Tokyo-San

Yesterrock
2012

For the first time every Germany's AOR masters Tokyo will release "San" on CD. What does this mean for you the reader? Well, for starters it means you'll be able to fully experience this AOR classic in all of it's glory. For those who have never experienced Tokyo some have compared them to Toto while others have mentioned bands like Foreigner, Survivor, Journey and Kansas. Personally I'd say the Toto tag might be the closest fit but even then Tokyo possessed more pure pop and rock than Toto ever did. Also, despite being from Germany and for that matter having the name Tokyo these five guys had a very American sound to them. Traces of acts like Foreigner were present as was groups like Chicago. Very well you say but that isn't exactly rock bands your talking about. I hear what your saying. True enough Tokyo might be more pop than rock in their approach and nobody ever will confuse these guys with say even REO Speedwagon. But pop/AOR like this is classy and frankly timeless. Tokyo had the guitar hooks, flashy keyboards and thanks to having three vocalists they had the smooth vocals down flat. And even though album number three might not be as good as their other two releases it still sounds amazingly fresh and tight. With the bonus tracks "Diana", "You’re A Liar", "See You Again", "Ocean Of Love" and "Too High" added on this new re-issue is a real gem. With the exception of "Too High" (which is a newly recorded version of the original song) all of the bonus cuts were recorded during the eighties. Originally archived as demos they are previously unreleased and make this new version of "San" a real treasure for Tokyo and AOR fans alike. With a solid and upfront new sound (thanks to the excellent remaster job) "San" is a great option for those looking for new AOR acts to check out. In between songs I really got a good feel for what made these five guys tick and really while "San" might not be perfect AOR it is a great album with a classic rock vibe and feel.