''Seo Taiji and Boys'' is the debut studio album by South Korean musical trio

Seo Taiji and Boys () was a South Korean music group active from 1992 to 1996. The three members of the boy band, Seo Taiji, Yang Hyun-suk and Lee Juno, experimented with many different genres of popular Western music. Seo Taiji and Boys was highly successful ...

, released via Bando Records on March 23, 1992. Written primarily by

Seo Taiji Jeong Hyeon-cheol (Korean: 정현철; born February 21, 1972), better known as Seo Taiji or Seo Tae-ji (서태지), is a South Korean singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. After dropping out of high school to pursue a music career, ...

, the record incorporates and fuses various genres including

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was mos ...

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

, R&B and hip hop. It spawned the group's first big hit and now their signature song, " I Know" (Nan Arayo). The album brought the group major success, which would continue through the band's next three albums and even frontman

's solo career. With over 1.8 million copies sold, it is one of the best-selling albums in South Korea. ''Seo Taiji and Boys'' is considered to be one of the most influential Korean albums with ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' writing that it represents "the dawn of

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...

Background and release

The album was released on March 23, 1992, and marked the trio's debut. The album was released in a special 15th Anniversary Edition with bonus tracks in 2007, which includes live tracks and remixes, as well as the video mix of "Nan Arayo". The 2007 edition is also available internationally in digital form through venues such as Amazon and iTunes, with official English titles used by the Seotaiji Company. However, in international territories, the digital version does not include "Rock 'n Roll Dance" in either its original or remixed form, due to licensing issues with using samples from

AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...

's "

Back in Black ''Back in Black'' is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC. It was released on 25 July 1980 by Albert Productions and Atlantic Records. It is the band's first album to feature lead singer Brian Johnson, following the death of ...

Reception

In April 1996, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' reported that the album had sold over 1.6 million copies, which has since grown to over 1.8 million copies and is one of the best-selling albums of all time in South Korea. The album was met with acclaim in both South Korea and abroad, with the ''

Kyunghyang Shinmun The ''Kyunghyang Shinmun'' or ''Kyonghyang Sinmun'' is a major daily newspaper published in South Korea. It is based in Seoul. The name literally means ''Urbi et Orbi Daily News''.

'' ranking the album at number 24 on their 2007 list of the Top 100 Korean Albums. In 2020, ''

'' rated the album 8.3 out of ten, making it the highest rated Korean album reviewed by the publication. Editor Noah Yoo stated that the album's "canny synthesis of rap, techno, and rock ... would soon be seen as the dawn of K-pop."

Accolades

Seo Taiji and Boys won a

Golden Disc Award The Golden Disc Awards (, formerly spelled the Golden Disk Awards before 2015) is an annual South Korean major music awards ceremony that honors achievements in the local music industry. The awards ceremony was founded with the purpose to promo ...

for "I Know" in 1992. The song received 26 music program awards from June to August 1992. "You, In the Fantasy" also won 16 music program awards from September to November.

Track listing

English titles are based on the official translations provided by the Seotaiji Company for international markets. All tracks are written by

, except track 5 lyrics by

Yang Hyun-suk Yang Hyun-suk (born January 9, 1970) is a South Korean music executive, rapper, dancer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of Seo Taiji and Boys during the 1990s. After the group disbanded, he founded and became the Ex ...

, track 8 lyrics by William B., and track 9 music by

Angus Young Angus McKinnon Young (born 31 March 1955) is an Australian musician, best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, songwriter, and only remaining original member of the hard rock band AC/DC. He is known for his energetic performances, school ...

Personnel

− vocals, arrangement, computer programming, synthesizer, guitar on tracks 2, 3 & 8 *

− vocals *Lee Juno − vocals *Son Mu-hyeon − guitar on track 6 *

Shin Daechul Shin Daechul ( ko, 신대철) is a South Korean musician and songwriter. He is best known as leader and guitarist of Sinawe, who are considered one of the first heavy metal bands in South Korea. He is the son of Shin Jung-hyeon, who is often c ...

− guitar on track 9 * Kim Jong-seo − chorus * Jang Hye-jin − chorus *Lee Jung Sik −

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1992 debut albums Seo Taiji and Boys albums