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The Mops | |
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| Origin | Japan |
| Genres | Group sounds,psychedelic rock,garage rock |
| Years active | 1966–1974 |
| Labels | JVC,Toshiba |
The Mops (Japanese: ザ・モップス) were aJapanesepsychedelic rock/garage rock group active in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were one of the most notable bands of thegroup sounds genre.
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 aninstrumental rock group similar toThe Ventures, but soon after forming, Mikiharu Suzuki's brother Hiromitsu joined on lead vocals. The group began to playpsychedelic rock at the suggestion of their manager, who had brought home recordings of Americanhippie groups such asJefferson Airplane from his trip toSan Francisco. The group signed toJVC Records, the Japanese wing ofVictor Records, and released a single in November 1967 called "Asamade Matenai", which hit No. 38 on the Japanese charts.[1] In April 1968, the full-length debut,Psychedelic Sound in Japan, followed; the album included covers of "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane, "Light My Fire" byThe Doors, as well as "Inside-Looking Out" and "San Franciscan Nights" byThe Animals. 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 withLiberty/Toshiba/EMI, moving to ablues rock andhard rock 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 compilationNuggets II.
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