Happy End

Japanese folk-rock luminaries Happy End formed in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan in 1969 and carved out an influential place on the country's music landscape with their experimental rock sound. Founded by the now legendary Japanese pop pioneer Haruomi Hosono and musician Eiichi Ohtaki in 1969, after bringing in guitarist Shigeru Suzuki and poet-drummer Takashi Matsumoto, the group released their self-titled Japanese-language rock debut album in 1970 on experimental music label URC (Underground Record Club). The proto-city pop Japanese-language album marked a first for Japanese rock, which had previously been expressed through the English language. The group's 1971 sophomore album, Kazemachi Roman, also garnered acclaim. In 1972 they traveled to the US to record their third album, also called Happy End but this time written in the Latin alphabet, which was produced by the infamous Van Dyke Parks. The album was released in 1973, with the group playing their final concert that year before going their separate ways. Happy End reunited for a one-off performance in 1985, which was immortalized on live album The Happy End, and in 2003, a cover of the band's song "Hana Ichi Monme" by Yōichi Aoyama appeared in the movie Lost In Translation. Eiichi Ohtaki died aged 65 on December 30, 2013 from a dissecting aneurysm.

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