Shin Joong-hyun is known as the Godfather of Korean Rock. He will be 79 years old in a few weeks. I was introduced to his music via a newspaper article that came out in the late 90s, when I was living in Sangju. He had just released an album called Kim Sat Gat, a collection of poems by the 19th century wandering poet that Shin put to music. It wasn't until years later that I finally heard Shin's earlier recordings.
In 1972, Shin was asked to write a song in praise of president Park Chung Hee. Shin said no, and instead wrote a song about the natural beauty of the country, called Beautiful Rivers and Mountains. His refusal of the president's request resulted in Shin being harassed by the police and other government jerks. He was eventually imprisoned for 'involvement' with marijuana.
Beautiful Rivers and Mountains, Ahreumdaeun Gangsan (아름다운강산), has a pattern that is somewhat similar to Free Bird in that it has a slow majestic intro, a long series of verses and choruses, and a 'kick out the jams' instrumental finale. Musically, it's closer to the Doors. The song opens with a psych pastoral quality, like here we go out into the welcoming forest. At 0:37 the floodgates open and we are propelled down a winding river of loping bass, fast-strummed guitar and pounding drum. The vocals have this kind of dark whispered sound to them. Organ, bass, and oboe or recorder maybe, accompany the vocals. At 3:12, I think it's Shin himself who delivers this kind of spoken word section, accompanied by the lead and harmonies. The singers rise up at 3:54, filling the air with a sense of pride and joy. The final verses begin at 4:36, and the drum pounds away with greater intensity.
The vocals end at 5:47, with four minutes left for all sorts of instrumental fun. After a few circles around the track, at 6:15 Shin Joong-hyun's wah wah guitar gurgles its way into the mix. Organ, drums and cymbals explode around it. My favorite Shin moment is at 8:03 or so, when his guitar just shrieks.
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