Osaka Popstar - Osaka Popstar And The American Legends Of Punk (2006/07) [Japanese Release 2007] RESTORED

The man behind pop/punk superstar group Osaka Popstar, singer John Cafiero, started the band as a way to unite his love of music and cartoons, not to mention the fact that it gave him the opportunity to play with some luminaries of original punk rock's superheroes. With Marky Ramone (The Ramones) on drums, Jerry Only (The Misfits) on bass, Dez Cadena (Black Flag) and Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & The Voidoids) on guitars, Osaka Popstar released their debut album, fittingly titled Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk.



Says Cafiero:
"It's great to work with your friends and who better for a band than the guys who started the scene? This is my own personal Punk Rock And Roll Hall of Fame".

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Osaka Popstar - Osaka Popstar And The American Legends Of Punk (2006/07) [Japanese Release 2007] RESTORED

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Any serious punk fan would probably appreciate an answer to the following question: what would you get if the Ramones' Marky Ramone, former Misfit Jerry Only, the Voidoids' Ivan Julian, Black Flagger Dez Cadena, and longtime Misfits collaborator John Cafiero all got together and recorded an album in 2006? The answer is simple: an anime-themed punk concept album!

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Osaka Popstar - Osaka Popstar And The American Legends Of Punk (2006/07) [Japanese Release 2007] RESTORED

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Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk is a truly delicious project that proves punk is about spirit and delivery, not about content. The songs on this record revolve around Sailor Moon, Astro Boy, the threat of giant insects, a fear of monsters in the closet, and the tragedy of being out of Cap'n Crunch. There's also "Wicked World" – a song by cult hero Daniel Johnston, who also sings backup on a rowdy version of the bluegrass traditional "Man of Constant Sorrow" – but even the few tracks that don't directly reference kitschy ideas are still delivered with the same fun, rollicking exuberance. All 13 tunes are just as fast and tight as anything off of Ramones' Leave Home or Misfits' Walk Among Us, but what's truly remarkable is how the veterans attack the material. Each song is executed with the ease of lifelong musicianship, but the characteristic punk messiness is still there; it just emerges as an organic element of the way these guys play, rather than as a consequence of inexperience or inebriation. In fact, punk fans and Otakus may find a common ground in Osaka Popstar that they never noticed before: a mutual appreciation for all things flashy, loud, and sometimes confusing.

~ Cammila Albertson, all media guide

Tracklist:

01. Wicked World
02. Astro Boy
03. Sailor Moon
04. Man Of Constant Sorrow
05. Insects
06. I Live Off You
07. Xmas Intro (That Almost Wasn't)
08. The Christmas That Almost Wasn't
09. Love Comes In Spurts
10. Blank Generation
11. Monsters
12. Where's The Cap'n?
13. Shaolin Monkeys
14. Wicked World (live) [Bonus track]
15. Sailor Moon (live) [Bonus track]
16. Beat On The Brat (live) [Bonus track]
17. Wicked World (Music Video) [DATA]
18. Insects (Music Video) [DATA]



Limited DVD:

01. Wicked World [Animated MV]
02. Insects [Animated Music Video]


Produced and Arranged by John Cafiero
Recorded at Schoolhouse Studios NYC, West West Side Music & Watson's House Of Music
Live Tracks Recorded Live Halloween Night (Oct. 31st, 2006) at the Starland Ballroom Sayreville, New Jersey
Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music. Additional information read inside the booklet.

• John Cafiero - vocals on all tracks, guitar on 7 & 11
• Dez Cadena - guitar on tracks 1-6, 8, 12-16
• Ivan Julian - guitar on 7,9,12, 14-16; bass on 9-11, harmonium & piano on 11
• Jerry Only - bass on tracks 1-6, 8, 12, 13-16
• Marky Ramone - drums and percussion on all tracks

special guest:
- Daniel Johnson - vocals on track 4

Original Release Date: May 23, 2006
Re-Released in Japan: June 27, 2007
Format: Bonus Tracks
Label: Imperial Records
Catalog No.: TECI-24419