Les Rallizes Dénudés - 2011 - Great White Wonder

Les Rallizes Dénudés

2011

Great White Wonder

1974.07.13

101. 造花の原野 (Field Of Artificial Flower) 8:32

102. 心の内側 (Inside Heart) 10:04

103. 黒い悲しみのロマンセ (Otherwise Fallin' In Love With You) 7:42

104. 天使 (Angel) 10:01

105. 黒い悲しみのロマンセ (Otherwise Fallin' In Love With You) 4:50

106. お前を知った (You Were Known) 11:36

107. The Last One 20:27

1975.10.01

201. 夜より深く (Deeper Than The Night) 10:58

202. 黒い悲しみのロマンセ (Otherwise Fallin' In Love With You) 8:25

203. 造花の原野 (Field Of Artificial Flower) 6:10

204. 白い目覚め (White Waking) 5:33

205. 記憶は遠い (A Memory Is Far) 9:10

206. Improvisation 1:51

1977.07.22

301. 夢 (Dream) 5:57

302. 夜、暗殺者の夜 (Night Of The Assassins) 7:30

303. 造花の原野 (Field Of Artificial Flower) 5:16

304. 夜の収穫者たち (The Night Collectors) 6:31

305. 氷の炎 (Flames Of Ice) 14:06

306. 鳥の声 (A Voice Of Bird) 10:01

1980.11.07 (Bonus Disk)

401. 氷の炎 (Flames Of Ice) 16:17

402. 夜、暗殺者の夜 (Night Of The Assassins) 18:04

403. 夜より深く (Deeper Than The Night) 14:36

404. 記憶は遠い (A Memory Is Far) 13:29

405. 夜より深く Part 2 (Deeper Than The Night Part 2) 8:57

Contains three shows:

Disk 1: 13 July, 1974 at Hebon Bldg, Meiji Gakuin Daigaku

Disk 2: 1 October 1975 at Adan, Shibuya

Disk 3: 22 July 1977 at Nichifutsu Kaikan (Maison Franco-Japonaise), Tokyo

Originally released in 2006 on the Univive label, Phoenix Records presents this highly-collectable, numbered limited edition 4CD box set of three live gigs spanning 1974-1977 and one bonus disc of live material from a 1980 gig of legendary Japanese rock outfit Les Rallizes Dénudés. The group was formed in 1967 and incredibly, for a group that had only one official release (Oz Days Live, a double vinyl compilation release in 1973), played their last gig almost 30 years later in October 1996. As news of new rock music made it to Japan from the UK and the USA -- mostly via rock magazines and music papers, with most LPs tough to find even on import -- something was lost in translation in Japan that allowed it to mutate well beyond its original remit. Rallizes took rock music at its word while envisioning it as both unnecessarily complicated and too stupid by far. In doing so, they formulated an inspirational blueprint that would go on to have a marked effect on everything that came after them in Japanese underground music. It's a music that's as loose as it is uptight, as sophisticated as it is punk-primitive, as radical as it is simplistic. Digitally remastered. Includes a booklet with liner notes.

The best thing about this album is that it contains tons rarities. In my opinion, the rare tracks are worth the entire box set (not to say that the rest of the album isn't great because it is), plus it opens with one of the hardest rocking versions of "Field of Artificial Flower" I've ever heard (although still not quite as heavy as the version on Yodo-Go-A-Go-Go). From what I've gathered from other sources, this archival compilation is made up of four complete concerts from 1974, 1975, 1977 and a bonus disc containing a concert from 1980. all four are solid concerts (the only setbacks I see are that the bass is slightly out of tune on the second disc and the third disc sounds like it was recorded behind a wall). Overall, I think that it is an excellent album and a must for Rallizes fanatics. Highlights on the album include Field Of Artificial Flower (all three versions), inside Heart, You Were Known, A Memory is Far (second disc), A Voice of Bird and Deeper Than the Night parts one and two (fourth disc).

The whole compilation gives an idea of what the Rallizes were able to deliver on stage when they were at their best. Here the sets are really powerful... psych-noise power! The obvious drawback is the sound quality, which is rather average (still the best source possible, as always with Univive) - except for Disc 2. I think this one stands as one of their best live recordings out there. Just turn up the volume on "A Memory Is Far". This should have a 5-star ranking alone (I have always been reluctant to give high ratings for "bootlegs" when sound is not good enough). Cover art seems to be awesome, which makes it a very lovable box set.

Sets 1 and 4 are particularly strong. Set 4 sounds like songs I've heard before, things like Strung Out Deeper Than The Night. It concentrates on the minimal groove-riff side of things. By contrast Set 1 which contains (I think) more obscure stuff (other than The Last One) is much more on the heavy wailing acid I-wish-I-was-Lou-Reed guitar solos end of things. Happily these are the longest sets, between them taking up 6 out of 10 sides of vinyl, plenty to enjoy.

Set 2 is like Set 1 but shorter and not quite as good. The improvisation at the end is one of the best bits. This encapsulates the contradiction at the heart of this band, best expressed by reference to the Velvet Underground: when they set out to do Sister Ray they are awesome; even when they actually want to be doing Sweet Jane and Pale Blue Eyes, all the songs keep turning into Sister Ray anyway.

Near the end of set 4 there is a nasty bit of technical feedback, not guitar feedback but a white noise fizzing caused by a faulty connection, the sort of feedback not even its mother could love. It goes on ruining things for 3 or 4 minutes until someone notices and plugs in the loose cable, or whatever it was, and it promptly stops.