Jukebox Upchuck #32

The Mops are widely considered the gold-standard of Japan's "Group Sounds" movement, which in lay terms was essentially Japan's attempt to copy the chart success of the American and British beat movements. You've probably heard The Mops' contribution to the second Nuggets box, "I Am Just a Mops," a catchy if simplistic rock and roll dirge. But the bulk of their 1967 album Psychedelic Sounds in Japan sounds nothing like that. Containing a mixture of covers sung in English and originals sung in Japanese, Psychedelic Sounds showcases an incredible band fully capable of holding their own with their overseas garage-psych counterparts. You can tell where -- in part -- the group drew their influence by the bands they chose to cover: Jefferson Airplane, The Animals, The Box Tops, and The Doors. But it's on their original material that you can really hear the garage'edelic influence, specifically when lead guitarist Masaru Hoshi cuts loose. (Check the Hendrix influence on "Sleep, Jesus," which was released two years after Psychedelic Sounds.) This shit just flips my wig.*

The Mops – "I Am Just a Mops"
The Mops – "Asamade Matenai"
The Mops – "The Letter"
The Mops – "Sleep, Jesus"

*Note: The Noiseboy believes in balding gracefully, and would never actually resort to wig-wearing.