from left: Mamoru Manu, Kenneth Ito, Dave Hirao, Louis Kabe, and Eddie Ban
Original members:
Tokimune ‘Dave’ Hirao – vocals
Eddie Ban – lead guitar, vocals
Kenneth Ito – guitar, vocals
Masayoshi ‘Louis Louis’ Kabe – bass
Mamoru Manu – drums, vocals
Golden Cups’ singer and founder Dave Hirao had played in an earlier combo called the Sphinx in Yokohama, an important city for music in Japan because of the influence of american military bases in the vicinity. He met lead guitarist Eddie Ban who, like Dave, had travelled to the U.S. to hear rock in person. Eddie had brought back a fuzz box with him from his travels, a sound which would be lavished on much of their early work.
Joining Dave and Eddie were Kennith Ito on guitar and vocals, Masayoshi Kabe on bass and Mamoru Manu on drums. Kenneth Ito had grown up in Hawaii and his English vocals on the tougher rock songs gave them an edge over most other Japanese acts of the time. Initially calling themselves the Group and I, they renamed themselves after the Golden Cup nightclub near the Honmoku army base when they became the house band there in 1966. An appearance on the NHK-TV Young 720 show gave them national exposure and led to a contract with Capitol.
Their recordings vary greatly, with lesser tracks ranging from sacharrine ballads written by industry hacks to unspectacular versions of popular soul songs, and later on to sludgy blues covers. Still, almost every 45 and lp release has something to recommend it and a few are really superb. Like most Japanese productions of the period these are all in stereo, and the band makes good use of it.
Julian Cope writes in japrocksampler.com:
Playing at jazz kissas such as Tokyo’s La Seine, the boys would go for total burn up, but compromise totally at concert halls, playing the dull overly arranged ballads, even accompanied by an orchestra.
“Hiwa Mata Noboru” is the b-side to their first 45, “Itoshi No Jezebel” from June of 1967, and has many of the hallmarks of their sound – prominent bass playing, cymbals crashing, fuzz guitar, and Dave Hirao’s surly lead vocals.
Their second 45 “Love Is My Life” has it all – fuzz, screams, and incredible bass runs by Kabe. I recommend the flip, “Do You Know I Love You” (written by Ito and Ban) to real fans of the Japanese pop sound, but others may want to pass on it. Released on November 15, 1967.
The Golden Cups issued their first album in March of 1968, including their take on “Hey Joe”, surely one of the best versions of this song ever cut. The band takes it at an incredibly fast speed, with more amazing bass playing from Kabe, piercing fuzz leads, Kenneth Ito’s lead vocals and a full three minutes of feedback laden freak-out during the middle of the song!
The rest of the LP is a disappointment. Besides the singles tracks it’s chock full of cover songs whose very titles are enough to make a true rock fan cringe: “Whiter Shade of Pale”, “Unchained Melody”, “I’m Your Puppet” and “My Girl”. The promisingly-titled “LSD Blues” is just a slow, harmonica-wailing blues of no special distinction, and a couple r&b tunes “I Got My Mojo Workin’” and “I Feel Good” are good without being remarkable.
No other Group Sounds recording comes close to matching “This Bad Girl” for pure garage sound.
Again, it’s Kenneth Ito’s lead vocals that help put the song across. It’s probably their very best. It was the flip of their biggest hit from April of 1968, “Nagaikami No Shojo (Girl With Long Hair)”, a dismal song promoted by an idiotic Girl With Long Hair contest.
In the summer of 1968 the band lost Kenneth Ito when he returned to Hawaii to renew his visa (he was half-American) and was denied reentry to Japan because of his draft eligiblity. His replacement was a sixteen-year-old keyboardist, Mickey Yoshino. Ito would rejoin from time to time and sang “Take Three” on their third LP, Blues Message.
They did a good film clip promoting their next 45, “My Love Only for You”, but it’s currently unavailable on youtube.
A good example of what the band sounded like in late 1968, covering Cream’s “I’m So Glad”.
Pop, yes, but I love this song
The pop singles continued (“My Love Only for You”, “Goodbye My Love”) and a second LP released in September of 1968. Although it lacks any stellar songs like “Hey Joe”, I’d say this one isn’t as bad as the first. The cover songs tend to be soul standards like “Shotgun”, “Hold On I’m Comin'”, “In the Midnight Hour” and even “Spooky”, but Eddie Ban’s generous helpings of fuzztone keep them from being terminally boring.
The LP contained only one new song of note, “Happening at 3 O’Clock A.M”, where a speeded-up excerpt from the Electric Prunes’ Vox Wah Wah ad segues into a psychedelic spaghetti-western style trip. It features Louis Kabe’s only lead vocal, if you can call it that, with the Cups. This song was also put on the flip-side of their fifth 45 in December of 1968. Jean-Pierre sent it in and insisted I post it!
Eddie Ban left in April of 1969, followed by more personnel changes and a shift to a blues and standard rock repertoire.
Julian Cope writes:
Each release sounded more and more like a cruise ship entertainment than a heavyweight outfit, and it was something of a mercy killing when, on New Year’s Eve 1972, the Okinawa discotheque in which they were playing burned to the ground, taking all of The Cups’ possessions and equipment with it.
Kenneth Ito died in the 1980’s. Dave Hirao later ran a club called “Bold” in Roppongi, he passed away on November 10, 2008. Eddie Ban opened a famous Chinese restaurant in Yokohama but is again playing music. Before Dave passed away, there was a documentary on the group One More Time that led to a reunion, and Mamoru Manu also led a reunion in 2007.
Much more info is at japrocksampler.com, and thanks again to Buis for his informative comments on the original article – I’ve incorporated some of that info into this revised piece (10/2009).
Here’s a link to a YouTube clip of the band performing Naga Kami no Shojo live in 2003. I guess with age it grew on them… 😉
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd4KaMwfS50
If you ask me, this cheese doesn’t age well
You’re right about this one! I can imagine this on the soundtrack of a Roger Corman drive-in classic of the day….
While my blog deals with, for the most part, the early ’90s, I couldn’t resist doing a post on the Golden Cups version of “Hey Joe.” It’s insanity. The had the Japanese J. Entwistle on board. I absolutely love this band.
A huge golden oldies industry says otherwise. And cheese usually improves with age. 😛
Hi!
I just heard this song of theirs on a compilation, Nagai kami no shoujo, that I see on the cover above. Googled my way here. Though I don’t know much Japanese I absolutely love it. Even though it does have a bit of the saccharine to it. 🙂 The refrain is great, a little off-beat and dramatic. Thanks for the update and the songs. What a find!
That said, I realise that a song like Naka kami can’t and shouldn’t hold pride of place at a site like this, that is dedicated to the originality, and perhaps the otherness, that existed in bands that stayed in the garage or on the fringes of the mainstream. Bands that don’t go on golden oldies compilations. And I highly respect your efforts to preserve some knowledge about these bands that might otherwise be forgotten, along with their music.
The song is an attempt to go mainstream and thus, a compromise. A betrayal, some might say, of their own ambitions. They certainly seem to have felt that way. It absolutely doesn’t have the energy of This Bad Girl or the wonderful weirdness of their Hey Joe cover. But I, who am not into garage per se and is just beginning to dip my toes in Japanese 60s music, prefer to look at it like this: When they did have to compromise, they ended up creating some of the best cheese around. 🙂
I have their version of “Hey Joe” on one of the Pebbles albums – it’s the only thing I’ve heard by them, and it’s great fun. My head started nodding instinctively as soon as the bassline started up. It’s absolutely rockingest. And the freakout section is a nice lull before the fuzz guitar comes back again. It sickens me that Radio One does not play stuff like this.
Top picture, second from left – is that the band’s enforcer?
That guy with red shirt is Kenneth Ito, perhaps a key person when the Cups’ garage credibility is considered. He sang lead on “Hey Joe” and “This Bad Girl” as well as playing rhythm guitar, but because he is born half-American, the draft problem led to his Japanese visa’s cancellation. and officially replaced by keyboardist Mickey Yoshino (who later found greater fame with Godiego, scoring some UK hits in the 70s) although he rejoined on several occasions unofficially, even singing on “Take Three” on their acclaimed (and blues-oriented) third album. Sadly he passed away in the 80s and missed the recent revival/reunion caused by the documentary film “One More Time.”
On that picture sleeve of “Love is My Life” from L to R: Mamoru Manu (drums and lead vocal on some MOR-flavored songs: He was the Cups’ only visible idol!), Kenneth Ito, Dave Hirao (lead vocal on most songs and leader), Louis Luis Kabe (bass player extraordinare, plus only one lead vocal on “Happening at 3 o’clock A.M.”), Eddie Ban (lead guitar, later went on to manage a famous Chinese restaurant in Yokohama but retired recently to restart his rockin’ career!)
After 1969 many reshuffling of the band members occurred, with only Dave as a constant leader, but that’s another story altogether. They officially ended their career in early 1972 with the fateful fire accident in Okinawa, when all of their equipment burned down.
I am deeply saddened by the news about Dave Hirao.
The Golden Cups were the first band I met in Japan
when I moved there in 1968. We met in a restaurant in Akasaka.
Months later we did the Western Carnival and other shows together,
and I have very fond memories of those days.
In recent years I went to the Golden Cups feature film premiere in Tokyo
and the band performed at the event. Dave was, as always, a great
front man. We all went out to dinner afterwards with many people
from the group sounds era.
In recent years I always visited his club “Bold” in Roppongi when I made it
over to Tokyo. We would take turns singing songs with his terrific house band.
Fun times.
Dave will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
I want to express my deepest sympathy to his family and members of
The Golden Cups band.
Sincerely,
Alan Merrill
New York City, Nov. 11th, 2008
I attended a Group Sound confrence at The University of Chicago , a few years ago . Honored guests included Masayoshi (I’ve always seen his nickname listed as “Louise – Louis.”) Kale , Eddie Ban and Mamoru Manu of the Golden Cups , and even (as seen above. ) Alan Merrill (Whose credits include Group Sound killers , The Dynamites , Vodka Collins , Japan’s first Glam band , studio work with Tetsu Yamauchi , just prior to his joining Free , then the Faces , and the somewhat later UK Glam Band , Arrows , for whom he wrote and sang the original , infinitely superior version of “I Love Rock ‘n’Roll”.) . It was great to meet those guys , and hear their stories , first hand. I wrote an article about it at the time in Roctober magazine , but , a new , revised version is due to appear in the Japan – based fanzine , ” All Monsters Attack”.
Dave Hirao, lead singer of the Golden Cups and only member throughout their career, died today at 63. While Kenneth Ito and Louis Kabe provided their “punk” side, the “soul” feeling belonging to Dave was their main weapon. We will all miss him, and the legend of the cups will be never resurrect again as he followed the path trodden by Kenneth and Ai Takano (their drummer in the later career who was formerly in the Carnabeats)
I am a member of the Hirao family. I married Dave’s niece 6 years ago and have meet Dave on numerous occasions over the years. I have a great respect for Dave’s work and the Golden Cups. Throughout the funeral process I have learned a lot about the history of group sounds in Japan and the Golden Cups.
On behalf of the Hirao Family I would like to express our gratitude, to those of you that have expressed your condolences.
Kevin Holdaway (The Hirao Family)
January 28th, 2009