Speed, Glue & Shinki – “Eve” – [Phoenix Records]

Seminal Japanese underground band, released in 1971. ??The name comes from the favored drugs of drummer and bassist respectively, plus guitarist Shinki Chen (apparently considered the “Japanese Hendrix” of the day)

Japanese music is often a bizzaro world transformation of western pop; here, we input late-60s heavy sounds ala Blue Cheer and Hendrix, and out comes this warped gem. ??Like much of J-psych, vocals are the weak point. ??A bunch of “hip” phrases gleaned from American records and movies, strung together in an attempt at Hendrix cool, the result is, at times, painful.

Musically, we have glorious proto-stoner rock, heavy riffs, fuzz, and blues guitar.