No amateur three-part Pokemon forum sampling of the world of underground Japanese Rock would be complete without mentioning Les Rallizes Denudes (裸のラリーズ), a band remembered by most for its bassist's participation in the Yodogo Hijacking of 1970. Never mind the fact that pretty much every subsequent Japanese avant-garde or psychedelic rock outfit owes immensely to their pioneering work, although after listening to some of their hallmark tracks one wonders how anyone salvaged anything from the burning wasteland they left behind.
Les Rallizes Denudes were led by guitarist/singer Takashi Mizutani, an ultra-left wing solipsist with a penchant for extreme noise and an intense hatred of recording studios. That last bit is particularly important- Les Rallizes never once recorded a studio album, or any sort of album for that matter. Their "catalogue" consists almost entirely of bootleg recordings from live shows, which became increasingly rare into the late 1970s and early 80s. The few Japanese who knew about them mostly abhorred their abrasive sound and shunned Les Rallizes for their connections to domestic terrorism. Yet when they did get gigs the results were incredible, complete with insane light shows, fire, and relentless sheets of cacophonous guitar feedback. Kind of like an extreme version of The Velvet Underground.
Flightless Bird is a compilation of some of the most memorable Rallizes recordings, a "best of" album consisting of "remastered" live tracks, the majority of which are bootlegged. Still, compared to most recordings of the band (I've listened to just about all the internet has to offer) these sound pretty good in a garagey sort of way. The album does a good job at showcasing the many faces of Les Rallizes, from their apocalyptic drone-outs to their softer, more tender moments. Cool stuff.
Tracks
1. Otherwise My Conviction (full mp3)
Ah, Japanese bands and their baffling English song titles. Even though Les Rallizes specialized in long psychedelic jams they were still capable of putting out some awesome shorties. One of their more conventional tracks, this song was recorded in 1967 and sounds like a lot of American garage rock from the same period, fully charged with the spirit of 60s social activism. Really cool proto-punkish track.
9
2. Valle De L’eau
So sad
. Yeah it's lo-fi, but WOW. Les Rallizes were good at ballads too; looking at this track, comparisons to The Velvet Underground become even more relevant. But frankly...this song actually predates them, and imo it is a lot more heartfelt and shiver-inducing then anything Nico ever sang about.9
3. Enter the Mirror
This a sort of La Dusseldorf-esque 13 minute drone-out, except hazier, more distorted and with more ballsy guitarwork than virtually any German outfits were ever willing to attempt. The ending is virtually indescribable.
8
4. Smokin' Cigarette Blues
I have no clue about this one. The fact that it was recorded in 1968 is pretty remarkable as it basically sounds like an insane Freddie Hubbard show recorded with a cellphone and then stacked four times. It represents a turning point for the band, a transition from their more conventional song-structure of the 60s to the scorched-earth Krautrock that would become Les Rallizes' trademark sound.
???
5. Flames of Ice (full mp3)
This song kicked my ass the first time I listened to it. I'd describe it as a sort of 17 minute theme song for an anarchist cowboy who happens to be part demon.
10
6. Field of Artificial Flowers (full mp3)
AWESOME garagey Krautrock. Seriously, Les Rallizes may win my award for "Best Use of Simple, Repetitive Basslines". It starts out a bit sloppy but by the time the chorus comes back (like 8 minutes later, ha ha ha) Mizutani has unleashed so much sonic fury that it doesn't even matter.
10
7. Deeper than Night
And we return to the short little ditties. Except now, Les Rallizes are performing with the blinding intensity of their epic 70s noisefests so the result is pretty badass. This is like the best take on the classic blues progression ever.
9
8. Otherwise my Conviction
Soooooo shitty. This is what happens when you corral Les Rallizes into the recording studio. Everything is sloppy and out of pitch; the entire group sounds like they have just been castrated and Mizutani sounds like his guitar is being played by George Harrison. Considering the band's social outlook, this song is a pretty cute metaphor. It's placement on the end of the album is a good move- this ain't a half-assed studio band. They did their own stuff and they did it their way, all live. If you can't respect that you're probably one of those people who think that Thom Yorke is a genius.
n/a
Overall: 9.5/10
