Credits

I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Mondo Grosso -- Invisible Man

 

I've seen various iterations of an invisible man over the years in movies and on TV, but I have to say that the most chilling version was the one played by Claude Rains in the 1933 film "The Invisible Man". Dr. Griffin could be erudite and even charming but he was also insane and absolutely murderous. Perhaps he may have preceded Hannibal Lecter by several decades. The one scene where he described to one helpless victim how he was going to meet his maker is the stuff of horror legend.😱

Fortunately, this "Invisible Man" is far less terrifying. It's actually Mondo Grosso's debut single from June 1994. I've had several articles on KKP featuring the musician and producer Shinichi Osawa(大沢伸一) from Shiga Prefecture and his brand of jazz, R&B and dance beats over the years via songs such as "LIFE" and "Everything Needs Love" but by that point, he was pretty much seen as a solo act.  

However, when Mondo Grosso first started out, it was as a group with leader Osawa along with rapper B-BANDJ, keyboardist Hajime Yoshizawa(吉澤はじめ), saxophonist Masato Nakamura(中村雅人)and saxophonist/flutist Hidehito Otsuka(大塚英人). And such was the case with "Invisible Man", an icy cool acid jazz piece with rapping and funky horns. Written by B and OKINO with Osawa handling the melody, this is a tune that I could see someone like hirokoboogie happily demonstrating or some of us just chilling on the sofa to...with some fine cocktails. By the way, was it indeed Monday Michiru in the original recorded version as well as in the performance below?

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