The Band That Would Be King

The Band That Would Be King is an album released by the Maryland rock group Half Japanese. It was also their third and last studio album released on their label, 50 Skidillion Watts.

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that "a lot of the songs are fragmentary, and the music — a sloppy mess of guitars, harmonica and saxophones — sounds largely improvised, but a few tunes ('Some Things Last a Long Time,' 'Postcard from Far Away,' etc.) are genuinely delightful."

Track listing

(last three only mentioned on label, not on the sleeve)

Personnel

Half Japanese

• Jad Fair – vocals, guitar, harmonica
• Don Fleming – guitar, vocals
• Mr. J. Rice – guitar
• Rob Kennedy – bass
• Scott Jarvis – drums
• Kramer – organ, bass

Guest musicians

• Fred Frith – guitar on 2, 15, 18
• George Cartwright – saxophone on 4, 16, 27
• John Zorn – saxophone on 21

Production

• Kramer – recording, mixing, production
• David Fair – cover

References