The Royal Fingers

Wild Eleki Deluxe (Del-Fi)
by Jon Sarre

Surf’s up, yeah, so do they surf in Japan? I dunno, but seems like the Ventures hit the country about a decade and a half after the U.S. Pacific Command and the kids dug ’em lots more, surfers or not (which is okay, cuz I don’t think the Ventures surfed either). Anyhow, seein’ that ya got like two categories of Japanese rock’n’roll bands, both oddly enough working along the lines of developin’ their (mis)perceptions of American music, either by puttin’ together somethin’ so weird and fucked up’n’shoddy as if they figured nothing more than they’d defy pigeon-holing (like King Bros., Boredoms, Guitar Wolf, etc) or by makin’ like these here The Royal Fingers and coppin’ whatever they like down to the haircuts – sorta like how the first Datson was pretty much a Nash Rambler, or sumptin’ (there’s more too, I just can’t think of any right now, ‘cept The Neatbeats, who worship the early Beatles like the Fingers ooze Surfari). Of course, bands that fall into the second category aren’t as much fun, kinda like when Robert Duvall announces categorically that victor charlie don’t surf.
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