Yuzo Kayama

Yūzō Kayama (加山 雄三 Kayama Yūzō?) is a Japanese popular musician and film star, born on April 11, 1937. His father, Ken Uehara, was one of the most popular film stars in Japan during the 1930s. Yuzo Kayama became one of Japan's biggest stars of the 1960s in the "Wakadaishô" or "Young Guy" film series.

He showed his ability for drama when Akira Kurosawa cast him for his 1965 film, Red Beard (赤ひげ Akahige?), starring Toshiro Mifune. Kayama reported that he found the two years spent making this film the most difficult, but proudest work of his life.

As a guitarist, he took inspiration from the American surf group The Ventures, and performed a distinctly Japanese form of psychedelic surf music in the 1960s with his Mosrite guitar. This triggered a big fashion statement in Japan, mainly in Osaka where younger men would walk around with surfboards, despite the lack of any nearby beaches. One of Kayama's best-known instrumentals is "Black Sand Beach". As a singer, he is best known for the Japanese ballad, "Kimi To Itsumademo". Several renditions of this song, as covered by various artists over more than 40 years since the release of the original, can be found on the internet.

Yuzo Kayama first came to fame in 1961 as the dashingly handsome young star of the "Wakadaisho" ("Young General") series of teen films. Heavily influenced by the Ventures he formed a backing group, the Launchers and started recording for Toshiba Records.

In Yuzo Kayama's second "Wakadaisho" film, the 1965 feature, "Eleki No Wakadaisho" ("The Young General's Electric Guitar"), Kayama and Takeshi Terauchi perform together backed by the Launchers and they really blast the place to pieces!

Two of Yuzo Kayama's best known instrumentals, "Black Sand Beach" and "Yozora No Hoshi," were even covered by the Ventures, who were so impressed with Kayama and the Launchers that they presented him with one of their own signature-model Mosrite guitars!

Black Sand Beach

This Video Is Pretty Great... The Howlies.

Clown Powder

Man or Astro-man? @ Mohawk

FRESH POTS!!!

When Rock N' Roll Counted...

The Spaceshits

"The Spaceshits were well-known for their violent stage shows. Sets typically lasted no longer than 10 to 15 minutes, in which time the band would set off fireworks, start food fights, and create disturbances. Eventually the band's raucous live shows would lead them to be effectively "Blacklisted" from most venues in Montreal."

The Spaceshits - Misbehavin'

The Sonics

The Sonics are an American garage rock band, originating from the early and mid-1960s. Among The Sonics' other contemporaries were The Kingsmen, The Wailers, The Drastics, The Dynamics, The Regents, and Paul Revere & the Raiders. This movement is credited with founding Seattle's well-known music scene which survives to the present.

The Sonics' sound is noticeably rougher, cruder, and more brutal than that of their musical peers, and among those in the know The Sonics are sometimes regarded as the first punk rock group, though well before the punk movement took off in the late 1970s. Although they had a fairly standard instrumental line up for the time, The Sonics made their unique sound with wild arrangements, often disturbing lyrics, peppered with screaming and howling, and electric guitars played through amplifiers customized to achieve the harshest tones possible. Although their chief period of success was coincident with the release of Gibson's first fuzzbox, The Sonics' fuzzy sound was their own creation.

The Sonics - Boom (1966)

"I, I have to admit... The Sonics recorded very, very cheaply on a two track you know, and they just used one microphone over the drums, and they got the most amazing drum sound I've ever heard. Still to this day, it's still my favorite drum sound. It sounds like he's hitting harder than anyone I've ever known." - Kurt Cobain

The Nation Of Ulysses

Making punk look good.

Plays Pretty For Baby

Still The Best Music Video Ever

The Avalanches - Since I Left You (2000)

Obits

My favorite record of 2009 was probably the debut LP "I Blame You" from Obits. Rick Froberg is the man. Drive Like Jehu was rad, Hot Snakes were amazing, he plays a 60's Harmony Bobkat guitar (I'm a nerd, I know) and he's able to consistently put out great records even without John Reis by his side (I'll have to save The Night Marchers for a different post).

Anyway, I'm glad there are veterans like these guys to keep it real while all the kids continue to invent new ways of ruining music for generations to come. Here is Obits' record store day 7'' from last year which actually contains a couple of their best songs. Get into it.



I Can't Lose


Military Madness




If you like these songs buy "I Blame You" and check them out on VBS's "Practice Space" below. Pretty damn funny too.


Obits - Practice Space

Roky Erickson

Roky Erickson's first new record in 14 years is coming out in April. It's hard for me to think of a more honest, painfully sincere voice then Roky's and knowing the shit he's been through in the past makes it that much more effective. This upcoming record features Okkervil River, also from Austin, as his back up band which brings a different dynamic to the usual rawness of his previous material. So far a reworked version of "Goodbye Sweet Dreams" is all that has surfaced, I've posted it below via Pitchfork.

Goodbye Sweet Dreams

I was lucky enough to see Roky play a couple years ago at Emo's with The Strange Boys and fuckin' Billy Gibbons came out at the end of his set for "Two Headed Dog" & "You're Gonna Miss Me". Definitely a great show.

Bloodshot Bill

Bloodshot Bill single handedly produces some of the best primitive rockabilly awesomeness that I've heard in a while. He's from Montreal and is apparently banned from entering the US for another few years so I guess I won't have the pleasure of seeing him live anytime soon. Good riffs, great voice and he even has his own custom brand of pomade. Need I say more?

Also keep an eye out for his upcoming record with another Montreal native and personal favorite of mine, Mark Sultan. That project is ingeniously titled "The Ding-Dongs".

Here is a song called "Rat Fink" as well as my favorite Bloodshot Bill album thus far, "Rockabilly Trash".

Rat Fink



Rockabilly Trash

Doo-Wop-Doo-Wop

I remember a lot of of these songs from the oldies station when I was little and I guess they made an impression because I still love all this Doo-Wop stuff today. This is the first of a 5 disc collection of essential tracks from that era.




Doo-Wop-Doo-Wop Volume 1

1- Danny & The Juniors - At The Hop
2- Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers - Why Do Fools Fall In Love
3- The Edsels - Rama Lama Ding Dong
4- The El-Dorados - (Crazy Little Mama) At My Front Door
5- The Cadillacs - Speedo
6- The Willows - Church Bells May Ring
7- The Solitaires - Walking Along
8- The Chords - Sh-Boom
9- The Turbans - When You Dance
10- The Crows - Gee
11- The Drifters - Ruby Baby
12- The Gladiolas - Little Darlin'
13- The Nutmegs - Story Untold
14- The Penguins - Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)
15- The Five Satins - (I'll Remember) In The Still Of The Night
16- The Platters - Only You (And You Alone)
17- Lee Andrews & The Hearts - Long Lonely Nights
18- The Cleftones - Little Girl Of Mine
19- The Coasters - Yakety Yak
20- Dion & The Belmonts - I Wonder Why
21- The Earls - Remember Then
22- The Elegants - Little Star
23- The Capris - There's A Moon Out Tonight
24- The Mello-Kings - Tonite, Tonite
25- The Crests - Sixteen Candles
26- The Del Vikings - Come Go With Me
27- The Monotones - Book Of Love
28- Little Anthony & The Imperials - Tears On My Pillow
29- The Skyliners - Since I Don't Have You
30- The Spaniels - Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight



Doo-Wop-Doo-Wop