That Joe Yamanaka must have been quite a character. Just look at him at this record cover: A bare-chested Japanese guy with a big afro with blonde streaks, wearing cowboy boots and hippy multicolored bell-bottoms and posing atop either Grand Canyon or -more probably- Mount Fuji with a samurai sword (or is it a scimitar?) in hand. I mean, is he for real or did he just disembark from a UFO? Notice how the other bandmembers are just floating heads around him: obviously they weren't crazy to get close enough to the sword-wielding singer for a group photo, so they sent their astral projections instead. "The Times" is, as the title implies, a compilation of early 70's Flower Travellin' Band material, previously released as part of their 1971 magnum opus "Satori", 1972's "Made in Japan" or the half-live/half-studio 1973 double LP "Make Up". Musically the band was really out there, comprising elements of hard rock, psychedelia and progressive/experimental rock to form a unique sound. Heavy metallic rhythms and screaming vocals dominate both cuts from "Satori", often combined with weird oriental musical scales (also notably on "Hiroshima"). "Shadows of Lost Days" is more conventional heavy blues a la Led Zeppelin while "Make Up" is closer to Deep Purple, down to the beautiful Hammond fills by Nobuhiko Shinohara. "Look at My Window" is a long trippy ballad somewhat reminiscent of West Coast 60's psych (think Jefferson Airplane/ Grateful Dead). "Spasms" is more experimental, sorta like Can jamming with Hendrix. The guitarist is a rare talent who could probably give Page or Iommi a run for their money. I first noticed him when I heard the Yuya Uchida & The Flowers (actually an early incarnation of the FTB) album, but there was no information about the players on the sleeve - OK, there was something written, albeit in Japanese which (surprise!) I can't read. So now I looked him up and learned that his name is Hideki Ishima and that he has nowadays abandoned the guitar in favor of the sitarla, an instrument of his own device. Closing track "I Wanna See You" seems to be exclusive to the compilation, and it's a soulful rocker, embellished with strings. Despite being too short for the CD era "Time" offers a welcome concise introduction to the group, cherry-picking their more accessible moments. It's amazing that the rock world is so narrowly focused to England and America and lets giants like FTB pass them by. If you do, it's entirely your loss!
***** for Satori Part 2, Satori Part 1
**** for Shadows of Lost Days, Hiroshima, Make Up, Look at My Window, I Wanna See You
*** for Spasms
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