Music / Tropical Dandy

Artwork painted by Yasuo Yagi.

Tropical Dandy is the second album released by Japanese musical artist Haruomi Hosono. It was released in 1975 through Panam Records. Just like its predecessor Hosono House, it features the same personnel which would go on to become its own band (Tin Pan Alley).

Like its title suggests, this album marks the beginning of Hosono's interest in Exotica. It is said that he once had a bad trip after hitting a blunt too strong and passing out, using Exotica music as a pain reliever. Tropical Dandy is the first album in a trilogy of Exotica albums by Hosono (the second one being Bon Voyage Co. and the last one being Paraiso).

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Tracklist

Side A

1. "Chattanooga Choo Choo"
2. "Hurricane Dorothy"
3. "Silk Road"
4. "Tropical Night"
5. "Peking Duck"

Side B

6. "Drifting Chronicle"
7. "Honey Moon"
8. "Three o'Clock Lullaby"
9. "Three o'Clock Lullaby (instrumental)"
10. "Drifting Chronicle (Instrumental)"

This album provides examples of:

• Ambient:
  • "Tropical Night" starts and ends with the sound of ocean waves and wildlife.
  • The last 2 minutes and 30 seconds of "Drifting Chronicle (Instrumental)" feature those same sounds (until we hear someone dialing a phone to call someone).
• Call-Back: The album ends with a spoken passage which can be heard on "Hurricane Dorothy".
• Cover Version: The opening track is a cover of Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo Choo".
• Face on the Cover: Hosono's same look as on Hosono House is painted by Yasuo Yagi, who also provided cover art for artists of that same scene and era.
• Gratuitous English: "Hurricane Dorothy" has a female voice saying "Hurricane Coming"
• Gratuitous French: That same voice from "Hurricane Dorothy" says "I want to have sex while listening to la vie en rose" in french.
• Instrumentals: Two songs on this album have their own instrumental cut at the end of the album's tracklist ("Three o'Clock Lullaby" and "Drifting Chronicle")
• Meaningful Rename: "Peking Duck" has been renamed "Beijing Duck" when Hosono played it on his 2019 live album (Peking was the original name used for the city before Beijing became adopted in the eighties).
• Regional Riff: The opening of "Peking Duck" features the oriental riff (which can be heard in works parodying Chinese music).
• Shout-Out: The title of "Hurricane Dorothy" references both the heroine from The Wizard of Oz and the cyclone which sets her adventures off
• Spoken Word in Music: "Hurricane Dorothy" and "Drifting Chronicle (Instrumental)" feature a female voice.
• Translated Cover Version: "Chattanooga Choo Choo" is faithful to the original portuguese/english lyrics, however Hosono sings one verse in japanese.
• Shout-Out: "Hurricane Dorothy" references Édith Piaf's "La Vie En Rose" while "Peking Duck" mentions Singin' in the Rain.