True 1977 Punk Rock

Much has been said about the Japanese band Les Rallizes Dénudés by those who seek to have their senses overwhelmed by heavy, noisy rock music. I had heard them, and been somewhat unconvinced, on dozens of occasions before they finally melted my mind. Although there are several grey-area CD sets documenting their legendary performances, there is only ONE that I have heard (so far) that is just the right side of lo-fi-yet-clearly-recorded. le mars 1977 à Tachikawa (2XCD, Over Level) captures the band at the height of it's powers. It is mind-boggling to think that this was happening in the year that was ground zero for "punk rock". This music is about a hundred times "punker" than anything that was going on in London at The Roxy that year (no slight to Pink Flag, of course...). The group's signature sound not only features ear-splitting feedback guitar, but often layers this on top off bass lines lifted from girl-group hits (CD1, track 2) and the general feel of hazy surf-rock ("Enter The Mirror", a live staple). Anyone with even a passing interest in Keiji Haino should seek out this particular set. If you end up searching out the expensive multi-disc CD volumes that seem to appear and disappear like ships dotting horizons on otherwise pitch-black nights, you may still refer back to this double CD as some sort of pinnacle.