The folks at Rolling Stone have once again gifted the world a list of the Top 500 Albums of All Time. While I agree with many of the picks on the list (although I’m not sure why Red Hot Chili Peppers deserve more than one spot), there is a glaring omission: Music in a language other than English. Sure, I can see why Marvin Gaye deserve that number one position. I get it! Just please explain how X Japan doesn’t even make an appearance in the list when you’ve got 500 spots!

So I’m proud to announce that the folks at The Japan Times and I conspired to whip up a little list of our own. You can read “Ten Japanese Albums Rolling Stone Missed On Its ‘500 Greatest’ List” at japantimes.co.jp.

In this episode, I’m playing a track from each of the albums included in my list as well as a couple of special mentions. Who made the cut? Did I pick the right bands? There’s only one way to find out! Right or wrong, it looks like I’ve at least stirred up some conversation about Japanese music. Nothing could make me happier than that.

In the near future, I’m going to produce another episode of Nihongaku Radio featuring artists and bands folks are uh…adamantly suggesting I should have included in my list. Consider it a crowd-sourced episode. If there’s a band you feel I should include, let me know!

And special thanks to Patrick St. Michel for mentioning the list in his Make Believe Melodies Mailer. Check it out for tons of Japanese music goodness!

Have you got a request? Hit up Nihongaku on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, and let me know what you want to hear! Also, please consider leaving a comment on Apple Podcasts. It would really help getting Nihongaku Radio to more listeners. Thanks!

Nihongaku Radio Episode 67

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“For Young Electric Pop” – Polysics (Buy It!)
“Little Busters” – The Pillows (Buy It!)
“Senkou Hanabi” – Gagaga SP (Buy It!)

Break: “Mansion” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!)

“Behind the Mask” – Yellow Magic Orchestra (Buy It!)
“Surreal” – Ayumi Hamasaki (Buy It!)
“Chocolate Disco” – Perfume (Buy It!)

Break: “Case Closed” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!)

“Rewrite” – Asian Kung-Fu Generation (Buy It!)
“Explosion” – Shonen Knife (Buy It!)
“Lemon Drops” – Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (Buy It!)

Break: “Motel” – Masafumi Takada / Jun Fukuda (Buy It!)

“Rusty Nail” – X Japan (Buy It!)
“Broken Mirror” – Boom Boom Satellites (Buy It!) For more Boom Boom Satellites, check out Nihongaku Radio Episode 60.
“Sofun” – Boris (Buy It!)

Break: “Spiritual State” – Nujabes (Buy It!)

“Sex Jaguar” – Guitar Wolf (Buy It!)