Japanese Psychedelic Rock: The Epic Records Story

In the late 1960s, a new sound was emerging from Japan. Psychedelic rock was taking the country by storm, and Epic Records was at the forefront, releasing groundbreaking albums by artists like Les Rallizes Dénudés, Foodbrain, and Acid Mothers Temple.

In this blog post, we explore the history of Japanese psychedelic rock and the role Epic Records played in its development. We also take a look at some of the essential albums in the genre and highlight some

The Psychedelic Movement in Japan

The psychedelic movement in Japan is not as well known as it is in other parts of the world, but it is just as important. In the late 60s and early 70s, a group of young musicians in Japan were experimenting with new sounds and new ways of making music. They were influenced by the psychedelic music of the West, but they also created their own unique style of music.

The Birth of Psychedelia

Psychedelic music first emerged in the early 1960s, when artists began experimenting with mind-expanding drugs like LSD and psilocybin mushrooms. The genre’s sonic signature was soon established: swirling guitars, ethereal vocals, extended jams and a general sense of trippy transcendence. By the middle of the decade, psychedelic rock had taken off in the United States and Britain; in Japan, meanwhile, a vibrant scene was beginning to take shape.

The Japanese psychedelic movement can be traced back to two important figures: producer Shinichi “Bunshi” Suzuki and singer songwriter Akira Kobayashi. In 1967, Suzuki founded the avant-garde record label Better Days, which would go on to release some of Japan’s earliest and most significant psychedelic records. That same year, Kobayashi released his debut album, Correction Please!, on which he combined Japanese folk music with Western pop and psychedelia. These two releases laid the groundwork for what would become known as Japanese Psychedelic Rock.

Over the next few years, a number of other influential Japanese psychedelic bands would emerge, including Yellow Magic Orchestra, Ghost and Les Rallizes Dénudés. These groups took Suzuki’s and Kobayashi’s sonic template and ran with it, pushing the boundaries of what was possible within the genre. By the early 1970s, Japanese psychedelic rock had reached its pinnacle; from there, it would only get weirder.

The Tokyo Psychedelic Scene

In the late 1960s, the Psychedelic movement began in Japan. Tokyo became a center for the genre, with many clubs and festivals popping up throughout the city. The music scene was heavily influenced by Western Psychedelic artists, such as Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, and The Grateful Dead. Japanese Psychedelic bands began to emerge, such as The Golden Cups, The Tigers, and Foodbrain. These bands would go on to influence future generations of Japanese musicians.

The Epic Records Story

Psychedelic rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the 1960s. It was inspired by psychedelic culture and attempted to replicate the experience of psychedelic drugs. The style often incorporated elements of Indian music and expanded on traditional rock Forms. Psychedelic rock reached the peak of its popularity in the 1967 Summer of Love.

The Early Years

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, rock music underwent a radical transformation. In Britain, bands like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin were quickly gaining in popularity, while in the United States, groups like the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane were attracting huge audiences. At the same time, a new generation of Japanese musicians was beginning to experiment with Western rock styles, and by the middle of the decade a number of them had started to make a name for themselves internationally.

One of the most successful Japanese bands of this period was the Temporary Pop Group, who released their debut album, Psychedelic Rock: The Epic Records Story, in 1971. The record was an instant hit, reaching number one in the Japanese charts and selling over a million copies. It remains one of the most influential albums in Japanese rock history.

The Temporary Pop Group was formed in Tokyo in 1969 by two young musicians, Susumu Hirasawa and Takafumi Matsukawa. Both had been influenced by Western music from an early age; Hirasawa had been particularly drawn to the work of Jimi Hendrix, while Matsukawa was a fan of The Beatles. The pair began playing together in a number of different settings before finally forming their own band.

The Golden Age

The Golden Age of Japanese Psychedelic Rock is considered to be the late 1960s and early 1970s. This was a time when many young people were rebelling against traditional values and experimenting with mind-altering drugs and new music styles. The first Japanese psychedelic rock band was called the Spectres, and they released their debut album in 1967. Other pioneering bands of this era include Ozawa Mangetsu-Gumi, Apryl Fool, and Blue Cheer.

The music of this period was often inspired by Western artists such as the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and the Grateful Dead. Japanese psychedelic rock bands typically blended Western influences with traditional Japanese instruments and melodies. This combination of sounds was unlike anything that had been heard before, and it quickly gained a following among young people in Japan.

The popularity of Japanese psychedelic rock began to decline in the late 1970s as the country’s economy went into a recession. Many of the bands from this era dissolved, but some continued to tour and release new music. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in Japanese psychedelic rock among younger generations, and several reissues of classic albums have been released.

The Legacy

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in Britain and the United States.

Epic Records was one of the first major labels to sign a psychedelic rock band, The Electric Prunes, in 1966. The band’s debut album, released that same year, reached number 16 on Billboard’s 200 chart and spawned the Top 40 hit single “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)”. Other early signings to Epic’s psychedelic roster included The Misunderstood, The Golliwogs (later Creedence Clearwater Revival), Clear Light, and Love.

In 1967, Epic released albums by two of the most influential bands of the genre: The Doors’ self-titled debut and Pink Floyd’s second album, A Saucerful of Secrets. These two releases would go on to sell over four million copies each and solidify Psychedelic Rock as a viable commercial genre.

During the late 60s and early 70s, Epic would release influential albums by other groundbreaking psychedelic artists such as James Gang, Captain Beefheart, Sly & The Family Stone, Jefferson Airplane, Vanilla Fudge, Steppenwolf, Country Joe & The Fish, Iron Butterfly, Three Dog Night, and Chicago.

The Epic Records story is not only one of commercial success but also one of artistic significance; helping to define and shape a musical genre that would go on to have a profound impact on popular culture.

The Music

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s. The genre is defined by its use of distorted guitars, feedback, and extended solos. Psychedelic rock is considered to be a subgenre of rock music.

The Sound of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the 1960s. It is characterized by distorted guitars, lyrics with drug references, extended instrumentation, and colorful sound effects. The sound of psychedelic rock was created by using electric guitars, bass guitars, and drums, as well as traditional rock instruments such as piano and horns. Psychedelic rock bands often used elements of other genres, including folk music, jazz, and blues.

The first psychedelic rock band was The Beatles, who released the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. The album includes the song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, which is considered to be one of the first psychedelic rock songs. Other early psychedelic rock bands include The Beach Boys, The Doors, and Pink Floyd.

The Influences

While some of The Music’s psychedelic references are broadly based on the drug culture of the late 1960s and early 1970s, other influences are more directly tied to Japanese culture. In particular, the band cites the work of Japanese filmmaker Hiroshi Teshigahara as a major influence on its visual style. The band also often incorporates traditional Japanese instruments into its music, most notably the koto and the shamisen.

The Legacy

After their American adventure, the band returned to Japan and resumed touring. They also began work on their next album, “We’re Only in It for the Money,” which would prove to be their most controversial release. The album, a spoof of the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” featured a photo of the band members dressed as the Fab Four on the cover. The album was not released in the United States until 1968, due to concerns about its potential to incite riots. When it was finally released, it reached number 41 on the Billboard 200 chart and received mixed reviews from critics.

Despite the mixed reaction to “We’re Only in It for the Money,” the band continued to tour and release new music. In 1969, they released “Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld,” an ambitious double album that was inspired by psychedelia and electronic music. The following year, they released “Ultimate Spinach III,” which failed to live up to its predecessors and was met with poor reviews. Disheartened by the response to their latest album, the band broke up in 1971.

Despite their relatively short career, Ultimate Spinach left a lasting impression on Japanese popular culture. In particular, their willingness to experiment with different musical genres and styles inspired subsequent generations of Japanese musicians. The band’s impact can still be felt today, nearly 50 years after their debut album was released.