New Monster Attack Team magazine - Monsters , giant robots , and Rock 'n'Roll - out soon !

Working on getting a link , but , until then , you can check out the website and the Face Book page , both accessible on Google under "Monster Attack Team''.

THE NEW ISSUE , #11 , IS SLATED TO FEATURE VARIOUS ULTRAMEN FROM OVER THE YEARS , THE NEW KAMEN RIDER (AKA Masked Rider.)TV SHOW , AND A SUPER - SPECIAL EVENT ORGANIZED BY EDDIE HOLLAND , MY FRIEND OF NEARLY 3O YEARS AND U.S. NAVAL MAN , THE FIRST ACTUAL SCREENING OF THE NEW "GODZILLA " MOVIE IN JAPAN , FOR AMERICAN SERVICEMEN STATIONED IN JAPAN ,WITH HONORED GUEST , HARUO NAKAJIMA , FIRST MAN TO PLAY GODZILLA , A POSITION HE HELD FOR 30 YEARS.

It will also feature a revised version of my article on Japanese Group Sound music that originally appeared in Roctober magazine. The article covers an extremely rare American appearance by three surviving members of The Golden Cups (One of Japan's top mid - late 60's groups.) and Allan Merrill , American Musician based in Japan in the late 60's - mid 70's. He played in the well , dynamite , Group Sound outfite , The Dynamites , Japan's first Glam Rock band , Vodka Collins , before relocating to England , where he fronted Arrors , with whom you bet your ass he wrote and recorded the original "I Love Rock'n'Roll" in 1975. Holland assures readers that mine was the only in - depth overview of the Group Sound Scene since Riolling Stone covered the waning days of the movement in '69 , though , to be fair , there was an article in "Freakbeat , U.S.A." ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO. 

Well , if you dig this stuff , please check out the Face Book Page and the website. Great stuff awaits your perusal.              John Battles.

 

Boy , I fronted some "Arrors" , too. Sorry. Merrill's band , briefly popular in England and Western Europe , was called Arrows. And ,there's no "e" in outfit.

 

I think this sounds quite promising, especially the Japanese bands that need to be heard in Britain. Come on BBC, show what you are made of and get Godzilla to trample Jimmy Savile's grave. Atone, before it's too late, and play some good J-rock on 6Music.

Chris , Well , your own Alec Palao and Ace Records have been doing the great "G.S.(Group Sound) I Love You"series. I used to go see bands like Guitar Wolf , 5,6,7,8's , Teengenerate , King Bros. , etc , but , in my mind , that stuff has'nt aged well. Jackie and The Cedrics were insane when I saw them about 15 years ago , but , I've always been more interested in Group Sound , and even early Japanese "Rockabiri" and Elecki (Surf and Ventures - influenced Instrumental Rock.). 

Does Jimmy Saville even have a public gravesite ?

I'm quite into Tekashi Terauchi, as he is second to none.

By the way, Savile lies in an unmarked grave after his ornate headstone was pulled down due to public pressure on his family.

YES !!! I always forget how to say or spell his name. I have two Terauchi collections on Ace , but , Yuzo Kayawa is generally considered the forebearer of the Elecki movement....He got into some crazy movie soundtrack music and fuzzed out Space Age Bachelor Pad Rock , later on. He'sstill active. There's footage of him with The Ventures on YouTube. I guess teh two of them were closely connected , but , rivals , all the same.           That's kind of what I would have expected , re. Savile. He was virtually unknown in America , even after the scandal. I only knew him via "Go Go Mania"when I was younger. 

I've got quite a few Japanese group sounds artists in my collection, one singer was born (apparently) in Essex. I've got a few Japanese Bossa Novas, The Mops, Takashi Terauchi and The Golden Cups. Who else would you recommend?

Born in Essex ? I wonder who that is ? I'd recommend Yuzo Kayawa , AND , what's that guy's name , the "Japanese Elvis" (Late 50's)...His material was recently released on CD and on a full length 10" LP.

Group Sound - Spiders , Carnabeats , Dynamites (Feat. Allan Merrill.) , Tigers , Beavers , and .....there's a lot of others...I HAVE A FEW COMPS WITH LESSER - KNOWN BANDS WHOSE NAMES I FORGET.....

i GOT TYHAT RECENT "Flowers Acid and Poetry" or whatever the Hell it's called , a volume dedicated to early Japanese Hard Rock/Psych , like Glue , Speed and Shin . It's a fine series , but , that particular volume stands out. Flower Travelling Band's first album was re - released a few years ago. I could'nt see paying $25 for it , though.....

I still like a group called Mescaline Drive , an all - female band from the mid - late 80's (Pre - Japanese Garage craze.). Kinda Psychedelic Power Pop , or something , lotsa good hooks.