Loudness — Disillusion

intothewellsabyss
Jul 1, 2023
2 min read

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

39 years ago this week, Loudness released their first album in English for the world outside of Japan.

On July 1, 1984, Loudness released the English version of their fourth full-length studio album Disillusion (撃剣霊化, Gekken reika) via Music For Nations in the U.K. & Roadrunner Records in Europe.

Background:

Loudness moved to Europe to record their fourth album “Disillusion”, performing several concerts there, as documented in their second video Eurobounds.

It was recorded, mixed and mastered in London, England, in 1983 and released at the beginning of 1984. The sound engineer chosen for the recording sessions was the expert Julian Mendelsohn, who had previously worked with acts like YES, Elton John, Jimmy Page and Bob Marley.

The original Japanese version was licensed and released by Music for Nations in the UK and Roadrunner Records in Europe. Attention by major US labels for the band and the need to make their work accessible to Western audiences, prompted a new release of the album with vocal tracks sung in English, ultimately leading to the bands first album released outside of Japan.

The English version opened the album with the instrumental "Anthem (Loudness Overture)" by Akira Takasaki, which was missing in the original Japanese release.

Critical Reception:

In 2005, “Disillusion” was ranked number 290 in Rock Hard magazine's book of “The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time”.

In September 2007, Rolling Stone Japan rated Disillusion No. 40 on its list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time".

In 2019, "Exploder" was named the 21st best guitar instrumental by YOUNG GUITAR Magazine.

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Eduardo Rivadavia writes;

“Loudness had come a long way by 1984 and, after notching a number of increasingly successful albums in their homeland, their momentum finally carried across the waters. So it was that their fourth effort, Disillusion, which they had originally recorded mostly in Japanese, was recut with English lyrics to make it a tad more appetizing for Western audiences. Whatever the language, Disillusion remains one of Loudness' best works, with excellent tracks like "Crazy Doctor," "Dream Fantasy," and "Satisfaction Guaranteed" aptly displaying their rapid growth. One of their most complex albums in compositional terms, much of the material exudes a decidedly progressive rock feel; "Milky Way" and "Butterfly" in particular display a prog rock feel somewhat reminiscent of Rush. Also on hand is one of guitarist Akira Takasaki's best solos -- the amazingly fast "Exploder." And on a trivia note, closer "Are's Lament" would be the first track to be cannibalized at a later date, when the band reworked it as "So Lonely" for 1987's “Hurricane Eyes”.”

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

Click this link to listen to “Disillusion (English Version)” via Spotify: DISILLUSION (English version) https://open.spotify.com/album/26ZBKmb7BTtLyxby2XYDJn

Click this link to follow Loudness on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100044278066838

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells

Loudness — Disillusion

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