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From: "john stanton"  
Subject: ghost live 
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 1997 09:59:59 PDT 
To: U-SPACES 
 
Hi all; 
 
I saw the Japanese band GHOST in Washington DC the other night 
and I'm happy to say that they were extremely good, delivering a 
set that was a more electric interpretation of their recorded output. 
I'm including the text from a New York Times review of their NYC 
appearance.  I pretty much second what the reviewer says except for 
the Deep Purple comparison, which I found no evidence for... 
 
"A CREATIVE APPROACH TO SOUNDS OF THE 60'S AND 70'S" 
 
With the rapid adulteration of alternative styles of contemporary 
music in America, it's suprising that only a small group of music fans 
have discovered Japan's underground rock scene.  On Monday night at the 
small downtown club Bronwie's, the Japanese band Ghost put on a 
show that could have transfixed the audience at a major festival.  Of 
course the year would have to have been 1969. 
 
For 11 years, Ghost has been living out of churches and communal 
homes and exploring the psychedelic, progressive and avant-garde 
hippie rock and folk of the late 60's and early 70's with unflagging 
creativity and a revolving roster of players.  Its performances can 
vary from short, strummed acoustic songs to long, trance-inducing 
electric improvisations. 
 
At Brownie's, the band plugged in and detonated loud, powerful, 
guitar-driven rock, evoking bands as varied as Deep Purple,MC5, and 
the Swiss psychedelic freakout band Brainticket.  Instead of structuring 
tight rock songs, Ghost focused on jamming and improvisation, creating 
hypnotic grooves that crescendoed indefinitely. 
 
Ghost's six members cut a striking image onstage, each one in a 
slightly different stupor.  Incorporating hand drums, bells, gongs, 
and on "Rabirabi", an electric hurdy-gurdy, the band touched on Celtic, 
Japanese classical and jazz fusion music during its set.Masaki 
Batoh, the band's leader was a diverse and accomplished guitarist, 
moving from fluid solos composed of high sustained notes to curt, choppy 
descending notes to vicious power chords. 
 
If it had wanted, Ghost could have played one song for hours and 
continually taken the music somewhere interesting, though it might 
have got lost a couple times and occasionally stopped at places where 
Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead and Can have already been.(Neil 
Strauss).
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Well, that about sums it up. I didn't hear any jazz fusion either! 
 
 
JOHN 
 
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From: Russell Hammond  
Subject: Jan Caster / Castor Where Are You? 
Date: 08/21/97; 4:51:26 PM 
 
Russell Hammond rhammond@westpac.com.au 
 
Hi, 
 
I was using GEPR and found its close cousin Gibraltar. 
 
I've already left a similar message with GEPR so I may be duplicating 
somebody's work, however, since this site is dedicated to non mainstream 
progressive rock I wondering if you know of a Polish immigrant to 
Australia called Jan Caster or Castor.  He was signed to BMG Australia 
during the late 80s early 90s and I have been able to obtain the 
following CDs: 
 
Red Express - Music for the documentary of the same name which was about 
the Trans Siberian Railroad before the fall of communism in the USSR. 
 
Prescience - I'd described it as light *Asia* on the vocal tracks but a 
couple are really progressive especially the instrumental. 
 
CD Single - 5 versions of the worse song on Prescience 
 
Concerto for Guitar - This was the first movement of a 4 part concerto 
that was completed at home on keyboard (strings) and acoustic guitar to 
give listeners an insight to what his aim was. 
 
 
Based on an obscure article in a woman's magazine and CD sleeves / 
covers it seems that Jan was an accomplished guitarist and self taught
on keyboard.  Red Express was composed using only guitar as an input 
source and this album follows short takes from the documentary, all with 
a derivative Russian sound. 
 
My question is, has anyone other than yours truly know of Jan 
Caster/Castor?  He must have some fans in Australia so where are they? 
Phone calls to BMG have also proved fruitless. 
 
If you want I can supply all the relevant data and a review of the 
albums for Gibraltar and GEPR if required and to help my cause. Even if 
this would be my first attempt at reviewing anyone's work.  Please let 
me know if you want it. 
 
Thanks 
 
Russell Hammond 
 
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