AKIRA & COUNT BUFFALO, ISHIKAWA - Uganda: Afurikan Rokku no Yoake (Dawn Of African Rock)

The start of a new series focusing on lost and obscure sonic treasures birthed out of the underbelly of Japans New Rock revolution during the period 1969-1978 is spearheaded by the long announced reissue of one of the rarest discs to seep out of that seedy, incestuous scene. Ishikawa Akira & Count Buffalos Uganda: Afurikan Rokku no Yoake originally saw the light of day on February 5th, 1972 on Toshiba Records as part of their 4 Channel Q.M. Sound series but quickly sank into the depths obscurity, making that only a handful of copies were actually sold while the remaining stock was withdrawn due to very depressing sales and eventually melted down and destroyed. The disc remained a well kept secret for all these years and only a small circle of die-hard music lovers have ever seen an actual original copy, making it these days one of the most treasured and hunted down Japanese rock artifacts. A couple of years ago a bootleg LP edition of the LP came out, sadly sounding quite mediocre but nevertheless rejuvenating a new awareness for the album. Still, rumors as to who were the actual performers on the album floated around freely since the group was simply listed as Count Buffalo with no detailed breakdown of who actually played on the album, and as a result, there has been much fevered speculation over the years. Therefore, Tiliqua Records thought it wise to release this sonic gem properly -- they hunted down the license, unraveled the legal entanglements, acquired access to the original mastertapes and subsequently also took on the quest to track down the actual players involved. So now, with this fully-authorized reissue, we can finally reveal the full line-up or the key players involved and add some insight into the records background, thanks to the kind participation of Ugandas composer, Mr. Muraoka Takeru. Musically speaking, Ishikawa Akira & Count Buffalos Uganda - Afurikan Rokku no Yoake is a vicious psychedelic whirlwind monster of a disc where primitive Afro-spiritual and tribal ethnic percussive blow-outs cross-pollinate with lysergic New Rock fuzz-a-delic dementia, stirring up enough dust and boulders like two-barreled guns coming out of the demon hole. Still, Uganda is more than just that, and although it is deceptively intense, it is simultaneously casual in feel yet meticulous in its musical detail and lyrical economy. And seen in retrospect, I can now proclaim that this album stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best records of that golden era, and it was one of Japans 1970s underground scenes defining moments. In short. it is a totally lethal slide that does not fail to create an arresting listening experience. As is the case with all of Tiliqua Records releases, this one is also crafted out with meticulous care and eye for detail. The CD comes housed in a miniature version of the actual slim-cased LP box set, complete with obi and extensive 8-paged Japanese/ English liner notes, illustrated with some archival footage. One-time only, very limited press, housed in a sturdy hard card mini-LP styled slim box set-styled gatefold jacket. Digitally remastered from the original master tapes and graced with faithfully reproduced artwork (although slightly adapted for the single CD box set version) and obi. One-time limited press due to the nature of the box set jacket. - Tiliqua.