New and Improved Boris!

OK, lets take another stab at the Boris thing, we've stumbled around with this long enough.......I think Brian Parker is back on track with us again, at least part time, I should have probably started him out on an easier post than the mammoth Boris, but I was sick and etc......so let's just take another stab at it. By the way, Mr. Parker has a blog of his own, a very, very young effort, and I know that he would love for the good folks who frequent this site to give it a look and see what you think:

howdthehellyougethere.blogspot.com

Give it a look, please, we're all part of the same team here......

OK, some of these albums might have been posted the other day, I don't feel like checking, I'm going to start at the beginning and put up the Boris albums that I have on my shelves and post them, most of the commentary given will be from Brian, (if it is mine, I'll let you know, but who among us could not recognize my unmistakeable wordsmithery?

So, Boris have been around since the mid-90's, and they are for my dough the best of the Japanese bands, rocking, innovative, experimental......Eternal Elysium, to be accurate, made some damn good albums as well (including the classic "SpiritualizeD), but the volume and experimentation of Boris work renders them as champions. The original crew was drummer/voclaist Atsuo, Bassist Ohtani, and guitarist Wata......

OK, these lads have a rather complicated and extensive catalouge, sort of a Japanese version of the Melvins (?).....some REALLY good, some not so much, but all daring and imaginative......I like it all, you may not, but we'll try to guide you if you wish to cherry pick....

OK, the first proper album is "Absolutego" from 1996......this is a gimmick that has been used before, such as Sleep's "Dopesmoker" and one of the Atomic Bitchwax albums, ie, one lengthy track domination an album.......I think this is a pretty good effort, myself, lets see what my protege Brian thinks:
"The band's first release, and quite an audacious one. While it follows in the same vein as that other epic timestamp work - Sleep's DOPESMOKER - it favors high pitch squall along with the epic trudge. While I wouldn't recommend it as your first listen, for those with patience, this one pays off. This is in a "Special Low Frequency Version"...a loving tribute to EARTH 2.
(Tracks: 1.AbsoluteGo/2.Dronevil 2)" (Brian)........Scott: couldn't have put it better myself, here is the link for this semi-classic:
http://www19.zippyshare.com/v/h3WNKfGd/file.html
Next up, we have my (Scott's) personal favorite, "Amplifier Worship", an unknown classic, stateside at least......Long, trippy heavy tracks, "Vomitself" stands out, but the whole thing adds up to a wonderful four star effort......Brian, what do you have to say about it?

"This one lives up to it's fucking title! Here, the band fully indulges in their Melvins fetish, especially on "Vomitself". The longer songs manage to mutate over their running length (say like on "Ganbou-Ki"). The amazing thing about Boris is how they can mix their doom stomp along with their more thrashier psych-rock side, say on a song like "Hama". For fans of Earth, Sleep, or the doom-like side of the Melvins. And not to take anything away from the later stuff, but Boris never made anything this balls-to-the wall heavy again.
>(Tracks: 1.Huge/2.Ganbou-Ki/ 3.Hama/4.Kurumizu/ 5.Vomitself)" (Brian)
http://www19.zippyshare.com/v/SOpR6DcP/file.html

Next we have 2000's "Flood".....it's a damn fine album as well, might as well let Brian inform you on this one as I agree with him pretty much......
"Here is where the band really started to indulge in it's psychedelic side. Song titles are simply "Flood" 1-4. Very spacey and atmospheric, in a wandering sort of way, with lyrical heaviness for texture. Boris doing ambient, if you will. Good one to fall asleep to."-Brian........(Scott: It is an DAMN fine album, psychdecelic and droning, and another one for the ages)
http://www19.zippyshare.com/v/IU3OzTsE/file.html

So, two years later, they gave us "Heavy Rocks", yet another decent effort, but in my mind not as great as the previous two, but still DAMNED interesting and hard rocking, Brian says:
Putting the year there is important, since nine years later they released an album with the same name. This is one of their Japan-only releases, and needs all the more exposure because of that. Their first album that touched on all of their musical aspects, pointing the way to later American albums like PINK and SMILE. 

(Tracks: 1.Heavy Friends/2.Korosu/ 3.Dyna-Soar/ 4.Wareruraido/5.Soft Edge/6.Rattlesnake/7.Death Valley/ 8.Koei/9.Kane -The Bell Tower of a Sign/10.1970).....(Scott here now), yep, the difference between "Heavy Rocks" and Heavy Rocks 2011 Is signnificnat, we'll get to that one in a while, if not tonight then tomorrow.........

http://www19.zippyshare.com/v/1xCVbopd/file.html

So why not "Akuma No Uta", yet another fine album, so what say you Brian?......well:
"The band's first wide release in America, and immediately distinctive for it's Nick Drake cover homage. It opens with the familiar trudge of "Introduction", before breaking into the thrashers of "Ibitsu" and "Hama". "Naki Kyoku" - the longer centerpiece of the album and best track IMO - starts in beautiful echoing dreaminess before Wata comes in with some of her best groove-riding guitar work ever!
>(Tracks: 1.Introduction/2.Ibitsu/3.Furi /4.Naki Kyoku/5.Ano Onna No Onryou/6.Akuma No Uta)"
http://www19.zippyshare.com/v/mRbMAxS0/file.html

And so, what next from this fine and criminally underappreciated band? Well, another, mega-opus, "Boris At Last, Feedbacker", which is again, a single disc split into five parts......again, a fine disc and one that I feel is essential......(Track List: 01 Feedbacker 01/02 Feedbacker 2/03 Feedbacker III/04 Feedbacker IV/05 Feedbacker V...This motherfucker rockes the house as well, really, as ALL of thier discs do......please appreciate this great shit as it is among the great non-English rock n roll ever recorded.
http://www19.zippyshare.com/v/ko7C0t2r/file.html

The next releases from these quasi-geniuses were "The Thing Which Solomon OVerlooked" an "The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked Volume 2".....OK, let's be honest here......I am NOT  crazy about these discs, they are droning, instro-hypnotic efforts, simply not my cuppa tea......if you dig it here it is, but hey, it's not for me......
The Things WHich Solomon Overlooked Volume 1
http://www19.zippyshare.com/v/jow5Cxc9/file.html
The Things Which Solomon Overlooked Volume 2
http://www19.zippyshare.com/v/nGpPfUO8/file.html

Next up we have 2005's two-disc set, "Dronevil", this is a fine set imo, it's up to you guys if you like this stu8ff or not, by now, More long, droning tunes, hey, it's better than The Outlaws, or something, if ya don't like it, well, there's always Foreigner for ya to listen to......
DRONEVIL DISC 1
http://www16.zippyshare.com/v/HfXRKkgx/file.html
DRONEVIL DISC 2
http://www16.zippyshare.com/v/WI5LJkQ1/file.html

So, in 2005 they released a soundtrack album to the Japanese film"Mabuta no Ura"....best as I can determine, no such film exists, OK then....these dudes were more out there than I AM, which is saying something.......But, hey, this is a decent release as well....
http://www16.zippyshare.com/v/zgg2my7F/file.html

OK, 2006's "Pink" is a damn fine album as well, more along the lines of their earler, sludgier, uglier stoner rock.....it's a great album, and damn near essential....this is likely the most "famous" Boris album (although not necessarily the BEST), here be the track list:  01 Pink/02 Woman on the Screen/03 Nothing Special/04 Blackout/05 Electric/06 Six, Three Times/07Afterburner/08 Psuedobread/09 My Machine/10 Farewell/11 Just Abandoned Myself
http://www16.zippyshare.com/v/6kzeeG1J/file.html

So, next up, we have the infamous "Vein", a collection of "untitled" tracks........hope ya like it, it is Boris to the core without question......
http://www15.zippyshare.com/v/66qgJlJ5/file.html

Next relese was "Smile", yet another good one, Hell, I'm TIRED of trying to straighten this this shit out, why not let Brian give his estimatiom of this disc?:
"Some criticisms of this album mark it as too similar to PINK, as if Boris were repeating themselves. That's crap. This release is even tighter than that album. "Statement" just socks you in the gut, while you also have the devastating beauty of "Flower Sun Rain" and "Kare Hateta Saki". Like PINK, this album is also radically different in its U.S. release compared to its Japanese one."

Yep, sounds about right to me.....this is a fine album as well and if you guys have caught the Boris addiction by NOW, you'll wanna  hear this one as WELL!....
Well, to be all-inclusive, we have included not only the US version of "Smile", but also the "Live" version as well as the  Japanese version...nmae yer fuicking poison, do you have a fucking clue how much work this is?

SMILE-Japanese Version-http://www2.zippyshare.com/v/gg4YLhlw/file.html
SMILE-US Version -http://www2.zippyshare.com/v/upfp5RH5/file.html
SMILE-Live Version-http://www2.zippyshare.com/v/gVLsEOXn/file.html

OK, that's gonna bout do it for today.....plenty more BORIS to come in the next couple days, I COULD put it up tonight, but guess what? I FUCKING DONT FEEL LIKE IT......thanks loads to my protege Brian, I think he is going to be a HUGE help to me over time, as I finish the Boris thing, he is working on a Swans thing, which is tremendous......what with him, nad the Greek Punk, and the Dave Sez stuff, I can become an internet star and never do a goddamn thing!!!! nota really, I thank all my helpers, you guys are great and I could never do this without ya......Brian Parker deserves TONS of credit for helping me put this Boris post together, as he will the remaining sections of it......he's a wonderful young man, and please check his blog which I linked earlier in this post.......THANKS BRIAN, and you HAVE BEEN a tremendous help in keeping this blog up and running!