Greatest Hits (Half Japanese album)
Greatest Hits is the first compilation album released by the punk rock band Half Japanese, in 1995. It includes the line ups from all albums released by the band.
| Greatest Hits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | March 13, 1995 | |||
| Genre | Punk rock Alternative rock | |||
| Label | Safe House | |||
| Producer | Half Japanese | |||
| Half Japanese chronology | ||||
| ||||
History
Half Japanese's Greatest Hits, which was the band's first compilation album, was released on March 13, 1995,[1] after more than twenty years of activity as a band.[2] By the time it came out, the band had gained an international fan base[1] and it had already released thirteen studio albums; since the release of the compilation, there have been three more.[3] Half Japanese later released two more compilation albums.[4]
Music
Greatest Hits is two discs and has at least one song from each album: from 1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts, with the band's original set, to Boo! Live in Europe 1992.[1] The album features notable guests such as John Zorn and Eugene Chadbourne.[5]
There are strong differences in the styles as well as the sound fidelity between the songs.[1] It is possible to find noise and electronic tracks, such as the ones from 1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts; punk rock songs, like those from Charmed Life; experimental songs, such as those from The Band That Would Be King as well as more straightforward rock from other releases.[2]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Entertainment Weekly | (Favourable) link |
Ned Raggett from Allmusic gave the album 4.5 stars of 5 calling it the best way to start with Half Japanese given the scattered discography of the band. He praised the songs "King Kong", "Amazing Clock" and "Identical Twins" as well as "How to Play Guitar", which, according to him, makes for a great final touch.[1]
The album was included in Blender's top 100 indie rock albums, where it was called "undeniably difficult and triumphantly messy".[6]
Track listing
Disc one
All lyrics are written by Jad Fair except where noted.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Firecracker" | Jad Fair | 2:42 |
| 2. | "Daytona Beach" | Fair | 1:47 |
| 3. | "Said and Done" | Fair | 2:52 |
| 4. | "Dance When I Say Dance" | Fair | 1:47 |
| 5. | "Postcard from Far Away" | Fair | 1:42 |
| 6. | "The Worst I'd Ever Do" | Fair | 0:43 |
| 7. | "Horseshoes" | Fair | 2:12 |
| 8. | "Open/Close Your Eyes" | Fair | 1:10 |
| 9. | "This Could Be the Night" | Fair | 4:39 |
| 10. | "Put Some Sugar on It" | Fair | 2:50 |
| 11. | "Calling All Girls" | Fair | 1:01 |
| 12. | "La Bamba" | Traditional | 1:56 |
| 13. | "Love at First Sight" | Fair | 2:44 |
| 14. | "Rub Every Muscle" | Fair | 1:45 |
| 15. | "Silver and Katherine" | Fair | 3:13 |
| 16. | "My Sordid Past" | Fair | 1:30 |
| 17. | "Ride, Ride, Ride" | Fair | 0:32 |
| 18. | "Day and Night" | Fair | 2:52 |
| 19. | "Last Straw" | Fair | 1:22 |
| 20. | "Nicole" | Fair | 4:30 |
| 21. | "Miracles Happen Every Day" | Fair | 2:16 |
| 22. | "U.S. Teens Are Spoiled Bums" | Fair | 1:08 |
| 23. | "School of Love" | Fair | 1:09 |
| 24. | "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" | Jimmie Rodgers | 8:23 |
| 25. | "Colleen" | Fair | 2:33 |
| 26. | "Red Dress" | Fair | 2:15 |
| 27. | "Charmed Life" | Fair | 1:46 |
| 28. | "Rosemary's Baby" | Fair | 1:32 |
| 29. | "I Know How It Feels... Bad" | Fair | 2:38 |
| 30. | "Roman Candles" | Fair | 2:20 |
| 31. | "Dream Date" | Fair | 1:45 |
Disc two
All lyrics are written by Jad Fair except where noted.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Movin' on Up" | Bobby Gillespie, Andrew Innes, Robert "Throb" Young | 2:17 |
| 2. | "No More Beatle Mania" | David and Jad Fair | 1:53 |
| 3. | "How Did You Know?" | Fair | 1:34 |
| 4. | "Penny in the Fountain" | Fair | 1:59 |
| 5. | "King Kong" | Daniel Johnston | 3:29 |
| 6. | "Secret" | Fair | 2:16 |
| 7. | "B./C. Millionaires (Bogue Millionaires/ Cool Millionaires)" | Fair | 2:14 |
| 8. | "Amazing Clock" | Fair | 2:44 |
| 9. | "Thick and Thin" | Fair | 1:13 |
| 10. | "1,000,000 Kisses" | Fair | 1:55 |
| 11. | "Little Records" | Fair | 1:20 |
| 12. | "Big Mistake" | Fair | 1:26 |
| 13. | "No Direct Line from My Brain to My Heart" | Fair | 2:01 |
| 14. | "The House I Live In" | Fair | 1:02 |
| 15. | "UFO Expert" | Fair | 1:11 |
| 16. | "Identical Twins" | Fair | 0:39 |
| 17. | "Double Trouble" | Fair | 2:04 |
| 18. | "Evidence" | Fair | 2:05 |
| 19. | "Stripping for Cash" | Fair | 1:22 |
| 20. | "On the One Hand" | Fair | 3:28 |
| 21. | "Snake Line" | Fair | 2:07 |
| 22. | "Too Much Adrenaline" | Fair | 1:28 |
| 23. | "Trouble in the Water" | Fair | 3:00 |
| 24. | "Ball and Chain" | Big Mama Thornton | 3:03 |
| 25. | "Her Parents Came Home" | Fair | 1:02 |
| 26. | "Deadly Alien Spawn" | Fair | 2:39 |
| 27. | "Ancient Life" | Fair | 1:36 |
| 28. | "Poetic License" | Fair | 2:10 |
| 29. | "Uncertain Feelings" | Fair | 2:10 |
| 30. | "Something New..." | Fair | 1:16 |
| 31. | "Fire to Burn" | Fair | 2:33 |
| 32. | "Acupuncture" | Fair | 2:16 |
| 33. | "Salt & Pepper" | Fair | 1:58 |
| 34. | "Guitar Solo" | Fair | 0:43 |
| 35. | "A Little Bit More" | Fair | 1:35 |
| 36. | "Mono" | Fair | 0:20 |
| 37. | "Better Than Before" | Fair | 1:26 |
| 38. | "Everything Is Right?" | Don Fleming | 2:46 |
Personnel
The people involved in the album are from the band's different line ups:[5]
- Terry Adams – piano
- Pippin Barnett – drums
- Hank Beckmeyer – bass guitar, guitar, producer
- George Cartwright – saxophone
- Eugene Chadbourne – guitar, harmonica, vocals on "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)"
- Byron Coley – liner notes
- David Doris – saxophone
- John Dreyfuss – saxophone
- Rick Dreyfuss – drums
- David Fair – guitar, percussion, vocals, liner notes
- Jad Fair – guitar, harmonica, vocals, producer
- Danny Finney – saxophone
- Don Fleming – guitar, vocals
- Tim Foljahn – guitar
- Fred Frith – guitar
- Mick Hobbs – guitar
- Scott Jarvis – drums
- Mark Jickling – guitar
- Steve Johnson – guitar
- Rob Kennedy – bass guitar
- Kramer – organ, bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, producer
- Eppo Krol – producer
- Richard Labrie – drums
- David Licht – conga
- Joe Martinelli – drums
- Lisa Mednick – keyboards
- Gilles V. Rieder – drums, producer
- Rebby Sharp – guitar
- John Sluggett – guitar
- Jay Spiegel – drums
- Maureen Tucker – drums, producer
- Jason Willett – bass guitar
- Gary Windo – saxophone
- Howard Wuelfing – bass guitar
- Lana Zabko – saxophone
- Don Zientara – producer
- John Zorn – saxophone
References
- Raggett, Ned. "Half Japanese - Greatest Hits". Allmusic. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
- Huey, Steve. "Half Japanese". Allmusic. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
- "Half Japanese main albums". Allmusic. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
- "Half Japanese compilation albums". Allmusic. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
- "Half Japanese - Greatest Hits (credits)". Allmusic. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
- Jon Dolan, Josh Eells, Will Hermes, Jonah Weiner and Douglas Wolk. "The 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever — #100 to #91". Blender. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved September 20, 2008.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)