Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2016 at 8:00pm
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street San Francisco
Admission: $10.00 Limited Seating RSVP to RSVP@oddballfilms.com or (415) 558-8117
Web: http://oddballfilms.blogspot.com
Clips Include:
The Tielman Brothers: “Rollin’ Rock” (1959 or 1960, German TV).
Many Indonesians settled in the Netherlands in the mid-twentieth century. Of Indonesian descent, the Tielman Brothers were arguably the first band of Asian descent to make an international impact, though this was limited to Holland and some other parts of Europe. The influence of both rockabilly and early rock’n’roll bands like Bill Haley & the Comets is apparent from this early German television appearance, filmed in 1959 or 1960, depending on what source you read.
One of the earliest clips in our program supplies the most famous song, by far, in this presentation. Certainly this is the most famous of the program’s songs in the United States, as it went all the way to #1 here for three consecutive weeks starting on June 15, 1963. To this day, it’s one of the few songs in a language other than English to top the US charts, and the only Japanese one. Originally released in Japan in 1961 under the title “Ue o Muite Arukō” (“I Look Up As I Walk”), it was retitled “Sukiyaki” for the US market when it was released in this country on Capitol Records.
Tiny Yong: “Tais-Toi Petite Fille” (1964)
Surf music is also an influence on this no-punches-pulled dance number from an Indian movie of the same era. It’s at least as much Bollywood as rock, but that shouldn’t prevent its inclusion in a program such as this. Right?
The Golden Cups: ? (1968)
Comprised of both Indian and US musicians, Shanti were one of the few, if not the only, group fusing traditional Indian music with rock in the early 1970s. Operating out of Marin County, they issued one self-titled album on Atlantic before breaking up. The most famous member, tabla player Zakir Hussein, has gone on to play on many records of both Indian music and fusions of Indian music with jazz and other styles, collaborating with famous US and UK musicians like Mickey Hart, Bill Laswell, and John McLaughlin. Sarod player Aashish Khan also went on to a long, still-running career, though more oriented toward Indian music. I’m not sure when this clip (eighteen minutes long!) is from, but as Shanti’s only album came out in 1971, that’s a good bet. For more on the band, see my liner notes to the Real Gone label’s CD reissue of the album.
Can: “Vitamin C” (1972)
Can, one of the most internationally famous and influential German progressive rock bands of the 1970s, originally featured an American singer, Malcolm Mooney. When Mooney left, Can unpredictably replaced him in 1970 with Japanese singer Damo Suzuki, whom they came across when Suzuki was busking at a cafe in Munich. Suzuki would sing lead on their next few albums, which are usually regarded as Can’s most notable records, until leaving himself in 1973.
One of the most polarizing figures in all of popular culture, Japanese artist, filmmaker, and musician Yoko Ono remains most well known for her relationship with John Lennon, whom she married in 1969. Since the late 1960s, she has released many records, often in collaboration with Lennon before his death in 1980. Lennon plays guitar on this performance of “We’re All Water,” from their 1972 album Some Time in New York City, which was dominated by radical political material. Backing Ono, besides Lennon, is the New York band Elephant’s Memory, which also backed the pair on the album. The woman embracing Yoko at the end of the clip is star actress Shirley MacLaine, another guest of this episode of the Dick Cavett Show.
The Sand Pebbles: “What Should I Do” (1977)
Possibly the most famous Japanese alternative rock bands, and certainly one of the most esteemed all-women alternative bands from anywhere, Shonen Knife have maintained a fervent cult following for decades with their pop-punk sound. Among their big fans was Kurt Cobain, who told Melody Maker after seeing them play in 1991, “I’ve never been so thrilled in my whole life.” Not sure of a date for this rather primitive if charming early promotional video, but it probably originates from the mid-1980s.
Cibo Matto: “Birthday Cake” (May 6, 1997, Viva Variety)
Although New York-based, Cibo Matto were formed by two Japanese women, Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori. John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s son Sean Lennon became a member for their 1997 Super Relax, and plays bass on this clip. After splitting for nearly a decade, Cibo Matto reunited in 2011, playing the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park last year.
The 5.6.7.8’s: “Woo Hoo” (2002, The Jonathan Ross Show)
Discovering the Music of Japan (Color, 1967)
From educational film guru Bernard Wilets comes this examination of the traditional sounds of Japanese music, demonstrating three important Japanese instruments: the koto, the shakuhachi, and the shamisen. Includes performances of traditional singing and dancing, and pieces played by an ensemble of the three instruments.
More About Asian Rock:
Although rock music has been dominated by performers from North America and the United Kingdom, there have been Asian rock performers almost from rock’s inception. The clips on today’s program follow a roughly chronological progression, spanning about fifty years, from the late 1950s to the early twenty-first century. It’s not possible to cover every Asian territory from which rock musicians have emerged or descended, but this program features artists based in or descended from more than half a dozen countries, including Japan, India, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Many of the performers are obscure to US audiences, yet there are also clips of songs and musicians who’ve made huge inroads into the American and global market. A couple of these records got to #1 in the United States; one of the most famous musicians of all time (and, later, his son) appear in a couple clips; and a few of the most renowned all-women (or mostly women) bands from any country are represented, as is an internationally acclaimed soundtrack composer and actor. The styles encompassed include rockabilly, surf music, garage rock, indie rock, girl groups, psychedelia, punk, singer-songwriters, progressive rock, synth-pop, and more – in other words, nearly the entire gamut of what rock music itself has evolved through since its birth in the 1950s.
Please note that the quality of the footage, owing to the erratic nature of the source material, is uneven (though always watchable, and often excellent). The occasional flaws, shakes, gaps, and freezes that might seem as though they are flaws in the disc or projection equipment are found in the copies of the actual footage that has survived. This is a small price to pay, however, for being able to watch such rare and exciting stuff.
San Francisco resident Richie Unterberger is the author of numerous rock history books, including Unknown Legends of Rock'n'Roll and a two-part history of 1960s folk-rock,Turn! Turn! Turn! and Eight Miles High. His book The Unreleased Beatles: Music and Film won a 2007 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research. His latest books are White Light/White Heat: The Velvet Underground Day-By-Day and Won't Get Fooled Again: The Who from Lifehouse to Quadrophenia.
Go to his website, www.richieunterberger.com, for times of the next scheduled events, or sign up to be on his email announcement list at tonight's presentation. www.richieunterberger.com also has information about his books and other activities; his blog is at richieunterberger.com/wordpress.
About Oddball Films
Kyu Sakamoto: “Ue o Muite Arukō” (aka “Sukiyaki”) (early 1960s, Japan).
One of the earliest clips in our program supplies the most famous song, by far, in this presentation. Certainly this is the most famous of the program’s songs in the United States, as it went all the way to #1 here for three consecutive weeks starting on June 15, 1963. To this day, it’s one of the few songs in a language other than English to top the US charts, and the only Japanese one. Originally released in Japan in 1961 under the title “Ue o Muite Arukō” (“I Look Up As I Walk”), it was retitled “Sukiyaki” for the US market when it was released in this country on Capitol Records.Tiny Yong: “Tais-Toi Petite Fille” (1964)
As Vietnam was for many years a colony of France, many Vietnamese settled in France in the mid-twentieth century. Tiny Yong was born in Vietnam before moving to France, where she recorded some records in the French “yé-yé” style, which was heavily influenced by American girl groups, as well as a bit of the British Invasion. Fifty years ago (and still, to a certain degree, today) it was common for artists from non-English-speaking countries to record American and British hits in their own language, and “Tais-Toi Petite Fille” is actually a French-language cover of “Foolish Little Girl,” which had been a Top Five hit for one of the most successful US girl groups, the Shirelles, in 1963. In keeping with the girl group style, it’s more lushly arranged than the original version, Ms. Yong apparently having a hard time suppressing giggles in the instrumental break of this promotional video.
Mehmood Ali: “Aao Twist Karein” (1965, from the film Bhoot Bangla)
Mehmood Ali was something of the Chubby Checker of India. While songs about the twist had fallen out of fashion in the US by 1965, that didn’t stop Ali from featuring a twist number in this Indian movie, which gives the twist something of a Bollywood twist.
Yuzo Kayama & The Launchers: “Black Sand Beach” (1965, from the film Eleki No Wakadaisho) Surf-style instrumental music was huge in Japan in the 1960s, in large part due to the Ventures, who were huge superstars in the country. Yuzo Kayama & the Launchers were among the many Japanese surf-style bands that bore the Ventures’ influence.
Mohammed Rafi: “Gumnaam Dance Song” (1965, from the film Gumnaam)
Yuzo Kayama & The Launchers: “Black Sand Beach” (1965, from the film Eleki No Wakadaisho) Surf-style instrumental music was huge in Japan in the 1960s, in large part due to the Ventures, who were huge superstars in the country. Yuzo Kayama & the Launchers were among the many Japanese surf-style bands that bore the Ventures’ influence.
Mohammed Rafi: “Gumnaam Dance Song” (1965, from the film Gumnaam)
Surf music is also an influence on this no-punches-pulled dance number from an Indian movie of the same era. It’s at least as much Bollywood as rock, but that shouldn’t prevent its inclusion in a program such as this. Right?
The Golden Cups: ? (1968)
Gotta admit I don’t know the title of this song or the source of this clip, but it’s an example of Japanese psychedelic rock in a more serious vein.
Fanny: “Charity Ball” (November 1971, German TV)
Fanny: “Charity Ball” (November 1971, German TV)
Pioneers on two fronts, Fanny were both one of the first all-women bands who played their own instruments and wrote their own material to release major-label albums, and fronted by two Asian Americans: sisters June and Jean Millington. Both were born in the Philippines, moving to Sacramento in 1961, shortly before entering their teens.
Shanti: “Shanti” (circa 1971)
Shanti: “Shanti” (circa 1971)
Comprised of both Indian and US musicians, Shanti were one of the few, if not the only, group fusing traditional Indian music with rock in the early 1970s. Operating out of Marin County, they issued one self-titled album on Atlantic before breaking up. The most famous member, tabla player Zakir Hussein, has gone on to play on many records of both Indian music and fusions of Indian music with jazz and other styles, collaborating with famous US and UK musicians like Mickey Hart, Bill Laswell, and John McLaughlin. Sarod player Aashish Khan also went on to a long, still-running career, though more oriented toward Indian music. I’m not sure when this clip (eighteen minutes long!) is from, but as Shanti’s only album came out in 1971, that’s a good bet. For more on the band, see my liner notes to the Real Gone label’s CD reissue of the album.Can: “Vitamin C” (1972)
Yoko Ono: “We’re All Water” (May 3, 1972, Dick Cavett Show)
One of the most polarizing figures in all of popular culture, Japanese artist, filmmaker, and musician Yoko Ono remains most well known for her relationship with John Lennon, whom she married in 1969. Since the late 1960s, she has released many records, often in collaboration with Lennon before his death in 1980. Lennon plays guitar on this performance of “We’re All Water,” from their 1972 album Some Time in New York City, which was dominated by radical political material. Backing Ono, besides Lennon, is the New York band Elephant’s Memory, which also backed the pair on the album. The woman embracing Yoko at the end of the clip is star actress Shirley MacLaine, another guest of this episode of the Dick Cavett Show.The Sand Pebbles: “What Should I Do” (1977)
Although this film clip is dated as originating from 1977, this Korean band were playing in a psychedelic style more strongly associated with an era that had passed nearly a decade earlier.
The Yellow Magic Orchestra: “Firecracker” (1980, Soul Train)
With their early synth-pop sound, the Yellow Magic Orchestra made the biggest international impact of any Japanese act during the new wave era. Figurehead Ryuichi Sakamoto is one of the most renowned Japanese musicians on a global level, branching into soundtrack music on movies such as The Last Emperor and The Sheltering Sky, and acting alongside David Bowie in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.
Shonen Knife: “Kappa Ex” (mid-1980s)
Shonen Knife: “Kappa Ex” (mid-1980s)
Possibly the most famous Japanese alternative rock bands, and certainly one of the most esteemed all-women alternative bands from anywhere, Shonen Knife have maintained a fervent cult following for decades with their pop-punk sound. Among their big fans was Kurt Cobain, who told Melody Maker after seeing them play in 1991, “I’ve never been so thrilled in my whole life.” Not sure of a date for this rather primitive if charming early promotional video, but it probably originates from the mid-1980s.Cibo Matto: “Birthday Cake” (May 6, 1997, Viva Variety)
Although New York-based, Cibo Matto were formed by two Japanese women, Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori. John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s son Sean Lennon became a member for their 1997 Super Relax, and plays bass on this clip. After splitting for nearly a decade, Cibo Matto reunited in 2011, playing the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park last year.The 5.6.7.8’s: “Woo Hoo” (2002, The Jonathan Ross Show)
Probably the most internationally well-known Japanese all-women band except for Shonen Knife, the 5.6.7.8.’s take their inspiration from the rawer side of early American rock’n’roll. This song, with lyrics so minimal it verged on being an instrumental, was originally a hit for Virginia band the Rock-A-Teens in 1959.
16mm Selections from the Archive:
16mm Selections from the Archive:
A Balinese Gong Orchestra (Color, 1971)
A film explaining and documenting the famous "Gamelan Gong" that includes the orchestra Tunjuk. Each instrument is described and explained, then the orchestra performs a piece taken from the Ramayana ballet suite (written in the 1950s and based on traditional themes).
Discovering the Music of Japan (Color, 1967)
From educational film guru Bernard Wilets comes this examination of the traditional sounds of Japanese music, demonstrating three important Japanese instruments: the koto, the shakuhachi, and the shamisen. Includes performances of traditional singing and dancing, and pieces played by an ensemble of the three instruments.
Although rock music has been dominated by performers from North America and the United Kingdom, there have been Asian rock performers almost from rock’s inception. The clips on today’s program follow a roughly chronological progression, spanning about fifty years, from the late 1950s to the early twenty-first century. It’s not possible to cover every Asian territory from which rock musicians have emerged or descended, but this program features artists based in or descended from more than half a dozen countries, including Japan, India, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Many of the performers are obscure to US audiences, yet there are also clips of songs and musicians who’ve made huge inroads into the American and global market. A couple of these records got to #1 in the United States; one of the most famous musicians of all time (and, later, his son) appear in a couple clips; and a few of the most renowned all-women (or mostly women) bands from any country are represented, as is an internationally acclaimed soundtrack composer and actor. The styles encompassed include rockabilly, surf music, garage rock, indie rock, girl groups, psychedelia, punk, singer-songwriters, progressive rock, synth-pop, and more – in other words, nearly the entire gamut of what rock music itself has evolved through since its birth in the 1950s.
Please note that the quality of the footage, owing to the erratic nature of the source material, is uneven (though always watchable, and often excellent). The occasional flaws, shakes, gaps, and freezes that might seem as though they are flaws in the disc or projection equipment are found in the copies of the actual footage that has survived. This is a small price to pay, however, for being able to watch such rare and exciting stuff.
About Richie Unterberger:
He gives regular presentations on rock and soul history throughout the Bay Area incorporating rare vintage film clips and audio recordings, at public libraries and other venues. Since summer 2011, he has taught community education courses on various aspects of rock history of rock from 1955 to 1980. He'll be teaching a five-week course on 1960s San Francisco rock at the Fort Mason campus of City College on Saturday afternoons from mid-October/mid-November.
Go to his website, www.richieunterberger.com, for times of the next scheduled events, or sign up to be on his email announcement list at tonight's presentation. www.richieunterberger.com also has information about his books and other activities; his blog is at richieunterberger.com/wordpress.
About Oddball Films
Oddball Films is a stock footage company providing offbeat and unusual film footage for feature films like Milk, documentaries like The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, Silicon Valley, Kurt Cobain: The Montage of Heck, television programs like Mythbusters, clips for Boing Boing and web projects around the world.
Our screenings are almost exclusively drawn from our collection of over 50,000 16mm prints of animation, commercials, educational films, feature films, movie trailers, medical, industrial military, news out-takes and every genre in between. We’re actively working to present rarely screened genres of cinema as well as avant-garde and ethno-cultural documentaries, which expand the boundaries of cinema. Oddball Films is the largest film archive in Northern California and one of the most unusual private collections in the US. We invite you to join us in our weekly offerings of offbeat cinema.
Our screenings are almost exclusively drawn from our collection of over 50,000 16mm prints of animation, commercials, educational films, feature films, movie trailers, medical, industrial military, news out-takes and every genre in between. We’re actively working to present rarely screened genres of cinema as well as avant-garde and ethno-cultural documentaries, which expand the boundaries of cinema. Oddball Films is the largest film archive in Northern California and one of the most unusual private collections in the US. We invite you to join us in our weekly offerings of offbeat cinema.