The Band That Would Be King Explained

The Band That Would Be King
Type:	Album
Artist:	Half Japanese
Cover:	The Band That Would Be KingHalfJapanese.jpg
Released:	1989
Genre:	Indie rock, punk rock, lo-fi
Length:	46:17
Label:	50 Skidillion Watts^[1]
Producer:	Kramer^[2]
Prev Title:	Charmed Life
Prev Year:	1988
Next Title:	We Are They Who Ache with Amorous Love
Next Year:	1990

The Band That Would Be King is an album released by the Maryland rock group Half Japanese.^{[1] [3]} It was also their third and last studio album released on their label, 50 Skidillion Watts.^[4]

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that "a lot of the songs are fragmentary, and the music — a sloppy mess of guitars, harmonica and saxophones — sounds largely improvised, but a few tunes ('Some Things Last a Long Time,' 'Postcard from Far Away,' etc.) are genuinely delightful."^[4]

Track listing

(last three only mentioned on label, not on the sleeve)

Personnel

Half Japanese

• Jad Fair – vocals, guitar, harmonica
• Don Fleming – guitar, vocals
• Mr. J. Rice – guitar
• Rob Kennedy – bass
• Scott Jarvis – drums
• Kramer – organ, bass

Guest Musicians

• Fred Frith – guitar on 2, 15, 18
• George Cartwright – saxophone on 4, 16, 27
• John Zorn – saxophone on 21

Production

• Kramer – recording, mixing, production
• David Fair – cover

Notes and References

1. Web site: THE REMAINING HALF OF HALF JAPANESE. Mark. Jenkins. September 13, 1989. www.washingtonpost.com.
2. Web site: Robert Christgau: CG: Half Japanese. www.robertchristgau.com.
3. Book: Buckley, Peter. The Rough Guide to Rock. August 10, 2003. Rough Guides. 9781843531050. Google Books.
4. Web site: Half Japanese . Trouser Press . 10 August 2020.