| Walrus & Groon | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Split Extended Play by Boris Merzbow | ||
| Released | April 2007 | |
| Recorded | 2001 in Japan | |
| Genre | Psychedelic Rock, Noise | |
| Length | 13:56 | |
| Label | Hydra Head Records | |
| Producer | Boris With Merzbow | |
| Boris chronology | ||
| Rainbow (2006) |
Walrus & Groon (2007) |
Long Hair and Tights (2007) |
| Merzbow chronology | ||
| Merzbear (2007) |
Walrus & Groon (2007) |
Coma Berenices (2007) |
Walrus & Groon (Also stylized as Walrus/Groon is a collaborative 12" EP between the Japanese experimental band Boris and Japanese noise musician Merzbow.[1][2] It was first sold at the 2007 South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
"Walrus" is a cover of "I Am the Walrus" by The Beatles, specifically the Spooky Tooth 1970 version. "Groon" shares its name with a King Crimson improvisational piece, but has no musical resemblance. A different version of "Groon" appears on Switching Rethorics as "Vanlla Groon", [sic] featuring sampled drums/guitar and credited to Merzbow only. It was later compiled on Another Merzbow Records. The artwork references that of the Yes album Close to the Edge. The release was pressed on five different vinyl colors: black, yellow with green, white with green, white with yellow, and clear with green. The two songs were originally recorded in 2001, mixed in 2004 and released in 2007.[3]
Reviews of the collaboration would be somewhat mixed. While Brainwashed would praise the album art the review site expressed disappointment at both songs.[4] Brian Cook of Russian Circles, writing on his blog, would speak positively of the release, stating "The Walrus/Groon EP isn’t quite as balanced between structure and chaos as yesterday’s Rock Dream, but it does capture two different approaches to integrating noise into a rock format.[5] Outer Space Gamelan would note Wata delivering vocals in part of the song (Comparing her voice to Jennifer Charles) and noting "Groon" sharing the title with a song on the King Crimson album "Earthbound". They also noted that while the 12" record does look nice it's not essential.[6]
Tracklist[]
- A. Walrus (7:21) (John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
- B. Groon (6:35) (Boris With Merzbow)
Personnel[]
- Atsuo - Drums, Percussion
- Wata - Guitar, Vocals
- Takeshi - Bass, Vocals
- Merzbow - Computer
- Fangs Anal Satan - Cover Artwork
- Eiji Hashizume - Engineer
- Souichirou Nakamura - Mixing, Mastering
- Keiko Yoshida - Photography