Tag Archives: SoSaLa 1994

SoSaLa “1994-Live at CBGB”

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A Resurrected Masterpiece of Japanese NO WAVE in NYC

“I have known Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi aka SoSaLa since 1985. Our vectors first intersected in Japan, and Japanese culture is an important factor in appreciating Sohrab’s musical aesthetic. His art came into focus during that exciting time in the 1980s when the genre classifications of marketing had not overtaken the music world. Sohrab’s music draws equally from the languages and cultures of free jazz, punk, and funk to form a potent mix outside of any simple branding. He carries that powerful tradition to this day in both his music and organizing work.” – Elliot Sharp, New York, 11/3/2024

Release date: December 16th, 2024

SoSaLa (whose artist name was Sadato at the time this album was recorded) has released his next retrospective recording, 1994 – Live at CBGB. This live album follows up on the previous album, 1993, this time looking back to 1994, a significant year in SoSaLa’s music career. The music was performed live at the legendary punk club CBGB in New York on January 8th, 1994, with SoSaLa’s Tokyo-based quartet, SADATO.

SADATO was a well-known band in the Japanese independent rock and noise music scene and one of the first and few with a DIY approach to music. Because of this, the song “Life Drunk” was dedicated to Gallon Drunk, and “35 Cent Puppy Sandwich” was devoted to FUGAZI and their DIY attitude. SADATO fearlessly pioneered New York City underground NO WAVE music to audiences in Tokyo. SADATO’s music was deep, noisy, and angry indie rock, with dada-inspired messages expressed in the lyrics. CBGB’s manager, Louise Parnassa Staley, loved their music so much that she invited them to perform twice the same week.

This retrospective album, recorded and mixed by famed producer and engineer Martin Bisi, is another must-have for fans of SoSaLa’s unique and accomplished music career.

The CD is a high-end 24-bit limited edition, with only 100 autographed copies.

Stream here: https://soundcloud.com/sohrab-saadat-ladjevardi/sets/sosala-1994-live-at-cbgb

Buy here: https://doobeedoobizllc.thrivecart.com/sosala-1994-cd/

Lyrics

SoSaLa,

1. Yurei

I’m a yurei.
I got no feet to walk on.
And you can’t see my face.
I’m always dressed in white.
And I got no soul.
Nothing can kill me.

2. DEATH

A. Everybody can see him-her-it on TV. Every day you hear about him-her-it on the radio.

B. Everybody can meet him-her-it on in your neighborhood,
Can you guess whom-what I’m talking about?
Religion gave him-her-it the name death.
Death-Death!

C. For some people a beautiful name.
Something they wouldn’t mind to die for.
Mishima is one of them.
The Kamikazes are many of them.
And I tell ya my favorite one of the is Miyamoto Musashi, a samurai.
Now listen!
I was a lucky one.
A couple of years ago I was in California when my dear friend died in my arms.
You know what happened?
I met Him-Her-It. He-She-It came to take my friend away. He-She-It was so good looking. Totally nude. With a juicy cunt. It was pulled and pushed – to get closer. My dead friend was aware of that and told me in an unspoken language “Sadato, don’t go. Don’t let your little penis friend get inside! And I said “I can’t do anything about it!” So he said “Smile.” And I smiled. But it was hard in the beginning. My face wasn’t ready and I really couldn’t do it. After 10 seconds I was smiling and it developed into a big laughter. – And I was ready. It was losing power and retreated from the room.

D. Fahmidi? Wakaru, what I was talking about? There’s no reason to be scared of Death! You’ll die anyway, right? So do it in a nice way! Die like a Gentleman!
Smile?

3. WER WIE WO WAS WARUM

Fragen, Fragen, Fragen aber keine Antwort.
Ich habe die Nase voll, Fragen zu stellen.
Wisst ihr warum? Lohnt sich nicht mehr.
Seit vielen, vielen Jahren versucht die Menschheit auf dieselbe Frage eine Antwort zu finden.
Ich bin aber kein Frager mehr.
Ich will nicht mehr (2x)
Ich sage nein WER WIE WO WAS WARUM (2x)
Versteht ihr? Versteht ihr, was ich meine?

Ja – ha, ha, ha. Ich lache nur auf diese Frager (2x).
Ich lach nur.
Ich bin nicht Punk. Ich bin nicht Dada. Ich bin kein Surealist. Ich bin kein Idiot. Ich bin kein Anarchist.
Ich bin überhaupt nichts. Ich bin kein Frager mehr. Ich bin ein Leer-Mensch.
Leer-Mensch (3x).
Und höre doch auf Deine eigene Stille.
Kein WER WIE WO WAS WARUM.
Kein WER WIE WO WAS WIESO.

WER WIE WO WAS WARUM,
WER WIE WO WAS WIESO!

4. LIFE DRUNK

I’m drunk (3x).
But I don’t drink any alcohol.
I don’t take any drugs.
Oh, I’m so drunk.
I don’t make myself drunk.
Even God can’t make me drunk.
I’m 24 hours drunk.

Life makes me drunk!
I’m drowning in life.
Life is inside-outside me.
I can’t escape from it.
Even when I’m dead, I’ll be drunk.

5. Positiv Ja

Ja, Ja, immerzu Ja.
Nein, nein zu den Neinsagern.
Ja, Ja in allen Sprachen.
Yes, yes always yes!
Bale, bale, hamishe – bale!
Oui, oui encore une foi – OUI!
Hai, hai itsumo – HAI!

6. TAVALOD

Tavalod, tavalod , tavaloded mobarak (2x),
Fekr nakon, fekr nakon faghat yek sal beh donyah miai (2x),
Na, na, na – na,na, na intor nist (2x),
Har, har rouz – ha, ha har rouz beh donya miai wa miravi (2x).

7. 35 Cent Puppy Sandwich

Fu-ga, fu-ga, fu-ga-ziii,
We are opening,
You will close,
You’re yin,
We’re yan.

Fu-ga, fu-ga, fu-ga-ziii,
You-we one circle,
A “wa” – no bullshit in it.

Fu-ga, fu-ga, fu-ga-ziii,
We’re both nothing but something,
Congratulations to both of us.

8. KURUSHI SHIAWASE

Kurushi shiawase.

9. 65

Sixty Five, fuenfundsechzig, rokuju go, shasteh panj,
A number and not a number
Something you know and don’t know
Something that’s dead and maybe alive sometime later
It’s my only chance-now-to-make it alive, cause six plus five is life
Rokujo-go, sjasteh panj, funf und sechzig.

Sixty-five, rokuju go, shasteh panj, funf und sechzig.
It’s alive now. It’s alive.
It’s fuckin my body.
Sechs plus funf gleich elf.
Nothing can kill it!
Nobody can kill it!

It’s alive now. It’s fucking my brain.
Six, sechs, shast, funf gleich zehn.
Nobody can kill it. It‘s alive inside me.

What about youuuuu?