senzuri champion

(special guest review by Zach Howard)

It was bound to happen sooner or later, but it finally has. A copy of the uber-rare Senzuri Champion LP has fallen into the hands of a collector who isn't a total recluse. So now I present to you, a review of the Gerogerigegege Senzuri Champion LP.

The cover of the LP features an old man looking at a display of Japanese porno magazines, somewhere in the streets of Japan. Surprisingly, the magazines feature female nudity, a theme that Juntaro would be sure to drop in future releases. The back cover simply features a plain text track listing.

The first track on Side A, "Introduction", is simply an outdoor recording of some wind chimes. You can even heard Juntaro rattle the tape recorder in some parts.

The second track on Side A is titled "Violence Onanie", yet it is completely different from the track off the Singles 1985-1993 CD. It is one long track of harsh noise, with some screaming in various parts. It sort of reminds me of Senzuri Power Up, but the track doesn't sound like any instruments were used, leaving me to guess that maybe Juntaro used pedals to create the noise (in the 20 page booklet of the "Night" 7 inch special version, there's a picture of Juntaro's pedal setup, so it's possible pedals were used for this track).

The third track on Side A are the Gero hits "Rock 'N Roll" and "Dutch Wife ABC". A few seconds prior to these songs though, is a monumental moment in noisemaking. That's right, the first recorded appearance of SENZURI!!! It can't be more than 3 seconds long, but you can hear Gero 30 fapping and panting away. The two songs are the exact same versions that appear on the Senzuri Fight Back 7 inch, in fact the tail end of the track "Senzuri Fight Back" starts off the track.

The fourth and final track on Side A is another Gero classic, "Anal Beethoven". This track is kind of weird. It's the same version off of Senzuri Power Up, but it starts off in one channel, and then a few seconds later it begins in the other channel, creating a slightly delayed stereo effect. It abruptly ends the side of the record.

The first track on Side B, "I'm Herpes, Yes I Am" is actually a longer version of the track "Kosei" off the Kitanomaru Hyakkei 7 inch. It consists of a slow distorted dance type beat with what sounds like a recording of people talking in a public place (the talking is loud and boisterous).

The second track on Side B, "Absolute Rape Beat", isn't like any other Gero track I've heard. It sounds like a pulsating sine wave with weeeee's and bleeps and other noise over it. I don't know any other way to describe it.

The final track on the album is the epic "Senzuri Champion". A little hint of what this track contains is given on the Singles CD, yet this track contains some differences. For instance, there are no backwards loops or sounds. It basically consists of masturbation, drums playing, and some piano. One must wonder if the drum sounds are taken from one of the "Drum solo by Gero 56".

Like all Gero releases, this record has some good parts and some bad parts, but also like all Gero releases, it definitely unique in it's own way.

released in 1987 by VIS 'A' VIS AUDIO ARTS