Rounding the Friction bonanza is an album that became one of the most sought after records in Japanese rock. As mentioned before in my "Atsureki" post 3/3 (Sanbun No San) were a pre-Fiction band formed before the members relocated to New York in search of inspiration and glory. The reason this album became so sought after was because it was self recorded and only 10 handmade demo records were ever made. The band never got picked up by a label and so the album was swallowed up by the great rock'n'roll ether. After Frictions rise in popularity fans went in search of this holy grail and for many years the only way to get hold of the album was via a dodgy bootlegger who had obtained a cassette recording of the record and re-pressed it on vinyl complete with incorrect album artwork and track titles. Thankfully P-Vine in their reissue series have found one of the original vinyl prints, remastered it and as an extra bonus also uncovered a selection of previously unheard live recordings.
Disk 1 is the original 3/3 album with 2 added bonus tracks recorded during the same recording sessions. The album recorded in 1974 was very much of its time. Full on psychedelic rock'n'roll with some very impressive fret work that betrays the minimal sound the band later established with Friction. Disk 2 is a series of live recordings dating back to '76 and '77. Most intriguing is the inclusion of tracks like "Crazy Dream" that would later go on to become Friction staples. It's interesting hearing the evolution of the tracks from their earliest forms to how they were later represented in Friction. The pre and post-New York influence on their music being immediatley recognisable.
Not the musical milestone Friction would later become but none the less an excellent if not terribly original record and an essential listen for Friction fans who want a glimpse of how the band developed their distinct sound over the years.
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