1/2 JAPANESE half gents not beasts 3LP 1980 avant diy

$

71

1/2 Japanese "1/2 Gentlemen / Not Beasts" LP issued by Armageddon Records (A BOX 1) in the UK, 1980. Boxset includes the original large poster and a lyric sheet. ****** 3xRec:m- / Poster:m- / Box:vg+ ****** DIY legends and quite a rare edition today, this 3LP box was a shocking act when it first came out in 1980! As with any album that is three records long, "1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts" unwittingly shows Half Japanese's true roots. Over the three records, the band 'covers' such minimalists as the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, and Jonathan Richman, as well as deconstructing such wordsmiths as Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. Although they would have you believe that their untuned, almost unlistenable, instrumental clatter is the result of being so enthusiastic that they didn't bother to learn how to play their instruments, it's just the logical, inevitable intellectual extension of Richman's naivete and the Velvet Underground's stripped-down guitar. Half Japanese is consciously primitive and amateurish. "1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts" is a completely fresh, at times painful three-LP set that is musically more punk than any of its contemporaries. Jad Fair, the group's guitarist, never plays proper chords. His guitar, in fact, is not even tuned. As a result, the guitar becomes a purely expressive vehicle, and tool to generate noise and percussion. Drummer David Fair plays a simple kit and time-keeping is not all that crucial to his approach. Lyrically, Jad Fair is clearly indebted to Jonathan Richman and The Ramones. There is a teenage innocence on display here: confusion in love, the banalities of living at home, an absolute belief in the power of rebellion. As such, he tears through the rock n' roll playbook, mauling many of its sacred cows. This is evident in their covers of Bruce Springsteen's "10th Ave. Freezeout" and, especially, Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue". The album's highlight appears quite early in "No More Beatlemania", which is probably the most aggressive track on the record, as Jad Fair shouts "Once is enough" like a young man possessed. Other highlights include "Patti Smith", a spikey sound about the singer's onstage accident that resulted in a broken back in 1977, "Bogue Millionaires / Cool Millioinaires", as well as his 'cover' of Smith's "Till Victory". Clearly, three LPs of this stuff can get monotonous after a spell. Thankfully, Half Japanese include nearly ambient noise experiments between these jagged bursts of naive sound to give the listener a temporary reprieve ("Ta Sheri Ta Ta", "Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr", "Tn Tn Tn Tn Ki", "Du Du Du / Du Du Du", "Bbbbbbbb / Bbbbbbbb / Bbbbbbbb", and "T / T / T / T / T / T", for example). Lastly, the album concludes with two punchy live sets that include a third instrument, a saxophone, played in, predictably, a Captain Beefheart fashion. Clearly, "1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts", and its 'recorded in my bedroom' aesthetic is not for everybody. But for those with an open mind, a taste for warped noise, and wide-eyed enthusiasm, it is a throughly rewarding two-hour listening experience. ****** Box has some wear, mostly around the edges (see photo), but still super solid with no splits nor bend corners. ****** Please wait to receive my invoice before sending the payment after the auction ends. Attention! Real postage costs are not USD 4 as all the items are located in Doha, Qatar (which has a very safe and professional post system). Postage costs registered up to 1 Kilo (generally 3 LPs): to Europe and Japan is USD 16,50 / to America and Oceania is USD 22,50. Postage costs registered up to 2 Kilos:  to Europe and Japan is USD 28,00 / to America and Oceania is USD 34,00. ****** 3 ebay auctions in 3 weeks. Next week: spontaneous creation, free jazz, Anton Bruhin, Ghedalia Tazartes, Jean Guerin, Anthony Moore… ****** Thank you for your kind attention and good luck with your bids.