Cho Duk-Bae Vol. 5 (조덕배 5집) (1989)

Cho Duk-Bae skipped album number four (probably due to four being considered an unlucky number in Korea) and went straight to number five. This album produced one of his most famous songs, the lush “If You Come Into my Heart.” Cho’s beautiful jazzy folk style remains the same, but Byeon Seong-Yong’s arrangements add a new depth to his sound that wasn’t present on previous albums. The trot-like “I’ve Become Speechless” is a slight stylistic departure, but it fits the general mood. Altogether, it’s a very relaxing listen, as is usually the case with Cho.

This album is available on CD only as a combined disc with Cho’s third album and a slightly different track sequence. The sequence here is the one from the original vinyl album.

Cover art image source

Cho Duk-Bae Vol. 3 (조덕배 3집) (1988)

Cho Duk-Bae’s third album is a bit jazzier and less acoustic-based than his previous two albums, and a bit more consistent, as there aren’t any stylistic outliers such as “You Look So Pretty From Behind” or “You Who Are Hidden to Me.” The general feel of Cho’s music is still laid-back and mysterious, and his familiar lyrical themes are still there.

The title track is the haunting “The Woman Who Was Holding Baby’s Breath,” consistent with the cover photo of a little girl sitting in a patch of said flowers. Other highlights include “My Love,” “I Won’t Sing a Sad Song,” and “A Flower in a Rainy Mist.”

This album is only available on CD as a combined disc with Cho’s fifth album (Cho has no fourth album). The track sequence here is the one from the original vinyl LP.

Image courtesy of powerranking.tistory.com

Cho Yong-Pil Vol. 1 (조용필 1집) (1980)

While Cho Yong-Pil had released music throughout the 1970’s, it wasn’t until his first release with Jigu Records in 1980 that he became a superstar. Many of the songs on this album are among Cho’s best-known to this day. “Return to Busan Port” is considered by some to be the most significant Korean pop song in history, its message resonating with Korean families whose relatives had gone abroad. The bluesy ballad “The Woman Outside the Window” and the synth-pop disco of “Bobbed Hair” were musically innovative, and there’s a reverence for previous generations of Korean music as well, with a recording of the folk song “Five Hundred Years” and a remake of the 1959 hit “Daejeon Blues.”

Several tracks here had been released previously, such as “Return to Busan Port,” “The River of No Return,” “Jeong,” and “Too Short.” “The River of No Return,” “Love Hasn’t Ended Yet,” and “The Woman Outside the Window” were originally musical pieces written for dramas. In a sense, this album is like a greatest hits collection of Cho’s 1970’s work and then some. It ended up becoming the first Korean album to sell a million copies, and far and away the best-selling Korean album of 1980.

Note: The CD version of this album has a slightly different track sequence. The sequence here is from the original vinyl album.

Album cover via ManiaDB

Cho Duk-Bae Vol. 2 (조덕배 2집) (1986)

Cho Duk-Bae’s second album picks up where his first album left off. The overall sound is driven mainly by soft instruments like the acoustic guitar, piano, melodeon and flute, with the fast-paced pop-rocker “You Who Are Hidden to Me” and a reprint of the first album’s synth-grinder “You Look So Pretty From Behind” as exceptions. Unlike his first album, several of these songs are collaborations with other writers.

Cho’s most famous song from this album is the dramatic “In a Dream,” which starts out airy and calm, but becomes ever more frantic as the singer’s desperation grows. Other highlights are the beautiful “To My Beloved Woman” (written for his wife, according to the singer himself) and the jazzy “A Woman There’s Only One of in This World.”

This album is only available on CD as a combined disc with Cho’s first album and a slightly different track sequence. The sequence here is the original one from the vinyl album.

Image of Cho Duk-Bae's 2nd Album via ManiaDB

Cho Duk-Bae Vol. 1 (조덕배 1집) (1985)

Seven years after an unsuccessful independent release, Cho Duk-Bae made his official debut with this record in 1985. Cho’s laid-back, soothing folk style, and his signature lyrical themes: nighttime, mysterious women, yearning etc. are all on display here. Though it doesn’t get billing on the front cover, the leadoff track “My Old Story,” a plea to a lover that got away, is the best-known song from this album.

This album today is available on CD as a two-for-one package featuring Cho’s first two albums, and the track sequencing is different. The sequence here is the original one.

Image via ManiaDB