‘Jet Generation’ is stickered with a disclaimer: “Warning: this is the loudest CD ever made. Playing it at normal levels may damage your stereo equipment.” Apparently, when it was sent to the mastering lab, sound engineers were mystified that three young Japanese men could make a record that exceeded the theoretical maximum levels possible on a CD. Simply: ‘Jet Generation’ hurts.
By God, though, it works. [a]Guitar Wolf[/a] are Japan’s generation terrorists, importing three decades’ worth of furious rock’n’roll, refining it, compacting it, and firing it back; this is punk rock in a bombshell. The inspiration for tracks like ‘Kung Fu Ramone’ are probably fairly self-explanatory, but ‘Jet Generation’ is fuelled by such psychotic good intentions that it hardly seems to matter.
A cover of Eddie Cochran‘s ‘Summertime Blues’, then, is unconscious rock’n’roll perfection, Seiji Wolf screaming the words, “Yo’ wanna rock out, but yo’ too young to bowl” like it’s the most important thing in the world. And as he doesn’t speak English, for all he knows it is.
Played back-to-back with ‘The Ramones’, ‘Jet Generation’ leaves even the established greats wanting. For 36 very loud minutes, you’ll think that [a]Guitar Wolf[/a] are the best band in the world.