Reissue of this killer 1985 Japanese punk compilation including Gai, Kuro and more! Brazil import limited to 188 copies.

Our take: Fan Club reissue of this 1985 Japanese punk / hardcore compilation with great sound and questionable graphic design, as is the way these days. While we’re all into Japanese hardcore here at Sorry State, none of us claimed to be too familiar with Pinch and Ouch. While I might have mp3s sitting on a hard drive somewhere, it’s not a compilation I’ve spent much time with. It does feature three bands I like—Gai, Kuro, and Aggressive Dogs—and three others I don’t know, and none of them are un-punk outliers you sometimes get on old compilations. All of the bands recorded their tracks for Pinch and Ouch in the same studio, so there’s a consistent sound and high fidelity throughout. While the production is cleaner than on Gai and Kuro’s other records (and, consequently, not quite as powerful), it’s interesting to hear them so clearly. It’s disorienting but fascinating, like finding a high-resolution photograph of a historical figure you’d only seen in paintings. I wouldn’t say any of the bands I already knew deliver their best material here (Gai’s songs are a little silly, including a cover of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and Kuro’s are powerfully played but too clean), but it’s all worth hearing. The three bands I didn’t know—No-Cut, Gedon, and Gess—aren’t undiscovered gems, but are interesting, all of them having a UK punk and oi! influence. The punkiness of Pinch and Ouch sets it apart from most Japanese punk compilations. While I wouldn’t start my journey into Japanese hardcore with Pinch and Ouch, it’s a solid comp that is a little more noteworthy because of its great recording quality.