Yuya Uchida & The Flowers - Challenge (1991)

Yuya Ychida & The Flowers was the predecessors from the legendary Flower Travellin' Band, that only would become formed with the entrance of the vocalist Akira "Joe" Yamanaka. As you can perceive, this album is composed by various covers songs from bands like Jefferson Airplane, Cream, Big Brother & The Holding Company and The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Challenge was the debut album by Japanese rock band 'The Flowers' and the only album to feature vocals by Remi Aso - she left after the album's release for the States. Recorded in 1969 with the intention of producer Yuya Uchida to introduce the music of artists like Cream, Janis Joplin & Jefferson Airplane to the Japanese record buying public - it's release sparked an explosion of psych music in Japan that is still going strong in bands like Acid Mothers Temple & Ghost. All but one of the 10 tracks are cover versions which are competently played, often heavier than the originals, but(unsurprisingly) don't eclipse them. Best track here is the one original "Hidariashi no Otoko" - a psych heavy instrumental that would lay the seeds of the band's future direction.