Flower Travellin' Band | Artist

Flower Travellin' Band was a Japanese rock band formed 1970 in Tokyo by Yuya Uchida (vocals), Hideki Ishima (guitar), Jun Kobayashi (bass), Joji Wada (drums) and Akira "Joe" Yamanaka (vocals). They were connected to Japan's counterculture movement and noted for their mixture of early heavy metal with psychedelic and progressive rock. The band was initially started by Yuya Uchida when he returned to Japan after visiting his friend John Lennon in the mid 1960s in London, where he was introduced to upcoming artists such as Cream and Jimi Hendrix. Yuya formed the "Flowers" as a cover band and released the album Challenge! in 1968, featuring covers of songs by Hendrix, Cream, Jefferson Airplane and Big Brother. The album caused a stir in the Japanese media as it depicted each member posing naked on the cover. Yuya then formed the Flower Travellin' Band and released a debut album Anywhere!, which again featured the band members naked on the cover. In 1970 the band travelled to Canada to record their first album of original material. Their classic album Satori was released in 1971 and they spent that year performing with major artists including Dr. John and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. They returned to Japan in 1972 and the following year were billed to perform with the Rolling Stones throughout their Japanese tour, however all concerts were canceled when Mick Jagger's visa was rejected due to a drug conviction. The group disbanded in 2011 after having released five studio albums. Standouts include Satori, Made in Japan and Make Up. Also the 1975 compilation The Times is highly recommended.

Artist Website: flowertravelliningband.com

Featured Albums: Flower Travellin' Band

Related Artists: Kira Joe Yamanaka, Yuyu Uchida & The Flowers