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The Band That Would Be King 
Summary
The Band That Would Be King is an album released by the Maryland rock group Half Japanese.[1][7] It was also their third and last studio album released on their label, 50 Skidillion Watts.[8]
| The Band That Would Be King | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, punk rock, lo-fi | |||
| Length | 46:17 | |||
| Label | 50 Skidillion Watts[1] | |||
| Producer | Kramer[2] | |||
| Half Japanese chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Robert Christgau | B−[2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| Pitchfork | 8.6/10[5] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 5/10[6] |
Critical reception edit
Trouser Press wrote that "a lot of the songs are fragmentary, and the music — a sloppy mess of guitars, harmonica and saxophones — sounds largely improvised, but a few tunes ('Some Things Last a Long Time,' 'Postcard from Far Away,' etc.) are genuinely delightful."[8]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Jad Fair, Don Fleming, J. Rice, Rob Kennedy & Scott Jarvis, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Open Your Eyes/Close Your Eyes" | 1:08 | |
| 2. | "Daytona Beach" (Ft. Fred Frith) | 1:47 | |
| 3. | "Lucky Star" | 2:21 | |
| 4. | "Some Things Last a Long Time" (Ft. George Cartwright) | 2:20 | |
| 5. | "My Most Embarrassing Moment" | 0:49 | |
| 6. | "Buried Treasure" | 1:05 | |
| 7. | "Open Book" | 1:00 | |
| 8. | "Little Records" | J. Fair, Fleming, Rice, Kennedy, Jarvis, David Fair | 1:17 |
| 9. | "Deadly Alien Spawn" | 2:36 | |
| 10. | "Postcard from Far Away" | 1:38 | |
| 11. | "Ventriloquism Made Easy" | 0:42 | |
| 12. | "Something in the Wind" | 0:38 | |
| 13. | "Bingo's Not His Nam-o" | 1:19 | |
| 14. | "Put Some Sugar on It" | 2:47 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "What More Can I Do?" (Ft. Fred Frith) | 1:24 | |
| 16. | "Brand New Moon" (Ft. George Cartwright) | 1:36 | |
| 17. | "Another World" | 1:34 | |
| 18. | "Every Word Is True" (Ft. Fred Frith) | 1:20 | |
| 19. | "I Live for Love" | Daniel Johnston | 2:06 |
| 20. | "Werewolf" | 1:30 | |
| 21. | "Ride Ride Ride" (Ft. John Zorn) | 0:31 | |
| 22. | "Sugarcane" | 2:31 | |
| 23. | "I Wish I May" | 1:32 | |
| 24. | "Ashes on the Ground" | Mark Jickling, David Fair | 2:41 |
| 25. | "Curse of the Doll People" | 0:33 | |
| 26. | "Horseshoes" | 2:11 | |
| 27. | "Bluebirds" (Ft.George Cartwright) | 1:39 | |
| 28. | "Frankenstein Meets Billy the Kid" | 0:56 | |
| 29. | "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" | 1:11 | |
| 30. | "Africans Built the Pyramids" | 1:35 |
(last three only mentioned on label, not on the sleeve)
Personnel edit
Half Japanese
- Jad Fair – vocals, guitar, harmonica
- Don Fleming – guitar, vocals
- Mr. J. Rice – guitar
- Rob Kennedy – bass
- Scott Jarvis – drums
- Kramer – organ, bass
Guest Musicians
- Fred Frith – guitar on 2, 15, 18
- George Cartwright – saxophone on 4, 16, 27
- John Zorn – saxophone on 21
Production
- Kramer – recording, mixing, production
- David Fair – cover
References edit
- ^ a b Jenkins, Mark (September 13, 1989). "THE REMAINING HALF OF HALF JAPANESE" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
- ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: Half Japanese". www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ "The Band That Would Be King - Half Japanese | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 74.
- ^ Masters, Mark (February 2, 2015). "Half Japanese - The Band That Would Be King". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 174.
- ^ Buckley, Peter (August 10, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843531050 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "Half Japanese". Trouser Press. Retrieved 10 August 2020.