The Mops (Japanese: ザ・モップス) were a

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

group active in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

History

The Mops were formed in 1966 by a group of high schoolers: Mikiharu Suzuki (drums), Taro Miyuki (guitar), Masaru Hoshi (or Katu Hoshi) (guitar), and Kaoru Murakami (bass). They began as an

instrumental rock Instrumental rock is rock music that emphasizes musical instruments and features very little or no singing. Examples of instrumental rock can be found in practically every subgenre of rock, often from musicians who specialize in the style. Instru ...

group similar to

The Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar across the world during the ...

, but soon after forming, Mikiharu Suzuki's brother Hiromitsu joined on lead vocals. The group began to play

at the suggestion of their manager, who had brought home recordings of American

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

groups such as

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...

from his trip to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. The group signed to

JVC Records , also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Ente ...

, the Japanese wing of

Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidi ...

, and released a single in November 1967 called "Asamade Matenai", which hit No. 38 on the Japanese charts. In April 1968, the full-length debut, ''Psychedelic Sound in Japan'', followed; the album included covers of "

White Rabbit The White Rabbit is a fictional and anthropomorphic character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. He appears at the very beginning of the book, in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dear! ...

" and " Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane, "

Light My Fire "Light My Fire" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. It was recorded in August 1966 and released in January 1967 on their eponymous debut album. Released as an edited single on April 24, 1967, it spent three weeks at number one on t ...

" by

The Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

, as well as "

Inside-Looking Out "Inside-Looking Out", often written "Inside Looking Out", is a 1966 single by the Animals, and their first for Decca Records. It was a substantial hit, reaching number 40 on the UK Singles Chart, number 21 in Canada, and number 34 in the United ...

" and "

San Franciscan Nights "San Franciscan Nights" is a 1967 song performed by Eric Burdon and The Animals. Words and music were composed by the group's members, Eric Burdon, Vic Briggs, John Weider, Barry Jenkins, and Danny McCulloch. A paean to San Francisco, it was th ...

" by

The Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...

. They received much press for being the "first psychedelic band" in Japan, and performed with elaborate light shows. Bassist Murakami quit the group in 1969, and guitarist Miyuki moved to bass. The group then signed with

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

Toshiba , commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure system ...

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

, moving to a

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

and

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

sound, and followed with the hits "Tadorituitara Itumo Amefuri" "Gekko Kamen (Moonlight Mask)" and "Goiken Muyo (No Excuse)", both of which charted in 1971. Several albums followed before the group's breakup in May 1974. After The Mops, Hoshi remained in the music industry, working as an arranger. Hiromitsu Suzuki became a TV personality and actor, and Mikiharu Suzuki embarked on a successful career in artist management. The group achieved a resurgence of cult fandom in America after their "theme song", entitled "I'm Just A Mops", was included on the 1960s rarities compilation ''

Nuggets II Nuggets may refer to: Music * ''Nuggets'' (series), a series of compilation albums by Elektra Records, continued by Rhino * '' Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968'' * '' Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from ...

''.

Discography

*サイケデリック・サウンド・イン・ジャパン/''Psychedelic Sounds in Japan'' (

, April 1968) *ロックンロール'70/''Rock & Roll '70'' (

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...

, June 5, 1970) *御意見無用(いいじゃないか) (Liberty, May 5, 1971) *雷舞 (Liberty, October 5, 1971) *雨/モップス'72/''Mops '72'' (Liberty) *モップスと16人の仲間 (Liberty, July 5, 1972) *モップス1969～1973/''Mops 1969~1973'' (Liberty, June 5, 1973) *ラブ・ジェネレーション/モップス・ゴールデン・ディスク/''Mops Golden Disk'' (Liberty, October 25, 1973) *イグジット/''Exit'' (Liberty, July 5, 1974)

References

External links

The Mops
at Nippop.com *http://60spunk.m78.com/mops.htm *http://progressive.homestead.com/japan.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Mops, The Musical groups established in 1966 Musical groups disestablished in 1973 Japanese psychedelic rock music groups Musical groups from Saitama Prefecture Japanese garage rock groups