HAPPY END

This eponymous album with pretty happy sleeve appearance is, sad to say, the last one by a Japanese rock supercombo HAPPY END released in 1973. The four talented musicians, just after completing the previous album "Kazemachi Roman" in 1971, notified themselves they had finished what they wanted to do as HAPPY END, and each of them would have looked for his next step and next goal ... that is, all of them would have lost interest in this combo, I guess. In general, like "Let It Be" by The Beatles, material or creation produced by a group almost disbanded sounds abrupt or rambling, everyone says. But what an excellence, their last album under such a situation is musically as tightened and crystallized as previously. Via this fantastic stuff, we can easily find they should have created another perfect gem for the audience, with their strong intention.

Yes as mentioned above, this album is a superb pop / rock / folk album indeed. On the other hand, through this album we cannot grab much introspection nor complexity in their inner mind. Sounds like they would have wanted to let us know their musical appearance in those days, in a liniar manner. Every single track is melodically well constructed and a tad complicated, but we can hear it quite straightly, without any "out of order". The first song "Furaibo" is typical of the stuff ... mysterious melody lines and addictive lyrics can be heard, with comfortable brass sounds and acceptable rhythmic basis. There is no discomfort nor depression regardless of their circumstance. And let me say this album consists of three "sayonara (goodbye)", that should be a sad word, but their soundscape sounds more and more promising and active ... just for their dream or future.

Needless to say about great rock revolution by the four ex-Happy End geniuses. And their three albums - "Happy End (aka Yudemen)", "Kazemachi Roman", and "Happy End" - cannot be forgotten eternally, as Japanese music gems.

Anyway also Japanese sake that can amaze the worldwide rock scene is not bad too.

One of the most innovative, important rock / blues / folk combos in Japan HAPPY END are a short-lived (substantially active for a few years) quartet around 1970 and released two rock cornerstones - "Happy End (aka Yudemen)" (1970) and "Kazemachi Roman" (1971) - in Japanese rock world. They say by themselves US rock acts Buffalo Springfield and Moby Grape would have exerted much influence upon them, but their soundscape full of Japanese folk experience built up by e.g. The Folk Crusaders, and mysterious, introspective Japanese poetic view were veiled in quite unique, original ambience. Their second full-length creation "Kazemachi Roman" sounds as introspective and bluesy as their previous eponymous album, but on the other hand, more creative and energetic intention around them can be heard all over.

Kind of characteristic they used Japanese traditional music and sound here and there in a fantastic manner, or they usually launched melodic / rhythmic bizarre we cannot imagine nor expect. A funny, mischievous word play "Ai Ue Wo" (the Japanese syllable table is applied for the lyrics, just as it is), or the ethnically percussive breaking shot of the fourth track "Haikara Hakuchi", is sorta good example (anyway the middle and latter parts of "Haikara Hakuchi" is of cool rock really, instead of the beginning). 30 second repetition "Haikara Beautiful" shoots psychotropic agents under the cloudy but "beautiful" sky.

But mind you please, their real trademark can be touched in "A[&*!#]a Tenki Ni Naare (hope it'll be sunny tomorrow)" featuring their falsetto chorus or the first track "Dakishimetai (wanna hold you)" altogether flooded with the four intensive instrumental techniques synchronized completely. "Sorairo No Crayon (skyblue-coloured crayon)" is another pleasure seasoned with freakout yodel-like texture ... suppose we should call such an eccentricity progressive. And one of their masterpieces "Kaze Wo Atsumete" (already covered again and again by plenty of artists in Japan) sounds quite fragile as for the combination of gentle melody lines and introspective lyrics and simultaneously perfectly crystallized in a sensitive manner. This splendid gem of theirs might be all for me, I guess.

They always say, through "Kazemachi Roman", they would have completed all they wanted to do in those days (and this is the reason they had almost been disbanded after the album released ... Look at the front sleeve pic where every genius gazes at his future obviously different from others'). Regardless of their short activity, Japanese Rock Innovation in that they had taken the initiative must be mentioned all around the world eternally, and in conclusion, their two monumental stars we will never forget forever.

— First review of this album —

It's funny, that this album "Happy End (aka Yudemen)" was my second Japanese rock album in those days I'd been immersed in British and American rock scene. And you can understand why I, a Japanese rock hater in my adolescence bought this album, released in 1970.

From the very beginning, this dark and heavy guitar fuzz is too cool for me to ignore. Yes in my younger days there were a bunch of cheap. cheesy pop artists in Japan, that I could never listen to ... I'd assumed Western music scene should be seriously cool, and this should be true as honestly I say. However, this kick-off of them broke my assumption in pieces. According to the liner notes in their album sleeve, they gave thanks to lots of Western rock artists (e.g. The Grateful Dead, Buffalo Springfield, Moby Grape, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young or so) and 'lots of Japanese musicians and poets'. Haruomi HOSONO had already created their original psychedelia by merging Japanese inner poetic inspiration into British / American rock, and the talented quartet had finished their 'Japanese Rock (as a proper noun)' finally in this album, I guess.

HAPPY END told us about their mental / physical development with rebellion / confusion against adult world. They played not simple pop nor Adult Oriented Rock, but heavy bluesy hard rock blended with acid (sometimes traditional) folk, as if they should have narrated their life carefully. In Japanese music scene 40 years ago ... despite of their strict and quite-skilled composition and playing, they could not be appreciated enough (except by well-understanding reviewers), I'm afraid. Not progressive really their sound structure in this stuff is, but like The Beatles, it should called as progressive that they dared launch such a heavy / bluesy / dark / severe soundscape, let me say. Nowadays HAPPY END are considered as one of pioneers in Japanese Rock world, that has continued ceaselessly. Worth listening for every progressive rock fan.