crazy japanese psychedelic bands

[user_60]

Hi, I'm new here...

I'm from Italy and I like this forum... until now I was only a reader, but today I've decided to create an account...

I'd like to recommend my favourite japanese band...

they're called Ghost...

I own four of their albums and I like them all... they propose a nice form of psychedelia influenced by oriental folk, old acid-rock and a bit of cosmic music (Popol Vuh and other Germany stuff)... in the last times their singer Masaki Batoh remind me David Bowie...

the four albums that I own and that I recommend are:

"Second Time Around" (1992)
"Lama Rabi Rabi" (1996) *
"Damon and Naomi with Ghost" (2000) **
"Hypnotic Underworld" (2004)

* My favourite.
** Like said the title, it is a collaboration with Damon and Naomi (both from Galaxie 500). Their most acoustic album.

The latest Damon and Naomi album, The Earth is Blue is basically another collaboration with Ghost, though they're not credited this time (at least not directly as part of the group in the artist name on the sleeve). You would probably like it. It's not as good at their first collaboration, but still quite good.

[user_60]

le 12 mars 1977 a tachikawa

m

Yeah, that's the one.

[user_919]

Quick note about Rallizes: everything except for the following releases are unauthorized bootlegs (I've taken the liberty of making some YSIs of some of them):

# '67-'69 Studio et Live [Japan; JPN Sixe SIXE-0101] YSI link
# Mizutani - Les Rallizes Dénudés [Japan; JPN Sixe SIXE-0203] YSI link
# '77 Live [Japan; JPN Sixe SIXE-0400, 2xCD] Disc 1 YSI Disc 2 YSI
# Etc. Vol. 2 [Japan; JPN 7'' incl. with Etc. Vol. 2 magazine] YSI link

Mizutani just doesn't care about having his music released anymore, so people have been making overpriced bootlegs of the live tapes circulating in the underground for years. There's a wealth of material out there.

The Live 77 à Tachikawa is, I believe, a straight bootleg reissue of the Live 77 disc.

[user_1720]

Someone probably mentioned Suishou No Fune in this thread and I didn't see it. I can recommend them pretty strongly.

[user_714]

Resurrecting this thread for a question.

I've only recently started reading The Wire and so wondered if there had been any good articles on this kind of thing before my time. I've found that there was a Primer titled 'Japanese Psychedelia' in issue #186 from August 1999, written by Alan Cummings.
I was wondering if anyone knew this article - is it worth reading/getting? It doesn't seem to be online (if it is then please point me to it), but the back issue is still available. I'm definitely interested to read it, but I'm not sure if it's worth a fiver to do so. Any thoughts?

If there's been any other interesting articles on this sort of stuff (Japanese psych etc.) then please point them out too.

1999 is a good while ago now - I wonder if there's any plans for an update...

[Stevo]

Resurrecting this thread for a question.

I've only recently started reading The Wire and so wondered if there had been any good articles on this kind of thing before my time. I've found that there was a Primer titled 'Japanese Psychedelia' in issue #186 from August 1999, written by Alan Cummings.
I was wondering if anyone knew this article - is it worth reading/getting? It doesn't seem to be online (if it is then please point me to it), but the back issue is still available. I'm definitely interested to read it, but I'm not sure if it's worth a fiver to do so. Any thoughts?

If there's been any other interesting articles on this sort of stuff (Japanese psych etc.) then please point them out too.

1999 is a good while ago now - I wonder if there's any plans for an update...

I read this recently (think it must be that one though I didn't realise it was that old) and while it was an interesting read I'm not sure how earthshaking it was. But then again I have read it before.
Stevo

[Paul C]

Resurrecting this thread for a question.

I've only recently started reading The Wire and so wondered if there had been any good articles on this kind of thing before my time. I've found that there was a Primer titled 'Japanese Psychedelia' in issue #186 from August 1999, written by Alan Cummings.
I was wondering if anyone knew this article - is it worth reading/getting? It doesn't seem to be online (if it is then please point me to it), but the back issue is still available. I'm definitely interested to read it, but I'm not sure if it's worth a fiver to do so. Any thoughts?

If there's been any other interesting articles on this sort of stuff (Japanese psych etc.) then please point them out too.

1999 is a good while ago now - I wonder if there's any plans for an update...

Krakow, you're on my Jpsyc mailing list, aren't you? Alan Cummings is too...I'm sure he'd respond to any messages you sent there, he's very helpful and forthcoming with info.

edit - I just pulled out my copy of that issue of the Wire and gave the article a quick read...I don't think it's worth getting that issue for. You can probably find as much or more info up to and beyond that for free on the web, including at my site...

[Fourier Transform]

I picked up a Psychedelic Kinky Fellows cd in Tower Records Osaka, hoping it was a lost psych-rock gem. Unfortunately, despite obviously being Fellows, they were neither Psychedelic nor Kinky. More like super lame Red Hot Chili Peppers funk pop. So be warned.

On a more positive note, I'll mention Jacks - their 1968 album Vacant World was fairly recently reissued, and was pretty influential. Not exactly screeching gales of crazy psych-fuzz mayhem, but still pretty good.

[user_1932]

On a more positive note, I'll mention Jacks - their 1968 album Vacant World was fairly recently reissued, and was pretty influential. Not exactly screeching gales of crazy psych-fuzz mayhem, but still pretty good.

The Jacks' members led out to some really nice bands, like Yasumi No Kuni who belong to the URC (Underground Record Club) rooster with a whole bunch of other greats like Melting Glass Box, 4 Red Balloons, Kan Mikami and of course Happy End. But like the Jacks, they are not quite as "psych". But great nonetheless. Most of the URC records were reissued onto both LP and CD in the 90's and 00's, but most are quite hard to find outside Japan.

[user_1696]

since we were on the topic of the earlier stuff, anyone know where i can get some more foodbrain or speed glue (maybe = speed guru?) and shinki? i've already obsessed over all the rallizes albums and every project makoto kawabata and keiji haino have ever been in, but i was wondering if anyone knew anything about where to get some of this stuff? i don't know, i have it on this comp i'm pretty fond of but i'm not sure i can get any more...

[user_714]

Thanks very much. Given the amount of info hiding about on the internet, that's what I suspected. I'll certainly hold off buying the back issue.
If anyone has the ability and inclination to scan the article though (I think it's 5 pages, right?), then I'd still be interested to read it. You'd earn my grateful thanks and a coveted spot on my christmas card list.

I recently stumbled across this page: http://www.recordheaven.net/japan.htm" onclick= "window.open(this.href);return false;
It's incredibly heavy on the text (could do with some more web-specific development), and is little more than a huge list of bands, but I found it mildly diverting and it could be a good source of things to check out, a massive amount of which I've never heard of.

[user_1718]

p-coli, I've stumbled across your site in the past via google and it turned me on to a bunch of different Japanese stuff that I hadn't known about before (I basically knew the Boredoms and AMT with their related projects at that point). Thanks

[hito]

Maybe not all crazy and psychadelic but:

Yoshimi stuff (Yoshimi and Yuka, Yoshimio, OOIOO, Boredoms, Hagyou (Jim O'Rourke, Akita Sakata, Yoshimio), Yoshimi and Mats Gustafsson)
Tenniscoats
Puka Puka Brians
Cinorama album Garden the Garden (Niwa Niwa)
My Pal Foot Foot
Yumbo
Andersens
Nikaidoh Kazumi
Tujiko Noriko
Nobukazu Takemura
Shugo Tokumaru

[ImprovSpirit]

Acid Eater ! ! ! This is Masonna's psych/garage band that sounds a bit like Air Conditioner or Mainliner covering Back From the Grave comps. WAY over the top & recommended.

[Troublesome]

Angel in heavy syrup!

[johnson]

BRAST BURN!
I'll also second most everything already mentioned, especially Taj Mahal Travelers, Magical Power Mako and Angel In Heavy Syrup.

[splityourwig]

Angel in heavy syrup!

I heartily, heartily back this sentiment.

BREATH OF LIFE is my favorite song of all-time.