G.I.S.M.--Live Tokyo 1982-1983

Live G.I.S.M bootleg,soundquality varies
a must have for any G.I.S.M collector


A Review i found:
Side one's April 1982 gig is, of course, unspeakably raw and noisy, but the vocals are relatively clear, the drums audible and the guitars provide a steady churn of barely-structured rushing thrash and feedback that, while nowhere near so sophisticated or metallic as the band would become when late guitarist Randy Uchida joined soon after, is powerful and anguished. Recorded just five or six months after their November '81 debut and five months before the set partially captured on the seminal "Outsider" comp LP, it's probably a bit foolish to make any firm assessments of influence and inspiration based on such rough recordings, but I would nonetheless be surprised if the band weren't listening to an awful lot of very early UK hardcore at this stage. The speed and snarled vocals are much more suggestive of Discharge, Disorder and Chaos UK than of traditional '70's punk or even the better-known contemporary American hardcore, and the likelihood of likeminded Finnish, Swedish or Italian bands being widely heard in Japan at this stage seems slim (feel free to correct me if you know otherwise, because the possibilities are intriguing).
The second side was recorded some time in 1983, and the sound is marginally better (similar to the much-maligned live material on Negative Approach's "Total Recall", which I think sounds great). The sound has already progressed considerably, with the songs generally tighter and faster, and most importantly, Uchida's guitar thrashing out the serious riffing and wild leadwork that would soon become Japcore's defining components. It's less historically important than the first set, perhaps, but it's a great listen if you're a GISM freak and probably completely unlistenable to just about anyone else...consider yourself warned.

go get it!