Far out - Nihonjin LP (1973)
Bootleg version of this 1973 classic sole release from Far Out - precursors to the Far East Family Band. Two-side long tracks; ranks as No. 11 in Julian Copes Japrocksampler list. Cope wrote: "Arriving in a flurry of heartbeats and echo-chambers, formless monophonic Moog synthesizers and microphone feedback, Far Out’s eponymous 1973 album is an alien and exquisitely beautiful music embodying all the greatest aspects of rock’n'roll at once...."
"Herein, there are beats to brain yourself with, howling banshee vocals, melancholy tunes, dive-bombing seagull guitars, overly hopeful utopian lyrics, and harmonies to live for. This, their one and only LP, is a place where tradition and novelty sit together side by side, a place where cheesy melody and hoary chord sequences rub shoulders with shockingly unbalanced sonic gimmicks – forget 0-60 in 3 seconds, here it’s silence to deafening in Nothing-flat. The whole effect creates a sense of total mystery and awe, as though we’ve eavesdropped on some long-planned pilgrimage and found ourselves along for the ride. Indeed, the only better name I could think of for this album would be have been Far Fucking Out!
Even the sleeve is as iconically superb as Faust copping Warhol. A child’s mitten hangs by a single peg from a washing line on an expansive and borderless cosmic blue background. Think of the Velvets’ Banana LP, the first Kraftwerk album, Neu 75 and La Dusseldorf’s Viva. That obvious, and that classic. Fucking hell! And in one album they were gone – blink and you missed it – not even released outside Japan!" Read the full article for more.