Let’s Knife wasn’t Shonen Knife’s first album. It wasn’t even the Japanese punk band’s first album in the U.S. Still, the 1992 release became a pivotal one for the trio, who had already been together for about a decade by that point. Songs from the album, like “Riding on the Rocket,” have remained fan favorites, and part of the band’s live sets, some 30+ years later. “It’s our core of Shonen Knife,” says singer/guitarist Naoko on a recent video call from Osaka.
There was a problem, though, in that Let’s Knife had fallen out of print and wasn’t available for streaming. Since Let’s Knife’s absence from streamers was beyond the band’s control, Shonen Knife’s U.S. producer Robby Takac (who is also bassist of Goo Goo Dolls and head of Good Charamel Records) suggested that they re-record it. “I thought it was a very good idea,” says Naoko. Not only would the songs be available again, but they would be recorded by the current lineup. Atsuko, Naoko’s sister, played drums for the band in the early 1990s. Now, she’s the bassist. Drummer Risa has been part of the fold for a little more than a decade.
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