Without question, Piero Umiliani stands as one of Italy's most innovative music legends. And while the late library/soundtrack maestro has seen more than a few reissues in recent years, his impossibly rare — yet stunning — Il Paradiso Dell'uomo is at last getting a vinyl reissue.
With original copies fetching high three figures, newly launched label Alternative Fox will be reissuing Umiliani's Il Paradiso Dell'uomo as a 180-gram vinyl pressing on June 7.
Originally release in 1963 via RCA Italiana, the album served as the soundtrack to the little-known documentary Il Paradiso Dell'uomo (a.k.a. Man's Paradise), which came with the subtitle "Forbidden Japan." As the label explains, the film itself focused "on the roles assigned to women in the country, from the traditional pearl-fishing divers of the coast and urban factory workers to traditional dancers and the ambiguous world of geisha and striptease."
For the soundtrack, Umiliani crafted a beautiful mix of Western and Eastern sounds, experimenting with the both the world of exotica and jazz — two genres that he would go explore deeper throughout his prolific career. Along the way, Umiliani also roped in Chinese singer Mei Lang Chang for a handful of vocal-led songs, in addition to singer/composer/musicologist Francesco Potenza.
Despite the soundtrack standing tall among many Umiliani high points, Il Paradiso Dell'uomo has never been reissued — either on vinyl or even CD — making this the first pressing since its original 1963 release.
Down below, you can see the the reissue's tracklist, which mirrors that of the original RCA release, as well as listen to vinyl rips of some tracks from the original release.
The reissue will be available in North America via Forced Exposure, and you can pre-order it here or IRL at your local record store.
Il Paradiso Dell'uomo:
A1. Cielo Di Tokio
A2. Pescatrici, Perle E Pescecani
A3. Un Paese Di Sogno
A4. Fuji Golf
A5. Il Bagno Delle Vergini
A6. Le Spiagge Di Ohiso
A7. Donne Di Notte
B1. Geisha Party
B2. Base-Ball All'Americana
B3. Vecchi Tatuaggi E Nuovi Gangsters
B4. Spogliarello Twist
B5. La Roccia Dei Suicidi
B6. Cielo Di Tokio
With original copies fetching high three figures, newly launched label Alternative Fox will be reissuing Umiliani's Il Paradiso Dell'uomo as a 180-gram vinyl pressing on June 7.
Originally release in 1963 via RCA Italiana, the album served as the soundtrack to the little-known documentary Il Paradiso Dell'uomo (a.k.a. Man's Paradise), which came with the subtitle "Forbidden Japan." As the label explains, the film itself focused "on the roles assigned to women in the country, from the traditional pearl-fishing divers of the coast and urban factory workers to traditional dancers and the ambiguous world of geisha and striptease."
For the soundtrack, Umiliani crafted a beautiful mix of Western and Eastern sounds, experimenting with the both the world of exotica and jazz — two genres that he would go explore deeper throughout his prolific career. Along the way, Umiliani also roped in Chinese singer Mei Lang Chang for a handful of vocal-led songs, in addition to singer/composer/musicologist Francesco Potenza.
Despite the soundtrack standing tall among many Umiliani high points, Il Paradiso Dell'uomo has never been reissued — either on vinyl or even CD — making this the first pressing since its original 1963 release.
Down below, you can see the the reissue's tracklist, which mirrors that of the original RCA release, as well as listen to vinyl rips of some tracks from the original release.
The reissue will be available in North America via Forced Exposure, and you can pre-order it here or IRL at your local record store.
Il Paradiso Dell'uomo:
A1. Cielo Di Tokio
A2. Pescatrici, Perle E Pescecani
A3. Un Paese Di Sogno
A4. Fuji Golf
A5. Il Bagno Delle Vergini
A6. Le Spiagge Di Ohiso
A7. Donne Di Notte
B1. Geisha Party
B2. Base-Ball All'Americana
B3. Vecchi Tatuaggi E Nuovi Gangsters
B4. Spogliarello Twist
B5. La Roccia Dei Suicidi
B6. Cielo Di Tokio
