１０年前、大阪で活動していた自分のバンドで東京のライブハウスに出演したとき、アンコールでＵＫの曲を１曲演奏したところ、その２週間ほどあと、観客の一人から１本のカセットテープが送られてきた。最初にそれ聴いたとき、そのテープは第１期ＵＫの、聴きなれないブートレッグだと思った（当時僕は、１０枚ほどの第１期ＵＫのブートＣＤを持っていた）が、添えられていた手紙を良く読むと、なんとアンノウンという、東京のＵＫトリビュートバンドのライブ録音ではないか！日本に第１期ＵＫのカバーバンドが存在していることが奇跡的だったというか、この本家そっくりの演奏クオリティの高さに驚いたものだ。

　今回、僕がＹＯＵＴＵＢＥにアップロードした彼らのライブビデオは、彼らから直接いただいたものだが、アップロードするに当たっては彼らメンバー誰一人からも許可は得ていない。演奏の内容から「頼むから公開しないでくれ」ということもあるだろう（それは同じミュージシャンとして、僕も判らないことはない）。しかし、そういった些細なミスなどはブートレッグを聴くと、本家でさえもミスを連発しているのだし、このアンノウンの演奏の迫力と内容の前においては、大した問題ではまったくない。そんなことよりも、第１期のＵＫを生で体験できなかった一人の熱狂的なＵＫファンとして、世界に多くいるであろう同士と、この感動を分かち合いたい。

　そう思い、１０年前の２公演を公開しました。
（「英語の発音が・・・」とか「ＣＳ８０を使っていない」とか言うヤツは、まず、これらのビデオは英語を母国語としない日本人が、１９９８年に演奏したものだということを理解すべきだ）

　このビデオを見て感動で涙する、第１期ＵＫファンが数多く存在すると信じています。

２００８年８月　NYAPPA

About 10 years ago, I played with my band at a music club in Tokyo all the way traveling from Osaka, and we gave one of the U.K. pieces as an encore.
2 weeks later, I received a cassette tape from one of the audience.
When I heard it, I thought it was one of U.K.'s early-period bootleg pieces of which I just didn't know exist (Back then, I owned about 10 U.K. bootleg CDs), but when I read the letter enclosed, I found that it was a live recording of another band called UN KNOWN, a U.K. tribute band in Tokyo. I was just amazed by not only the fact that there was a band in Japan that does U.K. early-period covers, but also the quality of performance that so resembling to the original.

The movies I uploaded in YouTube were that I received from them directly, but I never asked for approval to do so from any of the members.
They may not like this piece to be go public may not think the performance was perfect (which I fully understand as one of musicians), but those small mistakes and whatever don't matter at all, considering that U.K. itself does many of those in bootleg pieces, and that the level and power of their performance.

I'd rather share this excitement with those who desperately think "I wish I could experience" the live performance of U.K.'s early time.

This is the reason why I uploaded 2 lives from 10 years ago.
You may say that English pronunciation is not good, or they are not using CS80, or whatever, but think about that this piece was done by Japanese who do not speak English and was done in 1998.

I am so certain that there is a number of U.K. early-period fans who get so excited on this piece.

Augst 2008, NYAPPA

1.Alaska
2.Time to kill
3.Carryng no cross
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eOYrWsegDQ
4.Beelzebub
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLxkjFrtGxY
5.Forever until Sunday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOEBqPWWF4g
6.Sahara of snow (guest: KENICHI OGUCHI from KENSO on keyboards)
7.Thirty years
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEHpXaldW3o
8.By the light of day
9.Presto vivace
10.In the dead of night
11.Lark's tongues in aspic part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcS91H31PEw

2002.3.2(Sat.) at SILVER ELEPHANT　Kichijoji, TOKYO

1.Alaska
2.Time to kill
3.Sahara of snow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydJ8fqYOOzQ
4.The only thing she needs
5.Nevermore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnI9kPjuJr4
6.Thirty years
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXBA-lFv8u8
7.By the light of day
8.Presto vivace
9.In the dead of night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vppagLG7Q24
10.Night after night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmiyHALZ9fg

---sound check---
*All the sounds have been distorted.

1.The only thing she needs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvOIfCaFEQM
2.Alaska-Time to kill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_2GMwC5yUk
3.Nevermore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJJZ_Vng4cQ
4.Night after night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hHACxMEHyQ

2006.11.19(Sun.) at SILVER ELEPHANT　Kichijoji, TOKYO
L to R;
JUNKO MINOBE: ELECTRIC VIOLIN, KEYBOARDS
KIYOSHI IMAIi: KIT DRUMS
KAZUHITO KAWAKAMI: VOICE, BASS
HIROFUMI MITOMA: GUITARS

2010.1.10(Sat.) at SILVER ELEPHANT　Kichijoji, TOKYO

and.....At last, Junko has performed with UKZ !
	Mr. EDDIE JOBSON proposed her for his tribute back to her for all of her hard work learning his music. 11th of June 2009, at Club STB139 in Roppongi TOKYO, finally, her dream came true. They played "Caeser's palace blues" for the last encore, of course, with clear electric violins.

contact by e-mail,

Junko MINOBE: jun@sta.att.ne.jp
WEBMASTER: nyappa@yahoo.co.jp