Happy End (band)

Happy End
Origin	Japan
Genres	Folk rock, avant-garde
Years active	1969–1972 1973 & 1985 (reunion shows)
Labels	URC, Bellwood/King
Associated acts	Tin Pan Alley, Apryl Fool
Past members	Haruomi Hosono Eiichi Ohtaki Shigeru Suzuki Takashi Matsumoto

Happy End (はっぴいえんど) was a Japanese folk rock band, which existed from 1969 to 1972. The band's pioneering avant-garde sound is highly revered and they are considered to be one of the most influential artists in Japanese music. They are credited as the first rock act to sing in the Japanese-language and have been called the "Japanese Beatles". They were ranked by HMV Japan in 2003 as number 4 on their list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts. In September 2007, Rolling Stone Japan named Kazemachi Roman the greatest Japanese rock album of all time.

The members were Haruomi Hosono, Takashi Matsumoto, Eiichi Ohtaki and Shigeru Suzuki. Haruomi Hosono and Takashi Matsumoto (using the given name Reiji) were previously in the short-lived but influential psychedelic rock band Apryl Fool. When Happy End disbanded, Hosono and Suzuki formed Tin Pan Alley with Masataka Matsutoya, Hosono then formed the Yellow Magic Orchestra while Suzuki continued work as a guitarist and solo musician. Matsumoto became a successful lyricist and Ohtaki worked as a songwriter and solo artist, releasing one of Japan's best selling albums, A Long Vacation in 1981.

History

In October 1969, Haruomi Hosono and Takashi Matsumoto formed a group named Blue Valentine (ヴァレンタイン・ブルー) right after their previous band Apryl Fool disbanded. The group changed their name to Happy End in March 1970 and soon after began recording. Their self-titled debut album (written in Japanese as はっぴいえんど) was released in August on the experimental record label URC (Underground Record Club). They produced their second album Kazemachi Roman the following year. For their third album, also titled Happy End (this time written in the Latin Alphabet), they signed with King Records and recorded in 1972 in Los Angeles with Van Dyke Parks producing. While the band officially disbanded on December 31, 1972, the album was released in February 1973. They had their last concert on September 21, 1973 titled City -Last Time Around, with a live album of the show released as Live Happy End the following year.

They reunited for a one-off performance at the International Youth Anniversary All Together Now (国際青年年記念 ALL TOGETHER NOW) concert on June 15, 1985, which was released as the live album The Happy End later that same year. In 2003, their song "Kaze wo Atsumete" appeared in the American movie Lost In Translation and on its soundtrack.

Members

• Haruomi Hosono (細野晴臣) – bass, vocals, keyboards, guitar
• Eiichi Ohtaki (大瀧詠一) – guitar, vocals
• Shigeru Suzuki (鈴木茂) – guitar, vocals
• Takashi Matsumoto (松本隆) – drums, main lyricist

Discography

Studio albums

• Happy End (はっぴいえんど, August 5, 1970)
• Kazemachi Roman (風街ろまん, November 20, 1971)
• Happy End (February 25, 1973)

Live albums

• Live Happy End (ライブ・はっぴいえんど, recorded September 21, 1973, released January 15, 1974)
• The Happy End (recorded June 15, 1985, released September 5, 1985)
• Happy End Greeeatest Live! On Stage (recorded 4/12/70, 8/7/71, 4/14/71, released July 15, 1986)
• Happy End Live On Stage (recorded 8/9/70, 8/21/71, 4/14/71, 8/7/71, released August 25, 1989)

Compilations

• City - Happy End Best Album (CITY／はっぴいえんどベスト・アルバム, 1973)
• Singles (シングルス, 1974)
• Happy End (1993, box set)
• Happy End Box (はっぴいえんどBOX, 2004, box set)

Singles

• "12 Gatsu no Ame no hi" (１２月の雨の日, April 1, 1971)
• "Hanaichimonme" (花いちもんめ, December 10, 1971)
• "Sayonara America Sayonara Nippon" (さよならアメリカさよならニッポン, February 25, 1973)
• "Ashita Tenki ni Naare / Kaze wo Atsumete / Ayakashi no Dōbutsuen (Live Version)" (あしたてんきになあれ／風をあつめて／あやか市の動物園(ライヴ・ヴァージョン), recorded August 9, 1970, released November 26, 1999)