FUSHITSUSHA - 1978: Eien no ho ga saki ni te o dashita no sa

From 1978, the earliest group recordings by Fushitsusha yet to be released. A vital document for understanding the Japanese underground and the truest, most exciting rock group of the contemporary era. Now heres something unexpected and utterly fascinating. The earliest years of Fushitsusha have long been shrouded in mystery, palely illumined by only the dimmest of rumours and half-facts. As a live entity the group seems to have begun sometime in 1978 (also the year that Friction, Japans first punk group formed), initially in a couple of strange duo line-ups, one of which included Tamio Shiraishi on synth. But soon after that it took on the familiar rock trio form, with Jun Hamano (of the legendary acid-splatter group Gaseneta) on bass, and a shady character called Takashima on drums. This version of the group lasted for about a year before falling apart, and documentation was pretty much non-existent. Until now. On the usual all-black textured paper gatefold, the only distinguishing mark is a small silver 1978. Unchanging timelessness is one of Fushitsushas most salient characteristics, and this release reveals that the groups radical dissection of rock rhythm, fracturing of attack and summoning of vibration was born entirely fully-formed. That the group has retained an identical level of intensity, experimentation and commitment for twenty-five years is a truly a testament to something. Either way, this is one more piece of a puzzle too vast to be grasped in its entirety by anyone other than Haino. And further proof, as if any was needed, that Fushitsusha are the most exciting rock group of the contemporary era. For those that pay attention to such things, the title means something approximately like It was eternity that reached out its hand first?