Snoozer’s December 2007 issue featuring 150 Greatest Albums of Japanese Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Some time ago, I got hold of Snoozer’s December 2007 issue specifically for its special section cryptically entitled ロック暗黒大陸日本 or Japan–The Dark Continent of Rock, in which they list the “150 Greatest Albums of Japanese ‘n’ Roll”.
The article is partly in response to Rolling Stone Japan’s earlier September 2007 issue where a similar list called “100 Greatest Albums of Japanese Rock” appeared.
Introducing the article, the editors wrote:
ここに選ばれた150枚のアルバムの選択基準と順位付けに対する視点をここで事細かに説明するつもりは毛頭ない。これが我々の歴史観だ、言うことべきがあれば、それだけである。そう、これが正史だ。
もはや「風街ロマン」で始まるチャートなど見飽きてしまった。この我々の問題提起を発端にして、さらに議論が巻き起こり、欧米のようにきちんとスタンダードが確立されていけばいい。ここが最初の出発点だ。
In English:
It is not our intention here to explain in detail the selection criteria and ranking of the 150 albums selected in this list. This is our view of history, and that’s all there is to say. Yes, this is true history.
We have grown tired of seeing charts that start with Kazemachi Roman. We hope that our raising of this issue will trigger further discussion and establish a proper standard, as in the West. This is the first starting point.
Happy End’s Kazemachi Roman is the number one album on RS Japan’s list, so Snoozer’s version is an attempt to present a better alternative to Rolling Stone Japan’s.
My own interest in these lists stems from my relatively scant familiarity with Japanese music in general, and Japanese rock music in particular, which I intend to rectify.
The list is, of course, almost twenty years old, and there is no doubt that great albums have come out of the Japanese music scene during the last decade that may demand inclusion in lists such as this.
Still, for many people like me who are just starting their exploration into Japanese popular music–as the article says–this should serve as a good starting point.
Snoozer’s 150 Greatest Albums of Japanese Rock ‘n’ Roll
Portrait of Shinji Sato of Fishmans + Rosa Luxemburg’s Rosa Luxemburg II, Fishmans’ Kūchū Camp, Murahachibu’s Live
Spitz’s Namae wo Tsukete Yaru, The Blue Hearts, P-Model’s Perspective, etc.