Cinorama - Garden, The Garden
Cinorama - Garden, The Garden
Cinorama - Garden, The Garden
Kyoko Kuroda / Masami Shinoda - Duo
In his time, Masami Shinoda was a master sax-blaster with the likes of Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Ché-SHIZU and A-Musik. He's here on alto and tenor with Kyoko Kuroda drawing sounds out of keyboards and piano that defy belief ... and it's all recorded live on the 30th of August, 1988 at Manda-La2 in Kichijoji, Tokyo.
C80 released on Omba Records in 1988.
Duo
Cinorama - Three Lies and a Ding-a-Ling at 5 O'Clock
Cinorama - Three Lies and a Ding-a-Ling at 5 O'Clock
Masami Shinoda - Tokyo Chin Don Vol.1
Chindon'ya are effectively Japanese marching bands that were elaborately dressed troupes playing traditional instruments that were designed as the bearer of that modern curse: advertising! Now much more rare to see on the streets and viewed through nostalgic eyes. Masami Shinoda's goal was to document the music whilst it was still around. One disc is recorded in the studio and one is recorded on the streets and it's much better than I've made it sound.
Double CD released on Puff Up in 1992.
Tokyo Chin Don Vol.1
Satoshi Sonoda - Early Works Of Satoshi Sonoda 1977→1978 Memories Of Yasushi Ozawa
Key figures within the Japanese underground aggregating as Free Music Space, Free Music Revolt and ANARkiSS and not really appearing anywhere else but here.
CD released on P.S.F. Records in 2009.
1977-1978
Satoshi Sonoda - Mimi-Nuki: Secondary Works Of Satoshi Sonoda 1982-1989
Secondary in a sequential sense rather than inferior. Satoshi Sonoda slipped past the occidental world ... until ...
Collaborators include Tori Kudo, Masami Akita, Takuya Nishimura, Shinya Kimura, Otomo Yoshihide and many others (including the influence of Sten Hanson). Magical gear!
CD released on P.S.F. Records in 2012.
1982-1989
Mainliner - Live In Tokyo 2014
Recorded live at UFO Club Tokyo on the 6th of February, 2014. Yes, it's properly recorded but damn the latest line-up nailed every single note ...
CD released on Acid Mothers Temple in 2018.
Live In Tokyo 2014
Mainliner - Live In New York 97
Recorded live at the Knitting Factory in March 1997. God knows what recording device was used to bootleg this BUT there are parts where the applause is louder than Mainliner even when Mainliner are still playing!!! File it under "Asahito Nanjo ... WTF are you thinking? ... oh yeah, kerching." Even so, it has some fine parts.
CDr on La Musica Records from probably 1998.
Live In New York 97
Mainliner - Live In London Twenty Thirteen
It's always a joy to know that the Mainliner juggernaut keeps on (steam)rolling. This is Makoto Kawabata on guitar, Taigen Kawabe on bass and the utterly legendary Shimura Koji on drums.
"Recorded live at Corsica Studios, London September 2013. Mixed and mastered from three different source recordings inc soundboard."
C64 released on Swap Meat in 2014 (and that is a cassette subdivision of the splendidly egalitarian Riot Season).
Live In London Twenty Thirteen
Mainliner - La Musica Tapes Vol. 1
"Compilation CDr of two old tape albums released on La Musica. Tracks 1-6 were originally released as "Troop" and are demo versions of songs that appeared on "Mellow Out". Tracks 7-11 were originally released as "Mainliner Sonic" are a demo versions of songs that appear on the album of the same name."
The first half has Hajime Koizumi on drums whilst the rest has Tatsuya Yoshida in the seat.
CDr released on Acid Mothers Temple in 2013.
La Musica Tapes Vol. 1
Mainliner - La Musica Tapes Vol. 2
"A compilation of releases previously put on on cassette by La Musica. Tracks 1-5 were originally on "Psychedelic Atmosphere Beatnik" and all but the last track are live recordings, tracks 6-8 were originally on "Kamikaze" which was originally planned to be the second Mainliner album."
This is the line-up of the band that had Tatsuya Yoshida on drums.
CDr released by Makoto Kawabata on the Acid Mothers Temple label in 2013.
La Musica Tapes Vol. 2
Mainliner - Kamikaze
Given that the Makoto Kawabata reissue is coming next, you may ask the question why bother? Well, I hadn't realised that I hadn't posted this before now ... and there are slight differences in the track times ... and frankly, it's rude not to.
C38 released on La Musica Records in 1997.
Kamikaze
Maher Shalal Hash Baz - First Gig
Apparently recorded at Kid Ailack Hall on the 14th of December 1984, this incarnation doesn't include Tori Kudo. The line-up is Chie Mukai, Takuya Nishimura, Kiwame Oizumi and Tsukasa Takahashi.
C30 released on La Musica Records in 1996 (probably).
First Gig
Tori Kudo / La Consumption 4 - Atlantic City
Recordings from New York in 1981 that surfaced on a La Musica Tape in 1996 and thankfully cleaned up and released as an LP on Siwa in 2005.
Atlantic City
Tori Kudo - Early Tapes
This isn't on Discogs so don't bother. It sounds like some of the tracks on the first side are taken from a number of live events. The first track is a rather tentative but enjoyable ragtime piano piece followed by an introduction (?) and then a trio of piano, double bass and drums with some smokey lounge jazz. The second side is all Guys & Dolls and are probably demo recordings. Given that the vast majority of the evidence of Guys & Dolls existence is via this label's bootlegging, everything is welcome.
This is a C30 that was inevitably released on La Musica Records. I can't quite make out the catalogue number in the very poor quality pictures I've seen. Mind you, catalogue numbers never seemed to bother Nanjo much. My best guess is 1996 but the recordings are likely to range from mid to late 70s to very early 80s.
Early Tapes
Tori Kudo - Tori Kudo Tapes
Another deeply grey area release from Asahito Nanjo that could very easily fit onto two discs rather than four. Even the cover art is inaccurate (there's no mention of La Consumption 4 for instance). I've taken the tagging information from a proven source. In spite of the questionable source material, it quickly becomes very enjoyable.
Four CDr set released on La Musica Records in 2001.
Tori Kudo Tapes
Vote Robot - In Meorm Na
Vote Robot - In Meorm Na
Super Milk - Live ・ Elecdance 1979～1980
Slip into a day-glo Taco / Gaseneta envelope and record live in various venues in Osaka and Kyoto forty years ago.
Another exercise in quality reanimation on this CD released on いぬん堂 [Inundow] in 2001.
ライブ・エレキダンス 1979～1980
Various - Trans Craze (The Golden Death Menu 1985-1988)
A compilation of tracks that had been previously released on the excellent Trans Records apart from a couple of unreleased live tracks courtesy of Z.O.A. and The Gerogerigegege.
CD released on Wechselbalg Syndicate in 1989.
Trans Craze
Vote Robot - R.U.R.
Vote Robot - R.U.R.
Koichiro Watanabe - Matomete Abayo O Iwa Sete Morau Ze
Koichiro Watanabe is an integral part of the Japanese outsider scene ... think Maher Shalal Hash Baz, The Fifth Column and Ultra Bide ... and this is a great and obscure retrospective that was released to mark his passing.
A CD from 1991 on a label that escapes me.
In 2013, it was reissued on Super Fuji Discs but it didn't include the 29 second intro that appears here ... speculate as you will.
まとめてアバヨを云わせてもらうぜ
Morse Code vs. Can't - Untitled
Morse Code vs. Can't
Saboten - Non Position
I've completely lost track of the number of times I've played this over the past month. It's great.
Compilation CD released on いぬん堂 [Inundow] in 2002.
Non Position
Various - Moodoo Dancer: Do The Flop with Sadie Sads, Nubile & Sarasvati
Quite self-explanatory.
Quality triple CD resurrection from 2011 courtesy of the frequently brilliant Super Fuji Discs.
Do The Flop
K. Yoshimatu - Trojan Blue
K. Yoshimatu - Trojan Blue
Guillotine Kyodai - Suspense Carry pro
As commonplace, confounding and extraordinary as a star studded sky.
CD released on Creativeman Disc. in 1997.
Suspense Carry pro
T. Isotani & K. Yoshimatu - Eternal Morning
T. Isotani & K. Yoshimatu - Eternal Morning
Guillotine Kyodai - Viva Guitar
This is mental. Even by our standards. This is MENTAL!
You get the Morricone spaghetti western intro and then the rest of the tracks are the Guillotine cats in one channel chopping up bugles, Adam And The Ants and christ alone knows what else and then they pass the baton to a series of Japanese superheros playing guitar in alternate channels ... and at the end everything is mixed into a single track.
MENTAL!
CD released on Creativeman Disc. in 1997.
Viva Psychiatry
Guillotine Kyodai featuring Hirose Junji - Meetings With Remarkable Men
Guillotine Kyodai are Guillotine Tiger and Guillotine Jaguar who are better known to their mothers as Hideaki Sasaki and Yuji Katsui.
During a failed attempt to meet remarkable women, they settled upon meeting the likes of Otomo Yoshihide, Seiichi Yamamoto, Ruins, Junji Hirose and Yoshinori Motoki instead. So, there's an excursion past your bedroom door salvaged then.
CD released on Tag Rag in 2000.
Meetings With Remarkable Men
Various - Eat Shit Noise Music
In 1989, RRRon put out a cheeky "unofficial" tape that took tracks from a host of Japanese tape compilations. He did a pretty good job: Hanatarash, Boredoms, White Hospital, The Gerogerigegege, Ruins, Grim and Dissecting Table.
C46 courtesy of Statutory Tape. Hurrah!
Eat Shit Noise Music
K. Yoshimatu - Melancholy Mix
K. Yoshimatu - Melancholy Mix
Boredoms - Boretronix
The Noizunzuri posts took me back to the Boretronix tapes. There are parts of the first tape where you can hear remnants of Mitsuru Tabata's previous band but you quickly come to terms with the reality that he has climbed on board Yamatsuka Tetsurō's post-Hanatarash armour-plated chaos engine.
Maybe one or two of you don't have these already ...
C50 released on Eye's ? Records in 1988.
Boretronix
Kaoru Abe - CD Box 1970-1973
If you don't know him then there is nothing that I can say to prepare you.
All human emotion and/or the real sound of Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell channeled through a saxophone except it's so much better than that.
Seven CD set released on Youth Inc. in 2012.
01 Abe Kaoru Trio - 1970.3.15
02 Abe Kaoru & Hiroshi Yamazaki Duo - 1971.1.24
03 Abe Kaoru - 1972.1.21
04 Abe Kaoru - 1972.4.11
05 Abe Kaoru - 1972.7.13
06 Abe Kaoru - Winter 1972
07 Abe Kaoru - Solo 1973
Noizunzurie - 人間は金の為に死ねるか / Wish You Are Here
The final act of off-kilter cabaret psychodrama before Mitsuru Tabata left to help form Boredoms.
LP released on DIW in 1986.
Wish You Are Here
T. Kamada, A. Koshi, T. Nakamura - Home Made Music 1981/4
T. Kamada, A. Koshi, T. Nakamura - Home Made Music 1981/4
Noizunzurie - Ho-Yo
Indori Igami, Ken Fukuda and Mitsuru Tabata with an album full of enthrallingly odd performance art rock.
LP released on Telegraph Records in 1985.
抱擁
K. Yoshimatu - Marine Crystal
K. Yoshimatu - Marine Crystal
Daisuck & Prostitute - 光の海の中で
I'm leaning towards the record label being one of those that "kind of unofficially" release things. D&P were done and dusted by the time this saw the light of day ( ... and there was another one they put out in the same year that I have never seen nor heard ... any help there would be marvelous). Apparently "recorded at Lock On Studio, January to November 1991" but presumably this is a venue as this is clearly live (as in, in front of a paying audience). Also Discogs (which, of course is never wrong) has this as having eight tracks, my copy has seven. As far as I'm concerned it's a live bootleg recorded who knows where or when but a very welcome addition nonetheless.
CD released in 日本晴 Records in 1994.
In The Sea Of Light
Daisuck & Prostitute - Ushirosugata no Suteki na Bokutachi
Four years passed before the next appearance and the sound is different. If they were attempting a more commercial sound they clearly forgot that the weird would get in the way.
Originally released on vinyl in 1985. This is the CD reissue from 1991.
後ろ姿の素敵な僕たち
K. Yoshimatu - Commercial Romanticists
K. Yoshimatu - Commercial Romanticists
Daisuck & Prostitute - Shinu Made Odori Tsuzukete
Maybe it's just the way I feel right now but I can't think of a comparator to Daisuck & Prostitute. They just seem to exist on one of those higher planes of genius. It's not possible for me to recommend these people enough.
Originally released on vinyl on Japan Record in 1981, this is the rather excellent remastered reissue on Super Fuji Discs from 2010.
死ぬまで踊りつづけて