Put your bad records that make you act like a sex animal on the fire to burn
Download: HALF JAPANESE "Fire to Burn"
There was a brief time in the early 1980s when Half Japanese were clearly the best band on Earth. I never saw them with the "big band" but I did see them at a record store in North Miami twenty years ago, not long after the album this song is from, Our Solar System, was recorded. Especially live, there was such sexuality and pathos to their deliberate primitivism, as well as just that total joy in acting like a kid that so many of my favorite artists and people maintain well into and past adulthood. Mark Jickling is great on guitar here -- woah, it looks like he and Chris from the Tinklers have a new group that sets old Greek poetry to music, I have to hear that. David Fair was way more an important part of the band than I'd realized he'd be, until I saw them play back then. What a towering, strangely brilliant guy -- kind of like David Thomas minus the shoulder chip or something. Half Japanese was clearly a big influence on the development of the Int'l Pop Underground and I think Kramer copped more than a bit of his Reverbomatik schtick from the sound of their albums, as well. This song totally sounds like a Noise New York thing to me. Anyway, this here is one of my favorite songs about record burning, ever.
There was a brief time in the early 1980s when Half Japanese were clearly the best band on Earth. I never saw them with the "big band" but I did see them at a record store in North Miami twenty years ago, not long after the album this song is from, Our Solar System, was recorded. Especially live, there was such sexuality and pathos to their deliberate primitivism, as well as just that total joy in acting like a kid that so many of my favorite artists and people maintain well into and past adulthood. Mark Jickling is great on guitar here -- woah, it looks like he and Chris from the Tinklers have a new group that sets old Greek poetry to music, I have to hear that. David Fair was way more an important part of the band than I'd realized he'd be, until I saw them play back then. What a towering, strangely brilliant guy -- kind of like David Thomas minus the shoulder chip or something. Half Japanese was clearly a big influence on the development of the Int'l Pop Underground and I think Kramer copped more than a bit of his Reverbomatik schtick from the sound of their albums, as well. This song totally sounds like a Noise New York thing to me. Anyway, this here is one of my favorite songs about record burning, ever.
posted by Mike McGonigal at 4:38 PM
4 Comments:
"Kramer copped more than a bit" good point, I never realized that 1/2 Jap and Galaxie 500 have the exact same production.
Ryan
Finally! Some recognition for one of the coolest bands of the 80's. Mad Jad is still going strong, and..and.. and I love him. There is a neat little Rocumentary about Half-Japanese, which can be found in specialty film rental stores. The same director made a smash hit at sundance this year, with a documentary on Daniel Johnston, of Austin, TX fame. Another great "lo-fi" artist.
Here is the link to Mark and Chris's ancient Greek project, Old Songs:
http://home.mindspring.com/~oldsongs/index.html
Hey Mike, long time no see or hear! I miss Chemical Imbalance! If you send me your address I will send you some CD's of the Greek stuff, with David on a couple songs, and Rebby Sharp from Orthotonics and Liz Downing from Radiant Pig/ Lambs Eat Ivy, and others.
my e-mail is : thetinklers@mindspring.com
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