The Band That Would Be King

The Band That Would Be King
Studio album by Half Japanese
Released	1989
Genre	Indie rock, punk rock, lo-fi
Length	46:17
Label	50 Skidillion Watts [1]
Producer	Kramer [2]
Half Japanese chronology
Charmed Life (1988) The Band That Would Be King (1989) We Are They Who Ache with Amorous Love (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

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Robert Christgau	B− [2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[6]
Pitchfork	8.6/10 [7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	5/10 [8]

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

All tracks are written by Jad Fair, Don Fleming, J. Rice, Rob Kennedy & Scott Jarvis, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Open Your Eyes/Close Your Eyes"		1:08
2.	"Daytona Beach" (Ft. Fred Frith)		1:47
3.	"Lucky Star"		2:21
4.	"Some Things Last a Long Time" (Ft. George Cartwright)		2:20
5.	"My Most Embarrassing Moment"		0:49
6.	"Buried Treasure"		1:05
7.	"Open Book"		1:00
8.	"Little Records"	J. Fair, Fleming, Rice, Kennedy, Jarvis, David Fair	1:17
9.	"Deadly Alien Spawn"		2:36
10.	"Postcard from Far Away"		1:38
11.	"Ventriloquism Made Easy"		0:42
12.	"Something in the Wind"		0:38
13.	"Bingo's Not His Nam-o"		1:19
14.	"Put Some Sugar on It"		2:47

Side Two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
15.	"What More Can I Do?" (Ft. Fred Frith)		1:24
16.	"Brand New Moon" (Ft. George Cartwright)		1:36
17.	"Another World"		1:34
18.	"Every Word Is True" (Ft. Fred Frith)		1:20
19.	"I Live for Love"	Daniel Johnston	2:06
20.	"Werewolf"		1:30
21.	"Ride Ride Ride" (Ft. John Zorn)		0:31
22.	"Sugarcane"		2:31
23.	"I Wish I May"		1:32
24.	"Ashes on the Ground"	Mark Jickling, David Fair	2:41
25.	"Curse of the Doll People"		0:33
26.	"Horseshoes"		2:11
27.	"Bluebirds" (Ft.George Cartwright)		1:39
28.	"Frankenstein Meets Billy the Kid"		0:56
29.	"My Bucket's Got a Hole in It"		1:11
30.	"Africans Built the Pyramids"		1:35

(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

References

1. Jenkins, Mark (September 13, 1989). "The Remaining Half of Half Japanese". The Washington Post.
2. "Half Japanese". Robert Christgau.
3. Buckley, Peter (August 10, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN   9781843531050.
4. "Half Japanese". Trouser Press. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
5. "The Band That Would Be King Half Japanese". AllMusic.
6. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 74.
7. Masters, Mark (February 2, 2015). "Half Japanese - The Band That Would Be King". Pitchfork . Retrieved November 30, 2016.
8. Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 174.