Half Japanese - 1/2 Gentlemen / Not Beasts

An excerpt from the Half Japanese documentary, "The Band That Would Be King".

******************

Half Japanese
1/2 Gentlemen / Not Beasts
(1980)

All Music Guide:
"As with any album that is three records long, 1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts unwittingly shows Half Japanese's true roots. Over the three records, the band "covers" such minimalists as the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, and Jonathan Richman, as well as deconstructing such wordsmiths as Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. Although they would have you believe that their untuned, almost unlistenable, instrumental clatter is the result of being so enthusiastic that they didn't bother to learn how to play their instruments, it's just the logical, inevitable intellectual extension of Richman's naivete and the Velvet Underground's stripped-down guitar. Half Japanese is consciously primitive and amateurish. "

Tracklist:
DISC 1
1. "No Direct Line from My Brain to My Heart" - (2:00)
2. "10th Avenue Freeze Out" - (1:50)
3. "Ta Sheri Ta Ta" - (4:55)
4. "My Girlfriend Lives Like a Beatnik" - (1:05)
5. "Her Parents Came Home" - (0:59)
6. "Shhh-Shhh-Shhh" - (2:12)
7. "Girls Like That" - (2:12)
8. "Rrrrrrrrrrr" - (1:27)
9. "No More Beatle Mania" - (1:53)
10. "Tangled Up in Blue" - (3:45)
11. "Patti Smith" - (2:23)
12. "School of Love" - (1:07)
13. "Jodie Foster" - (2:15)
14. "Shy Around Girls" - (1:37)
15. "Grrrrrrrrrr" - (2:24)
16. "Bogue Millionaires-Cool Millionaires" - (2:11)
17. "Tn Tn Tn Tn Ki" - (3:10)
18. "I Can't Stand It Anymore" - (2:24)
19. "I Love Oriental Girls" - (1:44)
20. "Dream Date" - (1:33)
21. "Du Du Du - Du Du Du" - (7:22)
22. "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" - (1:10)
23. "Ann Arbor, MI" - (0:33)
24. "I'm Going to the Zoo" - (1:13)
25. "Shi Yi Yi" - (0:58)
26. "Rave On" - (1:42)
27. "I Ta Na Si Na Mi Eee" - (1:02)
28. "Till Victory" - (2:16)
29. "Rip My Shirt to Shreds" - (0:19)
30. "I Don't Want to Have Mono No More" - (1:41)
31. "She Cracked" - (1:57)
32. "Bbbb-bbbb" - (1:36)
DISC 2
1. "Funky Broadway Melody" - (4:13)
2. "I'm Sorry" - (1:37)
3. "T-T-T-T-T-T" - (6:43)
4. "The Worst I'd Ever Do" - (0:44)
5. "Live in Baltimore MD" - (20:17)
6. "Live in Washington DC" - (18:16)
7. "Battle of the Bands" [*] - (1:59)
8. "Worst I'd Ever Do" [*] - (0:42)
9. "Ann Arbor, MI" [*] - (0:53)
10. "School of Love" [*] - (1:32)
11. "Her Parents Came Home" [*] - (0:57)
12. "Shy Around Girls" [*] - (1:11)
13. "Dream Date" [*] - (1:43)
14. "Bogue Millionaires-Cool Millionaires" [*] - (3:29)
15. "Knock on Wood" [*] - (1:44)
16. "Top Secret" [*] - (0:48)
17. "Guitar Solo" [*] - (0:41)
18. "Calling All Girls" [*] - (1:04)

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The Flaming Lips - Zaireeka

The Flaming Lips
Zaireeka
(October 28, 1997)

All Music Guide:
"A combination of the words "Zaire" and "Eureka," Zaireeka is a term coined by Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne symbolizing the fusion of anarchy and genius. It's a perfect title; Zaireeka is the culmination of the Lips' helter-skelter brilliance. Pushing the concept of interactive listening into new realms of possibility, the work extends Coyne's infamous "parking lot experiments" into not merely one album, but four separate discs that can be played separately or in groups of two, three, and four with multiple stereos. (Properly synchronized multi-disc playback requires more than one person -- it's literally a party album.) Between combining the discs and toying with volume, balance, fidelity, etc., the options are truly limitless. No two multi-disc performances can be repeated, thanks to the space-time continuum and discrepancies from one CD player to another. Musically as well as conceptually, the Lips are defiantly experimental throughout Zaireeka; individually, each disc sounds more like free jazz than pop, although Coyne's diamond-sharp melodic sensibilities prevail even during the most chaotic moments. With each additional disc, the music's force and ingenuity reveals itself: "Riding to Work in the Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now)" is an epic orchestral noise suite, "Thirty-Five Thousand Feet of Despair" is a multi-narrative plane-crash drama remarkably evocative in its depiction of fear and chaos, and "How Will We Know? (Futuristic Crashendos)" features such extreme high and low frequencies that it can lead to disorientation, confusion, or nausea (the track is not recommended to be played while operating a motor vehicle or in the presence of infants). Logistical nightmares aside, Zaireeka is a dense, difficult work, recommended only for the hardiest Flaming Lips fetishists; however, they're in for the musical experience of a lifetime."

Tracklist (All four discs have identical track listings):
1. "Okay I'll Admit That I Really Don't Understand" - (2:52)
2. "Riding To Work In The Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now)" - (7:02)
3. "Thirty-Five Thousand Feet Of Despair" - (4:59)
4. "A Machine In India" - (10:24)
5. "The Train Runs Over The Camel But Is Derailed By The Gnat" - (6:14)
6. "How Will We Know? (Futuristic Crashendos)" - (2:24)
7. "March Of The Rotten Vegetables" - (6:28)
8. "The Big Ol' Bug Is The New Baby Now" - (5:05)

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Boredoms - Super Roots 2

Boredoms
Super Roots 2
(July 25, 1994)

Discogs:
"Not sold in stores. Only available to people who had purchased the first press of the Chocolate Synthesizer CD and sent in the postcard included to take part in the lottery for the CD."

Tracklist:
1. "Sexy Boredoms" - (0:56)
2. "Go Come Uparks" - (1:19)
3. "Magic Milk" - (1:44)
4. "White Plastic See-Thru Finger" - (2:03)
5. "Boxodus (Noise Ramones Mix)" - (0:32)

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Acid Mothers Temple - Electric Heavyland

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
Electric Heavyland
(October 6, 2002)

All Music Guide:
"This particular studio release came described as one of the band's heaviest efforts yet, recorded by the compact five-person lineup of 2002 in May of that year. Lead guitar maniacs Makoto Kawabata and Hiroshi Higashi, bassist Atsushi Tsuyama, drummer Hajime Koizumi, and singer/keyboardist Cotton Casino incarnate Acid Mothers Temple on this one, and the result is, unsurprisingly, mayhem. Given all of the various releases and spin-off efforts in existence, to be sure, selecting this one as a particular winner may be a bit bold, but from when the opening track (of three total), "Atomic Rotary Grinding God/Quicksilver Machine Head," fully launches, it's hard to hold back the love. Kawabata and Higashi, in particular, come up with the monster riffs of God (or rather, more of the same not used previously), more often than not overpowering even the frenetic rhythm section, while Casino's brand of weird chaos, especially toward the end, can barely be described. "Loved and Confused," besides continuing the wink toward the birth of classic rock via song titles, completely cuts loose into moments of Kawabata/Higashi solo madness, with the band almost audibly trying to find a rhythm as it goes. There are even more random vocal squeals from Casino on this song as well, making the final result sound like a scared ghost wandering through a collapsing factory. "Phantom of Galactic Magnum" concludes things on the same note, but the slow-build start makes the inevitable explosive chaos all that much more of a trip. About the only thing that sounds like it's missing by the end is Mephistopheles' kitchen sink, with Casino in particular creating some head-melting keyboard lines. The side credits for each member are a kick: Among them, Casino is credited with beer and cigarettes, while Higashi is the "dancin' king" and Kawabata the "speed guru.""

Tracklist:
1. "Atomic Rotary Grinding God / Quicksilver Machine Head" - (15:43)
2. "Loved and Confused" - (17:02)
3. "Phantom of Galactic Magnum" - (18:58)

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Acid Mothers Temple - Univers Zen ou de zéro à zéro

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
Univers Zen ou de zéro à zéro
(2002)

All Music Guide:
"Puzzled by this album's title? It belongs to Acid Mothers Temple's list of "tribute titles," although this time it doesn't reference Jimi Hendrix or Frank Zappa. Univers Zero was a key developer of avant-garde chamber rock and took part in Chris Cutler's Rock in Opposition movement in the late '70s (check out the group's AMG biography for more). Is there any link between UZ and the music on Univers Zen Ou de Zéro à Zéro? No, not the least bit. This album stands as one of AMT's strongest realizations, simply because it covers a lot of musical ground in exciting ways and with good enough studio sound to satisfy a selective listener without killing the trashy feel of the music. The album begins with a frantic space rock jam, "Electric Love Machine." It propels a heavy guitar riff into interstellar space Hawkwind style -- i.e., without making a single pit stop and with plenty of synth sweeps. "Soleil de Cristal et Lune d'Argent" (Crystal Sun and Silver Moon) is more nuanced, starting from almost nothing, building into a jam frenzy (listen to it on headphones; there are a lot of instruments buried under the guitar drone), coming apart and starting over for an orgiastic finale. "Ange Mécanique de Saturne" (Saturn's Mechanical Angel) is a trippy guitar-and-voice number, anticlimactic and haunting. "Blues Pour Bible Noire" will enrage any blues purist: For 20 minutes it kicks around a simple 12-bar motif drenched in echo and avant rock guitar solos. The album ends on an unannounced piece of strange vocalizing, adding that Dada touch fans of the group love. In an already crowded discography, Univers Zen manages to crawl its way to the top as one of AMT's most representative albums. If you were looking for a place to start, you found it."

Tracklist:
1. "Electric Love Machine" - (10:34)
2. "Ange Mécanique de Saturne" - (10:31)
3. "Blues pour la Bible Noire" - (21:40)
4. "Trinité Orphique" - (2:31)
5. "Soleil de Cristal et Lune d'Argent" - (22:26)
6. "God Bless AMT" - (3:43)
7. "A Bamboo Is as Close as Miss Marsh to Marshmallow" - (7:38)
8. "Sir Satanic Magic Bamboo Jerks Off" - (10:34)
9. "Magic Head Cheese" - (13:34)
10. "Man on the Holy Mountain" - (3:55)
11. "Sweet Lucille, or Lick My Milk Off Baby" - (11:03)
12. "Cosmic Magic of Love, Pt. 2" - (2:02)

192 kbps

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Acid Mothers Temple - St. Captain Freak Out and the Magic Bamboo Request

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
St. Captain Freak Out and the Magic Bamboo Request
(2002)

All Music Guide:
"This time out, the Acid Mothers Temple collective tackle the concept album, or more accurately, a trip-opera as the band have called it. It "follows" the adventures of St. Captain Freak Out, but finding any sort of story line in the sonic soup within is impossible. Even song titles are of no help, but "A Bamboo Is as Close as Miss Trout to Mashmallows" and "Maggot Head Cheese" provide some provocative imagery. Musically, the band is in full flight, with full-on performances from Koizumi Hajime on drums and third-eye guitarist Kawabata Makoto on all types of stringed instruments. But the band's attack is hindered by a substandard and somewhat muddy mix. "Maggot Head Cheese" is an overpowering piece, with the entire band in backs-to-the-wall freakout mode, but everything sounds indistinct, the bass sounds overloaded, and only the cymbals and wah-wah guitar rise above the sonic mess. It's a shame that a band this extraordinary sounds so under-produced and unfocused on this album. There is some stellar material on here ("Dead Man Is Smoking," "Sweet Lucille or Lick My Milk Off, Baby"), for those with the patience to sift through 70 minutes of sludge to find it. Those versed in the Acid Mothers Temple experience know just what to expect here, but for others, there are easier roads inside. This release does have some of the best cover art, being an Acid Mothers-centric version of the Sgt. Pepper's cover, as appropriated by Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. "

Tracklist:
1. "I Am St. Captain Freakout" - (1:18)
2. "Planet Pussy Virgo" - (6:47)
3. "Cosmic Magic of Love, Pt. 1" - (1:45)
4. "Dead Man Is Smoking" - (8:46)
5. "Pork Bomb in Aztec Part 0" - (3:06)
6. "Hi Twiggy Cheesecake" - (0:27)
7. "A Bamboo Is as Close as Miss Marsh to Marshmallow" - (7:38)
8. "Sir Satanic Magic Bamboo Jerks Off" - (10:34)
9. "Magic Head Cheese" - (13:34)
10. "Man on the Holy Mountain" - (3:55)
11. "Sweet Lucille, or Lick My Milk Off Baby" - (11:03)
12. "Cosmic Magic of Love, Pt. 2" - (2:02)

192 kbps

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Jad Fair & Daniel Johnston - It's Spooky

Jad Fair & Daniel Johnston
It's Spooky
(1977)

All Music Guide:
"Originally released in 1989, this collaboration between the two songwriters is about as ramshackle as you can get. Drumbeats are notably out of step, vocals creak, and melodies lurch and stop. Not that this should come as any surprise to anyone with any familiarity with the two, as amateurishness is often the name of the game. This record originally came out on Jad Fair's label and is reissued here with six extra tracks. Covers include "Happy Talk," Phil Och's "Chords of Fame," Glass Eye's "Kicking the Dog," a deconstructed "Tomorrow Never Knows," and the Butthole Surfers' "Sweet Loaf," here retitled "Sweet Loafed." This might be the best representation of the two musicians, with the give and take occasionally resembling a kind of stumbling electric jug band on songs like "Something's Got a Hold of Me." The most impressive thing about the disc is the sheer exuberance for music that is felt every step of the way. The simple expressions and blunt descriptions are often charming and beautiful in their out-of-step way, especially during "I Did Acid With Caroline." It's one of the many moments where you realize that -- at the core -- this is wonderful, stripped-down-to-the-core indie pop with a huge heart. Whether or not this is a lost masterpiece is not quite etched in stone, but it is indeed an excellent portrait of obvious fan-boy eagerness and musical joy. Musical joy that -- at over 70 minutes -- might need to be spaced out accordingly."

Tracklist:
1. "It's Spooky" - (1:55)
2. "Summer Time" - (3:03)
3. "I Met Roky Erickson" - (2:30)
4. "Happy Talk" - (4:11)
5. "McDonalds on the Brain" - (0:42)
6. "I Did Acid With Caroline" - (1:43)
7. "If I'd Only Known" - (1:54)
8. "Tongues Wag in This Town" - (1:08)
9. "Tomorrow Never Knows" - (1:53)
10. "Oh Honey" - (2:13)
11. "A Vow of Love" - (0:52)
12. "When Love Calls" - (2:20)
13. "Frankenstein Vs. the World" - (2:21)
14. "Hands of Love" - (2:04)
15. "Kicking the Dog" - (2:56)
16. "What I've Seen" - (2:50)
17. "Something's Got a Hold on Me" - (2:01)
18. "Villian" - (2:38)
19. "Chords oF Fame" - (2:55)
20. "Ostrich" - (0:32)
21. "Casper the Friendly Ghost" - (4:14)
22. "First Day at Work" - (3:03)
23. "Fun and Games" - (0:47)
24. "Nothing Left" - (2:15)
25. "Memphis Tennessee" - (1:15)
26. "Come Back" [*] - (2:57)
27. "Tears Stupid Tears" [*] - (3:01)
28. "The Making of the Album" [*] - (1:51)
29. "Get Yourself Together" [*] - (1:24)
30. "What the World Needs Now" [*] - (3:03)
31. "Sweet Loafed" [*] - (2:45)

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The Residents - The Beatles Play the Residents and The Residents Play the Beatles

The Residents
The Beatles Play the Residents and The Residents Play the Beatles
(1977)

rushomancy, Rate Your Music:
"Great, groundbreaking work by the Residents from the "Third Reich and Roll" era. The first side, "Beyond the Valley of a Day in the Life", is a very early plunderphonic-style work, and is as well-executed, if not quite as meticulous, as some of John Oswald's work in this field. The B-side has the Residents covering "Flying", apparently because it was the only Beatles composition to be credited to all four members, but even aside from that it's a good choice for them, as it's a nice, underrated number. It's not as totally impressive as the A-side, but this I think is mostly because they've done plenty of other stuff in the same vein as it, whereas the A-side is the most fully realized example of that aspect of their work. In any event, a must-listen single."

Tracklist:
1. "Beyond The Valley Of A Day In The Life" - (3:54)
2. "Flying" - (3:24)

160 kbps

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John Cage and David Tudor - Indeterminacy

John Cage and David Tudor

Indeterminacy
(1959)

"Blue" Gene Tyranny, All Music Guide:
"This two-CD set reissues the legendary early-'60s discs in which Cage relates enlightening and entertaining stories from his life, from ancient texts, from secondhand sources, and from spontaneous insight, while pieces composed using indeterminate procedures are performed on piano and live electronics by David Tudor. Essential for an understanding of Cage at the root level. (It's OK that the voice is obscured at times.)"

Tracklist:
1. "Part 1A" - (23:06)
2. "Part 2A" - (23:03)
3. "Part 1B" - (22:14)
4. "Part 2B" - (22:03)

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Naked City - Grand Guignol

Naked City
Grand Guignol
(1992)

allmusic.com:
"Naked City's follow up to their self-titled album is a departure from the New York noir that they had perfected. Here, after a 17 minute, moody title piece, all low rumbling punctuated by drum thrashes and distorted screams, is a very straight transcription of Debussy's "Cathedrale Engloutie" featuring some very lovely, watery guitar work from Bill Frisell. Other modern pieces follow, with works by Scriabin, Ives, Messian, and Di Lassus. And then for something completely different: 32 thrash'n'burn numbers lasting anywhere from 10 seconds to a whopping 1:14, most with humorous titles (some favorites: "Jazz Snob: Eat Shit," "Perfume of a Critic's Burning Flesh," "Pigfucker"). Forget the subtlety of the first half -- this is thrash jazz! Yamatsuka Eye of the Boredoms provides vocals. As they say, there's screaming, and then there's Yamatsuka Eye. Whether or not such eclecticism makes for awkward listening is apparently the last thing on Zorn's list, and it probably shouldn't be a concern anyway. A rewarding album."

Tracklist:
1. "Grand Guignol" - (17:40)
2. "La Cathédrale Engloutie" - (6:24)
3. "Three Preludes Op. 74: Douloureus, Déchirant" - (1:17)
4. "Three Preludes Op. 74: Très Lent, Contemplatif" - (1:42)
5. "Three Preludes Op. 74: Allegro Drammatico" - (0:48)
6. "Prophetiae Sybillarum" - (1:46)
7. "The Cage" - (2:00)
8. "Louange Á l'Éternité de Jésus" - (7:07)
9. "Blood Is Thin" - (1:00)
10. "Thrash Jazz Assassin" - (0:45)
11. "Dead Spot" - (0:31)
12. "Bonehead" - (0:51)
13. "Piledriver" - (0:33)
14. "Shangkuan Ling-Feng" - (1:14)
15. "Numbskull" - (0:29)
16. "Perfume of a Critic's Burning Flesh" - (0:24)
17. "Jazz Snob Eat Shit" - (0:24)
18. "The Prestidigitator" - (0:43)
19. "No Reason to Believe" - (0:26)
20. "Hellraiser" - (0:39)
21. "Torture Garden" - (0:35)
22. "Slan" - (0:23)
23. "The Ways of Pain" - (0:31)
24. "The Noose" - (0:10)
25. "Sack of Shit" - (0:43)
26. "Blunt Instrument" - (0:53)
27. "Osaka Bondage" - (1:14)
28. "Shallow Grave" - (0:40)
29. "Kaoru" - (0:50)
30. "Dead Dread" - (0:45)
31. "Billy Liar" - (0:10)
32. "Victims of Torture" - (0:20)
33. "Speedfreaks" - (0:48)
34. "New Jersey Scum Swamp" - (0:41)
35. "S&M Sniper" - (0:14)
36. "Pig Fucker" - (0:23)
37. "Cairo Chop Shop" - (0:22)
38. "Facelifter" - (0:54)
39. "Whiplash" - (0:19)
40. "The Blade" - (0:35)
41. "Gob of Spit" - (0:18)

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Acid Mothers Temple - Born to Be Wild in the USA 2000

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
Born to Be Wild in the USA 2000
(2002)

allmusic.com:
"Originally sold only at gigs, Born to Be Wild in the USA was recorded during the 2000 tour at Graceland (Seattle), the Fireside Bowl (Chicago), and the Up Stage (Philadelphia). It's a full-on AMT performance that lasts only a little over 40 minutes, but punters get their money's worth in spades. It's an assemblage of mostly well-known Acid Mothers Temple jams save for "Acid Tokion 2000," that opens the set. Kawabata Makoto and company let it rip here, allowing the full-on intensity of the band to come out of the starting gate. It's freak-out, overdriven rock that never falters or slows until it exhausts itself. "La Novia," given a different reading entirely than the studio version, is loaded with plodding distortion and dreamy, droning soundscapes (some of it courtesy of a somewhat dodgy recording quality which actually adds to the tune), and then opens directly onto a spacy, slow entryway toward "Pink Lady Lemonade," an ambient tune that evolves into a glorious psychedelic blissout that Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine would kill to have constructed back in the day. "Speed Guru" -- Makoto's theme song -- goes back into the red for another nine minutes or so, allowing all of his power as an improvising lead guitarist to pour out of the box, laden with distortion, feedback, and wasted speaker low-tech. The set closes with a very brief little solo guitar piece called "Gods Bless A.M.T," and a load of crowd applause. Again, the sound isn't the best but it hardly matters as this set more than captures the AMT live experience beautifully. Consider it one of those officially released bootlegs."

Tracklist:
1. "Acid Tokion 2000" - (7:41)
2. "La Nòvia" - (13:38)
3. "Pink Lady Lemonade" - (8:06)
4. "Speed Guru" - (9:52)
5. "God Bless AMT" - (1:21)

192 kbps

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Acid Mothers Temple - Grateful Head / Whopping Wild Freaks

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
Grateful Head / Whopping Wild Freaks
(September 1, 2001)

Tracklist:
1. "Grateful Head" - (5:52)
2. "Whopping Wild Freaks" - (6:49)

192 kbps

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Acid Mothers Temple - Absolutely Freak Out (Zap Your Mind!!)

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
Absolutely Freak Out (Zap Your Mind!!)
(February 2001)

allmusic.com:
"Led by the original "speed guru" himself, Kawabata Makoto, Acid Mothers Temple are a 12-piece band this time around, and these 12 people have come up with a bounty of music so magical and infuriating that a single disc would not have been enough. Absolutely Freak Out: Zap Your Mind! is Acid Mothers Temple's highest peak, over two hours of their trademark freakout goodness. "Supernal Infinite Space/Waikiki Easy Meat" is the highlight, starting with a long, spaced-out guitar drone, which finally coalesces when the back-masked drums arrive to save the day. This piece is reminiscent of Acid Mothers Temple's other peak, "In E," their adapted take on Terry Riley's "In C." The track is a complete Krautrock drone freakout that relaxes into a jazzy, spacy-lounge trip. Were there to be a best of AMT, "Supernal Infinite Space" should be the lead track. "Children of the Drab" is notable for its similarity in structure to Faust's "Tapes." The song starts out a slow Pink Floyd-ian blues, then moves into an acid-washed middle section of Floyd's "Echoes," with vocalist Cotton Casino's strange Yoko-esque vocalizing and a menacing guitar. After building up and melting down several times, the band name-drops Stone Cold Steve Austin and then launches into one of its most aggressive pieces, "Surfin' Paris-Texas," which only runs about two minutes before again morphing into another section. The piece is staggering in construction and disorienting in execution. Absolutely Freak Out: Zap Your Mind! is a perfect introduction to this most prolific and intimidating of bands. It showcases the level of diversity and the instrumental acumen of the group. Recommended."

Tracklist:
1. "Supernal Infinite Space / Waikiki Easy Meat" - (19:20)
2. "Grapefluit March / Virgin U.F.O. / Let's Have a Ball / Pagan Nova" - (18:37)
3. "The Incipient Light of the Echoes / Magic Aum Rock / Mercurical Megatronic Meninx" - (19:45)
4. "The Kiss That Took a Trip / Magic Aum Rock Again / Love Is Overborne / Fly High" - (18:35)

192 kbps

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Acid Mothers Temple - New Geocentric World of Acid Mothers Temple

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
New Geocentric World of Acid Mothers Temple
(2001)

allmusic.com:
"There is only one way to listen to the Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso UFO: with a sense of adventure and a very open mind. This Japanese band doesn't exactly cater to mainstream sensibilities, but if you're daring enough to go along for the ride, New Geocentric World of Acid Mothers Temple offers considerable rewards. This unpredictable CD is hard to categorize; much of the material could be described as either neo-psychedelic rock or avant-garde rock, and one can hear the direct or indirect influence of classic rockers who range from the Jefferson Airplane to Hawkwind to King Crimson. But liking a lot of trip-out music from the 1960s and 1970s doesn't guarantee that you will find this band's neo-psychedelic/avant-garde experiments to be accessible. Hardly a carbon copy of the psychedelic or progressive acts from the hippie era, the Acid Mothers Temple incorporates Japanese and Indian elements in its own bizarre, eccentric, left-of-center way. Many of the tunes are moody and spacy (especially "Mellow Hollow Love," "Space Age Ballad," and "Universe of Romance"), but on "Occie Lady," the Acid Mothers Temple favors a metallic approach that hints at Blue Cheer and Jimi Hendrix. And "Psycho Buddha" is a 21-minute jam that could be described as a cross between acid rock and electric free jazz -- abrasive, noisy, heavy, and dissonant, this tune isn't for the squeamish. But then, nothing on this CD caters to the unadventurous. New Geocentric World of Acid Mothers Temple is strictly for more daring listeners."

Tracklist:
1. "Psycho Buddha" - (21:27)
2. "Space Age Ballad" - (4:00)
3. "You're Still Now Near Me Everytime" - (10:44)
4. "Universe of Romance" - (5:21)
5. "Occie Lady" - (8:31)
6. "Mellow Hollow Love" - (4:39)
6. "What Do I Want to Know (Like Heavenly Kisses Part 2)" - (15:06)

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Acid Mothers Temple - In C

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
In C
(2001)

allmusic.com:
"Makoto Kawabata's neo-hippie psychedelic cult, stripped down to only six members, offers up another fine album, two long tracks of extreme psychedelic brain-damaged sounds. The first cut is a rousing Krautrock version of the Terry Riley classic of minimalism, which lends itself perfectly to the Acid Mothers' freakout-overdose sound. Basically, the band locks into a repetitive mantra riff of keyboards, bass, and percussion, with tweaked-out electronic swirls. The Acid Mothers' version of "In C" has the same energy and vigor as the take of the same piece by L'Infonie (which can be heard on the Terry Riley CD Reed Streams), although with more electronics and no horns it comes off much heavier and more dense. "In E" is an Acid Mothers improvisation along similar lines, an "In C" with a guitar orientation. It starts off with a few minutes of keyboard squall before Kawabata's guitar and then the rest of the instruments kick in another headlong rush of thunderous mantra rhythms and a cosmic slew of keyboard sounds, and even eerie non-verbal vocal trills from Cotton Casino. The track is darker and more intense than "In C," as the instruments weave in and out of the minimalist structure while the tension builds and builds. One doesn't normally think of minimalism in the same breath as the psychedelic overkill for which the Acid Mothers are renown, but here it works fantastically, as they take the mantle from the '70s Krautrockers like Can and Neu! and create a new type of maximal minimalism."

Tracklist:
1. "In C" - (20:32)
2. "In E" - (16:31)
3. "In D" - (19:48)

192 kbps

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Acid Mothers Temple - In WFMU 2000

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.

In WFMU 2000
(November 2000)

Tracklist:
1. "Intro" - (1:30)
2. "In C" - (28:14)

192 kbps

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Acid Mothers Temple - Troubadours From Another Heavenly World

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.

Troubadours From Another Heavenly World
(2000)

allmusic.com:
"One of Acid Mothers Temple's first albums, Troubadours From Another Heavenly World first came out as a CD on P.S.F. in 2000. It was reissued three years later as a double LP with a bonus fourth track (ironically, the title piece). Much more atmospheric than later efforts like Univers Zen or Electric Heavyland, it presents long, trippy, neo-psychedelic tunes high in experimental content. The group features the twin drums of Hajime Koizumi and Robuko Emi, two keyboardists in Casino Cotton and Hiroshi Higashi, Atsushi Tsuyama on bass, and, of course, guitarist and leader Makoto Kawabata. Audrey Ginestet and Haco (of After Dinner and Hoahio fame) guest on vocals. "Heroin Heroine's Heritage" begins the proceedings with a soft, dreamy piece paradoxically propelled by a noise guitar. "She Is a Rainbow in Curved Air," only five minutes long, acts like an interlude. Casino Cotton's whispery voice hovers in the distance, while Kawabata tortures listeners' ears with a violin. The real treat here is "Acid Heart Mother," a fantastic half-hour freak-out. Titled after Pink Floyd's "Atom Heart Mother," the piece retains something of the Englishmen's music: the psychedelic vocals (Haco and Ginestet), the reverberating guitar chords, and the spacy electric piano. The piece moves through a number of ebb-and-flow cycles, dragging the listener into its maelstrom of echoing sounds -- an experience that can become overwhelming at times, especially in the last seven minutes. In a couple of segments, things build up to a solid rock groove, the only such occurrences on the disc. Troubadours was instrumental in establishing the group's image and reputation, but it hits less hard than later albums. It also focuses more on Kawabata the producer than the guitarist. This one requires a few listens and an open mind to discover its beauties."

Tracklist:
1. "Heroin Heroine's Heritage" - (20:59)
2. "She Is a Rainbow in Curved Air" - (4:29)
3. "Acid Heart Mother" - (32:28)

192 kbps

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Acid Mothers Temple - La Nòvia

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
La Nòvia
(2000)

allmusic.com:
"Acid Mothers Temple, led by guitar visionary Kawabata Makoto, is the preeminent Japanese psychedelic folk-rock band. Given the guitarist's penchant for extremes -- he's also a member of Main Liner and Musica Trans Sonic -- there's no reason to suggest that this little gem, which is a CD reissue of a lost vinyl collector's item, would be anything other than something that skirts the outer edges of Japanese and Eastern European folk and driving psych & roll pyrotechnics. Simply put, one listen to the 40-minute mind-expanding jam of the title track, and the listener will never fully recover from a journey that takes musical conventions, tosses them into an acid-drenched blender, and makes a delicious, thick, many-textured hallucinogenic soup. Makoto plays electric guitars, bouzouki, harp, and bowed peacock feather, all on the title track, and is accompanied by bandmates on guitars, recorders, drums, and synths. From Tibetan chanting to medieval chanting to drifting guitars and percussion to screaming, cascading rock & roll feedback, all harnessed -- barely -- by a euphoric sense of the ever-expanding sonic universe, La Nòvia carries listeners on a journey so far-fetched, so extreme, yet so compellingly listenable, they will be hard-pressed to believe what happened by the track's startling conclusion. From the Muzikas to Can to the Electric Prunes, Acid Mothers Temple carries the weight of sound and dimension into the territories at the edge of the sonic imagination. That they can do this is remarkable, that they can do this so musically is a damn miracle! The other standout of the three "selections" here is "Bon Voyage au LSD," a loose, droning, seemingly improvised work that becomes a guitar and percussion symphony along the same lines as Glenn Branca's, only less muddled by artsy pretension. Ultimately, La Nòvia is about rock & roll soul and vision, and the ability to create something new from a music that was said to be dead over 25 years ago. La Nòvia is, simply, "the good.""

Tracklist:
1. "La Nòvia" - (40:40)
2. "Bois-tu de la bière?" - (3:49)
3. "Bon voyage au LSD" - (17:27)

160 kbps

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Acid Mothers Temple - Wild Gals a Go-Go

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.

Wild Gals a Go-Go
(November 1999)

allmusic.com:
"As with all other Temple releases apparently co-composed and performed with the help of shadowy outfit the Melting Paraiso UFO, Wild Gals shows Temple once again thoroughly, totally, and completely gone over the top. Main man Makoto Kawabata still heads up the collective, leading everyone (including various refugees from Mainliner, Toho Sara, and Omoide Hatoba) into the realm of so-beyond-stoned psychedelic madness. Allegedly the soundtrack to a Russian underground film of the same name -- one can only wonder what it must be like if it exists -- Wild Gals is an entertaining keeper. Opening cut "Reverse of the Universe 1" starts things calmly enough, with a nagging and eventually ear-piercing keyboard drone playing out over a series of dark, clanging guitar notes that the likes of Sonic Youth wouldn't be unfamiliar with. "Space Bambino" also goes along fairly calmly thanks to the female vocalist, who also provides similarly sedating influences throughout Wild Gals, as with her echoing tones on the drifting zoneout "Goodbye Ice Cream/Stone Blind Blue Heaven." When "Space Bambino" turns into "Interstellar Over Dope," the monster feedback riffs really kick in, as does the heavy, queasy production which makes everything sound like it's being broadcast through Jell-O. "Mammary Intercourse" ups things even more later on, with massive flanging throughout the charging, blasting performance, not to mention spaced-out keyboard noises and whirring sounds galore. If the song is meant to represent the titular action, one wonders what these folks get up to at night. "Hare Hare Hallelujah/Blow Out" is the big monster at the center of it all, an 18-minute jam with an amazing midsection where tribal percussion, crumbling guitar noises, and spooky keyboard tones intermingle perfectly. It's one of the best tributes to early-'70s German freak rock around, and sounds it."

Tracklist:
1. "Reverse of Universe 1" - (6:53)
2. "Space Bambino / Interstellar Over Dope" - (10:09)
3. "Sweet Juicy Lucy" - (7:11)
4. "Mammary Intercourse" - (6:27)
5. "Hare Hare Hallelujah / Blow Out Super High" - (18:23)
6. "Good-Bye Ice Cream / Stone Blind Blue Heaven" - (14:29)
7. "Reverse of Universe 2" - (6:08)

VBR

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Acid Mothers Temple - Pataphisical Freak Out MU!!

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
Pataphisical Freak Out MU!!
(1999)

allmusic.com:
"With a band and album name that unabashedly psychedelic, you have to know what you're in for with this album. Kawabata Makoto's cosmic troubadours are back with five cuts of the farthest-out freakouts imaginable. Things start out quietly with a gentle drone and French vocals from Audrey Ginestet, but then "Acid Takion" starts up and the band is off on its travels, with Tsuyama Atsushi's pulsing bass and Makoto's LSD-soaked solos. Traditional rock music never comes close to reaching the vibe on this track, something so alien to popular sensibilities, but at the same time, so vital, so searching, and so capitol-R Rock & Roll. Acid Mothers Temple tackles the blues on "Golden Bat Blues Dedd" and is mostly successful in aping the genre's conventions, giving them a subtle twist most apparent with Cotton Casino's Yoko-esque vocal wails. "Right About Rainbow" showcases Makoto's signature speed-guitar freakouts. The drums crash and clatter, the bass rumbles from the underworld, and the tone generator just goes and goes and goes. In another world, this music would be recognized as the inheritor of Ornette Coleman's free jazz mantle, but in this one, it is merely an excellent introduction to this wondrous band."

Tracklist:
1. "Cosmic Audrey / Acid Takion" - (11:31)
2. "White Summer of Love / Third Eye of the Whole World" - (5:52)
3. "Golden Bat Blues Dead / Mr. Hardy Guidey Man / Magic Aûm LSD / Astrological Overdrive" - (16:13)
4. "Right About Rainbow I / Your My Only Super Sunshine / Right About Rainbow II" - (8:49)
5. "Blue Velvet Blues" - (25:42)

192 kbps

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Acid Mothers Temple - Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
(1997)

allmusic.com:

"The Acid Mothers' debut album is by all accounts a high-intensity, full-on psychedelic freakout. Guitarist Kawabata Makoto has enlisted the help of no less than 12 collaborators -- eight of them outside the Acid Mothers' immediate circle. The album's title is also its one long jam. Drums and over-amped screaming guitars set up a barely changing wall of skronk white noise with basses blowing out the studio monitors. All of this goes on, in extremis, for an unbearable 20 minutes. When the music changes it becomes sparse, shimmering shards of either guitar, didgeridoo, saxophones, bells, percussion, or hovering voices that waft through the mix, only occasionally interrupted by a bit of stop-and-go ensemble interplay. The mix becomes spare, more spacious, more tripped-out as time goes on, building then destroying itself in textures and colors. There are places of full bliss-out ambience within it, but mostly it is dark, oblique, and murky. Have no fear, however, for Makoto will bring back the noise and the feedback, informed by the silence and ambience this time, carving out a new musicality from the disparate elements, one that is mysterious, tuneful, and wrapped as a package for expanding the boundaries of our individual listening worlds. The last 12 minutes of music on this set are among the most beautiful the Acid Mothers Temple have ever performed. And that's saying a lot. While it's true this brew is too potent for most, those willing to endure the first 20 minutes will be rewarded in lavender spades for their effort."

Tracklist:
1. "Acid Mothers Prayer" - (53:00)

192 kbps

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