About

Freedom, rebellion, and defiance — The rock/psych rock revolution that tore through Japan in the early 1970s!

At the time, Japan was in the midst of the peak GS (Group Sounds) boom – a sound that fused Japanese kayōkyoku music and Western rock music. But possessing a rare sense of foresight, singer and record producer Yuya Uchida encountered this revolutionary new wave of rock firsthand during his travels through Europe beginning in the spring of 1967. After returning to Japan, he formed Yuya Uchida & The Flowers. Their freaked-out sound — steel guitar driven through wah pedals and fuzz — marked them as something entirely different, standing apart from conventional GS acts. Other groups also added British and American rock numbers to their repertoires, but because their shows and releases were fundamentally bound to the structures of the Japanese entertainment industry, most had few options once the GS boom faded: they either shifted toward a strictly kayōkyoku-style path or disbanded altogether.

In 1972, Nippon Columbia launched its first dedicated rock and folk label, Propeller, releasing a steady stream of forward-looking titles by artists such as Hiroshi Segawa (formerly of The Dynamites) and Tetsu Yamauchi, who, up until then, was a prolific session musician in the scene. Influenced by late-’60s acts like Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago, Japanese jazz musicians also began boldly incorporating rock elements into their work. As a result, many records from this period have since become prized classics in the rare groove scene.

Above all, this compilation was selected to let you experience the free, innovative, and deeply experimental sounds created by Japanese musicians whose passion rivaled that of their British and American counterparts. Even more than fifty years later, the music on this album still feels remarkably fresh, hitting with the same sense of surprise and impact it did when it was first released! — (via Label)

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— 180g heavyweight vinyl pressing
— Housed in reverse board jacket
— Fully licensed Nippon Columbia masters
— Includes track by track liner notes by Sally Kubota

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Label: 180g
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Compilation, 180 Gram
Released: 2026
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Acid Rock, Folk Rock, Jazz Rock, Jazz Funk

File under: Japanese Folk / Rock
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