Supersnazz-Diode City & Rock Juice-Drink All Night

Some 30 years ago I recall being excited to see Supersnazz’s Superstupid! CD in the new rotation bin at the college radio station where I had an early Friday morning show. It seemed like a major departure for Sub Pop at that time to release the debut album from an all-female Japanese band. Little did I know at the time that Kurt Bloch, of Fastbacks, had produced the album recorded at Conrad Uno’s Egg Studio in Seattle and the band had connections with Scott McCaughey of the Young Fresh Fellows. Quickly losing track of them in the midst of busy college life was not surprising as their follow-up Devil Youth Blues was released only in Japan by Time Bomb Records based in Osaka.

Thankfully SFTRI came to the rescue in 1999 and licensed this album for North America release. Diode City is the album where it all came together for them. On the whole, the album is packed with propulsive power-pop and off-the-rails rock ‘n’ roll. There are hooks at every turn and an overall surging energy that both transmits and reflects the perpetual motion of Tokyo.  Leading off is “Words of Love” that rips right off from the start in Blondie fashion. The poppy, choppy and catchy “Baby Love” reminds me of the Eyes (Charlotte Caffey’s pre-Go-Go’s band) with its skip-along sensibilities and racing tempos propelling the song forward.  In fact, the entire record has some of the best punk/new wave/power-pop elements and influences of late ‘70s Los Angeles all over it.

Supersnazz (Tomoko & Spike)
Phoenix, AZ-Nov. 2001

“No Excuse” bursts out with that hammering stripped-down Stooges piano riff and swarming buzz-fuzz guitars before being anointed with Saints-like horns. The title track “Diode City” and “Star Kills” arrive with prominent X marks. They nail the menacing group-chant vocals on “Diode City,” while the blistering “Star Kills'' will have you wondering if it was in any way influenced by Yukio Mishima’s novella “Star.” The delightfully straight-ahead “It’s Alright” brings back the flash and dash of Sheena & The Rokkets.

Supersnazz (Tomoko & Shoe)
Phoenix, AZ-Nov. 2001

“From Home” is a dramatic supercharged girl-group gem with a dreamy melody. However, “From Home” is not the Troggs song of the same title (that was later covered by DMZ), but a Supersnazz original written by Tomoko that sounds strongly influenced by the said Troggs and “You Tore Me Down” Flamin’ Groovies.  “I Wonder” is another successful Crystals/Ronettes cover (and they would go on to have many-including Captain & Tennille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together” that was included on an entire album of covers entitled Sweat Box). Finishing the album off on a strong note, “Mr. Gee,” jubilantly extracts the ‘50s by way of the Ramones circa Leave Home. Supersnazz reached new heights on Diode City by masterfully blending their varied influences into a distinct, vibrant and enduring sound. 

Rock Juice logo illustration by Kame

Rock Juice Kame-Guitar (Machinicalis) Tomoko-Bass (Supersnazz, Tweezers, the Bucketeers)

Mick-O-Drums (Machinicalis, Noble Surfers, Royal Fingers) Tatsuya Inagaki (aka INA)-Guitar (Treeberrys, More Fun)

Naming your group after a Flamin’ Groovies album from 1992 is just one indicator of Rock Juice’s deep devotion to the Groovies. Further, a cyclical pattern emerges as Supersnazz took their name from the Flamin’ Groovies' first album. The sound and spirit of the Groovies undeniably permeates this entire release from the design through the layering of guitars to the song sequencing. Even their band logo is obviously rendered in Flamin’ Groovies/Cyril Jordan font. Fittingly, Rock Juice opens the album with a stellar cover of Flamin’ Groovies’ “Please Please Girl.” On this Jordan-Wison composition they quicken the pace, while striking a perfect chiming tone (stirring ‘60s folk rock meets ‘70s power-pop) that is embellished with folksy interweaving vocal harmonies. On a similar note, it also recalls the Groovies successfully speeding up the tempo on their cover of the Beatles’ “Misery” found on the Shake Some Action Lp.  Not only does Rock Juice, like their forebears, record many covers that they make their own, they frequently draw from the same well as the Rolling Stones, NRBQ and Chuck Berry are all common denominators when it comes to covers on Drink All Night.  In live shows, they even cover Abba’s “Dancing Queen” as a strong melody is a strong melody! 

Photos by Teppei Miki

From Supersnazz to Rock Juice, Tomoko has consistently been a versatile and solid songwriter and she continues to deliver two knockouts, “Lucky Girl” which has resemblance to the Muffs and the brisk, but unsparing “Lights On.” (I still wish to hear her country project the Bucketeers.) Inagaki (Ina) has written a minor classic anthem with “Stop Waiting for Rock “N” Roll.” It’s on the heights of their inspirational models the Sire-era Flamin’ Groovies. Their energy, execution and melodies and production are all in alignment on this striking debut. Rock Juice also convey a highly-developed sense of dynamics through both their guitar interplay and ambitious trade-off vocals. Overall, the record is a conduit to the excitement, immediacy and surging energy still possible in rock ‘n’ roll. May they themselves continue to influence new generations of guitar driven Japanese bands like Hazy Sour Cherry and Flashlights and let’s all hope for a follow-up album. They could even do an all-covers album of  Flamin’ Groovies songs and in the process go full circle. 

Rock Juice (L to R) Kame, Tomoko, Mick-O, Inagaki (aka Ina)

Trip On Me -Soft Psych & Sunshine (1966-1969)

Having heard literally hundreds of '60s soft pop compilations (e.g., Lost Jukebox, Spiritual Obscurities, Fading Yellow, Soft Sounds for Gentle People) over the last 20 years, the initial streaming of Trip On Me was pleasant, but seemed to slip by and get lost in the year-end 2022 shuffle. Revisiting this in summer 2023 has been an entirely different experience. This music was obviously made to be heard flowing through stereo speakers and not streaming through a phone or computer. Bringing it back to the stereo reveals the full dimensions of these recordings created during this transitional era of studio technology. The sound is presented in crystalline clarity since all these selections were sourced from the original master tapes, Returning to Trip On Me has provided additional exposure to a refined collection of California-made ‘60s sunshine pop. The collection spans the coast from Bay Area production houses (Trident) and its basement studio (Columbus Recorders) to the enterprising & adventurous Los Angeles independent record labels like Mira, Era and World Pacific. 

Curt Boettcher’s star glows brighter and brighter with each passing year. The years have also revealed how prolific he was at the time as his angelic voice continues to surface on stacks and stacks of demos and recordings. The previously unissued “Meadows and Flowers” appears with the full-on Boettcher’s majestical touches and embellishments even though it was produced by Gary S. Paxton. Besides being the Peter Pan and Peter Max of sunshine pop, Boettcher was also its maestro who could sonically stun Brian Wilson. 

An early exemplifier and standout track is “A Thousand Faces” by the Thousand Faces, who combine the Association’s “bah, bah, bahs” with the horns of the American Breed and the catchiness of a ‘60s airline jingle to lift off into sunburst skies. 

As just mentioned, there were the countless groups who wanted to sound like the Association, while others who wished to emulate the good-timey phase of the Turtles and then there were the totally idiosyncratic and unclassifiable acts like the Candy Company. A song titled “Sugar Stone” by a group named Candy Company might lead one to expect a saccharine group that has a residency at a Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour. However, the Garden Grove quartet actually offers a bit of edge to their sound. They achieve this 1966 toughness through layers of vibes and chanted co-ed vocals propelled a Bo Diddley beat by way of the Strangeloves. Production was handled by the one and only Curt Boettcher.

 

One of the few songs I was previously familiar with was “P.S. Call Me Lulu” by the Primose Circus, which appeared on Rhino’s Nuggets Vol 05 : Pop Part III.  I recall playing this cassette in my dorm room and a visiting mother from across the hall applauded my music.  According to the detailed liner notes, the group formed at the top-tier Rice University in Houston.

The Third Wave

The initial draw of Trip On Me for myself was the hype sticker proclamation of previously unissued recordings from the Third Wave. The Third Wave sure was an apt name for a musical outfit comprised of five Third Generation Filapinas from Stockton, CA. They offer a rippling and corner-turning medley of Donovan’s “Three Kingfishers-Ferris Wheel.” This George Duke-arranged number would also go over well with the Wendy & Bonnie listeners who appreciate a strong jazz foundation placed under soaring harmonies swirling in an overall air of mystery. 

“Going to San Diego” by the Pretty People is a new one to me and comes across as an  amalgamation of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Sergio Mendes and Mark Eric. The perirenal yearn/consideration to leave Los Angeles was just as present then as it is now.  They state their intention to flee “soutless L.A. before the bitter end.”  The Pretty People also released an entire album of jazzy harmony pop in 1969 that was produced by Dot Records’ founder and commander Randall Wood. Their “Song Rider” appears later on and includes the striking opening image: “Barreling down the highway/Donut & coffee…a truckstop” as it rides a bubbling organ and surging bass to make it to and in L.A. town. Big and bursting Buckinghams-like horns send this song over the top and down into the valley of dreams and despair.  

During the most musically wonderful of decades, the Golden Coast was teeming with producers, engineers, arrangers, labels and musicians who acted as conduits for the abundant California creative energy. They utilized the studio as an instrument and sent the sound in different and unpredictable directions. Overall, it's the alluring and vibrant sound on the verge of making it by groups who quickly appeared & vanished before and during the great unraveling. While none of these recordings landed in the national Top 40 or even bubbled under in the Top 200 and some never released, they all continue to shine over a half-century later as they resurface and come to light. 

Further explorations:

Book A Trip - The Psych Pop Sounds Of Capitol Records

Book A Trip 2: More Psych Pop Sounds Of Capitol Records

Curt Boettcher & Friends-Looking For The Sun