Half Japanese • Greatest Hits • 3 LP Set (gatefold) • 1995 Ltd. numbered ed PUNK

Sold Date: February 16, 2023
Start Date: August 23, 2022
Final Price: $75.00 (USD)
Seller Feedback: 215
Buyer Feedback: 8


ARTIST:  Half Japanese
TITLE:  Greatest Hits
FORMAT:  3 LPs (translucent blue vinyl)
RELEASE DATE:  1995
DESCRIPTION:  NOS (new old stock).  This is a brand new, unplayed original 1995 limited, numbered copy.  It is STILL SEALED.(Photo of opened copy is to show what the vinyl looks like, it's NOT the copy we're selling.  The copy for sale is FACTORY SEALED.)

We have 2 copies (both numbered in the 1600's).  BOTH COPIES HAVE CORNER DINGS (1 on lower left or right).


"As Byron Coley says in his entertaining piece in the liner notes, "They have no hits by standards that Howard Cosell would appreciate." But by the time Greatest Hits came out, Half Japanese had gained an international fan base, released more records than many well-known bands have ever done, and had Kurt Cobain singing their praises. So even if the title is curious, the impulse behind the collection isn't and, given the scattered discography of the band,Greatest Hits is the perfect place for a neophyte to take the plunge. Two discs packed to the brim with Jad Fair and company's particular rock & roll vision means a lot of listening, but there's no pretense at any one way to give the release an ear -- there's no chronological order, just a slew of songs that one can dip in and out of at leisure. Pretty much every album up to that point is represented at least once, from the original 1/2 Gentlemen / Not Beasts set to 1992's Boo! and, while lineups and fidelity fluctuates wildly, not to mention the particular styles tried out, it's all clearly one particular approach at heart.  Jad Fair's love-it-or-hate-it voice (and sometimes David Fair's more conventional approach) tackles everything from "My Sordid Past" to "Salt and Pepper" and back again, and his fluctuating crew keeps everything a ragged delight. For the hardcore, five otherwise unreleased tracks do surface. A cover of Jimmie Rodgers' "T for Texas" features Eugene Chadbourne as a duet partner, while the on-the-face-of-it surprising 1993 remake of Primal Scream's "Movin' on Up" becomes an enjoyable rave-up in the band's own garage-y way. "King Kong" makes for an amusing biography of said character, while "Amazing Clock" and "Identical Twins" are also enjoyable.  David Fair's enjoyable and encouraging essay "How to Play Guitar" makes for a great final touch."  --AllMusic Guide