Ranmadou’s story starts with guitarist Eiryu Kou. br Kou joined a band called The Vickies as a guitarist in 1966. br (A few sources claim it was 1967 or 1968 but Kou remembers br The Beatles visited Japan when he was with The Vickies so br it must have been before July 1966.) The Vickies were an br early version of Blues Creation. In fact, when Kou left br the band in August 1968 to take over his family’s business, br he was replaced by future Blues Creation leader, Kazuo Takeda. br Kou later briefly returned in September but then left to form br a band called Blind Lemon Jefferson in April 1969. They played br played at go-go clubs in Touhoku during the summer and then from br September were based out of a club called ‘Apple’ in Shinjuku, Tokyo. br The band broke up in late 1969. In January 1970, Kou formed Dew with br singer Fumio Nunoya, who had left Blues Creation the previous December. br (As far as I know, the only thing released from Kou’s time br with Dew are ‘Lost Blues Days Vol.1' (2001) on the Captain br Trip label, track 6, “Tobacco Road” and 7, “Hard Luck Story”.) br br In early 1971, Kou left Dew and formed Ranmadou with br Yukio Saruyama (bass), Hisao Matsuyoshi (vocals) and br Toshirou Yashima (drums). (I’m not sure about the romanization br of those names.) Both Saruyama and Matsuyoshi had been in Blind Lemon Jefferson br 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 br at a club called ‘Cat’s Eye’ and worked up most of their original material br . While in Kyoto, they opened for an early version of Flied Egg. Around br this time, Ritsuo Kamimura became their manager. Kamimura had connections br with Hachimitsu Pie’s and Happy End’s management agency Kazetoshi, who set br the band up with a gig at ‘BYG’ in Shibuya, Tokyo from July. In August, they br played at the sub-stage of the 3rd Annual Japan Folk Jamboree and Kou claims br they were the loudest band there. (Dew also performed.) br They started recording their debut album Ranmadou in April 1972. Through their br management connections, Takashi Matsumoto from Happy End and Keiichi Suzuki br from Hachimitsu Pie were involved in the album and their influence can be br heard in the laid-back feeling on the first side album. It was also a conscious br decision on Kou’s part to move the band in a more pop direction. br 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.