November 29, 2023 Playlist

Far East Family Band "Parallel World" (1976)
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Far East Family Band "Parallel World"  1976 (Japan)
It's always tempting when describing foreign scenes to use simple metaphors from your own culture. Thus it could be said that "Flower Travellin' Band was Japan's Led Zeppelin" and "Far East Family Band was Japan's Pink Floyd." I've already written about the roots of FEFB when enshrining their previous classic albums Far Out (1973), The Cave Down To The Earth (1975) and Nipponjin (1975). But the group's magnum opus was probably their 1976 album Parallel World, which includes a monumental slab of kosmische proto-newage prog in the 30-minute long title track. The album cover captures the vibe pretty well: a bunch of longhairs sailing through spaaaace, maaaan. In later years, one of their synthesizer players would become a leading proponent of "New Age music" under the name Kitaro, and you can definitely hear the roots of the Kitaro sound on Parallel World. I also wonder if FEFB were aware of the British group Jade Warrior, who had a similar "proto-newage" sound as well as a taste for East Asian (particularly Japanese) album art and song titles.
(N) = New Release
   
Artist Song Album Year Country
The Jimi Hendrix ExperienceOne Rainy WishAxis: Bold As Love1967USA/UK
Micky Dolenz
(the last surviving member of The Monkees) 		Shiny Happy People (R.E.M.)Dolenz Sings R.E.M. EP (N)
2023 (7A)USA
Woods Double DreamPerennial (N)
2023 (Woodsist)USA
Bobby ConnA Young Man's GameRecovery2020USA
Descartes A Kant
 		Self-F
   / The Mess We've Made		After Destruction (N)2023 (Cleopatra)Mexico
Guided By Voices Local Master AirplaneNowhere To Go But Up (N)
2023 (GBV inc.)USA
U.S. Girls 28 Days (live)Lives (N)
2023 (4AD)USA/Canada
 
 
Goat Join The ResistanceMedicine (N)2023 (Rocket)Sweden
Goat Gathering Of Ancient TribesThe Gallows Pole: Original Score (N)2023 (Rocket)Sweden
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Set
   / Chang'e		The Silver Cord (N)2023 (KGLW)Australia
Poppy MotorbikeZig (N)
2023 (Sumerian)USA
Sen Morimoto
 		SurrenderDiagnosis (N)2023 (Sooper/City Slang)USA/Japan
   
 
Maximum The HormoneMr. Boogie Tambourine ManKusoban  ("Shit Disc")2004Japan
88Kasyo Junrei  ("88-point Pilgrimage")Butsumetsu Torishuna ("Inauspicious Day Torishuna")Hachi Hachi ("VIII VIII" - "Eighty-eight" in old fashioned characters?)2010Japan
Kikagaku Moyo  ("Geometric Patterns")Smoke And MirrorsForest Of Lost Children2014Japan
OOIOOUJATaiga2006Japan
   
 
Far East Family BandParallel WorldParallel World
 CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK		1976Japan
The Orb H.O.M.E. (High Orbs Mini Earths)Prism (N)2023 (Cooking Vinyl)UK
   
 
KraftwerkRuckzuck ("Right Now")Kraftwerk1970Germany
Silver ApplesFantasiesContact1969USA
Throbbing GristleTanith20 Jazz Funk Greats1979UK
MagmaAuraëMagma1970France
Kurt Vile Tom Petty's Gone (But Tell Him I Asked For Him)Back To Moon Beach (N)2023 (Verve)USA
   
 
Jimi HendrixPurple Haze / Guitar Improvisaton (live)Woodstockrec. 1969, rel. 1994USA
Back to playlists         Back to main