What I Am Listening To: Shin Joon-Hyun

There of course no way to listen to all the music. Though we certainly seem closer to that goal with Amazon and various streaming platforms and helpful “Listen to an album a day” blogs and whatever. My go to for recommendations have been the British magazines like Uncut and Mojo. 

If I can’t listen to every album, maybe I can use their staff and the recommendations. Similarly, Light in the Attic Records has become a favorite of Uncut, and me too, releasing a lot of obscure albums that deserve attention. Now, they may not be so obscure but it’s an amazing list of unique artists -the Monks, Michael Hurley, Rodriguez, Betty Davis, Jim Sullivan, Karen Dalton, the Louvin Brothers and many more. 

It is also the home of introducing Shin Joong-Hyun to a bigger audience. Shin is known as the “Godfather of Korean guitar”, the man who brought rock n roll to Korea, and a prominent figure in 1960s and 70s Psychedelia. More about his life later, but in the conversation about his skill, I have read references to Hendrix, the 13th Floor Elevators and Jefferson Airplane. 

The truth is when I hear Shin’s music that I don’t really think about such things. In the way music that sometimes transcends language, I can’t put my finger on what I am hearing but I know I like it. Of course, some of his music recalls American garage rock and psychedelia, he also has songs that to my ear not that much different than Chinese pop music, but I find if no less powerful. In 2011, Light in the Attic released Beautiful Rivers and Mountains- an all killer no filler 14 track double disc anthology of his work from 1958 to 1974. This was followed by the release of From Where to Where- 7 more songs from the 1970s. (There is also a Korean five disc nine hour career anthology that seems impossible to find to purchase but is available on streaming) 

The simplest description of Shin’s career is this: his first album was in 1959 at the age of 21. In 1964. His band And4 (the first rock band in South Korea) released their debut album. In the late sixties, he achieved popularity as a producer, songwriter and guitarist for others, and established his psychedelic soul sound. In 1974 and 1975, he was at his height fronting the band Shin Yung Jun and Yup Juns releasing Vol 1 and Vol 2. But the defining moment in Shin’s career was happening too. 

In 1972, South Korean President Park Chung Hee (who was then establishing his military dictatorship) asked Shin to write a song praising Park. Shin refused and instead wrote a ten minute song praising South Korea called “Beautiful Rivers and Mountains”. Park forced Shin to cut off his long hair (which was banned) and the police confiscated his guitars. 

Things got worse in 1975, Shin was imprisoned for giving a pot plant to a friend of Park’s son (despite Marijuana not being illegal in South Korea at the time). After prison and torture, he was sent to a psychiatric hospital and finally released but banned from performing until 1979 when Park was assassinated. Mostly retired since, his music enjoyed a comeback in the 1990s. 

In 2010, he became only the sixth guitarist to get his own Fender Custom Shop Tribute Series guitar (Beck, Clapton, Van Halen, SRV, Malmsteen). As a long time rock music fan, it’s interesting to find someone who had a career that parallels say a Clapton or Page, but also was a producer and a pioneer. I have to say its fascinating as most Americans don’t have a glimpse into