Half Japanese

(This page covers both the band Half Japanese and the solo career of Jad Fair.)

Half Japanese is an art punk band formed by brothers Jad and David Fair around 1975, sometime after the family's relocation to Uniontown, Maryland. Their original instrumentation included a small drum set, which they took turns playing; vocals; and an out-of-tune, distorted guitar. Both Fair brothers sang, although over time Jad moved into the frontman role.

The band played and recorded as a duo until the early 1980s when they began incorporating additional members. Since that time, dozens of musicians have come and gone under the Half Japanese banner. Jad is the only member who has been with the band from the beginning. David Fair eventually left in the early 1980s to focus on his family but continues to make occasional guest appearances.

(Read more at Wikipedia.)

Links to Peel

“I would like to say that Half Japanese really owes a debt to John Peel. He gave us our first break because he was playing us long before other people would play us and I am eternally grateful for that.” (Jad Fair, 2013, Quietus interview)[2]

Half Japanese Calling All Girls EP full

While Peel was quick to give airtime in 1978 to 'Calling All Girls', the home-recorded debut EP of Half Japanese, he didn't appear hopeful that the Fair brothers' early brand of discordant lo-fi primitivism was likely to gather a significant following:

“I tell you what, if I can make Half Japanese into a cult band, I can do anything I reckon.”[3]

Perhaps to his own surprise, however, Peel would continue to play the band's releases on his shows across three decades and assorted lineups, as well as Jad Fair's solo efforts and outside collaborations. No doubt aware of Peel's early support for the band, UK label Armageddon signed Half Japanese and released '1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts' (1980), reportedly the first-ever debut triple LP, opening the way to a long and prolific career outside the mainstream.

The first of three Peel sessions was eventually recorded in 1993, by which time the band had toured with Nirvana at the invitation of long-time fan Kurt Cobain. Other influential supporters included Sonic Youth.

After Peel's death, numerous LPs by both Half Japanese and Jad Fair were found in the DJ's record collection (see Record Collection: 1-9 and Record Collection: F). The Jad Fair album 'Great Expectations' (1989) was subsequently featured as the "Hidden Gem" for the letter F at the John Peel Archive blog.[4]

Festive Fifty Entries

• None

Sessions

Three sessions. No known commercial release.

1. Recorded: 1993-05-25. First broadcast: 25 June 1993. Repeated: 04 December 1993

• Song Of Joy And Love / True Believers / All Part Of My Plan / She / If He Says He Did / Talking In My Sleep / Bashful Bob & Chicago

2. Recorded: 1995-09-24. First broadcast: 06 October 1995. Repeated:

• The Feeling's Getting Stronger / Den Of Sin / Do It / This Is Our Day / What About Me

3. Recorded: 1997-11-04. First broadcast: 09 December 1997. Repeated:

• Starlight / Superman / Natalie / Vicky / Summer Nights

Other Shows Played

(The following list was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive. Please add more information if known.)

1978

• 08 August 1978: School Of Love (EP - Calling All Girls) 50 Skidillion Watts
• 10 August 1978: Her Parents Came Home (EP - Calling All Girls) 50 Skidillion Watts (JP: “I tell you what, if I can make Half Japanese into a cult band, I can do anything I reckon. Megalomania will set in on an epic scale.”)
• 15 August 1978: The Worst I'd Ever Do (EP - Calling All Girls) 50 Skidillion Watts
• 16 August 1978: Ann Arbor, MI (7" EP - Calling All Girls) 50 Skidillion Watts
• 16 August 1978: Shy Around Girls (7" EP - Calling All Girls) 50 Skidillion Watts
• 19 October 1978: Dream Date (7"-Calling All Girls) 50 Skidillion Watts (JP: 'And that's not from the soundtrack of Grease.')
• 25 October 1978: Calling All Girls (EP - Calling All Girls) 50 Skidillion Watts
• 30 October 1978: Calling All Girls (7") 50 Skidillion Watts
• 02 November 1978: Battle Of The Bands (EP – Calling All Girls) 50 Skidillion Watts

1979

• 09 January 1979: No Direct Line From My Brain To My Heart (Single) 50 Skidillion Watts
• 17 January 1979: Rip My Shirt To Shreds (EP – No Direct Line From My Brain To My Heart) 50 Skidillion Watts
• 05 April 1979: Someone I Care About (Various LP - Blub Krad) Los Angeles Free Music Society
• 25 September 1979: I Want Something New (compilation album - Thirty Seconds Over DC: Here Comes The New Wave!) Limp

1980

• 07 January 1980: Dream Date (7" EP) 50 Skidillion Watts
• 06 May 1980: Hey Laurie (LP-The Best Of Baltimore's Buried) Bolto Weird

1981

• 13 May 1981: If My Father Answers Don't Say Nothing (Album: Loud) Armageddon Records
• 21 May 1981: Gift (LP – Loud) Armageddon

1987

• 10 November 1987: U.S. Teens Are Spoiled Bums (LP - Music To Strip By) 50 Trillion Watts
• 02 December 1987: Ouija Board Summons Satan (album - Music To Strip By) 50,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Watts HALF 2
• 04 December 1987 (BFBS): Stripping For Cash (album - Music To Strip By) 50,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Watts HALF 2
• 13 December 1987 (BFBS): Stripping For Cash (album - Music To Strip By) 50,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Watts HALF 2
• 16 December 1987: Big Mistake (album - Music To Strip By) 50,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Watts HALF 2
• 20 December 1987 (BFBS): Hot Dog And Hot Damn (album - Music To Strip By) 50,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Watts HALF 2

1988

• 13 February 1988 (Radio Bremen): Sex At Your Parents' House (album - Music To Strip By) 50 Trillion Watts
• 16 August 1988 (Radio Bremen): U.S. Teens Are Spoiled Bums (7") 50,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Watts
• 31 August 1988: U.S. Teens Are Spoiled Bums (7") 50,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Watts
• 25 October 1988: I’ll Change My Style (LP – Charmed Life) 50 Skidillion Watts
• 28 October 1988 (BFBS): I'll Change My Style (LP-Charmed Life) 50 Skidillion Watts

1989

• 09 January 1989: Penny In The Fountain (LP - Charmed Life) 50,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Watts
• 10 October 1989: Open Your Eyes/Close Your Eyes (LP - The Band That Would Be King) 50,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Watts
• 05 December 1989: My Most Embarrassing Moment (LP - The Band That Would Be King) 50,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Watts
• 07 December 1989: A Postcard From Far Away (album - The Band That Would Be King) 50 Skidillion Watts
• 16 December 1989 (BFBS): Bingo's Not His Nam-O (CD-The Band That Would Be King) 50 Skidillion Watts

1990

• 12 September 1990: 10th Ave. Freezeout (Triple LP boxed set-1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts) Armageddon A Box

1991

• 26 January 1991: All Of Me (album - We Are They Who Ache With Amorous Love) Psycho Acoustic Sounds
• 27 January 1991: Hand Without A Body (Album: We Are They Who Ache With Amorous Love) Psycho Acoustic Sounds
• 03 February 1991: Three Rings
• 11 May 1991: Everybody Knows
• 18 May 1991: Everybody Knows (7") Seminal Twang
• 24 May 1991 (BFBS): Everybody Knows (7") Seminal Twang
• 07 July 1991: Tracks Of My Tears (LP - Just When You Thought It Was... Quiet!) Quiet

1992

• 21 March 1992: US Teens Are Spoiled Bums (b/w 7" Eye Of The Hurricane ) Paperhouse
• 04 April 1992: Eye Of The Hurricane (7" EP) Paperhouse
• 05 April 1992 (BFBS): Daytona Beach (7"-Eye Of The Hurricane) Paperhouse
• 01 May 1992: Tears Stupid Tears (CD - Fire In The Sky) Paperhouse
• 09 May 1992: UFO Expert (CD-Fire In The Sky) Paperhouse
• 10 May 1992 (BFBS): Tears, Stupid Tears (LP - Fire In The Sky) Paperhouse

1993

• 02 January 1993: (I Don't Want To Have) Mono (Anymore) (7 inch-No Direct Line From My Brain To My Heart) 50 Skidillion Watts (Peel's continuing search for the elusive Little Richard cover version leads him to what he claims (incorrectly) is Half Japanese's very first release, a 7 inch in an 8 inch sleeve, "which makes it very difficult to file".)

Jad Fair

1980

• 22 May 1980: The Zombies Of Mora-Tau (EP) Press
• 03 June 1980: It Walked At Night (7" EP - The Zombies Of Mora-Tau) Armageddon
• 04 June 1980: The Invisible Ray (7" EP - The Zombies Of Mora-Tau) Armageddon
• 16 June 1980: The Thing With The Atomic Brain (EP – The Zombies Of Mora-Tau) Press

1988

• 05 October 1988 (& Kramer): Twist And Shout (LP - Roll Out The Barrel) Shimmy Disc
• 06 October 1988 (BBC World Service) (& Kramer): Twist And Shout (LP - Roll Out The Barrel) Shimmy Disc
• 18 October 1988 (Radio Bremen) (& Kramer): When Is She Coming (album - Roll Out The Barrel) Shimmy Disc

1991

• 02 June 1991: The Making Of The Album (LP - The Making Of The Album) Seminal Twang

1992

• 15 February 1992: I Like Candy (album - I Like It When You Smile) Paperhouse
• 16 February 1992: Mule In The Corn (LP - I Like It When You Smile) Paperhouse
• 01 March 1992: (title not announced)
• 12 April 1992 (BFBS): Road Runner (LP - I Like It When You Smile) Paperhouse Records
• 25 April 1992: I Like Candy (album - I Like It When You Smile) Paperhouse

1993

• 29 January 1993: Birds (7" - Short Songs) Smells Like
• 14 February 1993 (BFBS): Birds (7" - Short Songs) Smells Like
• 06 March 1993: July (7" EP - Short Songs) Smells Like

1995

• 08 December 1995 (& Phono-Comb): In A Haunted House (7") Derivative

1996

• 13 July 1996 (& Phono-Comb): Object: To Serve Man (CD - Monsters, Lullabies... And The Occasional Flying Saucer) Shake The Record
• 18 August 1996 (& David Fair: They Were Shocked (LP - Best Friends) Vesuvius
• 06 October 1996 (& David Fair: Incredible Journey 2000 (album - Best Friends) Vesuvius POMP 006

1997

• 11 September 1997 (& Jason Willett): Sweet As Honey (CD – Honey Bee) Dr Jim’s
• 17 September 1997 (& Jason Willett): Batman On The Double (album - Honey Bee) Dr. Jim's DR JIM 19 end only
• 25 September 1997 (BFBS) (& Jason Willett): Batman On The Double (CD-Honey Bee) Dr. Jim's

1999

• 17 June 1999 (& Yo La Tengo): Helpful Monkey Wallpapers Entire Home (LP: Strange But True) Matador
• 22 June 1999 (& Yo La Tengo): Three Year Old Genius Graduates High School At Top Of her Class (LP - Strange But True) Matador
• 24 June 1999 (Radio Eins) (& Yo La Tengo): Embarassed Teen (LP - Strange But True) Matador
• June 1999 (FSK) (& Yo La Tengo): Three Year Old Genius Graduates High School At Top Of her Class (LP - Strange But True) Matador

See Also

• Record Collection: 1-9
• Record Collection: F
• Yo La Tengo
• God Is My Co-Pilot

External Links

• Wikipedia: Half Japanese
• Wikipedia: Jad Fair
• jadfair.org
• JPCCA (John Peel's Hidden Gems - No. 6): Jad Fair - Great Expectations (Bad Alchemy, 1989)