Happy Dolls,The ‎– Show Album No.1 - SOLAR RECORDS - 1977 - Extremely rare !! Canadian Release ( vinyl )

Happy Dolls,The ‎– Show Album No.1 - SOLAR RECORDS - 1977 - Extremely rare !! Canadian Release ( vinyl )

THIS ALBUM IS THE RAREST OF THE RARE !

Actual Photos - Signed by One Band Member (Sook Lee)

Note slight water mark, front and rear of cover

“True to the title 'Show Album No. 1', the tracks comprise a repertoire one would expect of a show stage. However, these tracks are much more than a mere ‘record of activity’ done in between their many show performances. The quality of the recording and consistency of production are top-notch throughout the album, while the details and the dynamics in the music itself rival that of the best Korean bands. Producer Yu-Chil-wang recalls of the album, “..it wasn’t a hack job – we brought out the most we could with the bare minimum of 5 people working with a talented music director and producer. 

'Hello Dolly' kicks off the album, with mock Louis Armstrong vocals showcasing the Dolls’ clout as a show band. The only track with Nami (noted on the back of album as Ogie Kim) on vocals (since all members sang vocals while playing instruments), ‘Misty Blue’ is a classic number by Missippi soul legend Dorothy Moore. Her voice here is far removed from the familiar trademark nasal tone of the later Nami era, and is much closer to that of a traditional soul singer. The only ‘gayo’ track on the album is Shin Joong-hyun’s ‘Bom-bi’ (sung by Jee Kim), and is played more subtly with a more spacious feel. ‘Shake Your Booty’ (KC And the Sunshine Band) covers what was surely one of the hottest disco tracks at the time. The reason this album should be considered an important record in Korean band history can be found in the two funk numbers: ‘Pick Up the Pieces’ (Average White Band) and ‘Funky Stuff’ (Kool And the Gang). On these tracks the band’s rhythm section lays down tight grooves that would not sound out of place anywhere – this is probably the closest a Korean band has ever come to nailing genuine funk. ‘Funky Stuff’, featuring an uncanny clavinet and a brass section whose dynamic is filled out by the 5-piece band, is already a sought-after find among DJ’s and collectors. Then there’s the tour de force track ‘Drum Solo’ by drummer Boonie Kim, which is exactly what it says it is. It’s hard to imagine, with a drummer of average confidence, thinking to include a drum solo track all by itself. But the track works beautifully – precision timekeeping, nuanced strokes, and shifting beat progressions are all in there. This track, along with stories of how Dolls would take the stage with the Korean flag fixed to the kick drum, will be remembered as one of this album’s legendary moments. 

Although belatedly, this album demands recognition because it was the result of a completely different production concept and level of musicianship compared to that found in the domestic ‘gayo’ market at the time. It’s value can be summed up in producer Yu-Chil-wang’s words: “One thing’s for sure – nobody can make a record like this with a 5 piece girl group. “If you’re still not convinced, just pay a visit to the Museum of Canadian Music website. This album can be found under ‘rarest Canadian music, top 1000 Canadian albums of all time. 

The album was re-issued by Beatball Music Group in Korea on Oct 29, 2013. Thanks to Beatball, Bae-Ki-joon (translation) and Karen Fownes, who originally contacted the Museum of Canadian Music regarding a feature and re-issue.” 

Biography: Long ago, there was once a time in Korea when the money involved in the entertainment industry linked to the U.S. 8th Army was greater than the entire gross national income of the rest of the country. This fact, along with various other historical sources, shows that much of Korea’s postwar pop music was born and forged in the melting pot that was the so-called ‘army-base’ culture. The 8th Army scene’s sphere of influence was often pan-Asian and at times reached beyond Asia itself: take the Kim Sisters, who were playing Las Vegas by the late 50’s (and paid $15,000 a week – as big time as it gets) or Ok-hee, who went straight from the base scene to Las Vegas, without a stint in Korea’s local pop music market. This attests to the sheer scale and the level of competition found in the 8th Army entertainment scene. In the entertainment world, making it to Las Vegas has always been emblematic of ultimate success, and it is striking and unprecedented that so many Korean girl groups of the past have succeeded in doing so. Even though in the case of groups such as the Korean Kittens (ft. Yoon Bok-hee), the Lady Birds (ft Jang Mi-hwa, usually performing in Canadian venues), and the Seoul Sisters (ft. Ok-hee) almost no recorded material survives, their legendary achievements attest to the depth and density of Korean popular music at the time. It’s particularly painful that no work survives of the Seoul Sisters, who are said to have performed soul numbers like ‘Funky Broadway’ and ‘Land of 1000 Dances’ alongside Don Ho at the Flamingo – the hottest hotel stage in Las Vegas. 

The Happy Dolls, with a single surviving album from 1978 released in Nova Scotia, Canada, represent the last of the 5-piece girl groups who would perform mostly in the Las Vegas and other North American scenes. Chronologically, their work comes from a time when the entertainment industry’s centre of mass was shifting from the 8th Army scene to the domestic ‘gayo’ market. Although the Dolls performed mainly around Toronto and their album was recorded in Canada, their roots go back to Korea, circa 1970. The Dolls got their true beginning when Kim Myoung-ok (aka Nami) – the youngest of the group at age 14 – joined the lineup and they headed to Saigon, Vietnam under an arrangement by Universal Records, a Korea based record label. By this time, Kim was already a star in her own right, having cut her teeth in the 8th Army as well as other venues. They had earned nicknames like ‘Baby Team’ and ‘Korean Jackson 5’ from U.S. soldiers (since songs like ‘Ben’ was a favourite among their repertoire) during their 2-year stint in Vietnam, after which they returned to Seoul in 1973, going on to play major clubs such as Silver Town and Las Vegas, alongside heavyweights like the ‘He 6’ and the ‘Trippers’, After that came another arrangement by Yu Chil-wang, the owner of C.W.Y. Productions – this time the destination was the U.S. mainland, San Francisco. 

Since the Dolls’ arrival in North America up to the release of this album, strenuous effort was put in by the producer, Yu Chil-wang and Lee Dong-hoon, who acted as band master, song arranger, and overall musical instructor. The beginnings were not easy. One of their shows, set to take place at a prestigious hotel in San Francisco, was cancelled upon short notice. This led to producer Yu’s overall revamp of the existing repertoire, which was primarily derived from the scenes in the U.S. bases in Korea and Vietnam. Music director Lee (who had studied music in Seoul National University, and recently passed away in Toronto during the early 1990’s from a chronic illness) completely redid the old repertoire, introducing the latest contemporary numbers. He also beautifully reworked the song arrangements and acted as instructor to bring out each member’s best musical abilities. Within just three months of arriving in the U.S., the Dolls played an acclaimed show at the legendary Aladdin hotel in Las Vegas at May, 1974. Success in Vegas threw open the doors to any venue in the U.S. – even the whole of North America. They had hit the big times. A glance at the venues they played (listed on the back of the album cover) gives us an idea of the extent of their success. However, the band’s return to Korea in 1978 – their first vacation in 7 years – marked the beginning of the end for the Dolls. The financial difficulties of Kim Myung-ok’s family forced her to stay in Korea, thus ending the 8 year long run of the Dolls (and ironically launching the debut of Kim as the artist Nami).