JUST RED ZONE

The Japanese have a unique way of embracing western pop culture. Their interpretation of any type of rock and roll often becomes so exaggerated that it takes on almost cartoon-like characteristics. Nowhere is that more apparent than with Guitar Wolf. Formed in 1987 in Nagasaki, the trio is practically unknown in the US. They did, however, developed a tiny cult following from their chaotic live shows and messy blend of Link Wray, Johnny Thunders, and the Ramones. Unabashed lovers of anything at all that rocks, they wear their hearts on their sleeves, citing specific idols without hesitation. The unguarded manner that the names come spilling out is an indication of a band not yet full of themselves. From the "Rock of Japan" site, head Wolf Seiji's words, "I want to do like my favorite musicians, Ramones, Johnny Thunders, Joan Jett, Link Wray, I just wanna play like my favorite bands play." No surprise that they are rarely without their leather.

They've released ten albums with their intentionally distorted lo-fi sound. Three were recorded with Walkmans and four-track decks, one of which, "Wolf Rock" was recorded in a basement to boot. When they made the transition to a real studio, the lo-fi sound stayed somewhat intact. Seiji explained: "The first time it was a little bit hard for me to explain our sound to engineer. I said, 'Engineer, don't move needle. Just red zone.' But a professional engineer can not do at first, but after a while that's no problem."



As with their recorded sound, musical finesse ranks low on their list of priorities, which is not a bad thing. Some time ago, when asked his take on what defines rock and roll, Seiji candidly submitted, "Number one is looks. Number two is guts, tension. Number three is action. Maybe four, five nothing. Six is skill, technique." Nutty, or historically accurate? Link Wray's "Rumble" (which Guitar Wolf covers, on record and live) was not recorded in today's state of the art studio. And Johnny Thunders? How would he have ranked skill and technique?

In their first few years of existence, Guitar Wolf made twelve trips to the states, released five albums, appeared in the low budget movie "Sore Losers," and starred in "Wild Zero," described in ads as a "rock 'n' roll jet movie" (they've got this thing about jets) and, in bold print, "Trash and Chaos!" You get the idea. Now, just where in the hell are the young bands like this today? (Max, help me out here.)

[CAVEAT: Portions of the above text were chopped from something I wrote for another site a while back.)

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Guitar Wolf - Missle Me mp3 at Spin.com
Guitar Wolf - Rumble mp3 at Coopstuff.com
Guitar Wolf - Summertime Blues mp3 at Vociferous Slam
Guitar Wolf - Jett Beer mp3 at SFBurning
Guitar Wolf - After School Thunder mp3 at ChromeWaves
Guitar Wolf - Invader Ace video at YouTube
Guitar Wolf -Can-Nana Fever video at YouTube
Guitar Wolf - Japanese TV (performance starts at 4:00) video at YouTube
Guitar Wolf's English site