CHELSEA (Japan)

CHELSEA
-CD
1999 (LDK)





"I first saw these guys at Kawasaki Citta years ago and the singer Baba stormed on stage waving a Japanese flag and immediately jumped into the crowd before singing or screaming a word. Chelsea was pure mental noise with a speedy psychedelic edge. Factotums used a track off this album as the music to be played when we walked on stage at our recent Koenji gig. It really gets me focused, gets me aggressive, and in the mood to perform, although Im not sure what the rest of Factotums think about it. I followed Chelsea round and then when Baba left to form Kubikarizoku I followed that band round. I eventually got to know Baba - which often happens if you go to all the shows - and now count him as one of my best friends in Japan. Hes a hardcore hippie-punk warrior-poet from Kyoto who takes no bullshit and retains the true Samurai spirit. I swear he sleeps with a copy of Hagakure under his pillow at night. I feel like hes probably my brother in an alternative universe. I have total respect for the man." - Simon Factotum


"...he is the Lord of the Japanese Underground. He bounds out from the undergrowth that passes for the backstage at Shimokita Shelter and leaps into the crowd - Levitating? Flying, more like. Trusting his faithful acolytes who dance like they are biting off the heads of a live chicken in a woody hill just outside downtown Port au Prince. We are one second into Nokemono's second ever Tokyo show. They played here once last year. And Baba, head honcho sexy singer, chewing on an antler the monster, ex-Chelsea and ex-Kubiukarizoku, has the crowd in a trance. Dangerous shit. He's lording it over the crowd after just one second. Nobody goes to the bar for a drink. Nobody goes to the toilet to take a leak. Nobody wants to miss this. Scientists would die for this - the missing link between man and beast - and he's got the musical magic going down too." - Simon Bartz

"Guitars thrash wildly. Drums are beaten sadistically. And ripping through the noise like a crucified devil is the shriek of a creature that seems half-human. This emaciated, bearded beast is naked bar a pair of silvery blue shorts. Behind the long, straggly hair his eyes burn with terrifying intensity. When he isn't screaming, he makes chewing motions with his mouth as if he's gnawing on an invisible bone. In other words, we got a freak show on our hands with a New York Dolls-on-speed soundtrack...

Marky drives me and Baba to a saba eatery in Kyoto and we talk about his status in the Japanese music scene. He's a legend, but I can't quite figure out why. His music is great, but he's released few records.

"I am really happy that people respect what I do, even though I haven't released much," he says. "I think it's because our live shows are good. Hahaha!"

You released a couple of records with Chelsea and one live video with Kubikarizoku. Don't you regret not releasing more stuff?

"I am full of failures and regrets about the past," he says, in between slurping some miso soup. "And I know there will be further problems in the future. I hope to overcome these things little by little. That's what keeps me making music. It's an exercise in exorcism. Hahaha!"

But if you don't release stuff your legacy may fade in time as people forget the shows. Don't you want to go down in Japanese musical history?

"If we create great songs and do great live shows, we will become legendary. I'm in a band and obviously that's what I want. If that doesn't happen, that means some factors are missing. That is all. Anyway, it depends on me and my determination and spirit." - Simon Bartz

Tracklist:

01. Magma No Otoko
02. Ira Ira Suruze
03. An An Abazure
04. Damena Yatu Eno Uta
05. Ma-a Iika
06. Oresama No Rock
07. Kuso Kurae
08. Gira Gira Rock
09. Ete Kou
10. Monogoi Boogie

Caveat: Acquired from Audiogalaxy in 2000, Track 8 is low level for the first 28 seconds

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