Japanese Stereo Test Records

[Plainstone]

Part one : LPs

I always have a good look at any Stereo test records I come across in the wild. More often than not they just contain high and low frequency tones and a few bits of classical music, but now and again you turn up some better stuff.

Quite often older discs will have a track with Jimmy Takeuchi or Tokyo Cuban Boys, and when you get into the 70s there tends to be a focus on Jazz and more esoteric music. Then of course there are the cover versions of hits of the day by Japanese session/pick up bands, which often provide the pearls amid the pigswill.

Here are a few of the LPs for starters, and I'll add 7 inchers and more sound clips later if there's enough interest.

DAM Original Pro Use Record


This one shouldn't need any introduction. Side one is all pretty forgettable, but side two has Fukamachi Jun's 13 minute funk/fusion wig out Bamboo Bong

Denon PCM Testing Your equipment


Catchy titles like Wow and Flutter Test, Overall Test from Band1 to 4, and Intermodulation Test say it all really. Nice cover, though ... and fun to play around with the speed settings

OTTO Quad


One of my personal faves, this has it all. Channel check, Faux-Latin, lounge cover of Street Fighting Man, and Terauchi Takeshi's surf version of Rashomon. And that's only side 1. Side 2 has Enoch Light doing covers of Shaft, Proud Mary, The Doors' Touch Me, and Marrakesh Express.

Sony SQ Chikyu ha Hitotsu
CIMG1392.jpg

2 tracks by Chase, and Sly & the Family Stone - Life, otherwise fairly forgettable.

Technics Audio Inspection
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Great version of Caravan by Maeda Norio, otherwise nothing special on here for me.

Technics Audio Inspection 7


Cool Jazz, a bit of disco-funk, and Rod Stewart doing Maggie May

Trio SQ 4CH Stereo record
CIMG1388.jpg

Hits of the day including Sanatana, Chase, The Byrds, Janis and a couple of concessions to electronics with Milton Subotnick and Walter Carlos. Latin music is represented by El Chiclo courtesy of The Grand Orchestra Tipica Kenwood and there are also covers of The Boxer and Baby Elephant Walk

Victor SEA System
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45rpm effort with mainly tones to check your speaker alignment and frequency response. Couple of nice Latin bits from Onodera Masashi and Los Indios and Suzuki Norio and His Rhythm Aces.

Yamaha Speaker Fair Session II
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This one is sought after for samples, but sounds like tepid Jazz Funk to my ears. Japanese musicians in LA in the early 80s as part of Yamaha's keyboard "R&D".

[d7bohs]

What was with the playing at 45 thing?

I have one called Pioneering Sounds in jazz - Recordings from an Anechoic Room (guess the company ) which also plays at 45.

found a pic:

[Plainstone]

I've been picking up a lot of stuff from the mid 70s that plays at 45 recently. There's almost enough to do a whole chart of them, tbh. Roy Ayers, Chaquito, Brazilian percussion ... maybe if I can get all my grading done I'll put some of those up, too.

[mattB]

Nice. I have a few too. Will post up when I get a chance...

[Plainstone]

Nice. I have a few too. Will post up when I get a chance...

Cool. You have that one with the Shinky Chen track, yeah?

[Plainstone]

Roy Ayers, Chaquito, Brazilian percussion ... maybe if I can get all my grading done I'll put some of those up, too.

[Plainstone]

(Will add text later)

[Head Gardener]

This Japanese 7" was released in a series of 4 - one for each speaker?
and were 4 Channel Stereo/Quadradisc test discs, spoken in English.

[Sergio Paradise]

I've got one with a great live version of a 'Love Live Life + One' track, and i've seen one with a 'Speed, Glue and Shinki' song on it too. Definately worth checking these albums out when you come across them.

[mattB]

I was reminded of this thread during my lunch break today.
Iain, have you seen this one?


It's the typical guy speaking about your speaker setup etc.
This one has Shaft and Iron Side covers with dude talking in between cuts.
If I never hear another Shaft cover it'll be too soon, but the Iron Side kinda rules.

...and DJ Yoshizawa used it in his first Super wamono Beat mix (which is great btw).

[Plainstone]

Goddammit I keep meaning to do sound clips for these pesky varmints. Pretty low down the list of things to do at the moment, tbh

Matt, no I haven't seen that LP. Keep an eye out for a spare, eh?

[mattB]

I've got one with a great live version of a 'Love Live Life + One' track, and i've seen one with a 'Speed, Glue and Shinki' song on it too. Definately worth checking these albums out when you come across them.

Is the Speed, Glue and Shinki one you're talking about this one?


It's pretty common in Japan, but yeah worth picking up even if it's a one-tracker.
The S, G & S track is different from the album version. Better actaully.

If it's not this one, do you have more info?

Very curious about the Love Live Life one too. You dont have a pic do you?

[mattB]

Goddammit I keep meaning to do sound clips for these pesky varmints. Pretty low down the list of things to do at the moment, tbh

Oops. Sorry to bump the thread then

Matt, no I haven't seen that LP. Keep an eye out for a spare, eh?

Will do.

[mattB]

Just to make Plainstone feel bad, here's another... with audio



It's a 5 track single on which 4 of the 5 are snoozeville ("When The Saint's go Marching In"* anyone?).
But this one track isnt bad at all: DivShare File - Mitsubishi Stereophonic Demonstration Tes.mp3

*Capitalization and punctuation as written on the record.