All right, unless you're obsessed with Japanese pop music, you probably don't really need to go this route. You can certainly find Kyu's hit recording of "Sukiyaki" on compilations (such as Billboard Top Pop Hits: 1963) and be done with it.

But for those of us who remember the LP issued when "Sukiyaki" became a #1 hit (AND the couple of 45s that followed), it would be nice to find some of the old recordings. Kyu was a hugely beloved star in Japan (even more so due to his tragic death in the JAL Flight 123 crash in 1985), so collections do exist, but, of course, they're not really geared to the US market.

SOOO, if, like us, you're looking for "Tsun Tsun Bushi" (the second cut on the Sukiyaki LP) or "Benkyo No Cha Cha Cha" (the flip side of Kyu's follow-up single "China Nights") you'll still have to use your turntable.

BUT, let it also be said that this compilation DOES include "If You're Happy and You Know It", and how could that possibly be a bad thing?