Search - 5.6.7.8's :: Teenage Mojo Workout

Rock'n'Roll machine.

08/04/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album isn't for everyone, but it's still a great album.



If you're a fan of dirty punk music, e.g. the Dead Boys, Fear, the Ramones, the Dead Kennedys, or the Sex Pistols, you're probably a good candidate for appreciating this album. The vocals are unorthodox to say the least. Most of the lyrics are in Japanese, or English, and all of them are either spit or screamed.



Every chord, piano gliss, drum beat, and jubilant yell is absolutely bursting with lightning-energy. The 5, 6, 7, 8s remind me of a female, Japanese version of the Kingsmen (Louie, Louie). They play dirty, loud, fun garage rock with the occassional rip roaring surf tune.



If you have ecletic tastes, this is a good band to pick up. If you like sugary pop or strictly mainstream music, then you'll probably think this band is full of no-talent hacks. You'd be wrong, of course, but you'd still have felt like you wasted money.



If you're crazy enough to embrace this kind of music, but don't think it goes quite far enough, give Guitar Wolf a try. They hold the record for the loudest band in the world, and they're a crazy Japanese punk band."

Go, do the MOJO!

Obio Ntia | New York | 10/22/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Do the Mojo! Meaning, buy this 5,6,7,8's CD and rock out to it. "Teenage Mojo Workout" is divided almost equally between cover songs and originals. It's nostalgic enough for many a retro rock fiend yet cool enough for the youthly crowd.



Musicians just don't tell us to "do the go-go" or sing songs titled "Hanky Panky" any more and that's where this hard-rockin' girl-trio from Japan comes in. Word has it that the band's name originates from the notion that the fifties was Elvis, the sixties was surf, the seventies was punk, and the eighties was the 5,6,7,8's. "Mojo" has the potential to soothe the savage rockabilly junkie and even the odd honky-tonk fan with it's wailing pop of yore guitar licks, groovy hip-shaking basslines and jump-uppity drumming.



Cover tracks on the CD include "I'm Blue" originally by Ike and Tina Turner's The Ikettes and "Harlem Shuffle" by Bob and Earl (also covered by the Rolling Stones).



The vocals are largely in Engrish, so listeners lacking patience and a sense of humor may feel flummoxed and frustrated with much of the singing. For example, the "Harlem Shuffle" lyric "you slide into the limbo/Yeah, how low can you go" sounds more like "soar into the rainbow/Woo, harm an eagle".



Only Japanese speakers will have the slightest clue what vocalist/guitarist Ronnie Yoshiko Fujiyama is singing about on "New Orleans Rock," but the jazzy piano can be a welcome addition to the album's line-up, especially as part of the final track. No foreign language or Engrish-comprehension skills are required to understand the the instrumentals "Road Runner," "Typhoon Girl" and "Green Onions". Knock yourself out.



If the album is a "Workout," then "In the Subway" is the cooldown. The title track features a wild tambourine while "In the Subway" has soft-rippling timpanies. Ronnie's voice sounds sultry and soothing on "Subway" whereas she usually sings with a scratchy shout.



The liner notes are mostly in Japanese, but the b&w studio photo of Ronnie on the back cover defies language.



This CD is not recommended for everyone, but if you came to look for it here, then you probably want it and you should probably get it.



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