Five records I re-bought at Disk Union in Tokyo
Feb.05, 2013
Five records I re-bought at Disk Union in Tokyo:
REPULSION: Horrified (1989)
Together with the first Sadus record this is probably my favorite album in that era when thrash merged into death metal. And Repulsion just made this one masterpiece of an album before they split up. “Horrified” holds up well today – great riffs, arrangements and a perfect raw production. The extreme metal genre never really topped this one.
Reason for buying again: the original Necrosis vinyl release for a low price.
BEACH BOYS: Holland (1972)
“Pet Sounds” and “Surf’s Up” have better songs, but “Holland” is the Beach Boys most fully realized album. It cost a fortune to record (they went to Holland and built their own studio), and except for the last-minute tucked-on “Sail On Sailor” didn’t produce any hits. Nor did it sell well, but it’s a fantastic album that grows on every listen. Brian Wilson also made the nutty/brilliant bonus 7″ with the totally bizarre “Mount Vernon and Fairway” piece, which sounds like something Neil Hamburger could have made.
Reason for buying again: pristine copy complete with the bonus 7″ single.
KISS: Music from the Elder (1982)
The best KISS album of them all. The band were not doing good by 1982, but instead of copying one of their early hit albums they went ahead and did this arty concept album – which was to be followed up with a movie, comic book and prestigious stage show. The album bombed and everything was cancelled. The band later disowned the album, but don’t let Gene Simmons let you think otherwise, this is their best record.
Reason for buying again: upgrade to Japanese pressing with handsome gatefold cover for 600 yen? Sold.
NOCTURNUS: The Key (1990)
Florida death metaller’s first (and best) album is a satanic sci-fi concept album about a cyborg travelling back in time to kill Jesus. And the music is just as mind-blowing. At a time when keyboards in metal were as uncool as could be, Nocturnus not only got away with using them, but also made a classic album of the genre. When you listen to this album you will feel like a devil-worshipping cyborg.
Reason for buying again: finally got this on vinyl.
JON GIBSON: Two Solo Pieces (1977)
Really underrated minimalist organ album from the late 70s. I don’t know much about Mr Gibson, so I can’t really tell much about it, except that I’ve listened to this album many times over they years. All young people discovering drone music need to hear this one, it’s as good as anything by La Monte Young ever did.
Reason for buying again: original sealed vinyl copy for a reasonable price.
Lasse Marhaug, January 2013