The Good Old Major's Hole

All people of discerning tastes are welcome to explore the Major's hole, peruse the posts, comment on them and even submit their own billets doux to the Major's repository of antiques, curios and assorted bibelots. There is only one subject not welcome here - politics.

Friday, 24 February 2023

Japanese African Riot!

A guest post from Koen which reveals an interesting musical link...

Sometimes you discover a track from years ago and get a feeling of ‘Holy Crap! That still sounds so futuristic, it could have been recorded yesterday!!’ Of course, this doesn’t happen very often to say the least, but when it happens it really can be mind-blowing.


I first started hearing Ryuichi Sakamoto (ex-Yellow Magic Orchestra) via Thomas Dolby, as he did the vocals on Sakamoto’s Fieldwork, still a nice track by the way. As a result, I bought 1986’s Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia - not bad at all. You might have heard him first doing Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence…

And a year later there was Neo Geo, produced by Laswell and with Iggy Pop singing Risky.
1989 brought Beauty which was even better, from beginning to end an amazing album. However thanks to the Internet (and Napster, Audio Galaxy, etc.!) I started looking at some of his earlier work and found this outstanding instrumental from his 1980 B-2 Unit: Riot In Lagos.


You have to hear this for yourself, but for me it was (& still is) an alien composition sent backwards through time from a distant future.


At times Sakamoto would play Riot on piano solo and it still manages to sound intriguing.
Only last year after listening to Riot once again I decided to do some digging and discovered Dennis Bovell was involved in the recording!

Koen sez:  To get a digital version of Riot In Lagos (+ related goodies), please let us know your own favourite futuristic track(s).

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33 comments:

  1. NØ24 February 2023 at 21:27

    Most anything from Live! In the Air Age by Be Bop Deluxe, especially "Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape". & thanks in advance for RIL. Didn't know the Blackbeard connection, thanks for that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SteveShark24 February 2023 at 22:49

    White Noise's "An Electrical Storm" album. It still sounds ahead of its time over 50 years later.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bambi25 February 2023 at 16:31

      Yep, White Noise wins in my book too. However I remember Alan 'Fluff' Freeman playing Tomita - Great Gate of Kiev on the bbc radio in 1976ish, very loud this is wonderful and sounded futuristic in the mid 70's.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIPRYJOwDoQ

      Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here the whole album sounds sorta futuristic to me.

      Delete
    2. Nobby (A Fine Old English ....)25 February 2023 at 22:28

      Just last week I found a copy of Snowflakes are Dancing at my local charity shop and was instantly transported forwards to 1974.

      However, I am previously on record as saying nothing beats Telstra for futurissimo, and I'm still standing by that.

      Delete
    3. Bambi26 February 2023 at 11:01

      Yes lovely record, I play that one if I want to feel sofistikatid

      Delete
  3. Songkhla Steve25 February 2023 at 00:40

    Anyone for Tonto's Expanding Head Band - their 1st album still amazes ! ! !

    ReplyDelete
  4. art58koen25 February 2023 at 02:22

    This is another one: https://www.50thirdand3rd.com/jah-wobble-how-much-are-they/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SteveShark25 February 2023 at 09:52

      I spent ten years in a couple of bands with one of Wobble's The Invaders Of The Heart musicians.
      https://www.discogs.com/fr/artist/147700-Jean-Pierre-Rasle

      Delete
    2. art58koen26 February 2023 at 13:14

      Wow! You must have heard some stories...

      Delete
    3. SteveShark26 February 2023 at 15:59

      He had a great time with Wobble - toured extensively and supported many names. It all stopped when my friend tried to get into the US over the Canadian border. A minor passport irregularity - long story - was grounds for barring entry. He had to quit the band there and then.

      Delete
    4. SteveShark26 February 2023 at 16:06

      I played with this band - never recorded unfortunately.
      https://www.discogs.com/fr/artist/4176972-The-Cock-And-Bull-Band
      And this band - we made a CD.
      https://www.discogs.com/fr/master/2903614-Monsieur-Pantin-Ma-Rosalie

      Delete
    5. art58koen27 February 2023 at 02:42

      Jesus, what a bummer to be forced to leave like that...

      Delete
    6. art58koen27 February 2023 at 02:44

      I couldn't find Monsieur Pantin on YouTube, but cool anyway!

      Delete
  5. Babs26 February 2023 at 01:46

    Sun Ra - 'The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra' (it really does sound futuristic)
    Ornette Coleman - 'Science Fiction'
    Daft Punk - 'Tron: Legacy Reconfigured'

    ReplyDelete
  6. NØ26 February 2023 at 05:50

    Babs, those three are the future, the past, & the now. Fantastic choices. I'm going through all three (listening to SciFi first right now). Thank you for a wonderful evenings playlist.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NØ26 February 2023 at 06:01

      I just realized I 'm listening to Ornette Coleman - The Complete SciFi Sessions. (2CD with extra tracks - appears the first eight on disc 1 are same as SciFi). Thanks again.

      Delete
    2. Babs26 February 2023 at 13:36

      I love how Asha Puthli's vocals on "What Reason Could I Give" and "All My Life" sound like she just landed on planet Earth.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous27 February 2023 at 00:08

      Charlie Haden is synonymous with Ornette & free jazz to me, but his bass playing on Street Woman is next level.

      Delete
  7. Joey DeVivre26 February 2023 at 23:56

    I guess the link is Futuristic???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Babs27 February 2023 at 17:14

      The future isn't what it used to be

      Delete
    2. Anonymous28 February 2023 at 20:40

      B-2 Unit FLAC
      https://workupload.com/file/VL94ujzyDj6
      Riot in Lagos FLAC
      https://workupload.com/file/vts3F23ZUWg

      Delete
  8. Anonymous27 February 2023 at 00:49

    Well, plenty of Stockhausen's music still awaits for its moment.
    When I first heard "Gesang der Jünglinge" or "Hymns" I thought of a time that was (still is) far away.
    Never made it to Top of the Pops or Saturday Night live though...
    Bat

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Babs27 February 2023 at 16:01


      John Cage too.
      I just imagined Don Pardo announcing
      "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night! With The Not Ready for Prime Time Players, and musical guest, Karlheinz Stockhausen!"

      Delete
    2. Anonymous28 February 2023 at 22:07

      Hey Babs As serious as he seemed he gave a series of lectures in England (1972) full of humour and stunning concepts about sound that really changed my appreciation about his music. Lengthy stuff but captivating for my curiosity.
      Here goes the link in case you're interested.
      Bat
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYmMXB0e17E

      Delete
  9. art58koen27 February 2023 at 02:41

    Here are 2 Japanese Sakamoto compilations: Gruppo Musicale (1989) & Gruppo Musicale II (1993), Riot is included of course, but you also get Iggy Pop & Thomas Dolby!
    https://mega.nz/file/vctiFaBB#Z0bOv0PpLlvNEUSG22NKlEht1E3IRIsypFuPWnpuYPc

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SteveShark27 February 2023 at 11:22

      This looks interesting...Bootsy...Sly Dunbar...

      Delete
    2. Babs27 February 2023 at 16:02

      Interesting, indeed.
      Thanks, art58koen!

      Delete
    3. SteveShark27 February 2023 at 17:03

      Way more varied than I anticipated! Bit of a surprise finding Kazumi Watanabe, too. Excellent, Koen!

      Delete
    4. art58koen28 February 2023 at 07:24

      Glad you like it guys! Actually Sakamoto deserves a post here...

      Delete
    5. Anonymous28 February 2023 at 18:08

      What happened to "Warhead" from Riot in Lagos?

      Delete
    6. art58koen1 March 2023 at 01:27

      That's available on Ryuichi Sakamoto & Robin Scott – The Arrangement + Singles (2015)

      Delete
  10. Anonymous28 February 2023 at 22:11

    Hey Also "Smoochy" and "Sweet Revenge" hold great tunes.
    Sakamoto is a great catalyzer of sonds.
    Cheers.
    Bat

    ReplyDelete

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