Akira Ito - Marine Flowers LP

It is easy to get distracted by some of less important aspects of Marine Flowers.  It is a New Age classic, which means a lot of hyperbole, only reinforced by the scarcity of original .  Akira Ito himself cuts an interesting figure.  He was a child actor, who transitioned into a "Group Sounds" musician in the 60's and then became a new age artist, making "healing music" in the 1980's.  This information has everything and nothing to do with this LP. 

The New Age label can turn off some listeners, but let's focus on the "classic" aspect of this LP.  Ito uses his lifetime of experience to craft songs that are atmospheric and melodic, accessible but never simplistic.  Glossy Mistakes is releasing this pressing of Marine Flowers is for it's 35th anniversary, but it doesn't sound like an LP from 1986.  Instead, it sounds timeless. Ito crafts sound and songs that clearly inspired many listeners to make their own music.  This timelessness and influence makes it a wonderful addition to almost any collection.