The song was included on the album, known as 'Zero Disc' among the fans, released in 1989 on a own label as a project for the TV programme, 'Ika-ten', for which Ningen Isu first became famous when they were still amateurs. And it was also newly recorded and included on their professional debut album, 'No Longer Human' (人間失格, Ningen Shikkaku) in 1990. Furthermore, this live footage is from the live album released, featuring the live performance at Shibuya O-West, Tokyo, 2010. Wajima and Suzuki's hometown, Aomori Prefecture, it is in the north-east (Tohoku) region of Japan and specialises in apples. The lyrics are said to compare the selling of daughters by poor farmers there to survive in the poor old days, to apples. However, my memory is a little fuzzy, but I have a memory that Wajima who wrote the lyrics, he denied that this was the case. Apart from the above story, this song is a really early song of theirs. Originally Suzuki wrote a song called ‘Demon’ when he was in high school, imitating Black Sabbath's one, and Wajima arranged it and added lyrics, and ‘Ringo no Namida’ was completed (source: from a video clip on YT from the old local TV program in Aomori, 'Ningen Isu Club'. Search in the following Japanese, '人間椅子 デーモン 鈴木研一 処女作'). The groove from the breakdown at 4:38, it has the atmosphere of Aomori's famous festival, 'Nebuta (ねぶた)', or 'Neputa (ねぷた)' (Suzuki and the fans jumping around). From 5:34, Wajima's guitar solo uses phrases from ‘Tsugaru Shamisen’ (津軽三味線), another traditional Aomori musil art form. And Suzuki and Wajima sing in the Tsugaru dialect of their hometown. So I think it's a mix song of Sabbath riffs, Krimson-like progressive music, tempo changes, and Aomori traditions. Thank you from Japan!
