Les Rallizes Dénudés - Jittoku '76

Les Rallizes Dénudés - Jittoku '76

Opened in 1973, Jittoku is one of Kyoto’s most iconic venues, housed in a renovated traditional storehouse. While Les Rallizes Dénudés often played in their hometown, fans always eagerly awaited their return to the old city. This newly discovered tape captures their July 30, 1976 performance at Jittoku.

“Something is different about the Rallizes in Kyoto. They just sound different,” those close to the band have long said.

The 1976 lineup featured original members Takashi Mizutani (vocals/guitar) and Takashi Nakamura (guitar), joined by Hiroshi Nar (bass)—formerly of Zunou Keisatsu and Datetenryu—and drummer Sami (Toshiro Mimaki), who had been part of both the OZ staff and OZ Band in Tokyo. Many consider this period one of the band’s most vital. In 1976 the Rallizes began appearing at the newly opened YaneUra in Shibuya on an almost-monthly basis, while the music critic Akira Aida led efforts to produce a demo to try to get the band signed to Virgin Records (UK). That year the Rallizes also took part in the 3rd annual Sunset Carnival in Ishikawa prefecture on August 3 and 4, stopping in Kyoto on the way to the festival for two nights at Jittoku.

Recorded on a Marantz cassette deck using its internal mics, the tape unfortunately cuts off during the final track, “The Last One.” Still, producer Makoto Kubota recognized its potential and worked to revive the original performance’s spirit and shape it into an album.

Though recorded just months before ‘77 Live, Jittoku ‘76 features a notably different setlist. “Dream Again Today,” “Carnival,” and “Saw the Night in Your Eyes” appear for the first time. “Wilderness of False Flowers” is presented in a more aggressive, uptempo arrangement. The version of “Hibiscus Flower” heard here—hard, heavy, and essentially a new song—is unlike the one included with The Last One (Poésies) lyric book.

Jittoku ‘76 stands comfortably alongside ‘77 Live as an album that captures the raw energy that has always defined Les Rallizes Dénudés. 
releases July 23, 2025 

Since their inception in Kyoto in 1967, Les Rallizes Dénudés has gained an almost mythical status the world over with their unrelenting psychedelia and pure sonic assault. Led by the enigmatic Takashi Mizutani, the Rallizes remained an underground cult phenomenon throughout their three decade existence, and beyond. 
https://lesrallizesdenudes.bandcamp.com/

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Les Rallizes Dénudés - 屋​​​根​​​裏 YaneUra Sept. '80

Les Rallizes Dénudés - 屋​​​根​​​裏 YaneUra Sept. '80

While Les Rallizes Dénudés’ YaneUra Oct. ‘80 (DRFT13) was being prepared for release, a mysterious tape was unearthed. Discovered amid the piles of recordings left behind by frontman Takashi Mizutani, the undated cassette contained no recording info, and was referred to as “Unknown” during the archival process. There was no mistaking the sound that was heard on the tape, however: the twin guitar interplay between Mizutani and Fujio Yamaguchi, the former Murahachibu guitarist whose addition to the Rallizes ushered in a new era for the band.
This particularly clean recording was initially thought to be a forgotten studio recording, as corroborated by ex-members and others close to the band. Ultimately, upon further research and meticulous listening, it was determined that the tape in fact contained a board recording of a set played at YaneUra in Shibuya, Tokyo, on September 11, 1980. The raw intensity of this performance feels far removed from the tight sound heard on YaneUra Oct. ‘80, which occurred just a month later.
Fittingly titled YaneUra Sept. ‘80, this album begins with “Flame of Ice,” which heats up considerably as the song reaches the middle point. Then, coming down like an avalanche are wilder than usual versions of “Reapers of the Night” and “The Night, Assassin’s Night,” followed by “The Last One.”
YaneUra Sept. ‘80 captures a flashpoint in the band’s Fujio-era lineup, which ultimately lasted only half a year or so. At the same time, it is bursting with the bottomless potential that the 1980s Les Rallizes Dénudés possessed deep within.
releases February 1, 2025

Since their inception in Kyoto in 1967, Les Rallizes Dénudés has gained an almost mythical status the world over with their unrelenting psychedelia and pure sonic assault. Led by the enigmatic Takashi Mizutani, the Rallizes remained an underground cult phenomenon throughout their three decade existence, and beyond.

https://lesrallizesdenudes.bandcamp.com/
https://www.lesrallizesdenudes-official.com/

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Les Rallizes Dénudés - BAUS '93

Les Rallizes Dénudés - BAUS '93

BAUS ‘93 contains the storied comeback performance from Baus Theater in Kichijoji, Tokyo, which took place on February 13, 1993 in what was their first live appearance in five years. BAUS ‘93 follows the widely acclaimed worldwide release of CITTA’ ‘93, which captured the Rallizes’ fiery gig that took place four days later at Club Citta’ in Kawasaki.

Newly mixed and mastered by Makoto Kubota, BAUS ‘93 features the previously unheard live recording meticulously restored using the original 8-channel digital multitrack masters, as well as additional sources including cassettes recorded off of the mixing board and from the audience.

The Rallizes’ lineup at Baus Theater consisted of Takashi Mizutani (Vocals, Guitar), Katsuhiko Ishii (Guitar), Kiyohiro Takada (Bass), Toshiro Mimaki (Drums). Featuring a rhythm section different from the lineup heard at Club Citta’, the band on BAUS ‘93 performed with an approach and intensity that took the performance to next levels.

The DVD contains a 23-minute video of the Baus performance, originally shot and newly edited by Akira Uji, who often handled on-stage visuals for the Rallizes.

BAUS ‘93 includes liner notes written by music writer Jennifer Lucy Allan, whose writings have been featured on The Wire and The Quietus and whose radio show can be heard on the BBC. The package also includes an essay by Julian Cope, whose idiosyncratic book Japrocksampler introduced the Japanese rock underground to many around the globe.  


Since their inception in Kyoto in 1967, Les Rallizes Dénudés has gained an almost mythical status the world over with their unrelenting psychedelia and pure sonic assault. Led by the enigmatic Takashi Mizutani, the Rallizes remained an underground cult phenomenon throughout their three decade existence, and beyond.

https://lesrallizesdenudes.bandcamp.com/

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Les Rallizes Dénudés - 屋​根​裏 YaneUra Oct. '80

Les Rallizes Dénudés - 屋​根​裏 YaneUra Oct. '80

 
In 1980, Les Rallizes Dénudés welcomed guitarist Fujio Yamaguchi (The Dynamites, Murahachibu, Teardrops) to its fold. The unconventional pairing of inimitable Rallizes frontman Mizutani with Fujio’s unrestrained, bluesier styles ushered in a new era for the band that excited fans old and new. This unique arrangement lasted less than a year, but the lineup would leave behind a long lasting impact among Rallizes fans that can still be felt to this day.

Among the seven gigs played by the Fujio-era lineup, one particular show stood out from the rest. YaneUra Oct. ‘80 contains the blistering performance that took place on October 29, 1980 at the original Yaneura live house in Shibuya, Tokyo. This night, one of a series of gigs played at Yaneura by this lineup, has always been considered one of the certifiable classics among the live tapes that circulated among Rallizes aficionados. Newly mixed and mastered from the best available sources by Rallizes member Makoto Kubota, YaneUra Oct. ‘80 is the long-awaited, first-ever official release of this show.

Built upon the tight rhythm section of bassist Doronco (Kiyohiro Takada) and drummer Kodo Noma, the violent interplay between the twin guitars of Mizutani and Fujio was known to have generated a jet-black aura that would permeate the air during each performance. The intense, 30-minute-plus medley of “I’m the Darkness” leading into “Flame of Ice” in particular can be considered one of the defining performances of the Rallizes entire career.
released August 16, 2024

https://lesrallizesdenudes.bandcamp.com/music

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