Les Rallizes Dénudés, Haddaka No Rallizes in Japanese, and probably 'Les Valises Dénudés' in French, are the most obscure group from Japan. Their guitar-based music began at Kyoto University in late 1967 with their first official gig in 1968. While their self-released recordings from this time are structured in a loose Group Sound ('GS')/Folk Boom-type style, their live shows featured deafening volume, strobe lights and mirrors for maximum disorientation. This, of course, invites comparison with the Velvet Underground's Exploding Plastic Inevitable not to mention Le Stelle de Mario Schifano's art-show happenings in Italy during 1967-68. References could also apply to the Grateful Dead before losing Tom Constantine and Ron 'Pigpen' McKernen. In any case, the volume was too much for others to deal with -- a relationship with a theatre group fell apart due to the band's refusal to turn their amplifiers down. Nothing was going to change for the next 20 years... In the late 1970s the band reappeared, playing their best music. It seemed that punk had allowed Mizutani, with his newly cut hair and leather clothing, one more chance to unleash his over-the-top distortion-laden guitar over their simple melodic rhythms for a supreme Asian form of acid-punk annihilation. In August of 1991 releases were finally made available. Three CDs appeared on the band's own SIXE label. These were 67-69 Studio et Live, Mizutani/Les Rallizes Dénudés, and the 77 Live 2CD set. The only other non-CDR artifacts are a video released in 1992 and a 7" included with the Japanese Etcetera magazine from 1996. It is all rare, sought after and expensive. The 77 Live release is the best, a document of extreme feedback and distressed guitar with Mizutani's detached vocals laid over languid rhythms, unbelievable in intensity.