Sadistic Mika Band
Hot! Menu

Plastic Ono Band...? No no, you read correctly: Sadistic Mika Band. As in: night and day. Because Kazuhiko Kato and Mika Fukui were the exact opposite of John Lennon and Yoko Ono; because they were more interested in singing (when necessary) about sex, squalor, and various filth than about how to change the world or send messages of universal peace and love; about the itching and moods of a Tokyo more perverse and depraved than ever, that of the '70s, the same one with armed bands and urban guerrillas; launching (she, Mrs. Kato) unlikely and shameless declarations of love to Hollywood stars ("Hi, Jack!" - Nicholson, to be clear). Well: in '72 they put together, almost on a whim, this quartet whose name says it all.

For the local scene, they immediately represented something new: very far from the psychedelia of the Flower Travellin' Band and the Acid Space of much Japanese Rock, their sounds impressed (and seduced) even the West. Glam Rock, they said, rightly so; after all, Kato had already done his "formative" journey to London: stationed in Kensington, closely admiring (and taking notes from) Bowie and Bolan, and an as yet unknown group then taking its first steps, a group as much "rock" as "sexy". That genius yet unusual combination had become an obsession for Kato and his wife, who upon returning home hastily recorded the debut album of the newly born Sadistic; those exotic temptations, those sounds so sensual yet robust, strong, even dirty at times, caught the attention of Harvest, which re-released the record in England. The success (not resounding, but significant) was certainly favored by the not insignificant friendships of guitarist Kazuhiko: Malcolm McLaren, Chris Thomas (producer of the second album, "Kurofune," recorded in London), and especially Bryan Ferry and Phil Manzanera, who wanted them on tour supporting Roxy (a memorable performance at Wembley). Today it seems like nothing: but in that still so Anglo-centric musical universe, for a Japanese band to be called to support a leading group in its genre was a noteworthy achievement.

Moreover, in '75 they even appeared on the BBC, playing their classic ("Suki Suki Suki") in front of the Old Grey Whistle Test audience; and in the same year, the masterpiece "Hot! Menu" was released, the summa of the "sadistic" philosophy. A few lineup changes in the meantime: the future YMO Yukihiro Takahashi replaced Hiro Tsunoda on drums, and the keyboardist Yu Imai had become an official member. But what matters most is the inherent value of the album: those who say "great Japanese Glam album" actually do our friends a disservice; this is a great album, period. Complete, lyrically varied, musically unpredictable, bordering on perfection. There isn’t a single weak episode: it's listened to as one listens to "For Your Pleasure" and "Stranded," without wanting to make comparisons, it's appreciated as one appreciates a milestone. And no one should be offended if I use this definition.

Glam? Art-Rock? Prog, at least in a broad sense? Yes, of course, a bit of everything: with eclecticism and maturity that are frightening. The instrumental "Mummy Doesn’t Go To Parties Since Daddy’s Dead" (a title utterly Zappa-esque) is a wonder for the ears, and one of the most beautiful pieces of those years: against the backdrop of children running around, it opens with what initially seems like a languid arpeggiated slow-blues, then develops into classic Canterbury-like atmospheres, evoked by a sweet and moving keyboard blend that gives you goosebumps. On the lead guitar is Masayoshi Takanaka, very close to the Manzanera of “Diamond Head” but very “Floydian” in inspiration; in "Time To Noodle," he is the protagonist, at least in the second part when bass and electric piano have already guided the piece onto frenetically funky tracks, and the mellotron has allowed itself an atmospheric and reflective opening, just to leave nothing out. "Mada Mada Samba" is the most catchy (and irresistible-listen to the guitar solo) episode, “Okinawa” the one most linked to certain classical R’n’R as well as 60s J-Pop. And then, a nice mid-tempo with splendid harmonic passages ("Aquablue") and a moody "Funkee Mahjong" surrounding the 6 minutes of "Hi! Jack", the ones that obviously caused the most stir at the time: Mika starts singing in her language and ends in English, saying to her silver screen idol "your life is broken into FIVE EASY PIECES, but if you want I can put them back together"...

...for the record: shortly after, Mika will cheat on Kazuhiko and flee to England to become Chris Thomas's woman. Kato would have a decent career as a host, regularly dabbling in the world of Japanese show-business. Several reunions of SMB would take place, still dignified, in memory of the golden years.

As for you, I just need to tell you one thing: if you’re looking for THE Japanese album of the Seventies, this is one of the candidates.