Following on from finding out that Jojo Hiroshige sells lots of Alchemy Records releases via ebay, I wanted to try and gather some discussion of Alchemy Records and recommendations from its catalogue.
Where does one begin with Hijokaidan and Jojo Hiroshige?
Any suggestions for personal favourites, must haves, duds, clunkers; or simply musings or ramblings related to the label...?
Discogs has a pretty hefty listing for the label at http://www.discogs.com/label/Alchemy+Records+(2) while the Japanese website is at http://www.kt.rim.or.jp/~jojo_h/ar/p_top/index.html
Personally I've seen Hijokaidan live once at Instal a few years ago and have seen Jojo Hiroshige and Junko solo and in a few different groupings at a couple of festivals and have really enjoyed them every time. In particular I liked Jojo and his solo guitar and vocals set also at the same Instal festival and his guitar playing in various guises, so something along those lines would be good.
― krakow, Sunday, 11 November 2007 22:43 (eighteen years ago)
The discogs link should be http://www.discogs.com/label/Alchemy+Records+(2).
― krakow, Sunday, 11 November 2007 23:01 (eighteen years ago)
Third time lucky.
Grumble, grumble, url rendering..., grumble, grumble.
― krakow, Sunday, 11 November 2007 23:02 (eighteen years ago)
yeah, i have like two. ferocity of practical life 10" and romance (one very long track). they're both good. i've heard some of their other stuff, it's all pretty much noise, ok? i don't really know what else to say about it.
probably want to avoid the miki sawaguchi album, though, it's pretty much just rock and pictures of her enormous boobs. i think jojo plays guitar on it.
― GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ, Monday, 12 November 2007 02:14 (eighteen years ago)
I have Tapes, which is a more unusual HK release, not pure noise. Some of it sounds like early clunk-and-bash style Merzbow, it also has a Hawkwind cover. Worthwhile as a curiousity but not as outrageously destructo as most of the other stuff. That could be something you're interested in though.
The double 7" Japan Bashing 3 (on Public Bath) has a monster HK track, a friend once described it as "like being inside a cement mixer".
I might add more once I go over that discog, I think there was at least one Masonna rec on Allchemy.
― sleeve, Monday, 12 November 2007 16:09 (eighteen years ago)
OK... Hanatarash 2 is one of the finest noise albums of all time.
Avoid Subvert Blaze, ill-considered heavy buttrock from what I've heard of comp tracks.
Slapp Happy Humphrey and Angel In Heavy Syrup are also more rock than noise iirc.
Nihilist Spasm reissues are more like free jazz or improv.
Incapacitants and Solmania = more blistering noise.
Damn that label has a lot of records! I wonder what the more recent "RM" format is that they have listed for the HK reissues.
― sleeve, Monday, 12 November 2007 16:25 (eighteen years ago)
slapp happy humphrey = douji morita covers, quiet folk with intermittent blasts of hiroshige's noise-guitar. with a member of angel'in heavy syrup, who are more like modern psych and their first album's very good.
― GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ, Monday, 12 November 2007 17:20 (eighteen years ago)
I admit to being highly tempted by the Hijokaidan album "Jojo & Junko" for no reason other than the DeLorean on the front cover.
http://www.discogs.com/image/R-409459-1109567952.jpg
― krakow, Monday, 12 November 2007 20:13 (eighteen years ago)
Angel in Heavy Syrup IV is top-notch psych.
― Michael Dudikoff presents Action Adventure Theatre, Monday, 12 November 2007 21:10 (eighteen years ago)
yeah, i should've mentioned that one, too. plus a friend of mine put it out in the US. if anyone's interested go for I or IV, they're both great.
― GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 03:40 (eighteen years ago)
Reviving this ancient thread as I have been revisiting a lot of Hijokaidan these past few days... favourites of the moment are the collabs with Akira Sakata, "Made in Japan" (as Jazz Hijokaidan, recorded live with Sabu Toyozumi on drums) and "Made in Studio" (which is actually the more jazzy of the two). Both just totally joyful down to the last second.
Really regret not shelling out for the 30th Anniversary box set at the time, horrendous prices 2nd hand now.
I remember it being mentioned in an interview with Junko someplace that that is apparently their DeLorean on the cover of Jojo & Junko! But can't find it anywhere now. Anyway, I choose to believe!
― atonar, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 18:52 (two years ago)