Interesting list to say the least.


In the September 2007 issue of Rolling Stone Japan, contributing editor and Beikoku Ongaku founder Kawasaki Daisuke offered something brand new for Japan: a list of the 100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time. While these master rankings are part and parcel for RS in the United States, Japanese magazines have intentionally avoided compiling such a useful service for those hoping to bone up on local rock history. Kawasaki explains why:

The Japanese music magazine industry resembles what existed in America before the rise of Rolling Stone. That’s to say, record companies — the main advertisers — see their wishes strongly reflected on every page, and because of this, magazines’ main job is to praise new releases. Is that why we’ve never seen one of these lists? It’s a strange situation, almost like the entire industry is infected with the idea that they should not rank releases because it would “make the record companies angry.” But even with Japanese mystery novels, for example, those chosen by critics in the “Best Ranking” become very popular, and rankings are used as a buyer’s guide. Japanese rock music is an even bigger market than mystery novels, so isn’t it strange that there are no trustworthy “Best Ranking Lists”? We must change this ridiculous situation into something more normal.

Besides rare exceptions, Japanese music magazines very rarely give critical or numerical reviews to new music. When Rockin’ On Japan sells the cover story to the highest bidder, there’s no way they can then give that featured record one-and-a-half stars. Within Rolling Stone Japan’s somewhat foreign format, however, editors had wiggle room for an attempt at numerical review — at least in a retrospective manner.
Although no list like this can be perfectly objective nor complete, RSJ were mainly aiming to start a discussion towards a canonization of Japanese recorded music. (With no backlogs of critical review in old magazines to reference, the only way to construct a list like this is basically from “scratch.”) The article does not hide its goal: “With this story, we hope to stir things up. [この特集にて、そうした状況に一石を投じたい。]”
This month, RSJ began to achieve its goal when rival magazine Snoozer felt compelled to offer up their own list of “150 Greatest Albums of Japanese Rock’n'Roll” in the December issue. (The story is oddly titled 「ロック暗黒大陸ニッポン」: “Japan - the Dark Continent of Rock.”) The editors make it sound like they were forced to make their own ranking list in order to battle the suspicious choices over at RSJ: “We have long grown tired of seeing charts that have (Happy End’s) Kazemachi Roman at the top.” Although Snoozer gave the #1 spot to RC Succession’s 『楽しい夕にhttp://www.assoc-amazon.jp/e/ir?t=ne...9&a=B000BDJ6AQ』(an album not on the RS list), there is generally lots of overlap between the two lists. This, my friends, is how a canon is born!
So for your enjoyment, here is Rolling Stone Japan’s list of the 100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time. In order to give voice to the Snoozer effort, every album on both charts is followed with the Snoozer ranking position in parentheses. Artists who appear in Snoozer although with different album selections will be marked with a dagger (†), the Snoozer ranking position, and the alternate album choice.


The list is on here:
http://neojaponisme.com/2007/11/09/1...e-rock-albums/

[█████████]

crappy list

[super_charger]

This list needs at least one Ground Zero album to be considered ligitimate.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

i didn't even know there were a hundred japanese rock bands, I though they just bought all of our records!

Racist.

[Savage Clone]

Not the list I would have made, but at least The Jacks, Fushitsusha, P-Model, Flower Travellin' Band, Boredoms and some more good ones are on there.

It's a mixture of goodness with crapness and okness.

[Savage Clone]

Don't forget Loudness.

[dazedcola]

I wanted to see The pillows on that list. That band is fantastic!

[Everyneurotic]

it's nulled by the fact that both dir en grey and loudness are in there.

nice to see the stalin, violent onsen geisha and s.o.b. though

[PAULYBEE2656]

at least the fabulous plastics arre in there and the fushitsusha and something else... oh yeah, merzbow but no boredoms, ooioo, or even afrirampo???

[Savage Clone]

Boredoms are on there.

It's a very interesting list because it's from a Japanese perspective, first, and for odd things like ranking Cornelius higher than people like Boredoms. The Plastics are on there and, Denudes fans, so are The Jacks.

[Everyneurotic]

of course it's the japanese perspective, which explains why no melt-banana as they are barely known in their country but are close to massive everywhere else.

or mono or envy who are huge in this side of the world but hardly play in japan.

Well, Fushitsusha are on there, I doubt they went for stuff just because it's obscure or famous.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Everyneurotic

or mono or envy or eluvium who are huge in this side of the world but hardly play in japan.

Matthew Cooper isn't from Japan.

[Everyneurotic]

you're right! lapsus.

edited and corrected.

[batreleaser]

sure as fuck better list than the american rollingstone would make.

[batreleaser]

i just read it again though, mostly sucks, extreme music, which japan i think is best known for, is barely represented.

i like the pillows too

[acdc518]

no Acid Mothers Temple?