My First MD from Joel

Ween with The Shitcreek Boys: Live In Toronto. October 23, 1996

Ten Vals Wide

I stole this from the apartment I lived in. It was probably made sometime in 2000 for the girl who lived in the place before me. I don't know quite why I grabbed this one but I left a lot of crap behind when I moved out for someone else to find, weird sort of Gaijin ethic to try and leave something behind which will make others feel at home. Track listings are uncertain.

Side A:
1. Hooligans - Bill Hicks
2. In The Flesh - Jurassic 5
3. Mixed Bizness - Beck
4. He Got Game - Public Enemy
5. Waterfalls - TLC
6. (unknown) - Peanut Butter Wolf
7. Remix - Missy Elliot
8. (unknown) - Super Furry Animals
9. (unknown) - DJ Shadow

Side B:
1. Is This Desire - P. J. Harvey
2. Hip Hop - Mos Def
3. Lucky Man - The Verve
4. Let's Face The Music And Dance - Diana Krall
5. Da Booty - A Tribe Called Quest
6. Spit On A Stranger - Pavement
7. Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley
8. Elvis - Bill Hicks

J-Hip Hop Extravaganza from Joel

Joel made me this one which is 100% Japanese rap and lots of fun.

Side A:
The Adventures of Kohei Japan
1. Hajimari
2. Sakama Kohei Style
3. Hungry Strut
4. Go To Work
5. Jyunguru Kuruse
6. Fanke sain-0 ageru
7. The Adventures of Kohei Japan
8. Dekameron Densetsu
9. Yorunokariudo
10. Rafu Daiyamondo
11. Haru-o Norikoeru

Side B:
1. Young & Foolish - Kohei Japan
2. Attention - Dragon Ash
3. Viva La Revolution - Dragon Ash
4. Grateful Days - Dragon Ash
5. Song 01 - DJ Krush
6. Zen Approach (feat. Black Thought) - DJ Krush
7. Danger of Love (feat. Zap Mama) - DJ Krush
8. Sonic Traveller (feat. Tunde Ayenyemi) - DJ Krush
9. Funky Personality - Suchadarapa
10. Urban Benpou - Suchadarapa

PROFILE: Anal Banana

One day in Osaka, Dr. Morgan Rutherford, eminent Yorkshire psychiatrist, and his associate Dr. Joeru Tachibaku, both porn enthusiasts, decided to form a band but came to an impasse with the desires of the record buying public. Neither wishing to learn to sing and/or play percussion were practicing their instruments one day while watching a video that had been altered to remove that annoying genital mosaic but as a result had no sound. The on-screen imagery gave rise to a burst of creativity and then the name just came to them after seeing a creative use for fruit.
It is then that they decided that they would play minimalist instrumental music. In the tradition of the Presidents Of The United States Of America and Phillip Glass they decided that their compositions would have elements of sonic space that could be filled by atmospherics and external multimedia. Not playing any percussion themselves and thereby allowing the staccato/percussive end of the sonic spectrum to be filled with the repetetive squeaking of bedsprings, the wood against plaster headboard backbeat and the occasional whipcrack. Rutherford and Tachibaku found themselves immensely pleased with their preliminary results. The top end was, of course, already filled with vocalizations which prevented the need for either to sing. Their vigor and enthusiasm was more than evident and it was their immediate desire to bring their style to the sadly maligned genre of porno movie background music that resulted in their attempt to tour North Africa and The Middle East.
They played pre-tour gigs in the North America including a notable one at the Southern Baptist Convention. After being mobbed by several screaming fans, they narrowly escaped to play their tour opener the following week in Riyadh. Another mob scene of Elvic proportions ensued, the rest of the tour was subsequently cancelled and they haven't been heard from since. It is rumored that they are playing an extended series of private engagements in a certain sultan's court, but it is as yet unconfirmed by al-Jazeera or any other video-posting international news outlet.

My Recently Purchased iTunes

I got myself one of those prepaid iTunes cards so I could get some songs that I liked but didn't want to buy the entire album. iTunes came loaded on my computer so I guess it's all right. There are other services that sell downloadable songs, etc. but I figured I'd go with Apple since, inasmuch as I can have respect for a corporation, I like them as a company. I guess that the purchase of singles is sort of a '50s early '60s thing, but $0.99 per seems a better deal than the price of CD singles and/or 7" singles. The first single I bought was 45 of A Flock of Seagulls, Wishing (I Had A Photograph Of You). I think it cost about $1.99 back then so the price is even better now.
That aside, these are some songs I liked from albums I already have on another format, used to own and didn't want to buy again, or didn't want to pay $15 for.

1. Busy Signal (Make You Go Bombing Mix) - Prefuse 73
2. If You Want Blood - Mark Kozelek
3. Ingrid Bergman - Billy Bragg and Wilco
4. Mama Tried 'The Ballad From Killers Three' - Merle Haggard
5. Sugar - Stevie Wonder
6. Reasons (Live) - Earth, Wind & Fire
7. 4 1/2 Inch - The Fall
8. All The TVs In Town - The Handsome Family

A bunch of rarities really, of which some or maybe all will form the basis of entries on the records blog.

The Return Of Joel, featuring Mike

Here's another nice little cassette that travelled north from Kagoshima in April 2002, when I thought I was going to transfer to Okinawa, but I didn't. That's a story I may tell one day but for now, here is a track listing:

Side A:
All Tracks by Joel (w/Mike)
1. No Purpose
2. Fun With The Drum Machine #1
3. A Word From Buffo
4. My Rap
5. Yellow And Brown (Mike's Trippy Instro Mix)
6. Mike's Mellow Jam
7. I Met A Man
8. Song For Troy
9. Song For Nose-san
10. PiPi And Kahka's Theme
11. Fun With The Drum Machine #2
12. Fun With The Drum Machine #3
13. Fun With The Drum Machine #4
14. Song For Troy (Harmonica & Extra Fart Sounds Mix)

Side B:
1. Osaka No Machi - Boogie Man
2. The Statue Got Me High - They Might Be Giants
3. Kisses To The Crying Cooks - Guided By Voices
4. Piano Man - Ween
5. Parry The Wind High, Low - Frank Black
6. So Ruff, So Tuff - Zapp and Roger
7. Def Wish IV - MC Eiht
8. Sex Style - Kool Keith
9. Arkansas Traveller - Garcia and Grisman
10. Honey White - Morphine
11. Bring Your Guns - Scud Mountain Boys

Crap For Troy. from Dave 2001

This one also came across the Pacific sometime in '01, I think.

Side A:
1. White Lightning - The Fall
2. Glass Danse - The Faint
3. Sikh In A Baja VW Bug - Grandaddy
4. Bonnie And Clyde - Mick Harvey
5. I'm Your New Baby Daddy - Har Mar Superstar
6. Smokes Quantity - Boards Of Canada
7. Elftown - Gene Defcon
8. A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off - Magnetic Fields
9. Negativland Interlude
10. Your Retro Career Melted - The Faint
11. Cowgirl - Trailer Bride
12. Sorted For E's And Wiz - Reeves and Mortimer
13. F.U.K. - Primadonnas
14. Whole Wide World - Wreckless Eric
15. Way Out Intro/OK Robot - Bruce Haack and Esther Nelson
16. Plug Myself In - D.O.S.E. with Mark E. Smith
17. Robot Theme - The Aquabats

Side B:
1. Japanese To English - Red House Painters
2. Pink Moon - Nick Drake
3. Horses In My Dreams - Polly Jean Harvey
4. So Sad - Vincent Gallo
5. Rode My Bike To My Stepsister's Wedding - Grandaddy
6. Manny And Lo - John Lurie
7. Love Letter - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
8. Levi Stubbs Tears - Billy Bragg
9. All Mixed Up - Red House Painters
10. Llorando - Rebekah Del Rio
11. Yes I'm Lonely - Vincent Gallo
12. Underneath The Weeping Willow - Grandaddy
13. ?

PROFILE: Hot/Cold Fart Factory

A one man electronic act out of the lower-Greenville district of Dallas. Formed out of a love for the Roland TR-606. HCFF washed up on American shores in February 2004 with a Boards Of Canada MD and a dream. No recordings exist unfortunately but perhaps a recording of an unknown performance will surface one day. Stay tuned.

To Slit Your Wrists By. from Dave

I received this one via FedEx from Dave in April 2001 in a box full of goodies.

Side A:
1. 1.0 - Moistboyz
2. I Can't Take It - Har Mar Superstar
3. Texas Fever - Gene Defcon
4. You're So Cool - Primadonnas
5. Way Round - The Fall
6. Drunken Maria - Monks
7. Memphis - Polly Jean Harvey
8. Diamonds Are Forever - David McAlmont
9. It's A Girl Thing - My Life Story
10. My New Career - Japan
11. Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) - Spiller
12. Momma Love Tequila - JR & His Soulettes
13. Crystal Lake - Grandaddy
14. Kuss Mich Wach - Blixa Bargeld

Side B:
1. Rock N' Roll Singer - Mark Kozelek
2. Jeddy 3's Poem - Grandaddy
3. April 5th - Talk Talk
4. The Mollusk - Ween
5. A Little Rain - Tom Waits
6. Harry Flowers - Ry Cooder
7. Black Water - Rain Tree Crow
8. Seasick Yet Still Docked - Morrissey
9. Horses In My Dreams - Polly Jean Harvey
10. Into The Night - Julee Cruise

PROFILE: Plato and the Naked Earth

Formed on accident in summer 2005, Plato and the Naked Earth is a one-man mental massage. Messages of free love, nudity and wild debauchery run rampant through the new age keyboard strains amid the sounds of the ocean and placental murmurs.
The head-man, known only as Plato, was a regular Joe until one night he watched one too many porno trailers on the internet and it flicked a switch inside of him. He immediately shaved off his pubic hair and started a band.
The music can be dubbed only as futuristic new age psychadelia, or perhaps it could be called part folk/part sex/part soul.
Look for recordings in an elevator or hamburger shop near you.

PROFILE: Ben P. and Gary

Formed in the heart of Osaka the mad, mad aftermath of the 1990s, Ben P. and Gary are an R&B megaforce light years beyond the bland stylings of all the other KC and Jojo-type acts.
The 2 hail from the U.S. but spent their formative years in Japan. They often played tiny bars and in people's apartments before making it big. Their lyric will move you like you've never been moved before, deep down beyond the heart-zone.
While their recordings are nearly impossible to find, the funky "Yellow and Brown" was a hit on the Nagahoribashi scene.
Remnants of their melodies can be heard from here to Tengachaya.

Smiths And Morrissey Comp from William

Willy gave me this one at work a couple of years back, after repeatedly asking him to make me a disc.

1. Alsatian Cousin - Morrissey
2. Little Man What Now? - Morrissey
3. Every Day Is Like Sunday - Morrissey
4. Angel Down We Go Together - Morrissey
5. What Difference Does It Make - The Smiths
6. William It Was Really Nothing - The Smiths
7. These Things Take Time - The Smiths
8. This Charming Man (BBC version) - The Smiths
9. How Soon Is Now? - The Smiths
10. Found Found Found - Morrissey
11. Handsome Devil - The Smiths
12. Hand In Glove - The Smiths
13. Asian Rut - Morrissey
14. Still Ill (BBC version) - The Smiths
15. Girl Afraid - The Smiths
16. The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths
17. Never Had No One Ever - The Smiths
18. Bigmouth Strikes Again - The Smiths
19. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths

Mushi Mushi from Brandon

My old friend Brandon, in association with Canada Post/Postes Canada, sent me his creation in April 2004.

1. CMV - The Dears
2. White Man In Hammersmith - The Clash
3. Float On - Modest Mouse
4. Passenger - Iggy Pop
5. Friday I'm In Love - The Cure
6. (unknown) - Mercury Rev
7. (unknown) - Mercury Rev
8. Liquid Spear Waltz - Gary Jules
9. Mad World - Gary Jules
10. Pills - Gary Jules
11. (unknown) - Sigur Rös
12. Straight Love - The Oranges
13. (unknown) - The Sea and Cake
14. Title Track - Death Cab For Cutie
15. Drowning Man - Pilate
16. Long Gone - Pilate
17. Lives - Modest Mouse
18. Waiting Room - Fugazi
19. Bandages - Hot Hot Heat
20. Let's Roll - The Stills

L. Wrong's Schizophrenic Mix For The Cap'n

Another one brought to me in Naniwa-ku, courtesy of L. Wrong Hubbard and Japan Post.

Side A:
1. Japan Is Babylon - The Nishinaka Rockers
2. Analog Technics - The Analog Brothers
3. Skies of Blood - Spot 1019
4. The Infant of Prague - The Dead Milkmen
5. Theme to Lupin III
6. I'm Fat - Ween
7. B boy-ism - Rhymester
8. Cold & Wet - Ween
9. We Can Get Down - A Tribe Called Quest
10. Crosseyed & Painless - Talking Heads
11. Comprachico Boogie - Zoogz Rift
12. NY State of Mind - Nas
13. Funkin' Around - Longineu Parsons
14. DB5 - B12
Side B:
1. Abandon Ship - Busta Rhymes
2. She Fucks Me - Ween
3. Untitled - P-pi & Kahka
4. Stranglehold - Ted Nugent
5. Our House - Madness
6. The Message - Grandmaster Flash
7. Untitled - Joel, on the wheels of steel
8. Filipino Box Spring Hog - Tom Waits
9. Lie Still Little Bottle - They Might Be Giants
10. MOYA - Suchadarapa
11. Skycruiser - Ween
12. Kisses To The Crying Cooks - Guided By Voices

Airmail Comp From Dave

This one I received in a package from my friend who held it down in America while I was having my Asian romp.

1. Furi Furi '66 - The Spiders
2. Robots (Cha Cha Cha Mix) - Señor Coconut
3. Megacolon - Fischerspooner
4. Powerlunch - Har Mar Superstar
5. I'm Gonna Kick Your Ass - Moistboyz
6. Got Body If You Want It - The Gossip
7. Where The Girls Are - The Gossip
8. A.M. 180 - Grandaddy
9. Convertibles And Headbands - Music Magicians
10. Mr. Tax - The Spiders
11. Murder On The Dance Floor - Sophie Ellis Bextor
12. I Can't Go On Without You - His Name Is Alive
13. Tour De France (Merengue) - Señor Coconut y Su Conjunto
14. Upside Down - Bruce Haack
15. Monster Voice (Answering Machine Interlude)
16. I Love Little Pussy - Little Marcy
17. Hey Boy - The Spiders
18. Die Schwarze Barbara - Heino
19. Dave's I Know - Bruce McCullough
20. Little Robbie - The Spiders
21. Hong Kong Boogie - Prima Donnas
22. The 15th - Fischerspooner
23. Blume (French Version) - Einstürzende Neubauten
24. Peace & Love - John Trubee

A Mix Tape From Joel

This cassette was sent by Japan Post years ago up fron Kagoshima to Osaka.

Side A:
Hall And Oates - Abandoned Luncheonette
Side B:
Tom Waits - Nighthawks At The Diner '75

Watauga One Off

Here is something I cooked up at a friend's house during my transitional phase in early summer 2004. Heavy rock influence at the front end, which heads into a straight-up weird vibe.

1. Beautiful Night - The Burden Brothers
2. Gay Bar - Electric Six
3. Jerry Was A Racecar Driver - Primus
4. Quitter - The Toadies
5. Change (In The House of Flies) - Deftones
6. A Salty Salute - Guided By Voices
7. Country Yard - The Vines
8. Rocket Man - Elton John
9. She Wanted To Leave - Ween
10. Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz
11. At The River (Ibiza Mix) - Groove Armada
12. Return To Innocence - Enigma
13. I Love The Nightlife (Disco Round) - Alicia Bridges
14. Love Song - Tesla
15. Dogs - Pink Floyd

The Ares Mix, March 2004

Here is another bizarre mix. The file sharing thing was still being done and it was like one of the new Chinese super buffets that throw in a lot of other non-Asian cuisine to please all the patrons. Here is a plate that is not very appetizing at a distance but could be considered palatable when the portions are consumed one at a time.

1. Move Your Feet - Junior Senior
2. Bonita Applebum - A Tribe Called Quest
3. Can I Kick It? - A Tribe Called Quest
4. Jazz - A Tribe Called Quest
5. At The River - Groove Armada
6. Rings Around The World - Super Furry Animals
7. Out Of Control - Super Furry Animals
8. 12:51 - The Strokes
9. Hard To Explain - The Strokes
10. The Hardest Button To Button - The White Stripes
11. Hey Ya - Outkast
12. The Ghost In You - Mark McGrath
13. Into Your Arms - The Lemonheads
14. She's Got A Way - Billy Joel

Who am I kidding? Too much of the last course will give you a bellyache.

The Key Largo Mix

Some songs I lifted off my brother's limewire in late 2002 before the RIAA really started cracking down:

1. Fish Heads - Doctor Demento
2. Minimum Wage - They Might Be Giants
3. She Don't Use Jelly - Ben Folds Five
4. Technova - Towa Tei
5. Une Very Stylish Fille - Dimitri From Paris
6. Another Chance - Roger Sanchez
7. The Universal - Blur
8. Kate - Ben Folds Five
9. Arthur's Theme - Christopher Cross
10. Sailing - Christopher Cross
11. Take A Picture - Filter
12. There's A Silence - The Electric Soft Parade
13. Sugar Magnolia - The Grateful Dead
14. Gin And Juice - The Gourds
15. Girlfriend In A Coma - The Smiths

I must say this one had elements of masochism toward the end.

Here It Is

Here is the blog I had been talking about, a celebration of conglomerations of things real and imaginary. The blog which chronicles mixtapes, fake bands, etc. I invite interested parties to join. Comment or Email.