Sin Agog
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Japrocksampler Reappraisal
Dec 13, 2011, 11:07
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The internet kerfuffle over the drugless lysergia plied by the likes of J.A. Caesar, Magical Power Mako and Love Live Life + One seems to have quietened down a bit recently. Am just listening to J.A. Caesar's Poison Body Circle right now and it's really sublime stuff. Love how it suddenly kicks in with the most feral psyche caterwauling and guitar Messerschmitt explosions right after the mournful trad Japanese Noh chanting. I'll always be a mark for quiet-loud-quiet-loud.
Who are your favourites (will probably always be the Rallizes for me)? Have you been interested in checking some of them out for awhile now but never got around to it (they're a pretty eclectic bunch of releases...not sure they'd all get on with each other at a party)? Any records you think should have made the final 50 (like why did J.C. write off really cool post-'70s acts like After Dinner and Phew- the latter featuring most of Can)? And when's Woprocksampler coming out already!
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MC
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Re: Japrocksampler Reappraisal
Dec 13, 2011, 11:22
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I'm not the biggest fan of Poison Body Circle (Shindokumaru) but really like Jasumon, Kokkyou Junrieka and the early stuff on the JA Ceaser Box.
Other Japrock albums that do it for me:
Tokyo Kid Brothers - Throw Away the Books (both versions)
Yuigonka - Endless Endless
Magical Power Mako - Super Record, Hapmoniym, Music From Heaven (Jump is total shite)
People - Ceremony Buddha Meets Rock
Kazuki Tomokawa
and if there is one album I would recommend to everyone it would have to be: Choukoku No Niwa/Boris - Split CD the best thing Boris ever did.
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Squid Tempest
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Re: Japrocksampler Reappraisal
Dec 13, 2011, 11:25
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I must admit, apart from Rallizes, JRS never really inspired me to check things out in the way KRS did. Perhaps I should reappraise.
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Sin Agog
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Re: Japrocksampler Reappraisal
Dec 13, 2011, 11:40
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Endless Endless and Kazuki Tomokawa (and Kan Mikami- Kazuki's creative twin), two more omissions that could at least have made the confused tail-end of the list. And the Hapmoniyms- Mako's best work for me.
The thing I like about Caesar's Shin Toku Maru is how much it sounds like a Japanese Magma (well, before every avant-garde Japanese band actually tried to be the Japanese magma). A wonderful psychey hell-opera I'd have loved to watch being performed.
From the list, my favourites are:
Les Rallizes Denudes - Heavier than a death... (though I pretty much always eschew this in favour of the flat-on bludgeon of 77 Live).
Karuna Khyal - Alomoni 1985. Sounds more heat-warped than a Lee Scratch Perry production.
Tokyo Kid Brothers - Throw Away the Books (you ever seen the movie this soundtracks? Shûji Terayama is probably my favourite filmmaker of the '70s. Watch this and Pastoral - To Die in a Country if you haven't.
Toshi Ichiyanagi - Opera... This guy would definitely make my Top 3 former husbands of Yoko Ono.
J.A. Caesar - Kokkyō Junreika or maybe Taj Mahal Travellers - Live 71
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bauheed
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Re: Japrocksampler Reappraisal
Dec 13, 2011, 12:46
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The Far East Family band are a particular favourite of mine that I discovered as a result of JRS. Demon and Eleven children by Blues Creation is a stonking album too.
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eyeshakingking
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Re: Japrocksampler Reappraisal
Dec 13, 2011, 22:53
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As usual I agree with everything Sin Agog says. Emphatically.
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redfish365
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Re: Japrocksampler Reappraisal
Dec 14, 2011, 00:30
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I was familiar with most of the bands in JRS before it came out.
Faves include FLower Travellin Band, Far East Family Band, JA Caesar, Speed, Glue & Shinki, Blues Creation and Les Rallizes.
Special mention to People/Buddha Meets Rock, Takehisa Kosugi (whose Catch Wave is glorious drone), Brast Burn's Debon and everything from Taj Majal Travellers.
Still unable to track down anything by East Bionic Symphonia...
Oh, the Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffalos Uganda album is quite cool too!
Karuna Khyal's Alomoni 1985 was somewhat disappointing... as was Gedo.
Still searching for some Tokyo Kid Brothers...
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IanB
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Edited Dec 14, 2011, 10:20
Re: Japrocksampler Reappraisal
Dec 14, 2011, 09:55
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Squid Tempest wrote: I must admit, apart from Rallizes, JRS never really inspired me to check things out in the way KRS did. Perhaps I should reappraise.
I was of the same mind and really didn't enjoy it in terms of the writing style either. It all seemed a bit forced to me. That said knowing your stuff and your taste a bit I would very highly recommend
Catch Wave by Takehisa Kosugi
August 1974 by Taj Mahal Travellers
If you can imagine the Page "Lucifer's Rising" score taken to its true destination then that is Catch Wave. August 74 is equally unsettling listening.
I would also recommend everything by Far East Family Band who are a progtastic cross between PFM, mid period Floyd, the Moodies and BJH. They are not in the least bit edgy.
Overall I think that like KRS the real revolution stuff is in the audio Guernica instrumental music rather than "Hey hey! We're the Marxists".
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Sin Agog
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Edited Dec 14, 2011, 10:47
Re: Japrocksampler Reappraisal
Dec 14, 2011, 10:45
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By Guernica I take it you don't mean these Japanese mentalists.
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IanB
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Edited Dec 14, 2011, 11:29
Re: Japrocksampler Reappraisal
Dec 14, 2011, 11:05
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Sin Agog wrote:
er no .... the painting. I meant that the best KR and JR instrumental music has the same quality as Picasso's anti-fascist masterpiece.
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/p/picasso/guernica.jpg
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