WOOOOWIE. HAPPY NEW YEAR. HOPE YOU HAD A MERRY CHRISTMAS? These last few months have been a complete ride, haven't they? Outside of the fact that a lot in my personal life has changed (and not that anyone should care particularly about that matter, but it is my blog after all), the world is just an entire mess right now. War, political drama and turmoil, deaths, huge losses in culture and music and film... and just life in general has been going strong throughout all this time. I think that has been the excuse or justification enough for me to just dive myself deep into old classics and stuff I had not checked out for literal years. I had promised myself to continue updating this small corner of mine as constantly as I could during 2025, something that I failed miserably due to a lot of personal things, which lead to half of that year just letting finally myself sink into my own pity... and the huge pending list of mutual friends recommendations that had been growing steady for almost 8 years. I tackled all of it to the very end, crossing it all out, and leading me into checking out all the classic psych and prog albums that had formed a part of my adolescence in order to clean up my storage, and as a reminder of why I had fallen in love with the music to begin with. Either way, it was a musical bubble I had locked myself in, but that really helped with my wellbeing I think.
Then again, and not that it matters to anyone, I AM BACK.
In the midst of all that experience, from time to time I was choosing and curating stuff from my huge bootleg collection and went back into the good old disgusting, annoying, unbereable, puzzling and wonderful world of trading. So now I can confidently say I can come back to this small corner of mine and continue to share the gems that I have acquired and that I have rediscovered, dedicating myself once again to just sharing music with anyone who cares. And there is no better way to start again than with small steps.
Tipographica is a band that I hold very dear, because it was one of the first three Japanese prog bands that I had ever discovered. Flower Travellin' Band, Shingetsu and Tipography were THE gateway for me to get into Japanese prog, and responsable for me to fall even deeply more in love with the genre and to get interested with all that it had to offer coming from that country. Of course, being birthed from Tsuneo Imahori & company (an ensemble where checking out the discography of every single member involved leaves one diving into incredible rabbit holes of fantastic musical ensembles and collaborators that make one just appreciate how endless the stream of captivating music really is, and also the fact that ONCE AGAIN all roads lead inevitably to Otomo Yoshihide for one reason or another), it is no wonder that the band ended as one of the most unique and niche acts to take place in the japanese progressive rock scene, becoming a cornerstone and referent when it came to peformances, sound, attitude and just general influence to a bunch of acts like Happy Family. And even if it has maintained this reputation of a fairly niche band that most people probably will never hear about (despite Imahori having a huge reputation for being an iconic composer for iconic soundtracks like the original Trigun and Hajime No Ippo adaptations), it is truly unforgettable.
A place where Frank Zappa, Henry Cow and 70's Jazz Fusion blend together into a unique musical perspective that just bleeds of personality and talent. Only four albums were made officially under the project, but every single one of them showcases brilliant writing capabilities and just an incredible musical experience of the type that leaves the listener perplexed all throughout, because how on earth can someone come up with some compositions like Floating Opera or Forest Tipographical? Let alone, how can these be played so precisely? Not one record of a fumble or doubt in the studio takes, just pure chemistry and seamless effort during compositions that make one recognize musical influences while also mashing them into paths that lead to completely new and unique places. All of their albums are the type of first listening experiences that I would give anything to be able to experience once again, because there is simply no way to predict what on Earth will happen next.
Of their four official releases one is a live project that just showcases the fact not only were all these musicians brilliant and incredible on stage as they were in studio, but that they were just a completely different force onstage. The Man Who Does Not Nod stands out as a document of the incredible force the band was during their live performances, and because every single one of the songs presented there was a new composition, being a fantastic middle ground between their self titled and their absolutely brilliant God Says I Can't Dance. All six members are just something else entirely, and I had always wondered just how their complete shows would sound like, how they would feel like. Did they ever play their actual songs from the albums? Or was it almost entirely new material? And after years of those questions being present, I finally got my answers.
I acquired two fantastic live documents during last year, one of them being recorded during the self titled tour, in 1993, and the other one right during the promotion for GSICD, and both of them, while sharing things in common, just showcased how versatile, consistent, and incredible the band really was during their lifetime. They did, in fact, play a lot of their studio compositions, but there were also completely unique songs that might have been either rearranged versions of some songs of theirs as well as just an incredibly tight live jams that felt like a new experience. Either way, the band is just amazing. None of these recordings really live up to the quality of the polished official releases, with Shinjuku 1993 particularly being a bit muddy at times, but they are both just incredibly enjoyable and fantastic documents of one of my favorite Japanese prog bands. It was just a huge enjoyable time to try to identify as many recognizable tunes from them as possible during these recordings in order to tag them properly, but even then a lot of the "untitled" songs are just fantastic, really remarkable musical accomplishments that gave me a deeper appreciation to the evolution of the band. There are probably more recordings out there (I know one of their Farewell 1997 shows is uploaded to YouTube), but I haven't been able to get my hands on the actual raw files that are not noticeably compressed due to them being uploaded as online videos.
Either way, this is one way for me to express my love and appreciation towards this band (as well as a good way to properly return to this blog of mine, during my birthday I might add!). I hope that you guys get interested enough to not just listen to these recordings, but to really check out all the things related to them, specially considering the fact that GSICD is available for purchase and it being present with TMWDNN on all streaming platforms as well. It is truly delightful and joyful music with a very unique sound, performed by a group of individuals that was dedicated to their craft, creating some of the most enjoyable albums I have ever listened to in general. I JUST LOVE MUSIC AHHHHHHHH.
As always, whoever you are or whenever you get to read these words, I hope life is going well for you, that you always discover something new to fall in love with, and that you get to enjoy all the wonderful things music and life have to offer.
Thanks for reading! I hope you discovered, or rediscovered, something new with this. I promise I will be back with much much more!
GOD SAYS I CAN'T DANCE?????????
He's most probably right.
Artwork and Tagging Made by Yours Truly
Tipographica - Shinjuku Pit Inn, Shinjuku, Japan, 25-08-1993
1. Introduction / Shinjuku Untitled 1 (10:28)
2. Shinjuku Jam 1(17:14)
3. Shinjuku Untitled 2(7:14)
4. Shinjuku Untitled 3 (6:16)
5. Shinjuku Jam 2 (19:15)
6. The Turf Have Discovered Gravity (7:49)
7. Shinjuku Untitled 4 (6:01)
8. Forest Tipographical (7:43)
9. Shinjuku Untitled 5 (8:12)
10. And Then The Last Ship Is Going (6:26)
Tipographica - Electric Ladyland, Nagoya, Japan, 07-05-1996
1. Introduction (2:04)
2. Friends (7:48)
3. Banter 1 (1:22)
4. Control Tower Says, 'TP-1, Break Down.' (11:08)
5. Electric Ladyland Untitled 1 (9:42)
6. Banter 2 (1:40)
7. Electric Ladyland Untitled 2 (8:03)
8. Electric Ladyland Untitled 3 (10:47)
9. Electric Ladyland Untitled 4 (5:59)
10. Banter 3 (4:35)
11. And Then The Last Ship Is Going (9:44)
DOWNLOAD HERE:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gdida_r7WfJg5AtcRZRR79cRy5qi5vmG?usp=sharing
https://archive.org/details/tipographica-electric-ladyland-nagoya-japan-07-05-1996
https://archive.org/details/tipographica-shinjuku-pit-inn-shinjuku-japan-25-08-1993
























