99.99 -- Amazin' & Amusin'

The famous chef for Niimi in Tawaramachi, Tokyo

Just a few hours after writing about a new discovery in Presents, I can also write about another recent encounter in the fusion field. 

It doesn't hurt that the cover of their first album looks so gorgeous and 80s. The band that I'm talking about is 99.99, and nope it's not pronounced "Ninety-nine point nine nine"; the correct pronunciation according to the members is "Four-Nine" (save your complaints, scientists). I may also have to correct myself though since according to the Bar Chiba Music Store website, 99.99 was more of a loose project than an actual band. It consisted of eight members including keyboardist Masei Hattori（服部ませい）, who used to be part of the progressive rock band Ain Soph in the 1970s, and violinist Tadahiko Yokogawa（横川理彦）.

99.99 put out two albums during its time in the early 1980s. The first album, "99.99", was released onto the record shelves in April 1982 and according to one Goo blog, the album was split in half in terms of the music. There was a Type A (progressive rock and technopop) and a Type B (fusion). Track No. 1 is the Type B "Amazin' & Amusin'" and its melody certainly is the title. It's spacey but it also has that familiar fusion sound that brings up images of sipping an Orange Mimosa in a seashore café somewhere. Vocalist Suzi Kim（キム スージー）is guesting behind the mike (apparently, she was also involved in the band Doopees), and for those who love their electric guitar and bass solos, this song is for you.

The above video is of the entire album, uploaded by Rotating Farmhouse. Check out all of those Type A and Type B tunes.