LES RALLIZES DENUDES

It's a live album like everything 'Les Rallizes Denudes' ever recorded. They had a revulsion of recording in a studio due to a bad experience early on in their career. They must be the only band of renown on who's career was solely based on live material and bootlegs.

This album is raw, brash and very Lo-Fi. and in mono. But strangely this is it's strength. It won't matter if you buy the CD or rip it at a miserable 128kb - the results are still the same.

On 'Live '77' you'll hear an ordinary straight drummer who's cymbals occasionally drown out all other sound which is normally a disaster in itself, and a competent bassist who can hold a tune underneath the caterwauling multitude of guitar distortion and relentless echoed vocals. In many ways this sounds like early 'Throbbing Gristle' minus the keyboards.

Strangely though - there's always a 'hook'. On every noisy track you'll be humming along to the bass guy who holds the whole thing together superbly.

Like many listeners, I find this strangely beautiful simply because of the severe overloading of guitar effects which are completely overwhelming. It's tuneful to a point but reminds me of the electronic noise experamentalists 'Merzbow'. It's really that extreme. The guitars are so sharp that they sound like they're cutting through glass.

By the book this should fail on so many points. It's poorly recorded, simplistic and has many defects.

This is normally the kind of album I would hate. I would never recommend this album to anybody, but it has a hypnotic quality that runs throughout its lengthy duration simply due to the fact that the vocals are enormously reverbed, very loud and sung in Japanese. The guitars are mashed up beyond belief - they squeal, wretch and vomit throughout the entirety of this monstrosity of an album . Quite honestly - I've never heard such mangled and burst guitars in my life.

Iincredibly, this is from 1977 - the same year as the 'Pistols' and is far more extreme and rewarding.

You cannot close your eyes and mouth - also I've been very surprised at my first try for this album. As follows, there are three points I would like to emphasize here:

1) Basically Takashi MIZUTANI's enthusiastic, tasteful, and fragile (sometimes madly exploded) electric guitar solo can take the initiative to drive the outfit as a basis. I feel he might particularly use neither eccentric phrases nor technical variations, but simple and laidback psychedelic riffs on his play. His strong policy and intention might immerse the audience deeply into his psychedelia, with simple and comfortable phrase repetitions by his 'numbing' guitar solo.

2) There is no suspicion that his 'electric heavyland' should have a bulky influence on the next generation bands such as Acid Mothers Temple. However, his remarkably different point from the younger players is that I can catch a glimpse of his 'junkie' smile in his loudly heavy earthquake. Namely, he could play loudly but with relaxation, not with scattering sweat and spit - such an atmosphere most of the novel psychedelic outfits cannot carry on, in my opinion.

3) Takashi's songs and voices are as awful as of a drunken guy in a cheap karaoke bar - as if I should be knocked out by sour and perfume smell over a matured whisky. Ah, sorry that I've used blatant words but, contrary to above mentioned, such a cheesy vocal might add some droning, hypnotic spice on their guitar-based psychedelia. Who knows what a poor stuff should get much impressive, and at least about them, who cares his voices be fishy - let me say how wonderful the ensemble should be, in spite of his voices.

Regretfully it's not easy for lots of psychedelic rock fans to get this album but so glad and happy if you can get and listen to the album with this point of view on the corner of your brain.

Well such a theoretical issue aside, let's enjoy this terrific album - you may feel the sound quality should be terribly crude, but this crudeness must push and kick you over the cliff named 'the real world'. 'Listen!' Takashi Mizutani's loudly growlin' and trailin' guitar solo would give us such a suggestive shout, and you will get happy with LES RALLIZES DENUDES' junkie and freaky intoxication around you - splendid time is guaranteed for all!