Food Brain - Social Gathering (1970, Jap, heavyacidpsychrock, P-Vine CDrip, single wav + cue, log, artwork)

*** Reviewed by great fellow Adamus67 ***

Foodbrain - this legendary band released only one album, 'Social Gathering' [Polydor, 1970], the cover of which stands out due to the large elephant approaching the viewer. It contains a great, diverse mix of stuff delivered with over-the-top gusto, from stabbing high speed hard acid rock, to rollicking progressive psych jamming with crazed piano, to loud distorted bass experiments, etc. etc. Guitarist Shinki Chen [ex-Golden Cups - see below, and Powerhouse (a covers band)] later went on to record a solo album and to form the group Speed, Glue & Shinki with Foodbrain bassist Masayoshi Kabe [a.k.a. M. Glue, also ex-Golden Cups]; keyboardist Hiro Yanagida [ex-Apryl Fool - see above] later went on to play with Love Live Life + One, Masahiko Sato & Sound Brakers and to a solo career [see below]; drummer Hiro Tsunoda [ex-Jacks - see below] went on to Strawberry Path, Flied Egg and Sadistic Mika Band [see below]. The album has been reissued on CD. Food Brain - Social Gathering CD. Official Japanese press reissue of 1970 complex hard progressive rock with Shinki Chen, Hiro Yanagida, so you can imagine how wild this is. On second thought, nobody can imagine how wild this is...

A bunch of organ soloing all over this instrumental album. Songs are all over the place in that wacky Japanese kind of way. Sometime some cool guitar soloing comes in to take the place of the organ. Song titles are cool. Liver Juice Vending Machine, The Hole In The Sausage, The Conflict Of The Hippo And The Pig...you know, things like that. Sounds like these guys got together to do some jamming. After listening to it once I for sure had to listen again to try to figure out what the hell is going on here. I don't think there's much to figure out though it's just some jammin'. It's alright. Mildly interesting for a few spins. A bunch of these guys went on to better projects. Oh yeah, there's a jazzy song on here to with sax skronking and everything. The album is pretty much dominated by organ soloing. Farfisa organ if I'm not mistaken.

Amusing psych-prog, entirely instrumental and very inventive, with a virtuoso work for all instrumentalists but perhaps the predominant share of keyboards (often heavy prog classic Hammond sound, although in minute sketch One-Sided Love sounds even harpsichord). most interesting, of course, avant-prog 15-minute The Hole in a Sausage with seizures saxophone chic and lots of bass, but the rest of the stuff is very good. " All participants of this project have not gone into oblivion, and successfully played in other bands and projects, as stated above in the review. It just needs to listen. We strongly recommend that all visitors to our community. This is the most progressive direction of Japanese rock, or rather, the beginning. It is the pillar of Japanese progressive rock. It is in this project gathered the individual, who asked the Japanese trend of progressive rock. 
Thank you so much Adam for that effort
gigic2255

FOOD BRAIN was named by Shinki Chen with Cool Brain, but two Hiro are real heroes in this album.

From the first track this album is awesome! That Will Do is exactly a shining star. Hiro Tsunoda's jazzy drummings, Masayoshi Kabe's striking and loudly noisy bass sounds, and Hiro Yanagida's round-and-round-waved keyboard solo...all are terrific for listeners. Sorry that Shinki Chen's guitar, having mad, funky and freaky flavour in another work, sounds even steady and quiet. What a funny accident! Next an interude Hageyama (Naked Mountain) with spacey bass solo, electric keyboard sound and jazzy rhythm section are very impressing in Mpb No Waltz (Waltz For M.P.B.) Basically Hiro Tsunoda's spacey, strict and speedy drums and percussions are the framework and the foundation of this song. Okay, he should be a serious and skilled drummer (and currently known as a pop singer :-D). What's a Liver Juice No Jido-Hanbaiki (Liver Juice Vending Machine)? Supplement of iron or stamina? I'm sure I can get some stamina (not iron :-P) with listening to this song. Not kidding! The reason can be obvious...Shinki's guitar has lately been exploded with growling, and of course rigidly-framed rhythm sections have not turned at all. What an amazing dunk shot! Kaba To Buta No Tatakai (The Conflict Of The Hippo And The Pig) is not conflict but confusion with unusual zamba style in such a rock supper (Bansan). Wake wake up up!! Swingin' & Smart Sounds Should Start Soon!! Mezamashi Dokei (Clock) has absolutely swing & jazz flavour mimicking an alarm clock. Psychedelic keyboard sounds can remind us the bell of a clock ringing loudly near our ears and let us wake up to ourselves completely, then heavy bass and drum sounds should hit and kick our back out. Kataomoi (One-Sided Love), calm and gentle interlude by keyboard solo, can get us relaxed but suddenly by avantgarde Ana No Aita Sausage (The Hole In A Sausage) we go mad. What does Michihiro Kimura's clarinet sound mean? Hmm...I feel it mean emptiness of their future, but is it correct? Well, God (and some of Food Brain members) only knows. Indeed Food Brain was unstable as a group with serious talents and junkie travelers...this badly organized sections might let their forebodings come true I suppose... Even a funeral march comes here. As everybody has thought, is it natural they would soon be broken out? The last song Bach Ni Sasagu (Dedicated To Bach) sounds like their mischief for me. From beginning to finish, I can't breathe enough...completely knocked away by FOOD BRAIN not BRAIN FOOD.

A wonderful dawn of Japanese psychedelic rock. Listen!

(~progarchives) by DamoXt7942

"Social Gathering by Food Brain is a 1970 one-off jam record by a Japanese psych/prog “supergroup” consisting of guitarist Shinki Chen (Speed, Glue & Shinki), bassist Luis Kabe (The Golden Cups), organist Hiro Yanagida (Apryl Fool), and drummer Hiro Tsunada (Strawberry Path)..." - Last.fm

(~tripjam)

Tracks:

1 That Will Do

2 Naked Mountain

3 Waltz For M.P.B.

4 Live Juice Vending Machine

5 The Conflict Of The Hippo And The Pig

6 Clock

7 One-Sided Love

8 The Hole In A Sausage     /Bass Clarinet – Michihiro Kimura/

9 Dedicated To Bach

Clock - Food Brain

Food Brain:

Bass – Masayoshi Kabe
Drums – Hiro Tsunoda
Guitar – Shinki Chen
Keyboards – Hiro Yanagida

[Rip and Scans by gigic2255]

Link:   454 mb/file

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