AC/3P Watch Me Explode (Spasticated) cd 12.98
From the folks who brought us the hilarious/funky/brilliantly twisted Ministry Of Shit compilation reviewed some lists ago, comes this blast of weird and silly electronic dementia. Did you love the recent Powerslaves record of the week, that selection of Iron Maiden tracks done electro style? Well, then this *might* just hit the same sweet spot. AC/DC covers, done lo-fi midi style, with a vocalist that sounds like a strange hybrid of Anton Maiden and Udo Dirkschneider from Accept, sometimes giving a homoerotic twist to the lyrics. Dumb? Absolutely. Funny? Maybe. Do you need this? Uh, definitely!
MPEG Stream: "Hells Bells"
MPEG Stream: "Whole Lotta Woman"

AC/DC Back In Black (remastered) (Epic) cd 17.98

AC/DC Family Jewels (Epic Music Video) 2dvd 21.00
Funny that a band can get so over-rated they become supremely under-rated. It could be that one of the best rock bands of all time has maintained their overall showmanship, but without the illustrious and crazed Bon Scott on lead vocals, their pure fire got lost in the huge rock-band-production of the '80s and '90s. Lightshows and media blitzes (not to mention excessive usage of their music for major league sporting events) seemed to dilute their early naked raw energy. Though, these days they certainly still do have raucous energy to spare, just ask anyone who's seen them in recent years. However, the young ravenous intensity of the band in the mid-to-late '70s is, in comparison, incredibly impressive to witness. Thankfully, several choice moments from that time in the band's career is presented on this Family Jewels (ahem) double dvd.
Disc one (20 songs from 1975-1980) features priceless footage of early performances and some incredibly scrappy but amazing music videos. Of the live shows, one that stands out is the footage from their notoriously impressive performance at University of Essex on a UK television series called Rock Goes To College.
In the music video for "Jailbreak" (which has become a staple on VH1 Classic), you see the band (with Angus shockingly in only something that looks to be a paper thin pajama set), freezing their asses off, "playing" the song with instruments up on some windy hill somewhere, "escaping from jail" and dodging some home-made explosives. The look of the film, quick cuts matched by the song's memorable sound quality make for one of the best music videos of all time. I get chills everytime I watch it.
In clip after clip, the surprisingly unpredictable and witty showman Scott keeps you thoroughly entertained. Keep an eye out for bagpipe-playin' Bon and schoolgirl Bon alongside schoolboy Angus! Speaking of which, the playfully rambunctious chemistry between the two is great, adding a totally distinct personality to their on-stage energy that's sadly missed in the later Johnson-era performances. To boot, it's pretty cool too to watch the evolution of Angus' student uniform.
Disc two (20 more tracks, 1980-1993) draws from the Brian Johnson years (AC/DC's singer after Bon's untimely death), and so one of the unexpected things that this double cd set inadvertenty offers is the opportunity for the Scott versus Johnson debate teams to re-ignite their rallying charges (just as the Iron Maiden Early Years double-dvd did for the Dickinson and DiAnno supporters). Which side are you on? So far, we're siding with Bon...all except for Allan who votes for Brian. You can take it up with him.

ACAMA Tibetan Temple Bells (Interra) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Great recording of giant Tibetan Buddhist bell-ringing. Yes, an hour or so of deep resonating "chimes", making for an incredible deep drone document! Fans of cosmic/ambient sounds need only turn this up and vibrate.

ACCELERA DECK Addict (Blackbean and Placenta / Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers) cd 11.98

ACCELERA DECK Sunstrings ep (Scarcelight) cd ep 8.98

ACCEPT Restless & Wild (Nuclear Blast) cd 15.98
Everybody knows 'Balls To The Wall', Accept's early 80's hit that almost made the 'You Shook Me All Night Long' leap from Headbangers Ball to FM radio, but their 1982 release 'Restless and Wild' (reissued here, digitally remastered and in a spiffy digipack) is the only truly essential Accept record. And essential it is. Equal parts catchy eighties hard rock and proto-thrash-metal and featuring the unique balls-in-a-vice/tracheotomy vocals of sort-of-dwarf Udo Dirkschneider, 'Restless and Wild' is easily one of my favorite metal records of the eighties, and it holds up surprisingly well, almost 20 years later.

ACEYALONE Accepted Eclectic (Ground Control) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Formerly an MC with cult LA underground hiphop group Freestyle Fellowship, Aceyalone continues the positive flow with his third album. Kinda reminds us, delivery-wise, of Young MC (blasphemy!) but then again our favorite hiphop is of the more commercial, aboveground gangsta Cash Money/No Limit/KMEL variety, not the Cali underground positive stuff a la Del and all the rest (Zion I excepted).
RealAudio clip: "Accepted Eclectic"
RealAudio clip: "B-Boy Real McCoy"

ACEYALONE (ACCOMPANIED BY RJD2) Magnificent City (Decon) cd 14.98

ACID BATH Double Live Bootleg! (Rotten) dvd 25.00
The dedication and worship and legend that this band inspires, even years after the end of their brief career is amazing. Not undeserved mind you, just surprising. Cult legends in the bayou's sludge scene along with Eyehategod, Crowbar, Down, etc... Acid Bath called it quits after the death of their bass player, and members went on to join Crowbar and Goatwhore after recording their post-Acid Bath masterpiece (and one of our favorite records) as the Agents Of Oblivion. But Acid Bath -were- amazing, melding furious grinding almost-death metal, buzzing hardcore, and super melodic hard rock ala Alice In Chains or Soundgarden. And writing amazing songs, evoking mystery and death and salvation and nihilism. It's sort of a crime they weren't HUGE. But maybe they are right where they should be, underground. Here's how we described our favorite Acid Bath record on a past list: "Imagine the sheer brutality of Eyehategod, the bluesy grind of fellow bayou residents Soilent Green, the stoned sabbathy swing of Trouble, and the melodic flair of late era Corrosion of Conformity or Alice In Chains, all forced onto one cd. Sound confusing? It is. But somehow, it gels perfectly, striking a pefect balance between catchy and heavy." While this is probably not the place to start for Acid Bath virgins (that would be their second full length cd 'Paegan Terrorism Tactics') this is a godsend for Acid Bath fans (like us) and an amazing document. Features multiple live performances of all their best songs from Boston in 1996, New Orleans in 1994, Metairie, Louisiana in 1994, Milwaukee Metalfest in 1994, Hollywood in 1996, Breux Bridge, Louisiana in 1996, Lafayette, Louisiana in 1996 and St. Petersburg, Florida in 1996. Also includes a video clip from 1994, rehearsals for their first demo in 1993 and a practice in their barn/practice space in 1992. Most of the video looks/sounds pretty good. All of it's interesting, and if you already love Acid Bath as much as we do, you already know you have to buy this!

ACID BATH Paegan Terrorism Tactics (Rotten) cd 15.98
Man, does this record rule! Not entirely sure how we all managed to miss this one when it came out a few years back. It was actually (re)discovered on the recommendation of a not-so-entirely-trustworthy source. Go figure! But now that we know, so must you...Imagine the sheer brutality of Eyehategod, the bluesy grind of fellow bayou residents Soilent Green, the stoned sabbathy swing of Trouble, and the melodic flair of late era Corrosion of Conformity or Alice In Chains, all forced onto one cd. Sound confusing? It is. But somehow, it gels perfectly, striking a pefect balance between catchy and heavy. This has become an absolute favorite of Andee, Allan, Elisabeth, and a handful of customers who have seen the light. Interesting non-music related facts: amazing cover art by Dr. Jack Kevorkian, one band member dead, one in jail...HIGHLY recommended!

ACID EATER Virulent Fuzz Punk A.C.I.D. (Time Bomb) cd 17.98
Not to be confused with the Christine 23 Onna record of the same name (although both are fronted by Japanoise legend Masonna), this Acid Eater is a blown out blast of ultradistorto organ drenched spaced out primitive garage rock stomp. We got a little taste of Acid Eater on the Demonic Freak Scene compilation we reviewed last year, and have been hankering for more ever since. 
Imagine the heaviest, most fuzzed out garage rock you've ever heard, now take that and run it through a handful of distortion pedals, a bank of Acid Mothers worthy FX, blast it through a wall of busted old Vox amps, wrap the whole thing in feedback and reverb, and suddenly you're in some alien alternate future where the world is populated exclusively by Japanese noiserock beatniks, who are constantly blasting fuzzed out walls of overblown sixties sounds from their low flying spacecraft...
Imagine if Merzbow remixed your favorite Fuzztones record, or the Stooges released records on PSF and were augmented by some insane drug addled organist with WAY too many amps. Serpentine blues rock riffs, all tangled up with thick warbling organs, the vocals a snarling distorted howl, buried in the mix, and all dubbed out, the drums a crumbling, percussive pound, somehow as in the red as the rest of the instruments, every cymbal crash swallowing up all the other sounds, but it's the riffs, and the organ, and Masonna's wild eyed vocalizing that keep this blacklight space garage party going. Not to mention the killer hooks... Virulent Fuzz Punk A.C.I.D. perfectly captures how intense and freaked out it must be to experience this sound live, super distorted, feedback everywhere, the instruments in your face, the speakers threatening to blow, sweat, blood, spit, a swirling chaotic musical melee, heavy, distorted, fuzzy and funky, wild and woolly, spaced out and gloriously gloriously noisy. 
MPEG Stream: "EYE"
MPEG Stream: "Nothing Can Bring Me Down "
MPEG Stream: "A.C.I.D."

ACID EATER Virulent Fuzz Punk A.C.I.D. (Time Bomb) lp 23.00
Not to be confused with the Christine 23 Onna record of the same name (although both are fronted by Japanoise legend Masonna), this Acid Eater is a blown out blast of ultradistorto organ drenched spaced out primitive garage rock stomp. We got a little taste of Acid Eater on the Demonic Freak Scene compilation we reviewed last year, and have been hankering for more ever since. 
Imagine the heaviest, most fuzzed out garage rock you've ever heard, now take that and run it through a handful of distortion pedals, a bank of Acid Mothers worthy FX, blast it through a wall of busted old Vox amps, wrap the whole thing in feedback and reverb, and suddenly you're in some alien alternate future where the world is populated exclusively by Japanese noiserock beatniks, who are constantly blasting fuzzed out walls of overblown sixties sounds from their low flying spacecraft...
Imagine if Merzbow remixed your favorite Fuzztones record, or the Stooges released records on PSF and were augmented by some insane drug addled organist with WAY too many amps. Serpentine blues rock riffs, all tangled up with thick warbling organs, the vocals a snarling distorted howl, buried in the mix, and all dubbed out, the drums a crumbling, percussive pound, somehow as in the red as the rest of the instruments, every cymbal crash swallowing up all the other sounds, but it's the riffs, and the organ, and Masonna's wild eyed vocalizing that keep this blacklight space garage party going. Not to mention the killer hooks... Virulent Fuzz Punk A.C.I.D. perfectly captures how intense and freaked out it must be to experience this sound live, super distorted, feedback everywhere, the instruments in your face, the speakers threatening to blow, sweat, blood, spit, a swirling chaotic musical melee, heavy, distorted, fuzzy and funky, wild and woolly, spaced out and gloriously gloriously noisy. 
MPEG Stream: "EYE"
MPEG Stream: "Nothing Can Bring Me Down "
MPEG Stream: "A.C.I.D."

ACID KING III (Small Stone) cd 15.98
San Fran stoner metal heroes (and heroine) Acid King roll their big ol' ball of fuzz in our direction with this latest (presumably third, but we didn't count 'em) album of heavy Sabbath-influenced spacey sludge rock. Singer/guitarist Lori S. and company kick out the jams (albeit slowly) on such tracks as "2 Wheel Nation", "Heavy Load" and "Into The Ground". With her wailing moan drifting over the sort of plodding, low-end riff repetition you'd expect from pals of Boris, this is one for those of you into the likes of Om, Sons Of Otis, Dead Meadow, that sort of thing. Of course, you might nod off before the cool guitar part or catchy bit of the song heaves into view...but that's the risk you take with a lot of the stonier stoner stuff like this!
MPEG Stream: "Heavy Load"
MPEG Stream: "War Of The Mind"

ACID KING / THE MYSTICK KREWE OF CLEARLIGHT Free... / The Father, The Son and The Holy Smoke (Man's Ruin) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Split release of stoner rock majesty. First up, the doomier side of the album courtesy of local SF heavies Acid King (the band lead by Dale Crover's ex-wife Lori, featuring as well 'Thee' Guy Pinhas of ex-Obsessed, ex-Goatsnake, ex-Beaver fame). Their four tracks of sludge love are followed by the somewhat 'funkier' stylings (well, there's an organ player in the band) of deep South instrumental combo The Mystick Krewe... Funky spelling anyway. This New Orleans band (boasting members of Eyehategod) aren't actually instrumental on this disc, though, as they are joined by stoner rock legend Wino (Spirit Caravan, ex-Saint Vitus, ex-Obsessed) on vocals, a smart move. Again, heavy stuff. Rock out! Recommended.
RealAudio clip: MYSTICK KREWE OF CLEARLIGHT "Veiled"
RealAudio clip: ACID KING "Free"

ACID MOTHER'S TEMPLE & THE COSMIC INFERNO Pink Lady Lemonade - You're From Outer Space (Riot Season) cd 16.98
What if we'd never reviewed an Acid Mothers Temple release before? Let's pretend... the first thing we'd say would be, what's with the matching Hawaiian shirts the band sports in the photo on this cd's back cover?? Then we'd go, like, check it out, they're this weird hippy rock group from Japan, maybe more like a cult than a band, with this hairy bearded crazy guitar player named Kawabata Makoto, the band's called Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno and they obviously love krautrock and Hawkwind and other druggy '70s psych stuff. They have this new album with the weird title of Pink Lady Lemonade - You're From Outer Space, and boy howdy is the music trippy, even trippier than the crazy colorful cover art collage. Recommended if that's your scene. We can't wait to hear more, let's hope they follow this one up with another album soon, if that's possible after expending all this cosmic pink lady energy!
But of course AMT have about 1,000,000 previous releases, you know 'em and you love 'em, so we probably should add just a little more info (or maybe actually DON'T need to add any more info?). FYI, as you might guess from its title, this disc features another revamped, reinterpretation of the AMT concert fave "Pink Lady Lemonade". We count different versions of that epic track on at least nine other AMT cds/dvds that we've previously listed!! So obviously it's something special in Acidmothersland. Making it extra special here, perhaps, is the presence of a brand new drummer/vocalist recruited from Japanese all-girl groop Afrirampo, the "cosmic shaman" known as Pikachu. Must be her offering up all the haunting vocals with the mildly Yoko-ish waver, that soar through the gentle kosmiche bliss of this album's lengthy space-outs, "songs" which eventually tend to swirl into something a little more intense and chaotic and guitary. "Pink Lady" is split into two parts, 24 and 11 minutes, bookending between them this disc's two other tracks, "Message From Outer Space" and "Take Me To The Universe". And oh yeah, what IS with the matching Hawaiian shirts?? Have AMT gone yacht rock? Well you could sip a margarita to this, if it was appropriately dosed.
MPEG Stream: "Message From Outer Space"
MPEG Stream: "Take Me To The Universe"

ACID MOTHERS AFRIRAMPO We Are Acid Mothers Afrirampo (Acid Mothers Temple / Eclipse) cd 19.98
Acid Mothers Temple are, of course, the communal hippie cosmic krautrock lovin' ensemble from Japan led by bearded guitar guru Kawabata Makoto, whose multitude of releases (and live shows) are pretty much always enjoyable trips... we don't have to tell you that. Afrirampo are a newer band, also from Japan, a vocally out-there, wild & wooly female costume-rock duo who sound a heckuva lot like early Boredoms (someone told us that Afrirampo are actually *making fun* of the Boredoms, but we don't believe it). Chances are you probably already know about 'em too, judging by sales here at AQ.
And it seems that most AMT fans have to have *everything* they put out. Likewise with Afrirampo's fans. And fans of AMT are likely to be into Afrirampo, and vice versa (Afrirampo, after all, have guested on several past AMT albums). So they've done EVERYONE a favor and recorded this collaborative release together, so you can cross it off both yr lists when you pick it up!! What a deal. Now, with the many many reviews we have to write impending upon us here we can't say we've sat down and listened to this entire thing all the way through, yet. I mean, c'mon, we don't have time to fully enter into the necessary spirit of this, sitting naked crosslegged in our room, blasting this on 10 while rocking back and forth and mumbling along to the Yoko-inspired babble... But what we've heard here in the store has been what we'd expect, and want. The aforementioned vocal babble backed by droning, swirling psychedelic build ups a la Amon Duul on this three long tracks... Moods vary, from the mystic to the maniacal. These jams drift in and out of focus -- some of it's a bit like being at an AMT or Boredoms show in Japan, listening to the band with one ear while in the other you're hearing a small child nearby begging their parents to take them home. AMT + Afrirampo, a match made in Japanese psych splurge heaven. It's limited too, we're pretty sure...
MPEG Stream: "We're Acid Mothers Afrirampo!"
MPEG Stream: "The Man From The Magic Mountain"

ACID MOTHERS GONG Live In Nagoya (Vivo) cd 15.98

ACID MOTHERS GURU GURU Psychedelic Navigator (Important) cd 14.98
Recently we listed a cd by Diza Star & The Pink Ladies Blues, the French/Japanese psych band formerly known as Acid Mothers Temple & The Pink Ladies Blues, entitled Featuring Mani Neumeier. That particular personage being the drummer from '70s krautrock legends Guru Guru. Well, the REAL Acid Mothers Temple couldn't let their Pink Ladies pals & doppelgangers get away with scooping 'em on jamming with Mr. Guru Guru himself. So here's AMT's Makoto Kawabata (guitar) and Atsushi Tsuyama (bass) teamed up in a cream-dream power trio with ol' Mani. Together they unleash a whole hour of long, lumbering, loud, out-there psychedelic rock, five tracks total, mostly improvised live but winding up with a wild version of the Guru Guru classic "Bo Diddley". We bet Kawabata and Tsuyama were grinning stupidly for weeks afterwards.
MPEG Stream: "Stonerrock Socks"
MPEG Stream: "Bo Diddley"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE 41st Century Splendid Man (tUMULt) picture disc 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
WAREHOUSE FIND!!! ONLY 20 COPIES AND THEN THESE ARE AGAIN GONE GONE GONE!!
We managed to get 20 copies from a distributor who found a stack of these in a corner of their warehouse. This was originally limited to 500 copies and was out of print in a flash, so this will almost certainly be your last chance to pick one of these up at a reasonable price. Here's what we had to say about this one the first time around, a few years ago (with some minor updates and adjustments):
Finally a new sonic missive from Andee's tUMULt label, the latest installment of psychedelic majesty from Japanese avant-hippy heroes Acid Mothers Temple. This was the first in what was planned to be a series of 12" picture discs. While the series is on hold indefinitely, this disc is still something else! Recorded well over a year ago, this is AMT at their absolute prime, featuring special guest star Tatsuya Yoshida of the Ruins! Two extended tracks (35 + minutes) of transcendental psych-drone. Side one has to be the most beautiful track they've ever recorded. Uncharacteristically tranquil and captivatingly beautiful. Droning, shimmering chimes coalesce into some sort of cosmic Ur-drone, punctuated by simple caveman thuds and epic swooshes, resulting in a grand and gorgeous ambience! Side two is a single track separated into two apparent movements. The first sees AMT back on more familiar ground, with swooping synths and freak out guitar. A stumbling kosmic krautrock, with motorik rhythms and free guitar, amidst a swampy wash of rumbling low end and squealing synths. The track erupts into bubbling atonal out-rock exploration splattered with mad scientist synthesisers as the whole thing slowly mutates into 'cosmic slop' of the nth degree, becoming gradually free-er and free-er. The second 'movement' is all slithery free jazz with bubbling cauldrons of synth sputter, wild keyboards and Can-like rhythms until the whole thing gets all dreamy, eventually blissing out completely. When Andee asked AMT to do a 12", they weren't yet Wire cover stars with so many dozens of releases out -- but this is still one of their absolute best recordings!
As you might have guessed, this is EXTREMELY LIMITED. Hand stamped sleeves. A gorgeous picture disc, with a striking flowers/UFO image on one side, and a scintillatingly saucy photo on the other (you'll just have to buy it to see it!). Still only available as a picture disc lp!

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Born To Be Wild In The U.S.A. 2000 (Acid Mothers Temple) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
That *Acid Mothers Temple Alert!* *Acid Mothers Temple Alert!* *Acid Mothers Temple Alert!* emergency warning alarm has been going off pretty much continually here at Aquarius over the past couple weeks, driving us all batty. We thought it must be broken or something but no, there's just been THREE more releases from those hairy Japanese hippies known as AMT plus another Kawabata collaboration (w/ Daevid Allen of Gong). So let's assess the threat.
This one's a cd reissue of a limited, long-gone vinyl artifact, documenting as the title indicates the Acid Mothers Temple (and Melting Paraiso U.F.O., let's not forget) performing their cosmic jams live in the US of A back in Y2K. With all the AMT product out there, do you care about a live album? Well, actually, this is pretty great and we have to recommend it to fans for sure. Straight out of the gate "Acid Tokion 2000" is a hard-rockin' beast, furry with feedback and noisy guitar. Acid space rock for the biker on the cover. Things then take a turn into heavy, Trad Gras Och Stenar style drone-plod with a 13+ minute version of "La Novia". Next up, "Pink Lady Lemonade" calms down the proceedings a bit. The album continues with "Speed Guru" and "God Bless AMT". The recording is a bit murky and distorted, but that's more to do with how the band sounds live than anything else, and is perfect for these '70s worshippers anyway. And they're even replicated the 'bootleg' style paste-on cover of the original vinyl edition on this cd digipak. Nice.
MPEG Stream: "Acid Tokion 2000"
MPEG Stream: "La Novia"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Day Before The Sky Fell In (Galactic Zoo Disc / Eclipse Records) cd 14.98
Now on cd! Originally a vinyl-only live document from everybody's favorite Krautrock-obsessed and uber-prolific Japanese hippy freak ensemble, recorded September 10th, 2001 (hence the title). There's two long tracks, the first listed as "Space Age Ballad / La Novia (including In E)" and the second "La Novia-Speed Guru". So you can see they're incorporating several compositions beloved by AMT fans, though of course improvisation plays a large part, and these tracks both flow rather seamlessly -- swirling electric mists of psychedelic monkish folk drone near the start gives way to an endless chugging rock distortofest, super spacey and stoned and indulgent. The "classic" AMT line-up is on board, including Cotton Casino with her beer & cigarettes, "Cosmic Joker" Atsushi Tsuyama, "Dancin' King" Hiroshi Higashi, Ichiraku Yoshimitsu on drums and of course #1 speed guru Kawabata Makoto on guitar. Who also appears on the cover, in a drawing paying homage to the cover of Amon Duul II's Yeti, with Kawabata in the role of Shrat, wielding his scythe.
MPEG Stream: "La Novia-Speed Guru"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Does The Cosmic Shepherd Dream Of Electric Tapirs? (Space Age) cd 16.98
More wiggly, wacky psychedelic hijinx from Japan's number one export: Acid Mothers Temple. These hardworking hippies are back yet again, this time on the UK's Space Age Recordings, who usually release stuff by British psychsters like Spectrum and Spacemen 3. So AMT are right at home. As always, the AMT brand ought to alert y'all to how freaky this is likely to be. And it is, but with interesting twists and turns. The disc is nicely varied and well-programmed. After the chaotic rawk opener "Daddy's Bare Meat", which sounds like live AMT on autopilot, we're treated to something just a little bit different, the doo wop pastiche of "Suzie Sixteen"! That's followed by the very lovely, fucked up folkish Pink Floydian number sung by Cotton Casino, "Hello Good Child" (from the limited Ochre 7" we reviewed not long ago, saying it sounded a bit like Crosby Stills and Nash, but doused in lighterfluid and liquid LSD). That drifts right into another gorgeous acid-folk trip, "The Assassin's Beautiful Daughter". Effects bubble around the gentle, classical guitar and flute... Very krautrock. Then, things get somewhat heavier (but remain quite krautrocky) with the Amon Duul II styled "Dark Star Blues". That's the longest piece on this album by far, clocking in at 25 spaced-out minutes. Although, the next and final track on the album, "The Transmigration Of Hop Heads" is also a drowsy doozy, 18 minutes of slow-building bliss-drone. Nice. So, we've gotta say, this all adds up to another excellent AMT album! If you're a fan, this is one to get...or, if you don't already have a shelf sagging with AMT product, you could do worse than start by checking this one out.
MPEG Stream: "Suzie Sixteen"
MPEG Stream: "Hello Good Child"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Dokonan (AMT) dvd 24.00
*Acid Mothers Temple alert!* *Acid Mothers Temple alert!* *Acid Mothers Temple alert!* Those alarm bells are ringing extra loud 'cause it's not just ANOTHER always amazing cd release from these Japanese hippie-kraut-psych-prog freaks... no, it's a tour documentary, their first-ever DVD, with live footage of fan faves "Pink Lady Lemonade", "La Novia", and big improv jam... also plenty of off-stage, on-the-road, behind-the-music, culture shock stuff (Japanese band, French filmmakers, USA tour). Bonuses on this DVD include a clip of AMT playing at the WFMU studio, and more. Limited to 1000 copies!

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Electric Heavyland (Alien8 Recordings) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
I know we're all thinking the same thing: Enough with the Acid Mothers Temple already! Can't Makoto Kawabata and his band of krautrock-obsessed Japanese pyschedelic hippy freaks go on a six-month nature retreat or something, and give us (and our wallets) a break? But, the fact remains, that for fans of psych-rock weirdness, very few of the many AMT releases have been disappointing, really.
So, then, what's the deal with this one? "Electric Heavyland" (one thing Kawabata & co. are NOT good at is titles) is a bit unsubtle, wearing its intentions on its all-black sleeve (or, rather, obi): this is AMT's stab at non-stop, super-heavy rockin'. Alien8 compares it to "Mellow Out", the now out-of-print first album from Mainliner, the High Rise related group that Kawabata played in prior to AMT's debut. (They even point out that "Electric Heavyland" even LOOKS a lot like "Mellow Out", something which hardly seems all that meaningful or significant...I mean, c'mon.) Regardless, it's certainly in the ballpark. Sloppy, noisy, spacey, utterly indulgent, this is the sound of a stoner heavy psych band fully amped up, plugged in, and jacking off. The blown-out, sub-Stooges motorcycle metal of Mainliner (and High Rise) is perhaps more purposeful than this, without the spacey detours, synth fx, and wordless female vocalizing of this disc. But, when you're in the midst of "Loved And Confused" or "Atomic Rotary Grinding God" or "?Quicksilver Machine Head" on this disc (see, decidedly un-subtle indeed), that hardly matters. Not the heaviest ever, but heavy enough. Would Monster Magnet dare take 'em on tour?
RealAudio clip: "Loved And Confused"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Festival Vol. 5 (Acid Mother's Temple) dvd 21.00
*Acid Mothers Temple alert* *Acid Mothers Temple alert* *Acid Mothers Temple alert*
What do you get for the Acid Mothers Temple fan who already has dozens, if not hundreds, of AMT cds? Well AMT dvds of course! This is, like, their third in a year. You pretty much already know if you want it, if you're a fan of this Japanese band of spaced out hippie freaks -- particularly if you don't get many chances to see them live. This one, filmed live in Nagoya on the 9th of December 2006, is extra special 'cause it's got krautrock drumming legend Mani Neumeier of Guru Guru as a special guest. Also vocalist Jun Kuriyama from a band we don't know is another guest. The usual AMT suspects are also present: Kawabata Makoto of course, Tsuyama Atsushi, Higashi Hiroshi, and Tabata Mitsuru. Tracks include "Pink Lady Lemonade", "La Novia", and Guru Guru's "Bo Diddley" amongst other cosmic hits. There's also a drum solo from Mani, and a "plate solo" too, where he plays small metal plates scattered on the front of the stage. He must feel like it's 1971 all over again. Especially with the wild psychedelic liquid light show that bathes the band in swirling colors.
All regions, NTSC, a professional production shot with five cameras. And limited to 1000 copies only, ever.
(For total overkill, also new in stock, haven't watched it yet: AMT's Never Ending Space Ritual double dvd!)

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Hello Good Child (Ochre) 7" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Super limited 7" from everybody's favorite Japanese psych band (and if they're not, they soon will be based soley on their massive, endless output). One side sounds a bit like the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" or "Baba O'Reilley", only instead of some pimply faced teen smoking pot, blasting it in his souped up Camaro parked behind the 7-11, it sounds more like some teen alien badass, cranked up on some futuristic drug, parked in orbit around a starship, hiding out from interplanetary truancy officers. The other side sounds a bit like Crosby Stills and Nash, but doused in lighterfluid and liquid LSD.

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Hypnotic Liquid Machine From The Golden Utopia (Acid Mothers Temple) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's a 44 minute, two song Acid Mothers Temple cd they released to promote and sell as merch on their 2004 US tour, back in May/June. You get the title track, a jam about a half-hour long that starts off pulsing, swooshing, and tumbling over itself in sheer wonderment of psychedelic excess before calming into a jew's harp driven piece of minimalist electronic drone... however the whole band kicks in again before it's over, bringing things back up to overload levels. Definitely music made by/for dancin' kings, sleeping monks, speed gurus, cosmic jokers, and the erotic underground. And then there's a 16 minute "special bonus track" recorded live at some sort of "70's Rock Tribute" night. Imagine that! More riff/boogie/silly oriented but still super spacey and psychedelic. So if you didn't buy this at one of their shows, now's your chance -- we're really speaking to AMT completists (of which we know there are many) here, not to the more casual AMT consumer, who is probably still digesting "Mantra Of Love" or "A Thousand Shades of Grey" or "Born To Be Wild In The U.S.A. 2000"! And it's in a slim cardboard sleeve so it won't be hard to squeeze into your AMT shelf!
MPEG Stream: "Hypnotic Liquid Machine From The Golden Utopia"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Ivan Piskov's Wild Gals A Go-Go (OST) (Eclipse) 2lp 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
An out of print Acid Mother Temple cd from four years ago now briefly available on the vinyl format, thanks to the AMT-fan-freaks at Eclipse. Here's what we had to say about it originally: Japanese guitarist/guru Kawabata (Toho Sara, Mainliner, Musica Transonic) and his band return with their third album of avant-hippy insanity. This pretends to be a soundtrack to a supposed "psych-nonsense" film by alleged "Russian mondo film" director Ivan Piskov. "Tumultuous psychedelic trip sound...Potentially massive frontal lobe damage. Real punch-drunk music!" it says here. As always, recommended for fans of epic guitar psych noise weirdness.

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Last Concert In Tokyo (Acid Mothers Temple) cd 17.98
*Acid Mothers Temple alert* *Acid Mothers Temple alert* *Acid Mothers Temple alert*
Another limited edition AMT label release, live in Tokyo 1999. And why is it (or was it) their "Last Concert In Tokyo" you may ask? Well according to the sleeve notes, although this was just their third ever gig and they didn't have an album out yet, they were soooo disappointed that less than thirty people turned up to see them that they haven't played again in Tokyo since, and say "understandably we have little intention of doing so in the future." Hmm. Hey that was, like, four years ago guys, maybe you should give your hometown another chance. Anyway, they recorded the show and now you can join that meager handful of Tokyoites in hearing what they sounded like that night: wild and wooly and definitely psychedelic enuff to justify song titles like "Golden Bat Blues Dead" and "Satori LSD 1999". Four songs, forty minutes, one track. Fans should note that this was Atsushi Tsuyama's first gig as an official member of AMT, wielding "monster bass" it says here -- and oh yeah, you can hear it!
MPEG Stream: "Astro 69"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Live Bootleg lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The deluge continues unabated. Lp after lp after cd after double cd after double lp after 12" after picture disc after double 7". Phew. And for those that still need even more, the 'Temple do not disappoint. This is a massive 40 minute slab of live mayhem. From squealing free-noise workouts to relentless Stooges-ish riffing to super distorted, fuzzed out Mainliner style psychedelic freakouts. In an old school, photo-copied faux bootleg style sleeve and of course, it's SUPER LIMITED!
RealAudio clip: "Acid Tokion 2000"
RealAudio clip: "Pink Lady Lemonade"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Magical Power From Mars (Important) cd 14.98
I've been trying to figure out what to write about first, how great this record is, or what a complete fucking rip off it is. Well let's start with how great this record is and move on to the ripoff stuff later. This disc collects the first three Magical Power eps, adds a fourth track and new cover art (if you've already bought the first three, spent $33 on three cds with less than 20 minutes of music on each, all with the same cover, and have just learned that you now have to spend $15 to get the extra song/new cover art, and you're pissed, skip down to the next paragraph) and is quite possibly the best Acid Mothers Temple record in some time. The first track is a 20 minute slab of space-y shimmer, buzzing synths and plucked sitars, bombarded by bleeps and blips, reverb and delay, and ghostly female vocals. A futuristic raga, undulating and slowly shifting, with a faraway Eastern melody winding subtly through the druggy haze. Blissed out and hypnotic. Track two is a thick slab of gorgeous, psychedelic freak out, with wailing female vocals and space-y swooshes and interstellar bleeps and beeps. A fifteen minute burst of damaged psych brilliance. The third track is a dreamy wash of ambient space-scape of swooshing, bleeping, blooping, analog-synthesisers-set-on-dreamy-spaciness, almost new-age, Hawkwind-intro-stretched-as-far-as-it-will-go effervescence. So now we get to the bonus track, the final installment. Is it good enough that all of us suckers that bought the first three volumes need to get this one as well, making the others obsolete (unless you need both covers, then you're screwed either way). Hard to say. Volume three was our least favorite, sounding a little tossed off, sort of like synths left to bleep and bloop and space out on their own, and the final track follows the same sort of pattern, dark outerspace ambience with lots of swooshing sythnesizers that sound remarkably like sixties sci fi B-movie special effects, Not necessarily essential, but as a piece of the whole, it's a nice way to finish off this spaced out psychedelic travelogue.
Okay, now to the rip off portion of the program. What the hell?! What were they thinking? For a while we weren't even going to list this we were so pissed. It would have been different if they had let everyone know that there was a fourth track that would be available -with all of the other tracks- eventually, on a single fifteen dollar disc, so those folks who aren't collectors, and just wanted the record, wouldn't have to shell out $33 and then be faced with shelling out another $15 for mostly the exact same music. And one of the first three volumes was 15 minutes long for chrissakes!! And it was still $11! We were mad enough when we first realised that all three volumes had the EXACT SAME COVER. Especially after the big deal made out of the 3-D lenticular artwork. And now this collection has -different- 3-D lenticular artwork [whoops, new repress is no longer 3-D, boo hoo], so if you do care, you can't just get rid of the other three. Arghhh. So lame. For those of you who didn't buy the first three, and if this rant didn't make you mad enough to not want to support the fleecing of music lovers, then by all means buy this one. It's pretty great. For those of you, like us, who already own all three, you'll have to decide if you really need this one, and you can always sell those other ones on ebay and hopefully make a little bit of that $33 back.
MPEG Stream: "Cosmic Funky Dolly"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Magical Power From Mars Volume One (Important) cd ep 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
I know it seems like we must be joking, but it's true. ANOTHER Acid Mothers Temple record. And not just a new record, PART ONE IN A THREE PART SERIES!!!! But then it wouldn't really be a list without some new sonic missive from these guys on the far away fringes of outer spacerock. But let's start with the packaging. We were all practically stunned into silence by the packaging. Seriously. It is so beautiful. The cover is like one of those vintage 3D sort of multi-layered lenticular postcard, showing a tiny spaceman standing at the edge of a canyon, while a flying saucer swoops down and shines lasers or beams of light and a gorgeous red sunset shimmers in the background. You really have to just see it. And the disc is a 3" cd embedded in a clear 5" cd with some very Yes-like spacescapes. Really nice. Volume two is going to have a lot to live up to. As we seem to be telling you everytime we review ANOTHER Acid Mothers Temple record, although you think that the quality would slip, or this would all get boring and BAD, 'Magical Powers' beats the odds again, and is actually really, really nice. A 20 minute slab of space-y shimmer, buzzing synths and plucked sitars are bombarded by bleeps and blips, reverb and delay, and ghostly female vocals. A futuristic raga, undulating and slowly shifting, a faraway Eastern melody winding subtly through the druggy haze. Blissed out and hypnotic.
RealAudio clip: "Magical Powers From Mars Volume One"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Magical Power From Mars Volume Two (Important) cd ep 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Okay, this is volume two in Acid Mothers Temple's Magical Powers From Mars series and while we raved about the first one, I'm afraid we have to be a little harsh this time around. Not on the music. No, the music is great, as always. And if you bought the first one, you're gonna need this one too. AMT can do no wrong it seems. This is a thick slab of gorgeous, psychedelic freak out, with wailing female vocals and space-y swooshes and interstellar bleeps and beeps. A 15 minute burst of damaged psych brilliance. But that's where the trouble starts. Fifteen minutes! For $11!! The first volume was nineteen minutes and was also $11. By our thinking, both those tracks, hell, even the forthcoming less-than-twenty-minute volume three could all fit on ONE CD. But that would be fine, conceptually, there's nothing wrong with a series of EP's. And the 3-D lenticular cover on volume one was really something to see. So we resigned ourselves to buying all three. But what's this? Volume two has THE EXACT SAME COVER?! As will volume three we discovered! What the fuck?!? And the cool 3" cd embedded in a 5" plastic disc with crazy space art? EXACTLY THE SAME. Kind of shitty if you ask us. Basically, you're looking at $33 for 50+ minutes of music and three practically identical cases/covers. But of course, if we've learned one thing: liking Acid Mothers Temple is all about COLLECTING, so collect away!!
RealAudio clip: "Diamond Doggy Peggy"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Mantra Of Love (Alien8 Recordings) cd 14.98
That *Acid Mothers Temple Alert!* *Acid Mothers Temple Alert!* *Acid Mothers Temple Alert!* emergency warning alarm has been going off pretty much continually here at Aquarius over the past couple weeks, driving us all batty. We thought it must be broken or something but no, there's just been THREE more releases from those hairy Japanese hippies known as AMT plus another Kawabata collaboration (w/ Daevid Allen of Gong). So let's assess the threat.
This one's a brand-new studio effort, and is quite appropriately titled "Mantra of Love", starting out as it does with the lovely vocals of Cotton Casino drifting over a dreamy, mellow backdrop, spacey fx gradually building. One of just two loooong tracks here, opener "Le La Lo" is, like their classic "La Novia", one of the fruits of AMT's obsession with traditional Occitan troubadour song. It's a half-hour in length, and ranges from the aforementioned dreaminess to a dose of Kawabata's psych-guitar-heroics and back before it's done. That's followed by "L'Ambition Dans Le Miroir", an AMT original that continues the droning and beautiful medieval spacerock vibe of "Le La Lo". A worthy addition to your (hopefully sturdy) shelf of AMT music.
MPEG Stream: "Le La Lo (excerpt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "Le La Lo (excerpt 2)"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Minstrel In the Galaxy (Riot Season) cd 21.00
Last list we presented a fab four-cd AMT box set entitled The Penultimate Galactic Bordello Also The World You Made. Now this week we've got Minstrel In The Galaxy for those of you who a) have already absorbed all four hours of the Galactic Bordello box and want more, b) didn't spring for the Galactic Bordello box but still need an AMT fix, or c) got the Galactic Bordello box, haven't even cracked it open, but want to stock up on the AMT cds just in case a nuclear apocalypse arrives and, a few decades down the road in your underground bunker, you run out of other AMT to listen to! Joking aside, this is another spacey trip from everyone's favorite Japanese retro-psych ensemble. Three tracks, one of 'em in the 40 minute range, super droney and druggy and dark and delightful. AMT fans should note that this marks the first studio release from a new AMT line-up, that sees long time fan fave singer/keyboardist Cotton Casino replaced with not one but two women, who themselves are a band, the Osaka duo Afrirampo.
MPEG Stream: "Minstrel In The Galaxy"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo (Ace Fu) cd 14.98
Whoa. This prolific band of Japanese hippies (fresh off a by-all-accounts kick-ass US tour with Mammatus as openers) is back, again, with a new album on Ace Fu. It's one of those one-track, one-hour jobbies, rather overwhelming for those of us trying to write up a quick review! We can tell you that the whole thing is based around an ancient and popular Buddhist mantra, from whence this gets its title. We'll direct you to that font of all knowledge, Wikepedia, for more information (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nam_Myoho_Renge_Kyo). Apparently this mantra has appeared also in a Ludacris song, on an episode of the Monkees, and in Revenge Of The Nerds II! Of course AMT don't just chant it this mantra. They turn it into an epic, outerspace/innerspace, psychedelic rock opera. Whooshing FX, a chorus of voices, droning electronics, guitar overload, ethnic acoustic instrumentation, plodding drums, heavy jams, it's all here. Basically they've fully Amon Duulized their rendition of Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo, as is their usual wont. We don't know if most practicing Buddhists will find this to their liking, but we're loving it! Another awesome automatic "yes, please" for AMT fans.
MPEG Stream: "Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo [excerpt 1]"
MPEG Stream: "Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo [excerpt 2]"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Never Ending Space Ritual (Swordfish) 2dvd 41.00
This newest Acid Mothers Temple dvd release, a double disc set, is pretty much essential for fans of that prolific Japanese freak-hippy musical commune. And we're not just saying that, like we would about any of their millions of releases. This is extra-essential 'cause it's intended as a "history of" the whole AMT phenomenon. And it pretty much proves them to be a "Never Ending Space Ritual" indeed! Heck, the menu loops alone are pretty cool... naked ladies and explosions and psychedelic effects, all right!
The first disc has two main sections. One features an example of archival live footage from each year of the band's existence, 1998 to 2007, plus an "early years" concert that's remarkably jazzy.
The other section includes video from a bunch of AMT "family" offshoots, including Acid Mothers Temple SWR, Acid Mothers Gong, Acid Mothers Guru Guru, and one we hadn't heard of before, Acid Mothers Temple & The Incredible Strange Band. During the Acid Mothers Gong segment, Daevid Allen pretty much out-freaks the entire band just by dancing (and wearing an outfit handed down from Madonna in her conical bra phase)!
On disc two (the main menu of which features video footage of the Father Moo album cover photo shoot!), you get an interview with Makoto Kawabata (in English), a bunch more live concert footage including performances of such faves as "La Novia" and "Pink Lady Lemonade", and a selection of extras -- among them a "guitar smashing medley"!!
So, even if you don't buy every last AMT thing to come your way, if you're at all into this band, this would be one to seriously consider picking up.

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Power House Of Holy (Acid Mothers Temple) cd 16.98
Oh yeah, we're not done yet...there's a second Acid Mothers Temple cd on this week's list, another live one. We don't call these Japanese hippies "uber-prolific" for nothing! There's two long tracks here (as is their wont, apparently), the first of 'em "Dark Stars In The Dazzling Sky" which is definitely darker and more intense than the stuff on the Day Before the Sky Fell In cd listed above. Kawabata's clawing guitar gets cranked, honed to a heavy metal edge, and the wild vocals babble and keen like Lucifer's Friend on a bad trip... it's a mean Hawkwindy jam, knives out, grinding away and throwing off sparks.
The second, longer track, "Pink Lady Lemonade" is heavy too, but in a much different, spaced out and blissful way... it drones prettily, Kawabata's guitar still soaring and scrabbling over the droning din, with the overall effect being an uplifting one.
Recorded in 2004 in the US and UK with a four-piece AMT line-up (no Cotton C., and new guy Koizume Hajime behind the drum kit), this release was meant for the merch tables of their 2006 US Tour, and comes packaged in the slim paper sleeves of all AMT-label product, easy to transport on tour, just as the music will easily transport you...
MPEG Stream: "Dark Stars In The Dazzling Sky (aka Dark Star Blues)"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Recurring Dream & Apocalypse Of Darkness (Important) cd 14.98
This is the new album from Japan's Acid Mothers Temple, that AMT leader Kawabata Makoto contends is heavier than the average heavy AMT release, going so far as to say it's in the league of something like SUNNO))). Well, is it really?? Would he bet his beard on it? (We all ask, salivatin'.)
The answer: holy shit, yes. It's like indeed kinda like SUNNO))) jamming with Amon Duul, in a relentless riff orgy. That heavy. That droney. That creepy. That kosmic. A slow screaming blackened drone-groan vomiting forth from bad trippin' hippy minds, third eyes staring dull and glassy into the spinning vortex of the void. There's about ten minutes of pure bliss-out at the end of the disc, but before that, what you get is psychedelic guitar gunk out the wazoo. Riff after plodding riff, adorned with alien electronics. Dirge, splurge and more dirge. A roar to end all roars. A space-sludge feedback fantasy.
Each clocking in at about 36 and a half minutes, there's two long tracks (with long track names) here: "Eternal Incantation Of Perpetual Nightmare" and "Recurring Dream & Apocalypse Of Darkness". Sound kinda black metal don't they? Actually they do. This is an EXTREME Acid Mothers Temple experience let me tell you. Boris, beware! Ufommamut, watch your backs! Electric Wizard, better take another hit!!
Definitely worthy of the nifty, unmistakable Seldon Hunt cover art. Also, FYI we have this in both digital and analog formats. The vinyl version, a heavy gatefold double LP affair, is limited to 1000 copies, and it includes two bonus tracks!!! So act fast...
MPEG Stream: "Eternal Incantation Of Perpetual Nightmare"
MPEG Stream: "Recurring Dream & Apocalypse Of Darkness "

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Recurring Dream & Apocalypse Of Darkness (Important) 2lp 26.00
This is the new album from Japan's Acid Mothers Temple, that AMT leader Kawabata Makoto contends is heavier than the average heavy AMT release, going so far as to say it's in the league of something like SUNNO))). Well, is it really?? Would he bet his beard on it? (We all ask, salivatin'.)
The answer: holy shit, yes. It's like indeed kinda like SUNNO))) jamming with Amon Duul, in a relentless riff orgy. That heavy. That droney. That creepy. That kosmic. A slow screaming blackened drone-groan vomiting forth from bad trippin' hippy minds, third eyes staring dull and glassy into the spinning vortex of the void. There's about ten minutes of pure bliss-out at the end of the disc, but before that, what you get is psychedelic guitar gunk out the wazoo. Riff after plodding riff, adorned with alien electronics. Dirge, splurge and more dirge. A roar to end all roars. A space-sludge feedback fantasy.
Each clocking in at about 36 and a half minutes, there's two long tracks (with long track names) here: "Eternal Incantation Of Perpetual Nightmare" and "Recurring Dream & Apocalypse Of Darkness". Sound kinda black metal don't they? Actually they do. This is an EXTREME Acid Mothers Temple experience let me tell you. Boris, beware! Ufommamut, watch your backs! Electric Wizard, better take another hit!!
Definitely worthy of the nifty, unmistakable Seldon Hunt cover art. Also, FYI we have this in both digital and analog formats. The vinyl version, a heavy gatefold double LP affair, is limited to 1000 copies, and it includes two bonus tracks!!! So act fast...
MPEG Stream: "Eternal Incantation Of Perpetual Nightmare"
MPEG Stream: "Recurring Dream & Apocalypse Of Darkness "

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Soul Collective Tour 2003 (Acid Mothers Temple) cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

MPEG Stream: KAWABATA MAKOTO "Where Are You Now - Pink Lady Lemonade"
MPEG Stream: TSURUBAMI "Tatoe Kishiroedo"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE The Penultimate Galactic Bordello Also The World You Made (Dirter) 4cd 33.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Jeepers. If the output of the Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. -- everyone's favorite freaky communal Japanese psychedelic spacelords -- wasn't remarkable enough, with a new release or two seemingly sprouting up every time we blink, they had to go and put out this lil' BOX SET. Yup, this one's got four full-length compact discs! Each colorful cd containing a single, approximately hour-long track. That's, like, four hours of music total! Yowza. And the deal is, as we keep saying about these guys (but it's true), it's all pretty great stuff despite how prolific they are. If you're into their trip, we'd say this is a worthwhile purchase. We won't say essential (at this point, what is essential? we all have our faves) but actually a fairly economical deal for fans, when you work out the per-disc price. To be honest, we haven't actually yet listened to the entirety of this release...but what we've heard so far has met our expectations: either jammed-out Hawkwind-meets-Greatful Dead psych-rock or more mysterious, ritualistic dark and droney weirdness. We're really into how this is the "Penultimate" Galactic Bordello, by the way, and not the Ultimate. The implication is, the Ultimate is yet to come. So no need to mope if these four discs leave you wanting more!
MPEG Stream: "The Seven Stigmata From Pussycat Nebula"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & MELTING PARAISO U.F.O. Absolutely Freak Out (Static Caravan / Resonant) 2lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Gorgeous gatefold double lp. The latest in the seemingly endless barrage of recorded output from the mighty Acid Mothers Temple, Japanese hippies whose glorious din has induced pantswetting by psych/drone fans (and label owners, judging by the number of imprints thy've recorded for) the world over. This record, a joint release by the always-dependable British Static Caravan / Resonant labels, starts out as a delicate gossamer drone, hazy and dark and beautiful, slowly gathering momentum until it erupts into a full fledged psychedelic freakout (a lot like the noisier moments on their PSF cds). As always, essential.

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & MELTING PARAISO U.F.O. La Novia (Swordfish) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on cd with extra tracks! "La Novia" is a dark and droning take on the usual Acid Mothers Temple mix of hippie freak rock and experimental psych weirdness, with lots of faux-throat singing! Apparently this is based on traditional "Occitanian" folk music, which from the album graphics would appear to be a region of France. Hmm? In any event, it's a heavy, forty-minute trip-out mixing everything from distorted guitar and spacey synth to violin and bouzouki. Really great. And now, with this cd version, you don't have to get up and flip the record over halfway through. Plus, as we said, there's two lovely bonus tracks, totalling twenty haunting minutes more. Quite possibly this is our favorite AMT disc yet (and that's saying something, since there are now so many, and most are so good). Makoto Kawabata, Cotton Casino, Atsushi Tsuyama and Co. continue their quest for ultimate psychedelic world domination! (Indeed, look for them on a future cover of The Wire!)
RealAudio clip: "Bois-tu de la biere?"
RealAudio clip: "Bon Voyage au LSD"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & MELTING PARAISO U.F.O. La Novia (Eclipse) lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A dark and droning take on Acid Mothers Temple usual mix of hippie freak rock and experimental psychedelic weirdness, with lots of throat singing! It seems that with their current and ever-increasing volume of releases the Acid Mothers Temple might be poised to challenge the Sun City Girls some day in the discography sweepstakes, although they have a way to go just yet... Regardless of their number of releases, however, Kawabata and his Acid Mothers Temple minions have yet to disappoint!

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & THE COSMIC INFERNO Another Band From The Cosmic Inferno European Tour 2005 - Cosmic Funeral Route 666 (Acid Mothers Temple) cd 16.98
We were getting worried. After showing up on practically three AQ New Arrivals Lists in a row (221, 223, 224), not to mention a brace of releases a few weeks earlier found on lists 217 and 218, we went three whole lists without ANYTHING new by Acid Mothers Temple to review! Well, there was that excellent Kawabata Makoto collaboration with Up-Tight that we listed on 226, but we're talking about full AMT band albums. So it's a relief to have this show up -- and it's just in time. Y'know, just in case there's a Japanese psych freak on your Christmas shopping list, and you were wondering what to get for 'em, maybe they haven't got this yet!
Despite the "European Tour 2005" designation, this isn't recorded live in Europe, but at home in Japan at the Acid Mothers Temple itself, and was meant for sale as merch on that particular tour. We'd guess these copies are the leftovers, luckily enough for those of us who missed the AMT mothership's descent on Europe! There's but two songs on here (as has been AMT's wont of late), the 38 minute "Cosmic Funeral Route 666" and the 5:42 "Phantom Fire Ball". Lots of spaced-out soundz as you might expect, with "Cosmic Funeral" being an electric procession that chugs along densely before things get hushed and more spacious at about the half-way point... until the 24 minute mark when the cosmic funeral train starts a'rollin' again, and some deep, dark, cavernous guitar is unleashed unto the proceedings. The overall vibe (and that's definitely the term to use) isn't actually all that "funereal", really. This ain't AMT's take on Skepticism. It's just another krautrocky cosmic jam from these modern masters. Following that, the briefer "Phantom Fire Ball" is a bit more energetic and distorted, reminding us of Comets On Fire, with urgent vocals that also make us think (as we already were thinking anyway), "man these guys like Hawkwind don't they!"
Packaged in a slim cardboard sleeve like the other discs on the AMT label, and doubtless limited... though of course if you miss this we're sure they're be another new AMT coming up soon!
MPEG Stream: "Cosmic Funeral Route 666"
MPEG Stream: "Phantom Fire Ball"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & THE COSMIC INFERNO Anthem Of The Space (Ektro) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yep, another new Acid Mothers Temple transmission, this one the second to come via their Finnish fans the band Circle's Ektro imprint. And, it's a good one, for those who dig the long-form AMT stuff like La Novia. We think they're serious about this Anthem of THE Space stuff. Like, there's a contest to make the music that will be playing far out in space for all time, if you could only hear it. AMT mean to win that contest! This is a seriously spaced-out AMT effort indeed. A cosmic march into the furthest reaches of where no man (or hippy) has gone before. Except Amon Duul II. 'Cause the main part of this disc, the 44 minute title track, has very much of an Amon Duul II's Yeti vibe going on! (And thus it also reminds us of the recently AQ-reviewed My Solid Ground.) Stoner paradise. Very krautrock. A heavy, mantric riff repeating over and over a loooong time. Super hypnotic. We like! That's followed by the ten minute "Poppy Rock", a track that's more like a spacey hoedown. Kinda jig-like. A quick picker-upper after the "Anthem Of The Space".
Maybe we just didn't realize it before, but it appears that guitarist Tabata Mitsuru is now a member of the ever-evolving Acid Mothers Temple collective. Tabata you may know as KK Null's foil in Zeni Geva, or for being an early member of the Boredoms, or for his excellent solo and collaborative releases in recent years. Well, now he's in the Temple, lending all of his psychedelic skills to the cause, getting co-writing credit alongside AMT "speed guru" Kawabata Makoto on the two tracks here.
Yet again, a winner from the AMT camp.
MPEG Stream: "Anthem Of The Space"
MPEG Stream: "Poppy Rock"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & THE COSMIC INFERNO Demons From Nipples (Vivo) cd 16.98
Demons From Nipples? Of all of Acid Mothers Temple's most ridiculous titles (eg. St. Captain Freak Out And The Magic Bamboo Request, Hypnotic Liquid Machine From The Golden Utopia, or Does The Cosmic Shepherd Dream Of Electric Tapirs?), that might be the mostest! And the music does its best to live up to that title. It's a heavily effected, way-out Kraut/psych love frolic, howling in space, kinda like an imaginary Can/Hawkwind/Guru Guru acid test jam fest with what sounds like some sort of warped, sci-fi bagpipes thrown in for good measure. That weird bagpipe sound is what's really getting us excited about this (though doubtless some might disagree). It's kinda like Comets On Fire's Echoplex or the 13th Floor Elevators' electric jug. Must be the "uilleann pipe" that a guest is credited with playing in the liner notes! Stirred in there with guitars, drums, electronics, etc. it's part of a pretty wild and dense sound. And when things calm down a bit (like, about a half hour into the title track) the combination of heavy-duty electric guitar splooge and mantric cosmic slop vocal chant is primo, with or without the pipe (any sorta pipe).
This release (imported from Poland, not sure if we'll be able to get 'em again all that easily!) is the third new document in, like, the last three months to be spawned by the latest incarnation of Kawabata Makoto's Acid Mothers Temple troupe (now known as AMT & The Cosmic Inferno), featuring new members including Tabata Mitsuru (Zeni Geva, Boredoms, Leningrad Blues Machine). And like the other two Cosmic Inferno discs, this consists of but two tracks, one long and one really long. If you liked their previous disc Just Another Band From The Cosmic Inferno you'll really dig this one. Ultra-trippy to say the least!
MPEG Stream: "Demons From Nipples"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & THE COSMIC INFERNO Hardcore Uncle Meat: Live In Croatia 2005 (AMT) dvd 19.98
We shouldn't be surprised. Japanese communal psych rock juggernaut the Acid Mothers Temple just released their first ever Digital Versatile Disc, like, a month or two ago. And while that one quickly sold out and is on backorder at our suppliers (drat!), now they've gone and already released -another- DVD! We have a bunch but probably they'll go quick too... Hardcore Uncle Meat is a document of a live show played by AMT in Zagreb, Croatia, 2005. It's a pro package, shot with three cameras, audio captured in 16-channel digital and mixed by Kawabata Makoto. And of course the performance is wild and heavy. So if you couldn't be there...
The back cover of the DVD, by the way, reminds us of what a "supergroup" AMT have become, as the pedigree of each member of the band is listed. This incarnation of AMT includes past and present members of Zeni Geva, Boredoms, High Rise, Miminokoto, Mainliner, Nagisa Ni Te, White Heaven, Ghost, Subvert Blaze, Andromelos, and more!
NTSC, region free, limited to 1000 copies.