Released November 20, 1971 Length 37:14 Release date 20 November 1971 | Studio Mouri Studio Label URC | |
 | ||
Recorded May 11 – September 12, 1971 Folk rock albums Happy End, Kōri no Sekai, Bound by the Beauty, Red & Gold, Carrossel | ||
Happy end daikishimetai
Kazemachi Roman (Japanese: 風街ろまん, Hepburn: Kazemachi Roman, literally "Wind City Romance") is the second album by Japanese folk rock band Happy End, released on URC Records in 1971. In this concept album, Happy End attempted to paint a musical picture of Tokyo before the 1964 Summer Olympics, through which sweeping changes transformed the city forever.
Contents
live
Background and release
Bannai Tarao, a fictional detective who has appeared in many Japanese crime thrillers, is credited on several of the album's songs. In addition, the singer on "Haikara Hakuchi", even opens the song by saying, in English, "Hi, this is Bannai Tarao. Haikara (lit. "High-collar [1]" or "Western fashion") is... Beautiful." This song was the B-side to Happy End's single "Juuni Gatsu no Ame no hi" off their first album. This album version is different, however.
Matsumoto thought "Hana Ichi Monme" was a representative song of Happy End, and it was released as a single. Its B-side was "Natsu Nandesu".
"Kaze wo Atsumete" was featured in the 2003 American film Lost in Translation as well as on its soundtrack.
Seven bonus tracks were added when the album was included in the March 31, 2004 Happy End Box set.
"Sorairo no Crayon" was covered by thrash metal band Outrage for their 2015 album Genesis I. "Hana Ichi Monme" was covered by Rolly for his 2015 cover album Rolly's Rock Circus.
"Aiueo", the album's last song, is a 30-second fragment in which Eiichi Ohtaki sings the gojūon, accompanied only by his acoustic guitar. The song's title is a pun: "aiueo" is the order of pronunciation in Japanese, while ai ue (愛飢え) translates as "love hunger". The song was covered by Pizzicato Five, as the final track on their last album Çà et là du Japon.
Reception
In September 2007, Rolling Stone Japan ranked Kazemachi Roman No.1 on its list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time". In 2016, the album topped the list of 30 Best Japanese Albums of All Time published by beehype magazine.