Dr. Lovecraft

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Saturday, September 29, 2007

The Helpful Soul • The Helpful Soul First Album (Victor, 1970)


Doppelgangers', perhaps the most misunderstood of whatever deity runs this plane of existence. All they want is to use something original to pattern itself after, then prove that it's just as good - or even better. Sad things, never seem to get it right...A dogs front paws aren't turned inward, no mater how much of an improvement that would be over nature...humans have four fingers and a thumb, where three fingers would be more aesthetically pleasing...with that in mind, let us investigate tonight's LP "The Helpful Soul • First Album" 1970. Where most Japanese rock is colorful for it's taking a western art form and making it meld with a different sensibility, The Helpful are a bar band who just can't get it right. Plodding rhythms, a drummer who isn't paying attention, the bass and guitar not being introduced properly. But best of it is the vocalist. If you thought Lawrence Hammond of Mad River was singing his way through a hot foot, then Junio Nakahara is suffering from shaken front man syndrome. And how The Helpful solder on through what is basically a covers's album. The lone original song "Peace For Fools" starts out in the middle of When The Music's Over, and ends with the main riff from Ina Godda Davida being played over and over! What you get outside of that is over long blues songs, and 3 Hendrix covers. Hendrix, not unlike The Beatles, is so idiosyncratic that covers rarely work. Yet, because the band is so sub par, that saves the performances. There is something fun hearing "Virtuoso" music being knocked down to the masses. One would think from my above words that I don't like the band. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's incompetent, but great! The drums plod away, The guitar player is convinced that he's better than he is, and the bass isn't on speaking terms with the rest of the band. Oh, and that singer, quaking away at the mike! The overall effect if like Idiot Ambiance. I find when I put on the CD, I can't think about anything but what I'm doing at the moment. many an operation was performed quickly, saving the client money and their life...
Thanks must be made to Julian Cope for coming up with a little more information about the band. See his website WWW.japrocksampler.com

Please click on the review title for sample track: Peace For Fools

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