Piranha Gundan [Japanese Import]

• 1xLP pressed on Black Vinyl
• Arranged by Jun Sato and Ryuichi Sakamoto
• Originally released in 1977

The "Piranha Gundan" was established in 1975 by Toei actors. The actors, who support the Toei production by playing roles in movies and TV dramas, naturally gathered for booze ups. Masaru Shiga, a member of the group, named them "Piranha Kai" with a dream to one day playing main roles in movies.

The gang benefited from the positive publicity generated by Takuzo Kawatani and Hideo Murota's appearance in the drama "Zenryaku Ofukuro-sama," broadcast from October 1975. This gradually brought the other corps members to the attention of the public. The release of "Violent Panic: The Big Crash" and "A Savage Beast Goes Mad" (both released in 1976), in which corps actors played major roles, contributed to the continued growth of the Piranha Gundan boom. In 1977, the movie "The Smart Aleck Ten" was released, starring all members.

This album was released in April 1977. Folk singer Kan Mikami, who was also active as an actor, conceived the idea of producing a Piranha Gundan record at a party with Tsunehiko Watase. With the exception of M-2 "Mura Uta ~Washashiranbushi~" and M-4 "Ore (Re-o)," 11 songs were written and composed by Kan Mikami. The album was arranged by Jun Sato and Ryuichi Sakamoto, who also played keyboards. Other musicians who contributed to the album include Shuichi Murakami, Tetsuro Kashibuchi, Tsugitoshi Goto, Nobu Saito, and others.