Ranmadou’s story starts with guitarist Eiryu Kou.

Kou joined a band called The Vickies as a guitarist in 1966 (A few sources claim it was 1967 or 1968 but Kou remembers The Beatles visited Japan when he was with The Vickies so it must have been before July 1966). The Vickies were an early version of Blues Creation. In fact, when Kou left the band in August 1968 to take over his family’s business, he was replaced by future Blues Creation leader, Kazuo Takeda.

Kou later briefly returned in September but then left to form a band called Blind Lemon Jefferson in April 1969. They played played at go-go clubs in Touhoku during the summer and then from September were based out of a club called ‘Apple’ in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The band broke up in late 1969. In January 1970, Kou formed Dew with singer Fumio Nunoya, who had left Blues Creation the previous December.

(As far as I know, the only thing released from Kou’s time with Dew are ‘Lost Blues Days Vol.1' (2001) on the Captain Trip label, track 6, “Tobacco Road” and 7, “Hard Luck Story”.)

In early 1971, Kou left Dew and formed Ranmadou with Yukio Saruyama (bass), Hisao Matsuyoshi (vocals) and Toshirou Yashima (drums). (I’m not sure about the romanization of those names.) Both Saruyama and Matsuyoshi had been in Blind Lemon Jefferson and Yashima was recommended by Kazuo Takeda. In March, they played in Gifu Prefecture and then moved to Kyoto in May. For the next 2 months, they played at a club called ‘Cat’s Eye’ and worked up most of their original material.

While in Kyoto, they opened for an early version of Flied Egg. Around this time, Ritsuo Kamimura became their manager. Kamimura had connections with Hachimitsu Pie’s and Happy End’s management agency Kazetoshi, who set the band up with a gig at ‘BYG’ in Shibuya, Tokyo from July. In August, they played at the sub-stage of the 3rd Annual Japan Folk Jamboree and Kou claims they were the loudest band there (Dew also performed).

They started recording their debut album Ranmadou in April 1972. Through their management connections, Takashi Matsumoto from Happy End and Keiichi Suzuki from Hachimitsu Pie were involved in the album and their influence can be heard in the laid-back feeling on the first side album. It was also a conscious decision on Kou’s part to move the band in a more pop direction.

When the URC label catalog was released on CD in 1989, Ranmadou’s performance from the 3rd Annual Folk Jamboree was released as Summer 1971.

Source : http://www.metalmusicarchives.com