I listed the leftover records from my old distro on a few message boards two weeks ago to see if anyone was interested, and the unexpected response proceeded to take over all my free time. Now that the feeding frenzy has calmed down, I can get back to this, as well as getting the layout for the first Nightbringer 7" finished and sent off. Next weekend I'll update the old distro list and make a linked page for it on this site.
But as for new stuff, the DSB/Assassinators 7" is out and its really good. Two DSB tracks up to par, and the Assassinators remind me of Post Regiment, so great stuff on both sides. Unfortunately the other news this week is that DSB are calling it quits after twenty years. Some last shows are in the work, possibly abroad in addition to Japan. Sad to see them go, but they say new bands are in the works.
On the Detroit side, Jeff from Hellmouth released the debut 12" from Detroit's UDI, a ripping thrasher indeed. Only 300 pressed, so grab it while you can. He pressed them at Detroit's Archer Record Pressing, making this a proper "Made In Detroit" production.
This week also saw the passing of Bruce Roehrs, steadfast columnist and reviewer for MRR. I didn't know him, but I'm honestly sad that I'll never get to send him a Nightbringer 7" to review. His sincere enthusiasm for hardcore, punk, and rock n roll transcended the printed page. MRR has organized a memorial fund to have him buried in the place he wanted. Help out if so inclined. He was the definition of a lifer, no question.
Bunch of stuff in this week. First up is the Alliance 12". I did a post on them a few months ago, it's Osamu from Assault's new band. Also featuring the singer from Frigora and bassist from Macrofarge and this recording also has the drummer from Assault. The music continues in the progressive, tasteful metallic hardcore vein that Assault was working in. Takayama san from Punk and Destroy described it as an Antisect for 2010. 180g vinyl, big 3 panel fold out cover, and it comes with a sticker. Limited to 700 copies and by this time its probably sold out from the label. Quite expensive, but its about what you would pay ordering it from overseas. Next is the vinyl treatment of the most recent Systematic Death LP, great record and despite more than a ten year break, it picks right up where they left off. Different song order and reworked artwork from the CD. Also in is the Burial/Antimob 7", from Germany and Greece respectively. Both bands pay tribute to the modern Japanese hc sound, but Burial are started to break out of the mould and establish their own personality. I think its their best song so far. On the Michigan side of things, I have three of the recent State 7"s, some of the last copies of the Heresy 7" (Detroit mid 80s Discharge style), the Pub Life CD from a few years back, and the Final Assault demo. Final Assault are (to my knowledge) the only band in this area playing pure Discharge/Scandi style hardcore. Ex Heresy, Social Outcast, and Pub Life. I saw them a couple months ago with the State and both bands were great. They're playing tonight (Feb 28) at the Magic Stick with UDI. I also got a few copies of the Hellmouth LP from the band, they're possibly the hardest working band in the area and it shows.
Just got in a box of good stuff from Mr. Takayama, the man behind Punk and Destroy shop, Freedom Fighter label, and the drummer of Framtid and Nightmare (busy guy!!). First up is the new Masterpeace 7" that he released. Charging Japanese hardcore with eclectic breaks. Also on Freedom Fighter is the Framtid DVD from their European tour. And while we're on the subject of Framtid, I also got some copies of the Framtid/Seein Red 7". Seein Red are a long time favorite of mine and its always cool to see such a great pairing on a split. Finally for the 7"s is the System Fucker 7" on Crust War. Full noise attack!! Back to the DVDs, I got limited copies of the Burning Spirits DVDs. These are incredible productions. The first one includes Forward, Warhead, Delta Puree, Paintbox, Rapes, the Trash, AI, Crude, Final Bombs, Zone, Piledriver, Sticks In Throat, and Extinct Government. Most of the bands are multi camera shots and sound board recordings, multiple songs from each band as well. The second one is a double DVD with Forward, Colored Rice Men, Slang, Conga Fury, Origin of [M], アグレッシブドックス, Slip Head Butt, Dioxin's, Veihaiz, Blowback, 8000, Gouka, Trust, Crossface, Padlock, クラウン, Extinct Government, the Slowmotions, 原爆オナニーズ, Mustang, ROM, トサカ, Asphalt, オーダー, 狂い咲きサンダーロード, KGS, Framtid, Flock, Naked Yeggs, Buzzy 大和町 Band, 1-Minutes, Little Mirrors, and ノープロブレム. I ahve personally watched these DVDs a bunch of times since they came out, and these are some of the last new copies available "in the wild". I have very few of them, so if you're interested, don't wait too long. A word of warning though: the Burning Spirits DVDs are Japan region encoded, so you will need a region free DVD player (or to tweak your computer or DVD player) to watch them. I have a $40 Cyberhome DVD player I bought for that very reason. Do a Google search for your DVD player model and "region free" or "hack" to see if there is a code you can enter to change the region. I haven't checked any of these other DVDs I carry for it yet, I only realized the Burning Spirits ones were encoded when I tried to watch them on my computer. Ok, back to the goods... The most recent Extinct Government full length CD, which has ex and current members of bands such as Rocky and the Sweden, AI, 鉄アレイ, and Akutare. Check out the video I borrowed from YouTube below, not least for that killer bass tone. And last but not least, the Conflict For freedom 2009 DVD, which is mercifully less expensive than most other things (postage, paypal fees, and the exchange rate are all still killing me). Shot at one show, pro multi camera and sound board recording, this one has Kriegshog, the Disclapties, Tom and Boot Boys, Hat Trickers (one of the craziest things I've seen), Order, Reality Crisis, Hazard, Outsider, Life, Framtid, Warhead, and Extinct Government. Another phenomenal line up for this DVD, that must have been one hell of a show.
The last three Lip Cream DVDs arrived as this week as well as the reissues of all their CDs. Like the first six DVDs, these are each about 40 minutes long. The CDs are also on drummer Pill's Oni label. These were originally released around ten years back with much better mastering than the Selfish label originals (and before the CD volume wars got out of control) and have been generally unavailable for the last couple years. I'm glad to finally upgrade from my Selfish copies of 9 Shocking Terror and Close To The Edge.
I asked some friends to comment on the specific albums they like best, but in the meantime...
"Thrash Til Death" compiles everything other than the albums, the first two singles and "Hardcore Unlawful Assembly comp tracks (which Pill didn't play on) and the "Virus" comp tracks. So you have the songs from the "Thrash Til Death", "Punx", "A Farewell To Arms", and "My Meat's Your Poison" comps, as well as the studio side of the s/t cassette (aka "Kill The IBM"). Crucial stuff, and a good range of material from the early rocking punk, anthemic songs like "Kill Ugly Pop" and "Bloody Summer", and the aggressive thrash of their later songs.
"Kill Ugly Pop" was their first full length and probably my favorite. Opens with the Comes "Shangri-La" and proceeds with the full burn Chuck Berry at double speed leads seamlessly mixed into anthemic hardcore.
"9 Shocking Terror" was an ep (and is a little less expensive than the others) and marked a shift into more aggressive, thrashier hardcore. "Close To The Edge" continued that sound with 18 songs of relentless all out attack. This is part of the foundation or blueprint of what has come to be known as traditional Japanese hardcore. Something that stands out to me was the way these records were all mixed to let the drums remain very dynamic. Pill continues to take a very artistic approach to his current drumming projects, and it can be seen here as well, with the unusual fills and tom rolls that jump out of the mix like concussion blasts. It can't be understated how much influence each member of Lip Cream left on the Japanese hardcore scene, as in Naoki's burning rock leads, Minoru's thundering bass, and Jhajha's howl.
My other favorite Lip Cream album, their self titled finale. The attack of "CTTE" is still there, but this album is somehow even heavier while bringing back some of the catchier, more anthemic feeling. I'm having trouble expressing how much I like this record. I passed it up the first time I went to Japan because of the unusual cover, my mistake.
DVD VII "Lip Cream Only. Plus"
Scene 1 "Lip Cream Only at Shinjuku" (30 min)
Scene 2 ""Other tunes from Lip Cream Only" (18 min)
If I could only have one Lip Cream video, it would be this one. This is the band at maximum energy and aggression on a small stage (flanked by torches!) with the crowd right on top of them. Each member has a cool little "off stage" clip, and for one song it cuts back through old footage of total mayhem. As a bonus there's another 18 minutes of songs from the same show, fully edited from the multiple cameras. This rules.
DVD VIII "Dog Days Live, Plus"
Scene 1 "Dog Days Live at Kyoto" (10 min)
Scene 2 "from Gudon Last 2 Days Live" (8 min)
Scene 3 "December at Citta" (14 min)
Scene 4 "August At Hiroshima" (19 min)
This video compiles their later compilation appearances. Very cool to get four different shows on one disk. Each show seems to catch the opening of their set, so you end up with four versions of "Close To The Edge", which they seem to have opened every show with around this time. I don't know how, that song is a marathon sprint, but I guess its best to come out blazing and get it done before being winded. Songs from the 4th LP also start showing up in the set list. The "Dog Days" clip has interesting footage from outside the show, including grinding blocks of ice into chips by hand outside the show. It must have been truly hot...
DVD IX "DDD 9/24. Plus"
Scene 1 "Last Live At Kyoto" (39min)
Scene 2 "August At Hiroshima" (5 min)
And the final DVD... Good quality, multiple cameras... Aaaaagh I'm going to have to watch this again later! 9 DVDs of Lip Cream, "Close To The Edge" is seared into my brain,,,,
Again, postage and the exchange rate are working against me, but I'm keeping the price as low as I can (and actually my mark up on these is lower than anything else I'm carrying). DVDs are $30.50 and I'll do a package deal of all 9 DVDs for $250 (which saves $24.50). I set the CDs to the same price as the Japanese MSRP, so they are $27.50, except for 9 Shocking Terror which is $24. I also have some stickers of the album covers and fliers for the Lip Cream reunion show in June that I'll include with orders for these.
At the start of the holiday season my eleven year old G4 Mac proceeded to its great reward, so since the end of the family business I've been making the switch to a new computer. The site is well overdue for an update, but to span the gap, the Slowmotions/Burning Leather 7" covers arrived and they are now for sale for the quaint sum of $6.25 plus post. The Slowmotions songs are as catchy as anything they've done, great stuff. Burning Leather are a Portland "ex members of" band and they sound almost exactly like pre-Ace of Spades era Motorhead.
I have a big Michigan centered update in the works with all the new State 7"s, the Final Assault demo, and the Hellmouth LP, with proper reviews, pictures, and an attempt to tie all the bands' members and ex members together. Next weekend then, tomorrow I have an engine to pull out of a Civic.
Quite an ambitious undertaking here. Lip Cream are possibly the definitive Japanese hardcore band. Formed from the nucleus of the first Comes line up by bassist Minoru and guitarist Naoki, add ex-Dead Cops bassist Jhajha on vocals (after a brief stiny by Baki from Gastunk), and joined after their first two 7"s by G-Zet drummer Pill, the band had no weak points. Every member could have been the center of any other band, and I've heard people say how much each particular member inspired them to play their own instrument. The band existed from 83-90 and the members stayed active after the split, with Minoru in Colored Ricemen and playing on records like the early Extinct Government 7" and LP and the Human Arts CD, Naoki had his LOX project, Jhajha resurfaced in the last line up of Judgement, and Pill was in Delta Puree as well as his Ogreish Organism and solo projects. So to take possibly all the Lip Cream video footage and release it on 9 DVDs over a three month period is quite significant. One of the interesting characteristics of 80s Japanese hardcore is just how much of it was documented on video. Lip Cream's two solo videos (the ACC video and "Lip Cream Only") are fairly well known here, but they appeared on compilations and some of this additional footage might even be unreleased until now. Each DVD is approximately 40 minutes long and has footage from at least two shows. Is it really necessary to own all 9 DVDs? I guess that's up to you to decide... It seems hard to justify, but where do you stop once you start? The completist side of me says "Go for it," but I'll try to review each DVD to let people make the best decision for themselves. They are quite expensive (although they're priced comparably to the Japanese list price), but it seems safe to say that these are the only copies that will be imported to the US. They won't fly off the shelves, but can you risk missing out? Haha! I'll try to review each one as well as I can to help you decide. All video footage is borrowed from drummer Pill's website.
DVD I "1984 不法集会. Plus"
Scene 1 "1984 December at Rokumeikan" (36 min)
Scene 2 "1985 July at Loft" (5 min)
This video stands out as the only one before the release of the "Kill Ugly Pop" LP, so all the songs are from the first two 7"s and "Kill the IBM" cassette album. Definitely a different feel as it catches the band and scene as early as 1984. Its electrifying to watch them open with "Night Rider More Than Fight." Footage and sound is a bit raw, after all it was 1984, but still perfectly watchable. From what I can tell, the first set was from a comp with Outo, Gas, Cobra, and Laughin Nose (Live at Rock-May-Kan, Tokyo 12/3/84( as Hardcore Unlawful Assembly, or this may have just been assembled by tape traders. Clip from the 1984 set.
DVD II "1986 ACC Lip Cream Live!. Plus"
Scene 1 "1986 ACC Lip Cream Live!" (27 min)
Scene 2 "1986 from 'Dynamite Tour'" (14 min)
The ACC video is great, multiple camera and cleaner video and sound. Very exciting, as the camera in the crowd gets bounced around and they open with "Top Fight". In the "Dynamite Tour" clip, the footage is a little rawer, but worth it to see them open with the Comes "Shangri La" intro (used on the "Kill Ugly Pop" LP). Still lots of 7" and tape songs in the sets. The Dynamite Tour 86 was with WP City Indian.
DVD III "1986 August at Hiroshima. Plus"
Scene 1 "於・見真講堂" (23 min)
Scene 2 "於・ハードコア選抜大会" (19 min)
The first set is on a very big stage and shot from the back of the room. The footage is grainy and never really zooms in, but the sound is very good. To contrast that, the second clip (Live at Chuou University, Tokyo 11/2/86) is shot right on top of the band, with them and about twelve bystanders crammed onto a tiny stage, but the sound is blown out. The songs are still distinguishable and you get used to it after one or two. Clip from the first set.
DVD IV "1987 Live in steam. Plus" Scene 1 "於・鹿鳴館" (26 min)
Scene 2 "於・NEW AGE MUSIC FESTIVAL" (15 min)
These shows mark the release of the "9 Shocking Terror" 12", and there's a subtle shift from the more rocking and anthemic early years to a more aggressive and direct style of hardcore. Footage and sound for both shows is a bit rough. Clip from the first show to judge for yourself. Jhajha has an awesome long sleeve Danzig t shirt with the skulls on the biceps and Plan 9 on the back.
DVD V "1987 August at Hirosima. Plus" Scene 1 "1987 August at Hirosima" (26 min)
Scene 2 "Egg Plant Live" (14 min)
Similar vibe to DVD IV (all these shows were from 87), but the footage is better quality here, at least midgrade VHS. Shot from closer up for more detail. Sound is still rough, but probably better than disk IV. Its worth mentioning that these DVDs are all really loud!
DVD VI "1988 Hard and Loud Lip Cream. Plus" Scene 1 "Hard and Loud Lip Cream. Plus" (35 min)
Scene 2 "from 'Rockin'dex88'" (1 min)
Opens with "Close To The Edge" and keeps that vibe throughout, although still hitting some of the early classics. Good video and sound, shot from the back of the hall but good detail and zoom. Its a shame the last clip is only a minute long, its great!
The third and final batch of DVDs came out Friday and I should have them in a few weeks. Disk VII is the classic Lip Cream Only video, Disk VIII is four comp sets from 89, and Disk IX is the final Lip Cream show.
I got back Monday from a short trip to Japan. The jet lag is still messing me up, I feel like passing out at 5pm and can be wide awake at 5am. I think making a trip like this is more difficult in the winter as you don't have much sunlight to help reset your clock. I brought back as much stuff as I could, but the exchange rate was brutal (I heard a 20 year low), so some of it is unfortunately quite expensive. The sued stuff is priced off what I paid for it, I haven't researched prices for anything, so if something seems unreasonable, email me and I'll consider offers in some cases. But on to the good stuff... I have Slowmotions/Burning Leather vinyl (including a handful of orange ones), but the covers were not printed yet when I left, so I'll put them up for sale when I get them. The Slowmotions side is great as usual, the first Burning Leather song is a blatant lift of the riff to Motorhead "Keep Us On The Road." The new DSB 12" is quite a package, gatefold jacket and it comes with a DVD of footage edited together from their European tour. 5 new songs (yes, all new songs!). I've started going through the Lip Cream DVDs, I'll post more specific information on each as I watch them. Each one is around 40 minutes. Disk one has a show from 1984, all the songs are from the 7"s and "Kill The IBM" tape. One camera that moves around a bit, very cool early footage. Disk two raises the bar with the ACC video, good quality multi camera shoot, very high energy. If anyone gets crazy and orders all six, I'll include the promo poster and sticker sheet for free. The last three in the series should arrive sometime in the next month. Disk seven is the classic "Lip Cream Only" video, so that's going to be very cool to have. The Sticks In Throat CD is an older HG Fact release, but its one of my favorites so I picked up the last two copies he had. Top notch burning sound, featuring Mikio and Naka currently of No Problem (and ex Geshpenst and Paintbox, respectively) and Kazu (ex Order/Slowmotions), one of the most distinctive guitarists in hardcore I can think of. The new Systematic Death CD lives up to their legacy, I can't think of many other thrash hardcore bands that write such catchy and memorable songs. This will be on vinyl from Feral Ward in the next couple months. (I already sold out of the CDs, I'll see about getting more in a few weeks) All sorts of good stuff in the "used" section. The first two Paintbox 7"s are perfect records and my favorite songs from them. The Rocky & The Sweden t shirt is dark grey and has the "League A Rise" design. I would keep it for mysef but I already have it as a long sleeve. As usual, new stuff is in orange, email me with your zip code to reserve items and I'll calculate postage.
Originally a distro for Japanese and Michigan hardcore and punk records, reborn to blog about Dungeons & Dragons and related topics. Located in Ann Arbor, MI. 庵出井 出無府守
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