from them.

  3. #3
    The Live '92 is masterful.

    Also track down Naked, which is the remix/remaster of Sparta. Fantastic!!!!
    I have EVERYTHING they have ever released! LOVE them.
    David Robin
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  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by ProgUK View Post
    The Live '92 is masterful.

    Also track down Naked, which is the remix/remaster of Sparta. Fantastic!!!!
    I have EVERYTHING they have ever released! LOVE them.
    You have "everything"? Do you have the bonus CD that came with this new box set? Just checking...LOL!

  5. #5
    Will they be reissuing their albums separately as well? The debut and Utsuroi yuku mono (or whatever it’s called) are the only studio albums I need.
    Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by ProgUK View Post
    The Live '92 is masterful.

    Also track down Naked, which is the remix/remaster of Sparta. Fantastic!!!!
    I have EVERYTHING they have ever released! LOVE them.
    Interesting! I didn't know about that. I'll have to do some searching now. Thanks for the heads up!

    Good to see some fans here.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Fracktured View Post
    I have a few of their titles and find that Yume No Oka is my favorite. Their cd's are always so expensive that I tend to shy away from them.
    That's why I had only gotten a couple of their albums before. Something compelled me to dive into the box set, and I'm so glad I did. There is some great stuff on their early records.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by progcd54 View Post
    You have "everything"? Do you have the bonus CD that came with this new box set? Just checking...LOL!
    LOL, Yes i stole yours...checked recently!?
    David Robin
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    www.steelyjam.com
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  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by ProgUK View Post
    LOL, Yes i stole yours...checked recently!?
    Ah...so the truth comes out...you do NOT have "everything"!! Just as I suspected. And BTW...I do still have mine (under lock and key to keep it from from folks like you).

  10. #10
    Member Reach's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by aith01 View Post
    Good to see some fans here.
    Quite a few fans here, yes, and we tend to be pretty ardent about them. Musically, they've been in a handful of highlights of my life. It's that combination of technical skill with a creative conflux of cultural influence, sifted through a Mahavishnu-like spiritual filter--at turns raucous and refined, rockin' and profound. They continue to impress and inspire. Just brilliant. Glad you're digging their work

  11. #11
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    They have, furthermore, a harmonic and melodic skill that is just breathtaking and rare, not to mention their rhythmic excellence. And there is a textural richness, with, again, an integrated multi-cultural influence, that is just kaleidoscopic. Both complex and beautifully simple. If all that sounds a little ridiculous--sorry--words fail me, lol.

    Yeah, there are a lot of good Japanese bands, but no one is quite like Kenso.
    Last edited by Reach; 11-24-2014 at 08:29 PM.

  12. #12
    Member bill g's Avatar
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    Aren't they great? Glad you weren't disappointed as that is some serious cash output. And:

    Quote Originally Posted by Fracktured View Post
    I have a few of their titles and find that Yume No Oka is my favorite.
    I think I agree. Kenso II and Sparta are two others though that I like to reach for

  13. #13
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    As much as I like Kenso, their most recent releases Fabulis Mirabilibus De Bombycosi Scriptus, Utsoroi yuku Mono, Uchinaru Koe Ni Kaiki Seyo have proven to be sonically superior as well as more technically challenging to listen to, but the rest is also very entertaining. There are many other Japanese bands that I find myself returning to more frequently:Fragile, Mongol, Igzit Nine, Exhivision, KBB, Flat 122, Keep, Kazumi Watanabe, Resonance Vox, Ptf, Azoth, Koenjihyakkei, Naikaku, Shinsekai, Tipographica.
    Certainly not a complete definitive list of all things good for Japanese music, but these titles as well as some other more Fusion focused music get pretty regular play here.

  14. #14
    Member interbellum's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post
    Will they be reissuing their albums separately as well? The debut and Utsuroi yuku mono (or whatever it’s called) are the only studio albums I need.
    Because I have almost everything from Kenso I would love to see the bonus-stuff from the box released separately too.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by MJBrady View Post
    As much as I like Kenso, their most recent releases Fabulis Mirabilibus De Bombycosi Scriptus, Utsoroi yuku Mono, Uchinaru Koe Ni Kaiki Seyo have proven to be sonically superior as well as more technically challenging to listen to, but the rest is also very entertaining. There are many other Japanese bands that I find myself returning to more frequently:Fragile, Mongol, Igzit Nine, Exhivision, KBB, Flat 122, Keep, Kazumi Watanabe, Resonance Vox, Ptf, Azoth, Koenjihyakkei, Naikaku, Shinsekai, Tipographica.
    Certainly not a complete definitive list of all things good for Japanese music, but these titles as well as some other more Fusion focused music get pretty regular play here.
    Prism, some Casiopea, Tetsuo Sakurai, Power Job, Yuya, Tri Offensive
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    I have been thinking about buying the Kenso box set for quite sometime now. Can anyone recommend where to find it in "New" form at the best price? Last time that I had checked, it was a few hundred dollars.


    Library Jon

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    It's a shame this set is so expensive. The fewer there are the more expensive it will become. I'll put this on my Christmas list if anyone here wants to buy it for me!

  18. #18
    Member interbellum's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Library Jon View Post
    I have been thinking about buying the Kenso box set for quite sometime now. Can anyone recommend where to find it in "New" form at the best price? Last time that I had checked, it was a few hundred dollars.


    Library Jon
    Amazon.co.jp has it for about 27.000 Yen while CDJapan sells it for 35000 Yen (=$ 296). But Amazon has a high shipping rate.

  19. #19
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    I only have 25th Anniversary Live CD and I love it. I need more from these guys, but so much music...so little time.

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    Quote Originally Posted by eporter66 View Post
    I need more from these guys, but so much music...so little time.
    Exactly. This one has been on my perpetual wishlist since it came out, but I don't think I'll ever pull the trigger because of the price. And the time...

  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Library Jon View Post
    I have been thinking about buying the Kenso box set for quite sometime now. Can anyone recommend where to find it in "New" form at the best price? Last time that I had checked, it was a few hundred dollars.


    Library Jon
    Check with Greg Walker or Audiophile Imports
    NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS!

  22. #22
    LinkMan Chain's Avatar
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    Yes but what do the Japanese symbols on the box mean?
    “Pleasure and pain can be experienced simultaneously,” she said, gently massaging my back as we listened to her Coldplay CD.

  23. #23
    Member ashratom's Avatar
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    I managed to get a retrospective of Kenso out within the last month or so. I haven't heard this box set, or the myriad of live albums, but I do own all the studio releases (and a couple of live ones) at least...

    http://undertheradarcds.blogspot.com...nso-japan.html

  24. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by ashratom View Post
    I managed to get a retrospective of Kenso out within the last month or so. I haven't heard this box set, or the myriad of live albums, but I do own all the studio releases (and a couple of live ones) at least...

    http://undertheradarcds.blogspot.com...nso-japan.html
    Very nice read.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Amazing band. The melodies and harmonic structures they come up with are just killer.

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