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In 1989 when the Swankys broke up, Kings World Records lost their flagship band, but immediately ready to bear the standard of the classic Kyushu punk style and sound was the Slicks. Musically, Slicks fuse the fuzzy and catchy sound of The Swankys with a proper ‘70s UK punk style that will appeal to both fans of raw Kyushu punk, and the more traditional leanings of Tokyo bands like Registrators or Teengenerate. Total Filth Collection presents their best and earliest material, never before available on vinyl, lovingly mastered from the original tapes. One time pressing officially licensed from Kings World Records.
Our take: General Speech Records brings us this collection from 90s Japanese punk band Slicks, the a-side culled from their 1992 debut Filth Mind Clever and the b-side from their follow-up, 1994’s Lad CM, neither of which ever appeared on vinyl. Slicks are from Hakata, on the island of Kyushu in Japan, and you might be familiar with that region’s rich tradition of punk with bands like the Swankys, Gai, and Confuse. Originally released on the Swankys’ label Kings World Records, Slicks have a similar Sex Pistols-influenced aesthetic to the Swankys, but their music reminds me more of high-energy 90s Japanese garage bands like Teengenerate and the Registrators, both of whom were Slicks’ contemporaries. When these records came out, I’m sure people thought of them as being steeped in 70s punk, but to 2022 ears it sounds very 90s, particularly the crisp and full-sounding production. It’s far from slick, but it’s professional in a way we don’t hear often in our modern era of home recordings and cheap DIY studios. While the fact that nothing on Total Filth Collection qualifies as hardcore might disappoint the Confuse(d) Gai(s) out there (note: that joke is copyright 2010 Nick Goode), lovers of 90s budget rock will eat this up… the songs are catchy, dynamic, and full of all the grit and energy you would want.
Our take: General Speech Records brings us this collection from 90s Japanese punk band Slicks, the a-side culled from their 1992 debut Filth Mind Clever and the b-side from their follow-up, 1994’s Lad CM, neither of which ever appeared on vinyl. Slicks are from Hakata, on the island of Kyushu in Japan, and you might be familiar with that region’s rich tradition of punk with bands like the Swankys, Gai, and Confuse. Originally released on the Swankys’ label Kings World Records, Slicks have a similar Sex Pistols-influenced aesthetic to the Swankys, but their music reminds me more of high-energy 90s Japanese garage bands like Teengenerate and the Registrators, both of whom were Slicks’ contemporaries. When these records came out, I’m sure people thought of them as being steeped in 70s punk, but to 2022 ears it sounds very 90s, particularly the crisp and full-sounding production. It’s far from slick, but it’s professional in a way we don’t hear often in our modern era of home recordings and cheap DIY studios. While the fact that nothing on Total Filth Collection qualifies as hardcore might disappoint the Confuse(d) Gai(s) out there (note: that joke is copyright 2010 Nick Goode), lovers of 90s budget rock will eat this up… the songs are catchy, dynamic, and full of all the grit and energy you would want.