Kazemachi Roman
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is the second album by Japanese
folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...
band Happy End, released on URC Records in 1971. In this
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
, Happy End attempted to paint a musical picture of
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
before the
1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...
, through which sweeping changes transformed the city forever. “The band’s 1971 album ‘Kazemachi Roman,’ a classic of the genre, describes with a shrug how the Tokyo of their childhood was being swept away and replaced by a high-tech metropolis.“


Background and release

Takashi Matsumoto's lyrics to "Kaze wo Atsumete" were inspired by a line from a poem by Fuyue Anzai that he saw scribbled in the bathroom of Max Road, a
Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...
café that he frequented. OK Music's Naoto Kawasaki notes how Eiichi Ohtaki and Shigeru Suzuki did not contribute to the track, with Haruomi Hosono playing the bass, guitar and organ and providing its vocals while Matsumoto plays the drums. Suzuki is also absent from "Kurayamizaka Musasabi Henge", which Kawasaki felt was inspired by the
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (sometimes abbreviated NGDB), also known as the Dirt Band, is an American band founded in Long Beach, California, in 1966. Since 2018, the band has consisted of Jeff Hanna and his son Jaime Hanna, both guitarists and voc ...
. Bannai Tarao, a fictional detective who has appeared in many Japanese crime thrillers, is credited on several of the album's songs. Ohtaki even opens "Haikara Hakuchi" by saying, in English, "Hi, this is Bannai Tarao. Haikara (lit. "High-colla

or "Western fashion") is... Beautiful." The title of the song is written in
hiragana is a Japanese language, Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' means "common" or "plain" kana (originally also "easy", ...
as , a double meaning: and . In addition, "hakuchi"/"haku chi" is also a pun on , making it "Dr. Haikara". This song was the
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
to Happy End's single "Juuni Gatsu no Ame no hi" off their first album, though this album version is different. Matsumoto thought "Hana Ichi Monme" was a representative song of Happy End, and it was released as a single. Its B-side was "Natsu Nandesu", which Ben Sisario of ''
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'' described in 2017 as having "echoes of
Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...
." The lyrics to "Ashita Tenki ni Naare" are about the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. When Matsumoto was in Apryl Fool, they would play discothèques in
Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...
where a lot of American
hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...
s who had returned from Vietnam hung out. "They were drinking and dancing happily to our music, but their hearts must have been shattered. ..I think those feelings are reflected in the lyrics. We are the generation born after orld War II so although our parents experienced it, we did not. But the Vietnam War is something that remains with us." Kawasaki believes the ending of "Haru Ranman", with its uncredited banjo, mimics the end of
Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield was a Canadian-American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1966 by Canadians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin (musician), Dewey Martin and Americans Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely know ...
's 1967 song " Bluebird". "Aiueo", the album's last song, is a 30-second fragment in which Ohtaki sings the ''
gojūon In the Japanese language, the is a traditional system ordering kana characters by their component phonemes, roughly analogous to alphabetical order. The "fifty" (''gojū'') in its name refers to the 5×10 grid in which the characters are dis ...
'', accompanied only by his acoustic guitar. The song's title is a pun: "aiueo" is the order of pronunciation in Japanese, while ''ai ue'' translates as "love hunger". Seven bonus tracks were added when the album was included in the March 31, 2004 ''Happy End Box'' set.


Artwork

The front cover of ''Kazemachi Roman'' features portraits of the four members of Happy End drawn by manga artist Kazuhiko Miyaya, whom Matsumoto was a fan of. They were drawn based on photographs taken by Mike Nogami. The album's inside
gatefold A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for gramophone record, LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½-inch 2.7-centimetresquare). ...
features a trolley scene, also drawn by Miyaya. Because the trolley's destination sign reads "Shinbashi", for years fans assumed that the illustration depicted the No. 6 streetcar, which ran between
Shinbashi , sometimes transliterated Shimbashi, is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Name Read literally, the characters in Shinbashi mean "new bridge". History The area was the site of a bridge built across the Shiodome River in 1604. The river was l ...
and Shibuya, near the Kasumi-cho intersection (now the Nishi-Azabu intersection), before the line was discontinued in 1967. In actuality, while looking through photos Miyaya took as reference, Matsumoto was struck by an image of a trolley going down an S-curved hill on the Toden Arakawa Line in the ÅŒji area of Kita. Although Matsumoto had a vague connection to the area through his aunt, the other members of the band did not, so he requested Miyaya draw the trolley as if it were traveling from Shibuya, where Happy End was based, to Shinbashi. Miyaya included actual buildings from Kasumi-cho, as well as a utility pole advertisement for a local obstetrics and gynecology clinic. The back cover features a photograph of the four members, with a fifth portrait of their manager Shinzo Ishiura seemingly attached to it via a clip.


Reception and legacy

Together with their self-titled debut album, Happy End's ''Kazemachi Roman'' marked an important turning point in
Japanese music In Japan, music includes a wide array of distinct genres, both traditional and modern.ref> The word for "music" in Japanese language, Japanese is 音楽 (''ongaku''), combining the kanji 音 ''on'' (sound) with the kanji 楽 ''gaku'' (music, comf ...
history, as it sparked what would be known as the . There were highly publicized debates held between prominent figures in the
Japanese rock , sometimes abbreviated to , is rock music from Japan. Influenced by American and British rock of the 1960s, the first rock bands in Japan performed what is called group sounds, with lyrics almost exclusively in English. Folk rock band Happy End ...
industry, most notably the members of Happy End and Yuya Uchida, regarding whether rock music sung entirely in Japanese was sustainable. Previously, almost all popular rock music in Japan was sung in English. The success of Happy End's first two albums proved the sustainability of Japanese-language rock.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
's Jesse Jarnow described "Sorairo no Crayon" and "Kaze wo Atsumete" as "decent
country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...
ers" that could stand with any contemporary "west coast psych-twang LP" and "Hanaichimone" as one of the album's "slick and sleek organ-driven pop tunes". He noted the album also includes a "hint" of guitar jamming on tracks such as the six-minute "Taifū".
Yo La Tengo Yo La Tengo (Spanish language, Spanish for "I've got it"; also abbreviated as YLT) is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley ...
bassist James McNew included ''Kazemachi Roman'' on a 2023 list of his nine favorite albums. Calling it "California folk-rock filtered through Tokyo, streamlined and, well, perfected", he also noted the sweet melancholic and nostalgic songs with their "aching, vulnerable harmonies." In September 2007, '' Rolling Stone Japan'' ranked ''Kazemachi Roman'' No.1 on its list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time". It was named number 15 on '' Bounce''s 2009 list of 54
Standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...
Japanese Rock Albums. In 2016, the album topped the list of 30 Best Japanese Albums of All Time published by ''beehype'' magazine. "Aiueo" was covered by Pizzicato Five as the final track on their last album, 2001's '' Çà et là du Japon''. Two songs from ''Kazemachi Roman'' were used in American films which had
Brian Reitzell Brian Reitzell (born December 24, 1965) is an American musician, composer, record producer and music supervisor best known for his work on many film and TV soundtracks. He is notable for working extensively with the American film director Sofia ...
acting as music supervisor. In 2003, "Kaze wo Atsumete" was featured in '' Lost in Translation'' as well as on its soundtrack. In 2008, "Haikara Hakuchi" was featured in '' The Brothers Bloom''. British band Yuck covered "Natsu Nandesu" for the Japanese edition of their 2011 self-titled album. "Sorairo no Crayon" was covered by thrash metal band Outrage for their 2015 album ''Genesis I''. "Hana Ichi Monme" was covered by Rolly for his 2015 cover album ''Rolly's Rock Circus''. "Kaze wo Atsumete" was covered by Mayu, Manaka and Asahi from Little Glee Monster for the 2021 Takashi Matsumoto tribute album ''Take Me to Kazemachi!''.


Track listing


Personnel

* Haruomi Hosono – bass on tracks 1–5 and 7–11, piano on tracks 1, 2, 8 and 9,
organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...
on tracks 1, 3, 7 and 8, vocals on tracks 3, 4, 7 and 9,
acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
on tracks 3, 4, 7 and 11,
claves Claves (; ) are a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of short, wooden sticks about 20–25 centimeters (8–10 inches) long and about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in diameter. Although traditionally made of wood (typically rosewood, ebony ...
on track 5,
cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell (instrument), bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. ...
on track 6, chorus on tracks 5, 7 and 11, flat mandolin on track 4 as * Eiichi Ohtaki – acoustic guitar on tracks 1, 2, 11 and 12, vocals on tracks 1, 2, 5 and 10–12, electric guitar on track 5,
slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...
on track 6,
güiro The güiro () is a percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines (see photo) along the notches to produce a ratchet sound. The güiro is commonly ...
on track 5, chimes on track 5, chorus on tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 11 * Shigeru Suzuki – electric guitar on tracks 1, 5 and 7–11, acoustic guitar on track 11, vocals on track 8, cowbell on track 5, chorus on tracks 1 and 5, slide guitar on track 6 as * Takashi Matsumoto – drums on all tracks except 6 and 12,
taiko are a broad range of Traditional Japanese musical instruments, Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese language, Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various J ...
on track 6,
congas The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are stave (wood), staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (drum), quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), an ...
on track 5, cowbell on track 5, chorus on track 1 *Shiba – mouth harp on tracks 10 and 11 *Komazawa –
steel guitar A steel guitar () is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conventional guitar i ...
on track 2


References


External links


Pictures of the book art accompanying ''Kazemachi Roman''
{{Authority control 1971 albums Happy End (band) albums 1970s Japanese-language albums Albums produced by Haruomi Hosono Albums produced by Takashi Matsumoto (lyricist) 1970s concept albums