Shin, Joong Hyun -& Yup Juns-
Shin Joong Hyun & Yup Juns
Seoul, spring of 1974: this was the time and place that witnessed the birth of psychedelic power trio Shin Joong Hyun & Yup Juns. "In Korean, yupjun literally means a brass coin," Shin explains. "However, during that time it was used as slang to describe a sense of unpleasantness and dislike. Since I was so unpleasant and dissatisfied [in my career], I told myself, Ok, fine, I am just a yupjun, and named my band with a rebellious attitude." Shin began by renting a spacious room at Seoul's Tower Hotel to serve as a creative home base for the group. After six months of earnest preparation, the group cut ten powerful songs filled with monster grooves, fuzz guitar, emotive singing, and top-notch songwriting. Shin had achieved his goal. The album was pressed up as an ultra-limited, broadcast-only promotional vinyl to test radio response; the response wasn't what anyone expected, and the record label refused to release the album. Shin Joong Hyun And Yup Juns re-recorded the album, but it is this, the original ten track version, that has become legendary, and with good reason. An astounding record, at last available to the rest of the world for the first time ever. This version of this quintessence of psychedelia features Korean/English lyric translations, rare photos, re-mastered audio, and comprehensive liner notes by Kevin "Sipreano" Howes. The deluxe mini-LP sleeve CD version has a 20-page booklet with rare photos, and great stories about Shin Joong Hyun and his continuing place of prominence in the Korean music scene.