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Avg: 4.0 (31 ratings)
- Date Released: March 13, 1995
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Indie Rock
- Label: Safe House Records
The absolute best in no-chord punk.
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We Say...
If the Ramones made it safe to only know three chords, then Half Japanese made it OK to know none. The two brothers from suburban Maryland released their audacious 1980 debut 1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts as a 50-track/three record box set that contained no melody, no rhythm, no chords and no holding back (represented on this greatest hits comp by tantrums like "No More Beatlemania" and "Her Parents Came Home"). Even as singer Jad Fair grew into a more adept songsmith (represented by warped love songs like 1988's "Penny in the Fountain" and 1984's "1,000,000 Kisses"), his naive quaver, bent melodies and valentine-sweet sentiment helped maintain a loyal following of lovesick weirdos. It's not for nothing that the Spinanes once recorded a song called "Jad Fair Drives Women Wild."
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They Say...
As Byron Coley says in his entertaining piece in the liner notes, "They have no hits by standards that Howard Cosell would appreciate." But by the time Greatest Hits came out, Half Japanese had gained an international fan base, released more records than many well-known bands have ever done, and had Kurt Cobain singing their praises. So even if the title is curious, the impulse behind the collection isn't and, given the scattered discography of the band, Greatest Hits is the perfect place for a neophyte to take the plunge. Two discs packed to the brim with Jad Fair and company's particular rock & roll vision means a lot of listening, but there's no pretense at any one way to give the release an ear -- there's no chronological order, just a slew of songs that one can dip in and out of at leisure. Pretty much every album up to that point is represented at least once, from the original 1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts set to 1992's Boo! and, while lineups and fidelity fluctuates wildly, not to mention the particular styles tried out, it's all clearly one particular approach at heart. Jad Fair's love-it-or-hate-it voice (and sometimes David Fair's more conventional approach) tackles everything from "My Sordid Past" to "Salt and Pepper" and back again, and his fluctuating crew keeps everything a ragged delight. For the hardcore, five otherwise unreleased tracks do surface. A cover of Jimmie Rodgers' "T for Texas" features Eugene Chadbourne as a duet partner, while the on-the-face-of-it surprising 1993 remake of Primal Scream's "Movin' on Up" becomes an enjoyable rave-up in the band's own garage-y way. "King Kong" makes for an amusing biography of said character, while "Amazing Clock" and "Identical Twins" are also enjoyable. David Fair's enjoyable and encouraging essay "How to Play Guitar" makes for a great final touch.
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| 01. |  |
Movin On Up |
2:17 |
|
| 02. | |
No More Beatlemania |
1:53 |
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| 03. | |
How Did You Know? |
1:34 |
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| 04. | |
Penny In The Fountain |
1:59 |
|
| 05. | |
King Kong |
3:29 |
|
| 06. | |
Secret |
2:16 |
|
| 07. | |
B., C. Millionaires |
2:14 |
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| 08. | |
Amazing Clock |
2:44 |
|
| 09. | |
Thick And Thin |
1:13 |
|
| 10. | |
1,000,000 Kisses |
1:55 |
|
| 11. | |
Big Mistake |
1:26 |
|
| 12. | |
Little Records |
1:20 |
|
| 13. | |
No Direct Line |
2:01 |
|
| 14. | |
The House I Live In |
1:02 |
|
| 15. | |
U.F.O. Expert |
1:11 |
|
| 16. |
Identical Twins |
0:39 |
|
|
| 17. | |
Double Trouble |
2:04 |
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| 18. | |
Evidence |
2:05 |
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| 19. | |
Stripping For Cash |
1:22 |
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| 20. | |
On The One Hand |
3:28 |
|
| 21. | |
Snakeline |
2:07 |
|
| 22. | |
Too Much Adrenalin |
1:28 |
|
| 23. | |
Trouble In The Water |
3:00 |
|
| 24. | |
Ball And Chain |
3:03 |
|
| 25. | |
Her Parents Came Home |
1:02 |
|
| 26. | |
Deadly Alien Spawn |
2:39 |
|
| 27. | |
Ancient Life |
1:36 |
|
| 28. | |
Poetic License |
2:10 |
|
| 29. | |
Uncertain Feelings |
2:10 |
|
| 30. | |
Something New |
1:16 |
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| 31. | |
Fire To Burn |
2:33 |
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| 32. | |
Acupuncture |
2:16 |
|
| 33. | |
Salt And Pepper |
1:58 |
|
| 34. |
Guitar Solo |
0:43 |
|
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| 35. | |
A Little Bit More |
1:35 |
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| 36. |
Mono |
0:20 |
|
|
| 37. | |
Better Than Before |
1:26 |
|
| 38. | |
Everything Is Right |
2:46 |
|
38 Total Tracks, 72:20 Total Length
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Credits
- Eugene Chadbourne - Guitar // Eugene Chadbourne - Harmonica // Eugene Chadbourne - Vocals // Eugene Chadbourne - ? // Maureen Tucker - Drums // Maureen Tucker - Drums // Maureen Tucker - Producer // Maureen Tucker - Producer // Gary Windo - Saxophone // Half Japanese - Producer // Half Japanese - Main Performer // Kramer - Organ // Kramer - Bass // Kramer - Guitar // Kramer - Keyboards // Kramer - Producer // Rebby Sharp - Guitar // Jad Fair - Guitar // Jad Fair - Guitar // Jad Fair - Guitar // Jad Fair - Guitar // Jad Fair - Guitar // Jad Fair - Guitar // Jad Fair - Harmonica // Jad Fair - Harmonica // Jad Fair - Harmonica // Jad Fair - Harmonica // Jad Fair - Harmonica // Jad Fair - Harmonica // Jad Fair - Vocals // Jad Fair - Vocals // Jad Fair - Vocals // Jad Fair - Vocals // Jad Fair - Vocals // Jad Fair - Vocals // Jad Fair - Producer // Jad Fair - Producer // Jad Fair - Producer // Jad Fair - Producer // Jad Fair - Producer // Jad Fair - Producer // Lisa Mednick - Keyboards // Terry Adams - Piano // Pippin Barnett - Drums // Hank Beckmeyer - Bass // Hank Beckmeyer - Guitar // Hank Beckmeyer - Producer // George Cartwright - Saxophone // David Doris - Saxophone // John Dreyfuss - Saxophone // Rick Dreyfuss - Drums // David Fair - Guitar // David Fair - Percussion // David Fair - Vocals // David Fair - Liner Notes // Fred Frith - Guitar // Fred Frith - Guitar // Don Fleming - Guitar // Don Fleming - Vocals // Mick Hobbs - Guitar // Scott Jarvis - Drums // David Licht - Conga // John Sluggett - Guitar // Jay Spiegel - Drums // Don Zientara - Producer // John Zorn - Saxophone // John Zorn - Saxophone // Joe Martinelli - Drums // Tim Foljahn - Guitar // Rob Kennedy - Bass // Howard Wuelfing - Bass // Mark Jickling - Guitar // Danny Finney - Saxophone // Eppo Krol - Producer // Gilles V. Rieder - Drums // Gilles V. Rieder - Producer // Lana Zabko - Saxophone // Byron Coley - Liner Notes // Jason Willett - Bass // Richard Labrie - Drums // Steve Johnson - Guitar
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