The Happenings Four + 1 - The Long Trip (Hikishio Michishio) 1971

This album "Hikishio Michishio" was released after "'Kirikyogen" by KUNI KAWACHI TOKARE NO TOMODACHI. Contrary to 'Kirikyogen' with strong taste of Flowers (Joe and Hideki), "Hikishio Michishio" should be Kuni's album, with full of his concept and attitude for progressive rock all over the world. 1971 was absolutely a dawn, golden year for Japanese progressive rock scene - Flower Travellin' Band's "Satori", Speed Glue and Shinki's "Eve", Love Live Life + One, People, and this one were released one by one - and the most beautiful and most plaintive album of these all should be this HAPPENINGS' last one I do emphasize. Also amazing that Kuni's psychedelically tragic organ keeps making dramatic sounds from start to finish ... not straightly but eccentrically.
Even the first track "Hikishio Michishio (An Ebb Tide And The Flood Tide)", one of the most popular songs, shoots complex drum kicks and an enthusiastic voice tragedy with alarming old-fashioned organ sounds. "Tsuruhashi To Shovel (A Pick And A Shovel).....Part 1 ~ 3" are the story about a public worker, who has been fated to work with a pick and a shovel to die. A human tragedy continued forever indeed ... Nobuhiko's tragic voices should let us weep, as if we must live without any friend except the stuffs. Furthermore, in "Denki-isu (Electrocution)" an innocent man is just executed on an electric chair, with his hope of regeneration. Dark, depressive scenes go ahead with somewhat comfortable interlude (intoxication by facing death?) and hopeless lyrics. This track should be their masterpiece, let me say.
The longest track "Shi - Shi Ni Chokumen Sita Ningen No Johtai To Shinri (Death)" is a mixture of a mellow organ-based psychedelic progressive pop and rhythmical (bravo rhythm section) heavy rock, with Tome's passionate voices. The second track "Kane No Naru Ki (Money Tree)" has a bulky psychedelic flavour into Tome's trailing echoic voices and Kuni's brainwashing ancient psych-organ solo. The comfort zone for us is only "Sakura To Kawara-yane Ga Mieru Machi (On The cherry Tree & The Tiled Roof Of Street)" I suggest?
Exactly the dawn of Japanese organ-psychedelic progressive rock.
progarchives.com

Tracklist:
01.An Ebb Tide And The Flood Tide
02.Money Tree
03.A Pick And A Shovel-Part-1
04.Electrocution
05.The Long Trip
06.I'm A Prophet
07.A Pick And A Shovel-Part-2
08.Teach Myself Mind
09.Death
10.On The Cherry Tree & The Tiled Roof Of Street
11.A Pick And A Shovel-Part-3

Japan Tracklist:
01.Hikishio Michishio 5:12
02.Kane No Naru Ki 2:37
03.Tsuruhashi To Shovel 10 Dai 1:17
04.Denki Isu 7:06
05.Nagai Tabi 3:39
06.Yogensha 4:49
07.Tsuruhashi To Shovel 30 Dai 1:17
08.Oshie 3:37
09.Shi - Shi Ni Chokumen Sita Ningen No Jotai To Shinri 10:22
10.Sakura To Kawara-yane Ga Mieru Machi 4:50
11.Tsuruhashi To Shovel 50 Dai 1:43

The Happenings Four+1:
Kuni Kawachi - piano,organ, lyrics, arrangements
Tome Kitagawa - vocals, conga
Pepe Yoshihiro - bass
Chito Kawachi - drums, lyrics, arrangements, vocals
Mizutani Kimio - guitar