Dublin Record Stores

It always sounds strange to hear that all of Ireland -including the northern part- only has a population of 7 million. Because Irish influence in popular culture, music, literature, mythology etc. has always been disproportionally big. I can name many gifts that Ireland has given to the world, but this one suffices: the water of life, which in Irish Gaelic is called uisce beatha, and commonly known to the rest of the world as whiskey. Guinness beer isn't too bad either, and has more uses than I previously knew about: one can drink it, use it to bake bread, or make a delicious (beef or lamb) stew with it, make caramel fudge, and who knows what else. And did I mention that it tastes much better in Ireland than anywhere else? Not just my idea, a well-known fact. Now I know people take rightly offence with the drunken Irishman stereotype, but on this case I'm talking about my own experience in Ireland. No, I didn't exactly get drunk on my first trip to Dublin, but I do believe I drank way more beer than water - and how else, when you're out walking all day, and there's a nice pub in every corner inviting you to stop and have a drink. Often with musicians playing live Irish music. Which, apparently, encompasses just about all of folk, pop, and rock. I mean, I was under the impression that Oasis were a British band from Manchester. Nope! The Gallagher brothers? Irish. The Sex Pistols' Johnny Lydon? Irish. Bruce Springsteen? Kurt Cobain? Rihanna (yes, that Rihanna)? All Irish! The diaspora has spread so wide that there's probably at least a drop of Irish blood in every person you meet. So, suppose you want to buy a record by a famous Irish person. Like Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, or Bono. Or David Bowie. Or The Beatles - I kid you not! John, Paul, and George, all had Irish roots. Anyway, say you want to buy some records. Where do you start?

I guess the Temple Bar is as good a place as any. Like many tourists, I also wondered whether that area on the south bank of the River Liffey took its name from the same-named pub or vice versa (it is vice versa). Locals all tell you to avoid both the pub and the area "It's a tourist trap" they say. "Pints cost €10". "The music is too loud". I took their advice and didn't go inside any of the pubs there. I did walk through the area often enough, and I have to say it is a nice, lively, district full of narrow, cobbled streets and nice pubs, restaurants, and shops. If you're looking to party, it's probably the place to go. If you're looking for vinyl... well why not start with Mojos Records? It's a tiny place at Merchant's Arch, pretty close to the Temple Bar Pub, actually - and, unlike it, not overpriced. (Used) LPs cost €15-30, CDs €5. 

Despite its small size, there's a pretty good selection in various genres. Still in the area, there's The R.A.G.E. (Record, Art and Game Emporium) a cave-like basement offering retro video games and used vinyl. A mix used and new records (€5-30) including punk, classic rock, Irish music, and electronica. Further south (on 15A Wicklow St, near the Molly Malone statue) you can find Firebird Records. One of the oldest independent record stores in the area (est.1978) it also styles itself as "The Secret Book and Record Store" because it's a bit hidden behind a long corridor - although the huge signs at the entrance give the "secret" away. A big variety of vinyl (new €25-40, used €10-30) and CDs (new €10-20, used €4-5). Very good for rock, punk, and indie music as well as Irish bands, both modern and traditional. A great selection of books, too. In the direction towards Trinity College (47 Nassau St), there's another "hidden" record shop called Sound Cellar - a basement dedicated to heavy metal.

A huge variety of records in this specific genre (including hard rock, prog, and black metal) both CD (€15) and vinyl (€30-40). Just around the corner (7 Dawson St) you can find a big Tower Records shop: on the ground floor there are (new) LPs (€25-40) and CDs (€15+ but also many offers 3-for-€10). Irish music (indie and trad), lots of DVDs as well as T-shirts and memorabilia. The upper floor is dedicated to vinyl only: rock, pop, hip hop, dance, jazz etc. Further south, inside the Stephen Green shopping centre, there's a shop of the Golden Disc chain: a big space, also selling a lot of T shirts and  memorabilia. LPs cost €30-50, although there are also many on offer (3-for-€70). CDs €10-20. On your return to Temple Bar, you may want to hit another couple of shops: Spindizzy Records is a big-ish shop with a big variety in CDs (new €10-20 used €5-6) and LPs (New €25-40, used lp €5-25). Punk, alternative, pop, rock, and folk. Spin Dizzy is inside George’s Street Market Arcade which houses a bunch of other shops worth browsing. Including a small shop called Elevation. This one just has some posters etc, but there's another Elevation shop (3 Johnson Pl) which really is worth its full name Elevation Music Movies Comics. It may be small, but you'll find records of most of the major artists. LPs €25-40, CDs new €10-15 used €4-5. There's also a place called Claddagh records, which is specialized to Irish/Celtic music. It does have a physical address but seems to sell only online. Lastly, despite what I said earlier, I did step into a pub at the temple bar area: its called Foggy Dew, and -on that day- it hosted a record fair. Apparently it also often houses rock concerts. Whether record fairs are also a common occurrence there, I wouldn't really know. 

On the other side of the river Liffey, there are relatively few record stores: A decent-sized Golden Discs in the Jervis shopping centre, and a Tower records situated on the 2nd floor of a big Euston shop (on 40 Lower O'Connell Street); It's 50/50 split between films and music; good for country, Irish music, and pop/rock. LPs € 25-40, CDs €10-17. There's also a big 3-story HMV shop (18 Henry St) selling all kinds of stuff: DVDs, games, T-shirts and of course LPs (new €25-40) and CDs (€8-15). The best thing about it, though, is the "Who's Playing in Dublin" board on the 1st floor; there are announcements and flyers for all the live events going on around the city. The last shop I visited on the north side was Bookmart Game Exchange - as you may have guessed it mainly sells used books and videogames, but it also has a few cheap used CDs. I unfortunately didn't have time to visit In Dub Reggae Store, and there seems to be some confusion about the address (seems to have moved recently?), but according to googlereviews it is a very good specialty shop and must be worth visiting for fans of that genre. 

On Friday 31/10, we left Dublin early for a day-trip to a nearby town called Kilkenny; I first heard about it on a Pogues album which had a song called "Wild Cats of Kilkenny"- apparently, once two Kilkenny cats fought each other so ferociously that only their tails remained at the end of the battle. What, you don't believe it? Why? the tales Irish people say are always so well-grounded. It is in any case a beautiful town, and also features a nice medieval castle. It served for 600 years as the seat of the Butler dynasty - literally, the dynasty's founder was a Norman lord who came to Ireland as butler (a.k.a. cup-bearer) of the infamous King John of England. A visit is recommended, but don't expect too many gothic vibes: the castle has been refurbished into a comfortable manor house some centuries ago. Being there on Halloween, we couldn't resist a visit to Kytelers Inn, previously owned by Dame Alice Kyteler, the first recorded person condemned for witchcraft in Ireland (1324 AD). She fled before the executioner got his hands on her, but her handmaid Petronella De Meath was burned at the stake as an accomplice. There's a plaque commemorating her on Butter Slip alley, a small Harry Potter-like passageway starting off at St. Kieran's street. About 100m further up St. Kieran's St, there's Rollercoaster Records, a rather stylish medium-sized shop. You'll find some interesting records there, but rather random ones - don't expect them to carry all the classic LPs by major artists. Only new vinyl (€20-30) and CD's (€15). 

The city also hosts a Golden Discs record store located in the Market Cross Shopping Centre. Similar stuff with the Dublin shops of the same chain. The next day it was back to Dublin - to see the phantasmagoric Mácnas parade, and to visit the Guinness Storehouse, Irish whiskey museum, the national museum of archaeology that houses those eerie bog bodies as well as Celtic artifacts, W.B. Yeats exposition in the National Library, the Chester Beatty museum... there wasn't enough time to see everything we wanted, what with the regular pub stops and everything, but there's always next time!

Athenians Of Toronto "Σαν Σκοτεινιάζει/San Skotiniazi" 1971***

This reissue appeared out of nowhere a couple of years ago; it took everyone by surprise, since it was widely believed that all Greek rock/pop singles of the 60's and early 70's were already known to collectors, most of them having been re-released and anthologized. As for whole LP's there's never been more than a handful of those. But, of course, it's no surprise that nobody in Greece had ever heard of this Greek-language band seeing as they lived half a world away in Toronto Canada. At the heart of the band there were the Filippeos brothers Costas (keyboards) and Nikos (drums), and singer Vangelis Bethanis. The three Greek-Canadians were joined by guitarist Denny Fernando and bassist Paul Imo. The band first formed in 1966 when all the members were aged between 11 and 17. They had a repertory of Greek and Italian songs they would play at parties and weddings of the respective immigrant communities, mixing them up with contemporary rock and pop hits, also backing visiting Greek traditional music singers. By 1971, they were ready to record their own album; they had few original numbers as well as a rich repertory of covers to which they added Greek lyrics. This decision is both a strength and a weakness: on one hand, it's what makes the covers rarer and more interesting, on the other -and that goes for those who understand Greek- the lyrics are embarrassingly sappy. The singer adopts the old-fashioned croon of lounge singers on the ballads, while he lacks the soul feeling necessary to match the soulful arrangements of the faster numbers. The instrumental part is much better: rich organ grooves, searing guitar solos, and a bold brass section featuring top Toronto jazz players like Pete Schofield, John Satcho, and Heather Banks. Despite the fact that the album was a true DIY production recorded in just six hours at RCA Studios in Toronto, with no budget for overdubs or post-production, it sounds quite professional for a small private press pressing. What amazes me most about this album is that the most striking element of this is album is the horn arrangements, even though the horns were never an integral part of the band. The obvious main influences are Chicago and Blood Sweat & Tears; this is in itself a rarity for Greek pop bands who were mainly influenced by the Beatles, Animals, and French and Italian yé-yé singers. We get no less than 4 workmanlike Chicago covers: "O Epivatis" (26 Or 6 To 4, great guitar here), "Μes Sti Nihta Girno" (Make Me Smile), "Me Ti Matia Sou Tha Zo" (Colour My World), "Psahno Na Vro" (Now More Than Ever). We also get decent Greek language versions of "Proud Mary" ("Mary Se Latrevo") and Santana's "Everybody's Everything" ("Ston Planiti Pou Girname"). All the songs feature great horn arrangements and confident playing, especially on guitar, organ, and drums. Two covers stand out: "To Gramma Tis Poulias" (a cover of fellow Canadians' "One Fine Morning") and "Ela Agapi Mou Konta" ("Light My Fire"). The latter incorporates elements from both top-10 versions, namely the acoustic guitar into from Feliciano's cover and the organ from the original. It's also the only bilingual Greek/English pop song of the period that I'm aware of, as well as the only Greek-language Doors cover. I believe the only song here that had been previously covered in Greek was "Proud Mary"; but since The AoT were almost certainly unaware of the other version, they had to devise another set of Greek lyrics and their own, wholly different, arrangement. Lastly, the LP contains three original songs by Costas Filippeos: two schmaltzy ballads ("San Skoteiniazei", "Agapoula Mou Chrissi") and upbeat instrumental "Athenian Rock'n'Roll". The liner notes mention that about 100 (private label) copies were pressed; in one interview, Costas Filippeos claimed there were a thousand of them, but that sounds way exaggerated. Anyway the band gave some records to friends and sold some hand-to-hand during gigs; very few are known to have survived. Also, according again to Filippeos, there were some 8 track tapes and cassettes made in the 80's, of which none have surfaced until now. The album wasn't even known to collectors, until a young indie label from Patras Greece called Veego Records received an mp3 folder that contained ‘Gramma tis Poulias’. It immediately hit the spot, because it was completely different to any other Greek band in its incorporation of jazz grooves and funky horns. The closest I can think of is The Sounds; I used to have reissues of their 1970-1971 LPs but they won't be presented here since I sold them during the Great Vinyl Purge. You see, they weren't garagey enough for my taste (I only kept the 60's "shake" stuff, which were more my thing at the time) but they did contain many Greek language covers of contemporary hits - including some by Santana and Creedence, bands also covered by AoT. San Skotiniazi is probably the only Greek language soul/funk LP from the 60's or early 70's, which gives it an immense novelty value. The musicians' playing should endear them to fans of classic soul and funk, but the lyrics and vocals may sound too kitschy and (not in a good way) old fashioned to Greek speakers. It is in any case a unique record that should pique any collector's interest.

**** for Ο Επιβάτης (26 Or 6 To 4), Έλα Αγάπη Μου Κοντά (Light My Fire), Το Γράμμα Της Πούλιας (One Fine Morning)

*** for Στο Πλανήτη Που Γυρνάμε (Everybody's Everything), Μαίρη Σε Λατρεύω (Proud Mary), Αγαπούλα Μου Χρυσή (Agapoula Mou Chrissi), Athenian Rock'n'Roll

** for Σαν Σκοτεινιάζει (San Skotiniazi), Μες Τη Νύχτα Γυρνώ (Make Me Smile), Με Τη Ματιά Σου Θα Ζω (Colour My World), Ψάχνω Να Βρω (Now More Than Ever)

Scarlet Rivera "Scarlet Rivera" 1977****

One of my favorite Dylan albums is Desire; basically, it's my favorite Dylan album post- Blonde On Blonde, which covers what? the last 59 years? And a very big reason why I love this album is the violin playing of a young lady called Scarlet Rivera. The story of how she came to play in this album, and join Dylan's famous Rolling Thunder Revue tour has been told before, but I'll repeat it here: apparently Dylan was being driven around Greenwich Village, when he spotted Rivera walking with her violin case in hand. He stopped the car, rolled down the window and shouted to her "Hey, can you play that thing?". She obviously recognized him, and agreed to follow him to the studio where he asked her to play along to some songs. Having passed this test, he asked her if she wanted to accompany him to a club to listen to a friend of his. She did, and that friend proved to be Muddy Waters. After a while, Dylan joined Muddy on stage for a song, and then he went to the mic and announced, “Now I want to bring up my violinist." Scarlet passed that test too; by playing with two legends in one night while being totally unprepared, she had earned her place on the historic tour. After the tour and the recording of the Desire LP, she fell out of view - fot most people, that is. I certainly knew nothing of her subsequent career, which probably is also true for most people who know of her only through the Dylan connection. Martin Scorsese's documentary about the Rolling Thunder Revue confused things even further: the director mischievously inserted a number of fake stories in his narration; seeing as Scarlet is the least well-known of the participants, having come out of nowhere and receded back to the shadows as far as Dylan fans are concerned, she was a prime target for those: she supposedly painted mystical symbols on her face (true) she carried a sword with her everywhere (not really true) people avoided her because they took her for a witch (false), she was dating Gene Simmons from KISS at the time - absolutely nonsense, but Dylan uses this to spin a yarn about her taking him to see "her boyfriend" play live, and of the concert inspiring Dylan to paint his face white onstage. In reality, the tour was designed to imitate a travelling circus; everybody was encouraged to look and act eccentrically. When Dylan appeared with a painted face, he was probably thinking of mimes rather than Gene Simmons. Why exactly he and Scarlet parted ways after Desire I don't know; Maybe he wasn't interested in repeating that album's sonic experiment, or maybe Scarlet took advantage of her sudden rise to fame to start her own band; she certainly leads a very talented band of musicians here, especially Dominic Cardinale who played keyboards and co-wrote most of the material. The music isn't what I expected - though, to be honest, I didn't really know what to expect; I just bought it out of curiosity and because I like violins in rock. Not that this is a rock album; it's mostly an electric jazz rock one, not unlike the Jean Luc Ponty LP I reviewed some time ago. "Leftback" and "Earth Queen" feature great synth-and-violin interplay as well as some dazzling violin solos, while "Wicked Witch Of The East" and "Cloak And Dagger" veer into symphonic prog with many classical influences. "Gypsy Caravan" is less free-form, structured more like a folk song - it even has vocals, even though the focus is still on the gypsy-style violin playing. The human voice features minimally; a witchy laugh on the "Wicked Witch Of The East", a bit of singing in "Gypsy Caravan", and a narration about fairies and some wordless vocalizing on the closer "Ring Around The Moon", a song steeped in Celtic music and mythology. The latter shows the direction she would turn to in the future; with the exception of her second LP for Warner (Scarlet Fever, 1978) which was in the same style and with many of the same collaborators as this one, her long discography lies purely on the intersection of new age and traditional Irish music. Not surprising then, that mainstream rock fans lost sight of her; for most of us new age belongs to the world of yoga studios and aromatherapy (whatever that is). But maybe that's just a sign of our prejudice; based on this evidence, Rivera was a really talented musician; I'd be interested in hearing more of her stuff, even if the CD cover art features megalithic monuments and kitschy Celtic design motifs. In any case, the Scarlet Rivera LP makes for a great introduction, and original vinyl copies are cheap and easy to find second hand. Highly recommended for fans of jazz rock and violin music; not so much for Dylan fans.

**** for Leftback, Wicked Witch Of The East, Gypsy Caravan, Ring Around The Moon

*** for Earth Queen, Cloak And Dagger

Record Stores Of Shibuya, Tokyo

It's been half a year since my Japanese trip. It was really a great one: we visited Tokyo, Nikko, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Yokohama; we saw beautiful nature, impressive monuments, and futuristic cityscapes, we met nice people and tasted delicious, and often strange, food. Of course I went record hunting, too, and let me tell you this country is a goldmine for record hunters: quality Japanese pressings, some peculiar Japan-only editions, decades-old used vinyl looking as good as new because it's been handled with care and respect, huge record stores full of rare albums, and all for great prices - often half of what you'd pay in Europe or the U.S. I've written previously about my record store mapping session in Kyoto; I got to see a fair amount of that city's record shops, but Tokyo... Tokyo is a lost cause, unless one can spend weeks there, and dedicate a big chunk of their time to record hunting. I mean Tokyo City alone has 14 million inhabitants - and the Tokyo metropolitan area has 37 million! Anyway, I could never surpass this guy's work, which you can download here - what I can do is present the shops I visited at the Shibuya area, where we stayed. It's one of the most famous neighborhoods, a real hub where all the transportation lines meet: apparently, Shibuya Station is visited by 3 million people daily; the second-busiest train station in the world after Shinjuku Station which is right around the corner (around 4km away). It's also famous for the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world; 3000 pedestrians pass the crossing per green light, adding up to almost half a million people daily. So as you can imagine all of Tokyo plus legions of tourists end up here, which makes for an extremely lively area housing lots and lots of bars, restaurants, and shops. Before I start, some general rules about Japan record stores: firstly, many of them aren't front store businesses. You may find them inside shopping malls, or in residential buildings; some, like Disk Union, may even be scattered in different floors of different buildings a couple of blocks apart.

Secondly, buildings in Japan don't have a ground floor - or rather, the 1st floor is the ground floor. So when one tells you this record store is on the 2nd floor that means you go up one flight of stairs. Thirdly, unlike in the US, all prices are tax-inclusive BUT there's a neat little trick you may want to take advantage of: overseas travelers may have the tax deducted from their purchases provided they don't make use of them while they're on Japanese soil. This service will not be available in all shops, but some record stores provide it. Finally, the price of some records will be in the thousands, but don't let that scare you: as of 2025, ¥1000 is only worth roughly €6 or $7. Shibuya's Tower Records is the largest record store in the Asian continent - probably in the world, too. I mean there seem to be four contenders for this title, and one of them is Amoeba Records in L.A. which I've already visited; I can verify that it's freaking huge, but Tower Records Shibuya is even bigger (if not necessarily better). First of all, the building is literally tower-like in height. It's 8 floors high and 1 deep (so, 9 floors in total). Each one is dedicated to something else e.g. 3rd floor is Japanese music, 4th is anime and game soundtracks, 5th is K-pop, 6th is reserved exclusively for vinyl singles and LPs (jazz rock pop soul etc). New records cost around ¥5000, used ones ¥500-3000. Address is 1-22-14 Jinnan, a three-minute walk from Shibuya Station (Hachiko Exit). You know the story of Hachiko dog, right? Exactly opposite the train station, also accessible via the underground passage, you'll find the Magnet Department store (1-23-10 Jinnan). The rooftop lounge of the 8th floor offers one of the best views of Tokyo, including the Shibuya Scramble Crossing. One has to buy a ticket to get there, but the 7th floor is free, and one can get a good view of the crossing from there, too. 

Recofan, which is one of Tokyo's biggest, and more historic, record stores takes up most of the 6th floor.  Here, new LPs cost ¥4000+, used ones on average ¥2000, and used CDs ¥280-1000. Something I found very helpful was that records were arranged alphabetically; in Japanese of course, but next to the Japanese characters (each one is a syllable) there are the corresponding letters in the Latin alphabet. Still close to the station, on the 5th and 6th floor of the Shibuya Modi department store (1-21-3 Jinnan) one can visit HMV Music & Books. To be honest it didn't meet my expectations, as it seemed to focus on K- and J- Pop idols and boy/girl bands, and fan merchandise. There does seem to be an awful big market for those, judging from all the advertisements; these are all around Shibuya giving it that Blade Runner vibe. Huge screens with moving, and often talking, ads, not only on or above the towering buildings but also on street level as well as moving in the streets. I can't tell you how often I was surprised when I heard a voice seemingly addressed to me, and looked right to see the moving image of an androgynous Asian teen idol on a screen bolted on a moving vehicle's trailer. Thankfully, there's another HMV record store nearby (36-2 Udagawacho Noah Shibuya) this one focuses on international music (rock, indie, prog) as well as some J-rock. New LPs around ¥4000-5000, used ones mostly ¥3000 although there are also some for ¥1000. All the above shops (Tower, Recofan and both HMVs) allow for tax-free purchases, which isn't the case with the rest of the shops I visited. Still in the neighborhood, there's Manhattan Records which specializes in Hip Hop, R & B and classic soul. On the 1st Floor (ground floor to us Westerners) there are records in these genres as well as street fashion items, while the 2nd floor mostly has used records and CDs (mostly ¥770-2000) as well as some singles and cassettes. Another shop in similar music style is 2 Tight Music (35-4 Udagawacho, Oak Village Building). It's on the 5th floor, apartment 503. Small but packed with lots of hip hop CDs, as well as some singles and cassettes. On the 3rd floor (apt.305) there's another specialty record store: RnR Music Garden is dedicated to rockabilly. 

Which brings us to a back alley behind a very central street, while there are also a few night clubs in the area. Here there are two record stores opposite each other, Face Records (soul, jazz, funk - according to Google this is now "temporarily closed") and Next Records (2F Ryuko Building, 11-11 Udagawacho) (hip hop, R&B, disco etc). One floor above you'll find another record store called Mother's Record (jazz, rock, bootlegs). You can see it from the street but the entrance is somewhat hidden. I could hear some great rock music coming from a bar here (I think it was this one) - it sounded like The Clash with Japanese lyrics. Me and my girlfriend thought about going in for a drink but there were some very drunk customers at the staircase, singing the chorus of the song at the top of their lungs. They didn't look dangerous or something, they were just loudly enjoying themselves, but we weren't in a similar mood so we left. At the corner there was another bar; a young girl with a short skirt -as is the fashion there- at the door was inviting people to come in, but that's something you get used to in Tokyo, restaurants and retail shops have them too. What did catch my attention was a sign at the front with prices per 45 or 60 minutes. My first thought was they were renting karaoke booths or something similar, the second one was something less innocent. It turns out that this was a 'girls' bar', a popular kind of diversion for middle-aged Japanese men. Contrary to what happens in the West, this is about company, not sex: there's no touching, the girls don't dance for the men or take their clothes off, they're only there for conversation - on any subject except sex. Anyway, let's get back to the record stores, because I've kept the best for last, and that's Disk Union, the motherlode of all record stores anywhere in the world! The various departments of this shop are a bit scattered, yet close to each other. If they were gathered in one place, they'd probably surpass Tower Records. The extremely detailed guide I recommended earlier mentions that Disk Union takes up 5 floors of the Antena 21 building (30-7 Udagawachō), but that wasn't the case when I visited last April: only two floors were occupied by Disk Union at that time: 4F (Club Music) featuring techno, dance, hip hop as well as DJ equipment and 5F (Jazz & Rare Groove) that had jazz, reggae, and world music (prices starting at ¥380, mostly over ¥2000). 

Another shop is at the basement of the Parco department store (15-1 Udagawachō): a lot of jazz, indie, rock, metal, and J-rock. Good variety and prices, even though I couldn't understand the idea behind the pricing: I found two seemingly identical used copies of The Beatles' Blue album, in the exact same condition: one had a yellow label and cost  ¥4650, the other one had a blue label and cost ¥480 - less than €3 for a Beatles' double LP in VG+ condition - only in Japan, man! I could have filled suitcases full of vinyl - hell, I almost did when I visited Disk Union on the first day of the trip, buying all kinds of good-ish records that I nevertheless didn't need, just because they cost less than one third of their usual price. Then I imagined myself dragging those suitcases with me for the rest of the journey, on the shinkansen and in those subterranean cities that pass for metro stations in Japan. From then on, I only bought records from Japanese bands that I knew I wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. By far the most purchases were made at Disk Union Rock (at the basement of 32-7 Udagawa-cho). Huge huge variety in all rock subgenres (classic rock, J-rock, punk, metal etc.) both in vinyl and CD. There were some new LPs (around ¥5000) but crucially lots and lots of used LPs starting from ¥380, and mostly under ¥2000. Here too they have the system with different color labels corresponding to different price ranges. During my visit I also happened to catch an in-store gig, which I loved. I wouldn't know if it happens frequently, though. There are many more Disk Union branches in Tokyo, most notably in Shinjuku, where the various by-genre shops are also scattered among different apartment buildings in the same area. I'll stop at saying that these are also must-visit for collectors, and limit this post to the Shibuya region, with which I'm relatively more familiar; after all there's a lot of information online about record shopping in Tokyo, I'm only scratching the surface here. 

 

Gogol Bordello – Solidaritine 2022****

Yesterday I went to Tilburg NL to see Gogol Bordello play live, for the 2nd time. The first time I saw the band play was  16 years ago, when I was still living in Athens Greece. I was swept away by their energy, and became an instant fan. Now, with half of the original members gone, and with a much bigger back catalogue to choose from, I wondered what I should expect. Well, I needn't worry: Eugene Hutz still is a charismatic and energetic frontman, and the band keeps up well: hyperkinetic rapper/percussionist Pedro Erazo riled up the crowd even more; of course Eugene's trusted lieutenant Sergey Ryabtsev on violin still cuts an impressive figure, while special mention must be made for new girl Erica Mancini on accordion. Filling up the stage even more, and adding to the party atmosphere with their backing vocals and dancing were the two ladies from young New York band Puzzled Panther. All in all a fantastic night, full of joyous energy. Eugene didn't resolve to preaching, letting his politically charged lyrics do the talking; there was the Solidaritine emblem with the fist painted in Ukrainian colors, and the moving song "Solidarity" -not included in the Solidaritine LP reviewed here- which was written for Ukraine together with other artists; that was enough. Interestingly, the setlist was heavily based on older material; about one-third came from Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike, only party anthem "Fire On Ice Floe" from Solidaritne, and nothing from the two albums that immediately preceded it. I guess this further signifies a return to their punk roots, something many reviewers noticed when their latest album first arrived. Also of note: support band Split Dogs was a good fit; these Bristolians sound very similar to Amyl And The Sniffers, and have a likewise dynamic singer/frontwoman. Originally the support band was to be Bob Vylan, but they are banned from Tilburg's 013 Poppodium for being too controversial. Now, let's proceed with the album presentation:

I've always loved to see bands combine the energy and politics of punk rock with the exuberance of folk music; I think The Pogues did it first, paving the way for many other Celtic punk bands (Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, The Mahones etc,). Joe Strummer added Latin elements to his records, followed by Mano Negra, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and others. And of course there are those who combine punk rock with Balkan music, like Kultur Shock and No Smoking Orchestra. The latter included award-winning director Emir Kusturica - their raucous concert on Lycabettus theater in Greece was my introduction to gypsy punk, but Gogol Bordello would become my favorite band in this style. Unlike all the previous, Gogol Bordello come from the USA - but really from all over the place. Their immigrant origins are an important part of their identity, together of course with their leader Eugene Hütz's Ukrainian Roma background. Apparently, his family left their village after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, relocating to Kiev first, then spending seven years in various refugee camps in Poland, Hungary, Austria and Italy, before arriving in Vermont USA in 1992 through a refugee resettlement program. Soon Eugene (born Yevhen Oleksandrovych Nikolaiev-Symonov) left for the great melting pot of New York where he would hook up with like-minded spirits; other members originally came from Russia, Israel, China, Ecuador, Brazil, and of course the US. Next to electric guitars, the band also make prominent use of the violin, accordion, sax and various percussive instruments. Their 8th album Solidaritine was recorded during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and although most of the songs were already written when the war broke out they seem to form a response it. Opener "Shot Of Solidaritine" introduces the central theme of the album, this mysterious essence that lies dormant in most people but is sorely needed in these difficult times. Gogol suggest that a therapeutic dose of this miracle drug could unite people in solidarity and help them cure the world from its ills. Starting with a strummed acoustic guitar, the song quickly works up a furious punk tempo; this is generally one of the band's fastest, punkiest albums. "Focus Coin" is a Rancid-like ska punk party tune, and "Blueprint" a cover of legendary Washington DC punks Fugazi, albeit with a ska rhythm, chanted vocals and violin. In another nod to his punk roots, Eugene invited H.R. (of Bad Brains) to guest on "The Era of the End of Eras", a fast rocker with sweeping violin. Ukrainian artists Serhiy Zhadan and Kazka guest on “Take Only What You Can Carry”  and “Forces of Victory”, two songs addressing the war in their homeland. The former is about the uprooting of people in wars. The lyrics can be heartbreaking, but there's nothing defeatist about it; along with the description of loss comes a small celebrational note in the form of the upbeat music and the hopeful conclusion "I'm not on the list of the dead". “Forces of Victory”, introduced with a swirling violin, is an older Gogol song, sung here in Ukrainian except for the chorus "I can't go on, I will go on". "I’m Coming Out" is a light-hearted, more rhythmic tune with snap-like instrumentation. Together with "Knack for Life" they slow the pace somewhat, while "The Great Hunt of Idiot Savant" and "My Imaginary Son" alternate mid-paced Balkan folk with punk. "Fire on Ice Floe" and "Gut Guidance" are upbeat party/ska tunes. The album closes with yet another punk-folk dynamite "Huckleberry Generation", Ramones-like both in pace and brevity. Reviewers commented that the Russian invasion of Eugene's homeland seems to have re-energized Gogol Bordello, resulting in a furiously paced return to their punk roots. I'd say their passion shows, though I'm not sure that the harder sound is directly connected to the war. I'd say that, after introducing Latin elements in Trans-Continental Hustle, which found the band living in Brazil, they sort of continued on auto-pilot: Pura Vida Conspiracy and Seekers and Finders, found the band in San Antonio Texas, still under Latin American influence. There was no lack of good tunes on those albums, but it probably was time to shake it up a bit. Solidaritine took them back to where they started, recording once again in New York and other East Coast places; probably their chosen music style here reflects their new surroundings as much as a more resolute political stance.

***** for Take Only What You Can Carry, Fire On Ice Floe

**** for Shot Of Solidaritine, Focus Coin, Blueprint, I’m Coming Out, My Imaginary Son, Forces Of Victory, Gut Guidance

*** for The Era Of The End Of Eras, Knack For Life, The Great Hunt Of Idiot Savant, Huckleberry Generation

The Golliwogs "Pre-Creedence" 1964-1967 (rec) 1975 (comp)****

Last summer I saw John Fogerty with his band (including his sons, Shane and Tyler) play a set full of great Creedence oldies. It was a celebratory occasion, seeing as he had just won in a 50-year struggle to regain ownership of his on songs. It was almost 10 years from the last time I saw him play, again at Ansterdam's Ziggo Dome, and I was once again surprised at how young he still sounds - and even looks, considering he's just turned 80. One more pleasant, as well as unexpected, surprise: the retrospective went further back than any other time, even including "Fight Fire", a garage rocker from his pre-Creedence time, when the band was still called The Golliwogs. His son (Tyler I think, the one with the moustache anyway) took center stage on that one, singing lead and playing the maracas. I don't know why John didn't sing it himself. Maybe because it was his brother/bandmate Tom who initially handled the vocals on this one? In those days they still shared group leadership.

I first heard "Fight Fire" in late 80's or early 90's, and that was a cover version by The Chesterfield Kings. It was decades later that I learned of the connection between the original band and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Still later, I learned that The Golliwogs had also recorded early versions of Creedence tracks like "Porterville" and "Walking On The Water", and I decided that I should search for their record. Indeed there was a posthumous LP called Pre-Creedence, which collects all of their 7' singles (recorded between 1964-1967). At some point, I came across a copy at a record fair. When I saw it, my first thought was: why does the cover depict an egg? If this was a compilation of pre-Byrds tracks, that might make sense (p.s. there is such a comp, it's called Preflyte (sic); but that's another story).  And then, immediately, I asked myself what is a golliwog anyway? Wikipedia provided, as usual, the answer "The golliwog is a doll-like character, created by cartoonist and author Florence Kate Upton, which appeared in children's books in the late 19th century, usually depicted as a type of rag doll. It was reproduced as a very popular soft toy... The golliwog is controversial, being widely considered a racist caricature of black people". Well, now at least I know why this comp doesn't feature actual golliwogs on the cover. A picture of the band would also have been a preferable choice, but by the time of this release (1975) they weren't on speaking terms any more, so maybe that had something to do with it. The roots of the band go back to the late 50's, when three highschool kids from El Cerrito, California (John Fogerty, Doug Clifford, and Stu Cook) bonded over their love for New Orleans-style rock & roll, forming a band called The Blue Velvets. After the addition of John's older brother Tom as lead singer and guitarist, they started an upwards course, leading to a contract with Fantasy Records. The label's co-owner changed their name to The Golliwogs; the first couple of singles were Beatles pastiches, each featuring an upbeat pop side ("Don't Tell Me No Lies", "You Came Walking") and a ballad side ("Little Girl", "Where You Been"). That was nevertheless not the way to go, and soon the band took a more earthy direction: "You Can't Be True" is a tough R&B number with lots of harmonica, and "You Got Nothin' On Me" is Chuck Berry-style rock-'n-roll. "You Better Be Careful" is a moody Zombies-like garage pop, and "Fight Fire" a Yardbirds/Stones-inspired garage dynamite. All the aforementioned tracks feature Tom on lead vocals, but as time went by John's talent as songwriter, singer and guitarist began to eclipse that of his older brother. He's first heard here on the last track of Side One: "Brown-Eyed Girl" is a tough Animals-style blues rocker, and the band's most successful single - if by success one means reaching No.10 at the regional charts in Miami FL. "Fragile Child" is poppier, but still exhibits a band further distancing itself from the British Invasion sound. The next single "Walking On The Water / You Better Get It Before It Gets You" is recognizable as Creedence, and not only because the former was re-recorded (slightly slowed down) for their debut LP with the new name. It just has that swampy blues style and John Fogerty growl that would form the basis of the familiar Creedence Clearwater Revival sound. The last single (swampy soul rockers "Porterville" and "Call It Pretending") is CCR in all by name. It's credited to all four band members, while previous singles were credited to the two brothers only. Having perfected their own unique style, CCR went on to record six albums of new music in the next three years, play Woodstock, and tour Europe. Embittered to be sidelined in his own band, Tom left the band early in 1971. The rest released a seventh LP as a trio (Mardi Gras, 1972) and split acrimoniously soon after. Having been duped into signing a very exploitative contract with Fantasy Records, John Fogerty subsequently lost his publishing rights to label boss Saul Zaentz; it even got to the point that Zaentz took him to court because his new songs sounded too much like his old ones i.e. for plagiarizing himself. For many years, Fogerty refused to play his old songs publicly, because every time he did so it meant that he would have to pay royalties to his old boss, which he couldn't stand. The road back was long and tortuous, but seeing the man play his songs alongside his sons, reveling in the fact that he at last owns his life's work was an uplifting experience.

***** for Fight Fire, Walking On The Water

**** for You Can't Be True, You Got Nothin' On Me, Brown-Eyed Girl, You Better Be Careful, 

Fragile Child,  Better Get It Before It Gets You, Porterville, Call It Pretending

*** for Don't Tell Me No Lies, Little Girl (Does Your Mama Know?), Where You Been, You Came Walking

The Fuzztones "Friends & Fiends" 2024***

As I may have mentioned, I've been a big Fuzztones fan since my teens, so when I saw this (unknown, to me) LP at Amoeba Records in LA, I had to grab it and fly it back home to The Netherlands. It didn't matter that all of the songs were covers, because this is what The Fuzztones have always done: dig up obscure 60's gems and infuse them with their own esseence, at times even improving on the originals. This is what they do on the first track here "Strange Mysterious Sound" originally by The Spike Drivers (1967), a ghostly psychedelic track reminiscent of The Doors with an Electric Prunes-like guitar solo. From here on, though, things get weird. In the liner notes, Rudi writes about the artists he loved growing up and how lucky he has been to meet and share a stage with some of them, but most of the collaborations included here are obviously not real. It's not clear whether the Fuzztones ever played with  81-year old Ann Margret on the same-named track of her Born To Be Wild LP, or -more probably- just laid down a backing track for her to sing over. But their working method for the rest of the album seems pretty obvious: they sample vocals from older recordings and paste them over their own instrumental versions. The results are invariably fun, but this reverse karaoke thing seems pointless. I mean, I like The Fuzztones' playing here, but I'd prefer to listen to Rudi sing these songs rather than old vocal samples. I tried to get information on the origin of the vocals, with little success; for example The Grass Roots' "Let's Live For Today" comes from a various artists LP utilizing 1997 re-recordings of Grassroots hits by original singer Rob Grill (R.I.P. 2011). The Fuzztones have played with Screaming Jay Hawkins (R.I.P. 2000) in the past, and even released a live mini-LP together in '85, but their versions of "I Put a Spell On You" and "What Good Is It" use a vocal from 1972, according to discogs. Oldies like "Mary Lou" (With Sonny Burgess, R.I.P. 2017) and "Ain't Got No Home" (With Clarence 'Frogman' Henry, R.I.P. 2024) deviate little from the originals, while Association's sunshine pop hit "Windy" adds a groovy organ bit. It's not clear whether the vocal belongs to original lead singer Larry Ramos Jr. (R.I.P. 2014) or the current line-up. I quite like how the Fuzztones rework Blue Cheer's proto-metal cover of "Summertime Blues" to incorporate their own riff from "In Heat". Not sure whether the vocal belongs to original singer Dickie Peterson (R.I.P. 2009). No such doubts for their dirty blues version of "Messin' With the Kid" (with Junior Wells, R.I.P. 1998) containing, I believe, another recycled Fuzztones riff which I can't quite place right now. "Kicks" featuring Mark Lindsay from Paul Revere & The Raiders. Lindsay (alive and kicking at 83) has shared a stage with The Fuzztones in the past, but the provenance of this specific vocal is unknown. Last but not least, the LP closes with a cover of "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?" taken from a 2023 Cramps tribute LP - the two bands were friendly when they were both part of the New York CBGB scene, and I remember Rudi telling us during a gig that he got his guitar from The Cramps' Brian Gregory (R.I.P. 2001). Friends And Fiends is a limited release: 250 copies in "coke bottle green" colored vinyl, 500 (mine included) in orange. The cover artwork features skeletons and zombies of sixties rockers rising from their graves - a variation on a theme Rudi seems to love, which is in this case only too appropriate, what with so many voices from beyond the grave. I will not deny that it makes for an entertaining listen, but I think it's a big misstep from one of my favorite bands. I never thought that Rudi would stoop as low as Paul McCartney did when he used old Lennon vocal samples and presented them as a "collaboration" without his dead former bandmate's consent. I just hope that Rudi that he'll use his own voice next time, or at least duet with a living person.

**** for Strange Mysterious Sound, Summertime Blues (With Blue Cheer), I Put a Spell On You (With Screamin' Jay Hawkins), Messin' With the Kid (With Junior Wells)

*** for Let's Live for Today (With the Grass Roots), Born to Be Wild (With Ann-Margret), Kicks (With Mark Lindsay), Mary Lou (With Sonny Burgess), Windy (With the Association), Ain't Got No Home (With Clarence 'Frogman' Henry), What Good Is It? (With Screamin' Jay Hawkins), Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?