解放戦線の歌 [The Songs of the NLF]

Annotation — Japanese Songs

Vietnam War-themed spoken-word LP, titled "戦場の村" ("Battlefield Village") (Victor World # SJET-8095). The A-side has the subtitle "A Voice From the Village", and the B-side "The National Liberation Front" - the track titles were provided in both Japanese and English. This is the recitation of reports and literature about Vietnam, although it's hard to track down the exact sources that make up this compilation. It involved prominent Japanese journalist Katsuichi Honda (born 28 January 1932), a war correspondent in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968 - he published the book Vietnam War: A Report through Asian Eyes in 1972, in addition to narration from Japanese actor 宇野重吉 [Jukichi Uno].1 The booklet attached to this LP said "this is only a record of the Vietnam War in 1967... but this is not a historical document that ages with the passage of time... it is more than just a record of facts - it is personal... it is the courage of [those] who testified to humanity's deepest suffering".Track listingA Voice From the Village A1| 戦車と農民 (With the APC Tank Company) A2| 家宅捜査 (Search of Houses)| A3| 戦闘 (In the Fighting) A4| 故郷への手紙 (A Letter From Home) A5| 廃墟の老婆 (An Old Woman in the Ruins) A6| 緑の故郷 (Green Native Land) The National Liberation Front B1| 解放軍中隊との出会い (Our Meeting With the Leader) B2| 紹介状第一号 (Letter of Introduction No. 1) B3| (A Message to Prime Minister Sato) B4| 解放戦線の歌 (The Songs of NFL) B5| ヘリコプターの恐怖 (Terror From Helicopters)| B6| 脱出 (Escape From the Area)Sources1Wikipedia: Katsuichi Honda↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Notes

Victor World Group SJET-8095 (M), mono, 33⅓ RPM, made in Japan, manufactured by Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.; label matrix numbers SVIR-7010-A and SVIR-7010-B. The green labels credit Katsuichi Honda and "宇野重吉 (Jyukichi Uno, narrator)", titling side 1 "A Voice from the Village" and side 2 "The National Liberation Front" (both 本多勝一「戦場の村」), with Japanese and English track titles. The front cover shows a grainy photograph of Vietnamese women and a child huddled together under the brush-lettered title 戦場の村, with "本多勝一 / 朗読 宇野重吉"; the obi reads "謙虚な精神の記録、日本が生んだルポルタージュの傑作" (a record of a humble spirit, a masterpiece of Japanese reportage), lists highlights including 解放戦線の歌, and is priced ¥1,750; the back sleeve is a photograph of Uno reading at a microphone, "発売元・日本ビクター株式会社". The six-page insert opens with Honda's "レコードをきく前に" (Before listening to the record), explaining that the reading is…

About the artist

Various Artists

Themes

Vietnamese Perspective · Vietnamese Patriotic

In collections

Japanese Songs · North Vietnamese Songs