Forever in the hearts of Megadeth fans thanks to his ten year stint in the band, guitarist Marty Friedman released a new solo album, Tokyo Jukebox 3, in Japan this week. The album features Friedman covering a selection of Japanese pop songs, from ’90s J-Pop hits Time Goes By (by Every Little Thing) and Makenaide (by Zard) to more contemporary tracks such as Lisa's Gurenge and End Of The World’s Sazanka.
The album also features The Perfect World, originally released in 2018 with Man With A Mission vocalist Jean-Ken Johnny on vocals, and now reworked to feature guest vocals by Japanese pop singer Alfakyun. The original version of the song was utilised as the main theme for the Netflix series B: The Beginning.
Friedman revealed the artwork for Tokyo Jukebox 3 in late August, and said, “Just like everyone, I've had a real tough time dealing with 2020. We all suffered from a massive lack of fun this year, so I made it my mission to make feel-good, serotonin-level-raising music of the highest order, stuff that will hopefully kick you all in the feels, and hard. Making the album during a pandemic had its hellish challenges, but everyone is facing hardships now, so I was just thankful to have such cathartic work to do.”
Spacefox, a new documentary centring on Friedman’s transformation from Megadeth guitarist to mainstream Japanese TV personality, is expected to debut in Japan next year. In the meantime, Megadeth fans seeking a spot of Friedman nostalgia might care to check out the guitarist’s 1989 audition for Dave Mustaine’s band.
