The Stalin-Stop Jap Remastered [1982 Japan Punk]

Highly Recommended!

this was their first record for a mayor record company
this is the remastered cd version
wich has 20+ tracks(single b sides and live tracks)
remastered versions of Mushi and Fish Inn will folow soon


The Stalin began in 1980 and blew away all previous attempts at Japanese punk rock(The Star Club ect..) with their radical, evolving style. The band was founded by Michiro Endo, a 32 year-old socialist activist, Vietnam veteran, and street singer who had spent time in the West. He chose the name because "the name Stalin is very hated by most people in Japan, so it is very good for our image." Because he was a socialist, he also explained the name as meaning "the downside of every good idea." Michiro was also the editor of INGO fanzine, which helped release the second press of Stalin's first flexi Dendou Kokeshi in 1980. The cover of this EP was a brutal drawing of a penis being injected by a hypodermic needle. The two songs on the flexi were great raw, jangly punk rock tunes. This sound continued on their second EP, 1981's 5-song Stalinism 7", on which at least one Ramones riff can be heard within the unique Stalin sound. Not impressed with crowd reactions at Stalin shows, Michiro behaved like a madman, leaving a wake of destruction everywhere he went. He would spit, pull hair, or just beat up members of the audience. If that didn't work, he would leave the stage after one song. A MRR scene report from the time describes fish heads and human shit on stage. The Stalin were quickly banned from most venues.

The band's major label debut was 1982's Stop Jap LP, which many regard as their best work. The two singles from the record found them reinventing songs by the Doors and Stooges as B-sides. The lyrics from this album supposedly reflect a more anti-nationalist, anarchistic slant on political issues. The band reached their peak in popularity with the next two hardcore records in 1983: the 4-song Go Go Stalin 12" and the Mushi LP. The Stalin was one of the first Japanese bands to reach an international audience when their song "Chicken Farm" appeared on MRR's(Maximum Rock And Roll)
seminal Welcome to 1984 compilation alongside other international hardcore pioneers like Raw Power and BGK
-kill from the hearth

michiro endo's website:
http://apia-net.com/michiro/

password:fight
get it(160 kbits)