The original sleeve notes from 1987... Those of you who own copies of Obscure Independent Classics Volume Three may remember a group called S-Core; well the man behind S-Core is Yutaka Tanaka, and he selected all of the tracks for this L.P. and posted them to me from Tokyo. I've also been corresponding with him for the last year trying to find out various details about the groups on this record, the Japanese music scene generally and the history of music in Japan. I thought that there was probably a Japanese musical tradition going back centuries which has made the independent scene somehow different to the one in the west, but apparently this isn't the case; the bands that Yutaka mentioned as being influential are Bauhaus, Siouxsie, The Sex Pistols, The Cure, Depeche Mode and New Order. There really must be some sort of indigenous Japanese influence too because the bands on this record don't sound all THAT much like the aforementioned British groups, but I couldn't find out anything about it. What the hell? The tracks can speak for themselves can't they? Well, some of them can. Some of them can tap dance, and one track near the beginning of side two has just made a model of the Sydney Opera House out of matchsticks. Apart from that I have a few details about the individual contributors written on little folded pieces of paper... let's see now... THE BIEN means "the beautiful flame" in Japanese, but apparently it also means "nasal catarrh"... a double meaning you see... er... this lot are a bit like Depeche Mode. There are three of them: Chiko, Takeshi and Shu. Contact: Takeshi Suzuki, 3-96-7, Nagabuchi, Ome-shi, Tokyo, 198, Japan. QUINO was formed in 1981 by two lesbians. Gosh. Although they were subsequently joined by someone else (a male) in 1985. I have a list of lots of interesting things they've done here such as taking part in "a musical performance that highlighted the architectural drawings show inside the art museum", and they composed a piece of music "Called aware of New Musics 1 & 2" with "Mies Van de Rohe", but I don't really know what any of it means. Anyway, they appear to have made some cassettes which look like they might be interesting. They're on DIN Records in Japan. MOMO was formed a couple of years ago by some people at Kyoko University, Takeuchi Tatsuto (keyboards) and Tandakara Himari (vocals and writes the songs) being the main members. There's also Kimura Hiromi (guitar) and Alistair Swale (bass). They like Kate Bush and The Cocteau Twins and their hobbies include gardening and scrabble.No, sorry, I made up that last bit. THE FLAG seem particularly keen not to be called "The Frog!" I don't know what this means. It's just what it says on this piece of paper. They're going to make a single soon. Contact: Kouki Takahashi, 1-17-2, Shimo-ochiai, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Why not write and ask them what they mean about the frog? MAN DECADE have been going since 1983. The made a single called "Eschatology" in 1985. The members are Satoshi Iwase and Yutaka Tanaka... just a minute... I know that name... Contact: Satoshi Iwase, 2-29-14, Takeoka, Kiyose--shi, Tokyo, 204, Japan. DEA are: Hiroko Yoshihara (vocals, keyboards), Shinichi Omata (keyboards) and Mark (drums). SUTTEE are led by Yumiko Kobayashi who, it's explained here, is female. It also says "Suttee will lead you to a distant place". Contact: Aflict Records (same address as S-Core). ROLY POLY's songs are popular and rich in variety. (Yes I'm just copying out the piece of paper again). "God only knows what kind of sound Roly Poly will play next time..." it goes on. This is probably Yutaka Tanaka again. Contact: same as S-Core. S-CORE. This is definitely Yutaka Tanaka. Contact: Yutaka Tanaka, 3-430-7, Chigase-cho, Ome-shi, Tokyo, 198, Japan. CAMP 3 are Hashizo Maruta (vocals), Kinya Umeno (guitar), Kaichiro Sugiyama (bass) and Taisuka Tamigauchi (drums). This is apparently based on folk music. Contact: Hashizo Maruta, 646-542, Nanae, Tomisato-machi, Inba-gun, Chiba-ken, 286-02, Japan. Yutka Tanaka probably isn't on that one. I don't appear to have any information on Haiginsh... so I'll make some up... HAIGINSHA is a team of trained fresh water squid who record music diectly onto magnetic tape by emitting electrical impulses. There. One of them is probably Yutaka Tanaka. Hey, I hope you guys aren't going to take offense at this sort of thing..... let's get back to reality for a moment.... oh this sounds interesting, I'll just copy out the piece of paper again... "FEMME FATALE is the units formed in early 1986 by Mr. Hisayoshi Mukae (mandolin and violin) and Mr. Junpei Taniguchi (guitar and synthesisers). They are seeking unique pop music so-called ESNO-POPS. Mr Mukae's technique of the electric mandolin is really worth apprecating". I'll second that and I hope they find that ESMO-POPS real soon. MAMO-BELL is Mamoru Takahashi's solo project. Ambient music. mm. Contact Mamoru Takahashi, Seimeiso, 2-16-6, Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153, Japan. The next one is another complicated one so I'll write it all out again: TEN NIN GO SUI - Amiable, tender, sweet-voiced and fiendish women - On March 1986 Akiko and Yuko started Ten NIn Go Sui: means: five processes of the celestial death. From first they are backed up from able staffs (fashion co-ordinators and interia designers) so, their stages are always visual. Then their voices - Erose's voices in the tragedy of ancient Greece - decoy you to the world of women's rancor. Woman's value 1 The womb curses dark and damp histories of women. The fact we were born from the same womb was inherited to our daughters and their daughters. Even if we wipe off it over and over again, it adheres to our fingers and our hair. It weigh heavily on women's days after we die. after we die. (words by Yuko). Members: Akiko Ishizawa (vocals, keyboards), Yuko Suzuki (vocals, piano), Rie Fukazawa (drums). CIRCADIAN RHYTHM are Kohtaro Tamaka (guitar), Keiko Murayama (voices), Masahiro Ohsato (percussion), Chisumi Kuratani (bass, Casio, voice) and Toshiyuki Kikuchi (guitar). They say "We have been collecting sounds we adore in everyday life in culturally, musically, environmentally, chaotic Tokyo." This song was used in an American independent film; and there's a single available through Recommended Records. Some lyrics: I throw away dislike sound Through the dead trees Remember to forget Stimulation needed When I turn that corner. Contact: Mr. Kohtaro Tanaka, 206 Daini-Honjukuso, 5-2-17, Minami-machi, Kichijoji, Musashino City, Tokyo 180, Japan. Phone: 422-42-1294. So that just leaves: IRIS UNDERGROUND: this one says: "Iris, the goddess of rainbow from the ancient Greek myths. Iris Underground reminds me of rainbow in the underground world or a little girl Iris's adventure there." Contact: Mitsuhiro Iida, Famille Yao 1011, 1-16-1 Kayafuri-cho, Yao-shi, Osaka, 581, Japan. AJ 25/8/87