Cho Yong-Pil Vol. 2 (조용필 2집) (1980)

Cho Yong-Pil’s phenomenal success in Korea made him the first Korean rock artist to perform at Carnegie Hall, as is prominently displayed by the front cover. Like Volume 1, some of the songs included were themes to dramas, including the title song “Blessing (Candlelight),” and “Modern History Figures.” Other songs of note include “Unexpected Goodbye,” which fuses elements of both trot and disco and “I’ve Decided to Forget,” which has been called a fusion of an adult pop song and a nursery rhyme. “Ganyangrok,” which tells the story of a Joseon scholar in Japan, is also well-known, and the funky “Let Me Meet” closes out the album with a twist.

Jigu Records hurried the release of this album as a follow-up to the bestselling Volume 1, and the tracks “Love Hasn’t Ended Yet” and “Sad Smile” from the first album are included again here.

Note: The CD version has a different track sequence, but since this album originally came out in the vinyl era, I’ve listed the track sequence from the vinyl version. The CD version doesn’t include the instrumental to “Bobbed Hair,” but it does include “Thoughts of Older Brother,” which wasn’t released on vinyl until Cho’s Volume 3. I have included a translation of “Thoughts of Older Brother” here.

Photo via ManiaDB

Cho Yong-Pil Vol. 12 (조용필 12집) Sailing Sound (1990)

Cho Yong-Pil’s 12^th album Sailing Sound, his first of the 1990’s, contains one of his most-covered ballads, the sweeping and magnificent “I Wish It Could Be That Way Now.” That song is only one of many highlights, however. The cheery pop of “Your Scent Scattered” and the longing rocker “Sunflower” have hooks that stick in your brain, as does the upbeat closer “Life Goes Round and Round.” The opening track “Reunion in Memories” was the title song, and received new life years later after being covered on the Korean variety show I Am a Singer. There are interesting changes of pace too, with the haunting and mysterious “Ancient Palace,” a tribute to a historic castle that’s now a run-down tourist attraction, and the genre-defying “Oh Tree,” which taps into the human desire for groundedness. All in all, this album was a great beginning to the new decade, and is one of Cho’s best start-to-finish listens.

Image taken from ManiaDB

Clinah - We Are Clinah! (클리나 1집) (2011)

Way back in 2011, an unknown company called Dino Entertainment burst onto the music scene with their hot new girl group, Clinah (pronounced “Clean-uh”). This was no ordinary girl group, however. No, no, this was a real, legitimate, girl rock band! Members included lead vocalist Han Yuna (한유나), lead guitarist Rika (리카), rhythm guitarist Malja (말자), and bespectacled drummer Lee Soun (이소운). They were so legit they didn’t even need anything silly like a bass player. They released their debut mini-album in October of that year, and even scored some music show appearances with their single “Come On Boy.”

Of course, this “rock band” was nothing more than an idol group with the trappings of a rock band. Their live performances included choreographed moves while playing (miming) the instruments, and the recordings were typical heavily-produced fare, just a little more guitar-based than the dance-pop groups’ stuff. And that name. Clinah. What did it mean? No one seemed to know!

Whatever the case, Clinah failed to catch on. They never had a second single, and by early 2012 they were trying to stay afloat as cheerleaders for the SK Wyverns baseball team. Malja left the group because of health reasons that April, and no replacement was ever found. By 2013, Dino Entertainment’s website no longer existed.

While this group appears to be nothing but a piece of musical ephemera that belongs on the far back shelf of K-Pop’s reject warehouse, there’s something strangely fascinating about them. Their songs, while not deserving of any awards, were actually not that bad. Indeed, many groups with stronger financial backing have released far worse singles and their careers never missed a step. It’s more a statement about the secondary importance of musical quality within the pop music industry than it is of Clinah’s merits.

Had the circumstances been different, one wonders what might have been for these girls. Had they just been with a bigger entertainment company, they might have been more than a one-and-done no-hit wonder. Had their looks just appealed to viewers a little more, they might have gotten a larger male fanbase to fuel their popularity. Had the handling of the rock band concept not looked so silly, maybe they would’ve been able to develop from a pre-packaged band into a legitimate one, like The Monkees. After all, amid the silliness of the choreographed moves, it at least appeared that they knew what they were doing with guitars and sticks in hand. It’s doubtful they would’ve produced anything in the league of the K-Pop greats, but they might’ve ended up deserving a place just a bit closer to the warehouse entrance.

In the end, this one release is about the entirety of their musical legacy. Clinah’s sole mini-album is a fun little treat that grows on you, and is always a possible under-the-radar hidden gem for the adventurous K-Pop fan. It doesn’t reinvent the idol pop wheel, but it might leave you curious about what could have been.

Image source: ManiaDB