Speed, Glue & Shinki

Speed, Glue & Shinki's 1971 debut album, Eve. Ex-Food Brain guitarist Shinki Chen, bass player Masayoshi Kabe (also known as M Glue) and Filipino Vietnam war veteran Joey "Pepe" Smith, who doubled as both the trio's drummer and vocalist, released two legendary albums in the early '70s. Eve, the earlier of the band's two efforts, was probably the band's only "real" recording, as the self-titled second release in 1972 was put together by Smith from studio outtakes of Chen's guitar playing and tracks omitted from Eve. This is a bluesy, psychedelic album, with Chen's Hendrix-style guitar playing firmly underpinned by Smith's insistent percussion style modeled on the style and technique of his idol, Ginger Baker. The band dissolved immediately after the release of Eve, as the other two members found Smith's drug-fuelled lifestyle decidedly unappealing (he was a huge fan of amphetamines and diligently applied himself to establishing a prodigious habit). Chen decided he didn't want to record again, and became a successful live artist, Joey went back to the Philippines and started the immensely successful power trio Juan de la Cruz Band, and Masayoshi Kabe would win fame with the band Pink Cloud. In spite of their short-lived activity, Speed, Glue & Shinki were important first and foremost as pioneers of the Japanese psychedelic rock scene.