Happy End (1970 album)

Happy End
Studio album by Happy End
Released August 5, 1970
Recorded April 9 – 12, 1970
Studio Aoi Studios
Genre Folk rock
Length 35:54
Label URC Records
Producer Masaki Hata
Happy End chronology
Happy End
(1970)		 Kazemachi Roman
(1971)
Singles from Happy End
  1. "Juuni Gatsu no Ame no hi"
    Released: April 1, 1971

Happy End (Japanese: はっぴいえんど Hepburn: Happī Endo) is the self-titled debut album by Japanese folk rock band Happy End. Because their third album is also self-titled, although written in English, this first album is also known by the name "Yudemen" (ゆでめん) after the sign depicted in the cover art.[1]

All the album's lyrics were written by Takashi Matsumoto, with the exception of "Tobenai Sora" (Haruomi Hosono) and "Ira Ira" (Eiichi Ohtaki).[2] Five bonus tracks were added when the album was included in the March 31, 2004 Happy End Box set.[3]

Reception

This album marked an important turning point in Japanese music history, as it sparked what would be known as the "Japanese-language rock controversy" (日本語ロック論争 Nihongo Rokku Ronsō). There were highly publicized debates held between prominent figures in the Japanese rock industry, most notably the members of Happy End and Yuya Uchida, regarding whether Japanese 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 debut album, as well as their following album Kazemachi Roman, proved the sustainability of Japanese-language rock in Japan.[4]

Julian Cope, English musician and author of Japrocksampler, referred to 1970's Happy End as clearly the band's best work.[5] Both Cope and HMV Japan noted similarities to work by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.[1][5]

The song "Shin Shin Shin" inspired the 2013 film of the same name.[6]

Track listing

Side 1
No. TitleLyricsMusic Length
1. "Haruyo Koi" (春よ来い, "Come, spring!")Takashi MatsumotoEiichi Ohtaki 4:17
2. "Kakurenbo" (かくれんぼ, "Hide and seek")Takashi MatsumotoEiichi Ohtaki 4:32
3. "Shin Shin Shin" (しんしんしん, "Newly-fallen snow")Takashi MatsumotoHaruomi Hosono 3:06
4. "Tobenai Sora" (飛べない空, "Unflyable sky")Haruomi HosonoHaruomi Hosono 2:44
5. "Kataki—Thanatos o Sōkiseyo!" (敵タナトスを想起せよ!, "Remember your enemy—Thanatos!")Takashi MatsumotoHaruomi Hosono 3:00
Side 2
No. TitleLyricsMusic Length
6. "Ayakashi no Dōbutsuen" (あやか市の動物園, "Ayaka City Zoo")Takashi MatsumotoHaruomi Hosono 2:48
7. "Juuni Gatsu no Ame no hi" (12月の雨の日, "A Rainy Day in December")Takashi MatsumotoEiichi Ohtaki 3:27
8. "Ira Ira" (いらいら, "Nervousness")Eiichi OhtakiEiichi Ohtaki 3:15
9. "Asa" (朝, "Morning")Takashi MatsumotoEiichi Ohtaki 2:29
10. "Happy End" (はっぴいえんど)Takashi MatsumotoHaruomi Hosono 3:26
11. "Zoku Happppy Eeeend" (続はっぴ-いいえ-んど, "Continued Happppy Eeeeend")Takashi MatsumotoHaruomi Hosono 2:20

Personnel

References

  1. 1 2 "Top 100 Japanese pops Artists - No.4". HMV Japan (in Japanese). 2003-11-27. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
  2. ↑ "haruomi hosono: はっぴいえんど / はっぴいえんど". hosono.sblo.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2010-01-05.
  3. ↑ "はっぴいえんどbox". HMV Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 2016-01-09.
  4. ↑ TJ Mook Kike! Densetsu no Nihon Rokku 1969-79 TJ MOOK 聴け! 伝説の日本ロック1969-79 [TJ Mook Kike! Legendary Japanese Rock 1969-79]. Takarajima Press. 2004. p. 33. ISBN 4-7966-3862-8.
  5. 1 2 "Happy End". Japrocksampler. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
  6. ↑ "はっぴいえんどの名曲から着想を得た映画「しんしんしん」". Natalie (in Japanese). 2012-12-06. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/1/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.