RC Succession

RC Succession trace their roots to a high school folk-rock trio that spent the 1970s laboring in relative obscurity as a soul and R&B outfit before emerging as a flamboyant, frequently provocative punk and glam ensemble. That evolution placed them two decades ahead of visual kei and left a lasting mark on J-rock acts such as Boowy, whose vocalist Kyosuke Himuro later credited a live RC Succession performance with inspiring him to become a rock musician. The band’s story reaches back to the late 1960s, when shifting lineups briefly operated under the names Clover, The Remainders of the Clover, and finally The Remainders of the Clover Succession, shortened for convenience to RC Succession.

Its first settled roster—vocalist and guitarist Kiyoshiro Imawano, guitarist Kenchi Haren, and bassist Wassho Rinko, whose real name is Kazuo Kobayashi—performed acoustic material and secured a contract with Toshiba. The group debuted in 1970 with the single “Takarakuji ha Kawanai.” Audiences responded strongly to the band’s concerts and to Imawano’s inventive Japanese lyrics, which offset his comparatively slender voice, yet new recordings arrived slowly. The debut full-length Shoki No RC Succession appeared in 1972, followed by two further albums and then a four-year recording pause attributed in part to ineffective management.

Matters shifted in the late 1970s as punk elements entered the mix without erasing the group’s R&B and folk foundations, while Imawano cultivated a preference for eye-catching stage attire. Haren departed in 1979 and was succeeded by Reichi Nakaido; drummer Kozo Niida arrived in 1978 and keyboardist Gee2Woo joined in 1980, ushering the band into its most successful period.

During the 1980s, RC Succession found themselves grouped with the eclectic Japanese pop scene that encompassed the Plastics and Yellow Magic Orchestra. The band attempted to reach listeners abroad by issuing two studio albums on London Records and appearing at the 1982 Day of R&B event alongside Chuck Berry, yet overseas recognition remained limited. Domestically they enjoyed sustained popularity, demonstrated by an unbroken run of Nippon Budokan Christmas concerts from 1981 through 1991. Their contrarian streak never derailed that success, though it occasionally created complications: the cover of the 1982 hit collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto, “Ikenai Rouge Magic,” depicted Sakamoto and Imawano kissing, and the 1988 covers album simply titled Covers, which included an anti-nuclear-energy song, was dropped by Toshiba because of the label’s involvement in nuclear power. Kitty Records ultimately released the record.

Eight studio albums emerged from the 1980s. In 1990 Gee2Woo and Niida exited, leaving Imawano, Nakaido, and Kobayashi to complete the trio album Baby a Go Go. That release proved to be the band’s last full-length statement; RC Succession disbanded after the 1991 Budokan concert. Imawano and Nakaido launched separate careers and collaborated in the manner of Page and Plant on the 1994 joint album Glad All Over, but RC Succession never reunited. Imawano, in particular, participated in projects such as Timers and Love Jets, appeared in several films, and maintained an active solo career that sometimes involved performing under pseudonyms. He became a frequent performer at the Fuji Rock Festival throughout the 2000s until throat cancer claimed his life in 2009 at the age of 58, foreclosing any prospect of a classic RC Succession reunion.