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FOOD BRAIN

Psychedelic/Space Rock • Japan


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Food Brain biography
FOOD BRAIN was named by Shinki Chen - a charismatic Japanese guitarist - and is known as a novel rock project by Polydor Japan (according to rumour the project was originally to be named Brain Food - but Shinki made a mistake).

Ikuzo Orita, a director of Polydor, had pictured some projects of Japanese progressive rock in his mind. To realize one of them, he persuaded Shinki to be the front man, and gathered some renowned Japanese musicians - Hiro Tsunoda (drums & percussion), Hiro Yanagida (keyboard & organ), Masayoshi Kabe (bass) - around him.

As this was in the early 70's and the dawn of Japanese rock, a topic that can't be overlooked is the DRUG culture...The group with these four talented men - some serious session musicians and others junkie travelers - might be lacking in unity but they had no problem in dropping a breaking-Japanese-pop-dream bomb. Their only one piece Bansan was the sunrise of Japanese psychedelic rock and paved way for the younger generation.

Sadly their remarkable flexibility and technique couoldn't prevent the project from breaking up after the short blooming period, in spite of Ikuzo's dream.

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3.10 | 30 ratings
Bansan (Social Gathering)
1970

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FOOD BRAIN Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Bansan (Social Gathering) by FOOD BRAIN album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.10 | 30 ratings

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Bansan (Social Gathering)
Food Brain Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by maryes

2 stars My review to FOOD BRAIN, isn't positive and I go "thicken" the "row" from only 2 stars rate. The reason is simple, in spite of be writing about an early 70's record I don't find none reason for a comparison in relation the great records from that year, as for instance YES "Time and a Word", KING CRIMSOM "Lizard", GENESIS "Trespass", E,L & PALMER "Same", both already masterpieces in the beginning of career from these bands. On the contrary was enough for me listen the first track "That Will Do" a 9 min. 12 sec.for a very simple rock'nroll music with a constant beat and endless and boring keyboard and guitar solo ! The third track "Waltz For M.P.B." is really a jazz-waltz and the only difference between this one and the first is the boring solo is only from the keyboard, but keep the same repetitive rhythm during all the track ! "Crowning" this scenery the last track "The Hole in a Sausage" a long ( 15 min ) track full of noisy passages whose the climax of the "doubtful taste" starts about 8 min 24 sec which a FREDERICH CHOPIN "Funeral March" passage !!! I only don't give for this album the worst classification (Poor. Only for completionists - 1 star ) in respect for the musicians effort ! My rate is ( as I mentioned above) 2 stars !!!
 Bansan (Social Gathering) by FOOD BRAIN album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.10 | 30 ratings

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Bansan (Social Gathering)
Food Brain Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by Dobermensch
Prog Reviewer

2 stars 'Food Brain' are famously derided by Julian Cope in the 'Jap Rock Sampler' book. I can fully understand why... There's a cloud of gloom hanging over me like a nuclear winter having just listened to this.

Gaah! What an irritating recording. An entirely disappointing album from so called Supergroup Food Brain, who consist of Shinki Chen (Speed, Glue and Shinki), Hiro Yanagida (Milk Time - 1970) and Hiro Tsunoda (Flied Egg). This is sheer tosh, sounding like a 40 minute jam using the most rudimentary of approaches which result in long, free-form freak-outs which just sound horrendously dated and uninteresting in 2011.

If Food Brain were to show their school report card it would read: Set low standards for themselves which they fail to live up to.

Dreadfully dated and far too raw and random to be of much interest to anyone but the most fervent of Japrock fans. Not the album it's cracked up to be, with lots of unwanted loud, raw electric guitar. As useful as a windshield wiper on a goats ass. Oh - and Dr Teeth from the Muppets appears to be playing keyboards throughout.

 Bansan (Social Gathering) by FOOD BRAIN album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.10 | 30 ratings

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Bansan (Social Gathering)
Food Brain Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by octopus-4
Special Collaborator RIO/Avant/Zeuhl,Neo & Post/Math Teams

3 stars Imagine a fast boogie base on which a keyboard instead of a blues riff puts spacey notes. Then a sudden slow-down, a brief symphonic interlude and psychedelia starts. "That Will Do" is started about only one minute ago and it's clear that it's an awesome track. The organ is acid and the rhythm is high. It's psychedelic but not chaotic. There's a lot of jazz behind here. A great performance of Hiro Yanagida (check his solo works, too). After 4 minutes of acid organ it comes an acid guitar then an acid bass. A great psychedelic track very clean and rock without experimentalisms. A jam session, mainly, until the initial boogie theme is back for the last two minute and closes the track.

After a short bass filler, "Naked Mountain" it comes "Waltz For M.P.B". This song reminds strongly to the instrumental part of Doors' Light My Fire.

"Liver Juice Vending Machine"....I can't imagine a cup of liver juice...This is a psychedelic track initially in the mood of Syd Barrett. The initial noises, the bass riff are very floydian, but when the bass solo begins and the guitar solo follows the possible relation with Pink Floyd disappears. What follows is artsy and acid, then the initial riff returns and the song is closed by a noisy part.

"The Conflict of the Hippo A" is another 30 seconds filler.

Other good psychedelic rock with "Clock". The bass notes, an organ base and the solos can start. It's another jam session with a solo for each instrument. The drums don't make a solo but the drumming is excellent throughout the whole album. Hiro Tsunoda doesn't need to play a solo to show his skill.

45 seconds of harpsichord entitled "One-Sided Love" and the longest track arrives. "The Hole In A Sausage" has initially something of Gong, not only in the title. I think to Radio Gnome Invisible, but without vocals. Following the intro there's a long free-jazz part of clarinet, contrabass and drums and after few minutes the organ adds some accents. Now it's more Soft Machine than Gong. Very artsy and a bit experimental. However the jazz influence is clearly evident in all the tracks. The guitar adds a touch of psychedelia and the 11 notes of the "funeral march" played by the bass with chorus effect make it weird, too. The same just after with few notes from Auld Lang Syne, then it's a bass solo followed by a noisy and likely improvised section. Drums alone for another solo. A short organ coda, less than one minute of guitar noise (it seems to be a guitar), and the disk is over.

It's a very good album but it needed a few more to have the fourth star.

 Bansan (Social Gathering) by FOOD BRAIN album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.10 | 30 ratings

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Bansan (Social Gathering)
Food Brain Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by DamoXt7942
Forum & Site Admin Group Avant/Cross/Neo/Post Teams

4 stars FOOD BRAIN was named by Shinki Chen with Cool Brain, but two Hiro are real heroes in this album.

From the first track this album is awesome! That Will Do is exactly a shining star. Hiro Tsunoda's jazzy drummings, Masayoshi Kabe's striking and loudly noisy bass sounds, and Hiro Yanagida's round-and-round-waved keyboard solo...all are terrific for listeners. Sorry that Shinki Chen's guitar, having mad, funky and freaky flavour in another work, sounds even steady and quiet. What a funny accident! Next an interude Hageyama (Naked Mountain) with spacey bass solo, electric keyboard sound and jazzy rhythm section are very impressing in Mpb No Waltz (Waltz For M.P.B.) Basically Hiro Tsunoda's spacey, strict and speedy drums and percussions are the framework and the foundation of this song. Okay, he should be a serious and skilled drummer (and currently known as a pop singer :-D). What's a Liver Juice No Jido-Hanbaiki (Liver Juice Vending Machine)? Supplement of iron or stamina? I'm sure I can get some stamina (not iron :-P) with listening to this song. Not kidding! The reason can be obvious...Shinki's guitar has lately been exploded with growling, and of course rigidly-framed rhythm sections have not turned at all. What an amazing dunk shot! Kaba To Buta No Tatakai (The Conflict Of The Hippo And The Pig) is not conflict but confusion with unusual zamba style in such a rock supper (Bansan). Wake wake up up!! Swingin' & Smart Sounds Should Start Soon!! Mezamashi Dokei (Clock) has absolutely swing & jazz flavour mimicking an alarm clock. Psychedelic keyboard sounds can remind us the bell of a clock ringing loudly near our ears and let us wake up to ourselves completely, then heavy bass and drum sounds should hit and kick our back out. Kataomoi (One-Sided Love), calm and gentle interlude by keyboard solo, can get us relaxed but suddenly by avantgarde Ana No Aita Sausage (The Hole In A Sausage) we go mad. What does Michihiro Kimura's clarinet sound mean? Hmm...I feel it mean emptiness of their future, but is it correct? Well, God (and some of Food Brain members) only knows. Indeed Food Brain was unstable as a group with serious talents and junkie travelers...this badly organized sections might let their forebodings come true I suppose... Even a funeral march comes here. As everybody has thought, is it natural they would soon be broken out? The last song Bach Ni Sasagu (Dedicated To Bach) sounds like their mischief for me. From beginning to finish, I can't breathe enough...completely knocked away by FOOD BRAIN not BRAIN FOOD.

A wonderful dawn of Japanese psychedelic rock. Listen!

Thanks to DamoXt7942 for the artist addition.

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