Future + 8

Future + 8 is the name of a CD released in Japan in 1991, comprised of The Seeds’ third album Future (1967) and several bonus tracks. It was the third in a series of three such CDs that King Records issued in Japan; the other two were The Seeds + 8 and A Web Of Sound + 3. The 19 total bonus tracks on the three CDs were all of the songs from Raw & Alive, plus several B-sides and outtakes as found on Fallin' Off The Edge. Future + 8 had arguably the best set of bonus tracks, but all three CDs have been supplanted by subsequent releases (mostly Big Beat’s expanded reissue series in the 2010s) and this awesome little disc is now a collectible, with an appeal only a dedicated Seeds fan could love.

The Packaging of Future + 8

The disc, which came in a jewel case, follows the trend of the others in the series: a pink CD label listing the songs in English; an obi strip around the edge of the case; a booklet with an essay about Sky Saxon and The Seeds’ various releases 1962-1972, and English lyrics full of mistakes. It’s part of something called the “GNP Classics” series, and an insert lists five such releases (the three Seeds, a Delaney and Bonnie, and the Fire Escape album).

The lengthy essay in the liner notes, all in Japanese and written by Hideyo Itoh, is the same one as found in the first two CDs, with the addition of a track-by-track discussion of many of the songs on this CD. Also new to Future + 8 is a short feature titled (in English) “MEET THE SEEDS” with basic info about each of the four band members (in Japanese). Sky Saxon’s birth year is listed as 1945, rather than the actual 1937.

As on A Web Of Sound + 3, Peter Serafin gets credited as transcribing the lyrics. And he did another sloppy job. Inaccuracies abound and it’s actually kind of fun to listen and read along. In Peter’s defense, Sky Saxon’s crazy sneer and idiosyncratic writing doesn’t make this job easy. Still, he heard “I’ll tie the stocks, the jungle tonight, we can smoke fresh meat” in "900 Million People Daily (All Making Love)", rather than “A tiger stalks the jungle tonight looking for fresh meat”. Someone should record a cover version with Serafin’s lyrics.

Translating Future Into Japanese

“The Seeds” is rendered in Japanese on Future + 8 as ザ・シーズ, while the disc’s title is フューチャー・プラス・８. On the first two Seeds CDs from King, each song was transliterated into Japanese using the English phonetics. (The only exception was "Can't Seem To Make You Mine", which was actually translated.)

On Future + 8, no fewer than five of the songs, all from Future, are translated:

• "March Of The Flower Children" is now “Flower Children’s World” [the English “flower children” is still rendered phonetically, though]
• "Out Of The Question" is still "Out Of The Question" (問題外だぜ)
• "A Thousand Shadows" is now “Countless Shadows”
• "Two Fingers Pointing On You" is now “Two Fingers”
• "Where Is The Entrance Way To Play" is now “Where Is The Entrance”

“Countless Shadows”, that’s a nice title actually. In addition to those full translations, some of the other songs have been rethought, though they are all rendered in phonetic English using Japanese characters:

• "Flower Lady And Her Assistant" is now “Flower Lady”
• “Falling Off The Edge Of My Mind” is now “Psychedelia” (!)
• "900 Million People Daily (All Making Love)" is now “All Making Love”

The full, regular English titles are used on the disc itself. And, of course, in the reproduction of the purple back cover art of the original album in the booklet and the back of the CD case.

Mixes and Versions on Future + 8

The mixes on this CD, when it comes to Future, are the traditional ones, before they were revamped in the 1990s. This means that "Travel With Your Mind" retains its harsh stereo separation, and "A Thousand Shadows" features Daryl Hooper’s whispered intro very high in the mix. Both were remixed for 1993’s Travel With Your Mind.

The audio quality, incidentally, is excellent on the entire disc. And because the bonus tracks are of such high quality, this is the King CD of The Seeds that is the most satisfying listen in and of itself.

And finally, just so we pedantic Sky Saxon nerds are all in the know together, "Introduction" is indexed separately on the CD than "March Of The Flower Children".

Track Listing of Future + 8

Future (1967)

1. "Introduction"
2. "March Of The Flower Children"
3. "Travel With Your Mind"
4. "Out Of The Question"
5. "Painted Doll"
6. "Flower Lady And Her Assistant"
7. "Now A Man"
8. "A Thousand Shadows"
9. "Two Fingers Pointing On You"
10. "Where Is The Entrance Way To Play"
11. "Six Dreams"
12. "Fallin'"

Bonus tracks

13. "The Wind Blows Your Hair"
    1967 non-LP A-side
14. "Wild Blood"
15. "Fallin' Off The Edge Of My Mind"
    Tracks 2 and 3 are non-LP songs from a 1969 single
16. "She's Wrong"
17. "Chocolate River"
18. "The Wind Blows Your Hair" (reprise)
    Tracks 4-6 are outtakes first released on Fallin' Off The Edge
19. “Introduction By ‘Humble’ Harv”/"Satisfy You"
20. "900 Million People Daily (All Making Love)"
    Tracks 7 and 8 are from Raw & Alive and include the overdubbed crowd noise. This is the third inclusion of “Humble” Harvey Miller’s introduction in as many CDs; this time it’s followed by "Satisfy You".

Buying Your Own Copy of the Future + 8 CD

This seems to be the rarest of the three King Records Seeds CDs from 1991. It may be a while before you see it for sale, but if and when you do it probably won’t cost an arm and a leg. The better place to hear The Seeds now is on the Big Beat deluxe reissue CDs, and there is relatively little competition for these historical releases. Future + 8 is cool, and even exciting in its way, but now exists only for Seeds collectors. I love it, and recommend going for a full set of all three Seeds CDs on King.

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