Japrocksampler: How the post-war Japanese blew their minds on rock ‘n’ roll
by Julian Cope

Available 3 Sep 2007 (subject to change).

Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 9780747589457
Format Trade paperback, B format

A unique account of the Japanese rock phenomenon from a legendary rock musician with an army of fans

Julian Cope, eccentric and visionary rock musician, hip archaeologist and one time frontman of Teardrop Explodes, follows the runaway underground success of his book Krautrocksampler with Japrocksampler, a cult deconstruction of Japanese rock music.

Japrocksampler reveals what really happened when East met West after World War Two and the mayhem that ensued … and is a must for anybody interested in modern music and Japanese culture. It explores the clash between traditional, conservative Japanese values and the wild rock ‘n’ roll renegades of the 1960s and 70s and tells the tale of six seminal groups of artists in Japanese post-war culture, from itinerant art-house poets to violent refusenik rock groups with a penchant for plane hijacking. The book concludes with enticing reviews of Julian’s Top 50 Jap Rock albums.

Julian Cope was born in Deri, South Glamorgan, and grew up in Tamworth. After forming a succession of half-groups and writing songs with Ian McCulloch (later of Echo & the Bunnymen), he eventually formed Teardrop Explodes with Gary Dwyer in 1978. He is the author of Krautrocksampler, Megalithic European, The Modern Antiquarian, Head-On and Repossessed. His website, http://www.headheritage.co.uk, contains some of the most entertaining and insightful album reviews on the web.