Sadistic Mika Band

Sadistic Mika Band was a Japanese band in the glam rock/funk rock field that was initiated by guitarist Kazuhiko Kato (formerly of the Folk Crusaders) after he in 1972 had moved to Kensington London, and - inspired by the new glam rock scene - once back in Japan formed Sadistic Mika Band (the name parodying The Plastic Ono Band) together with singer and then wife Mika Kato, drummer Hiro Tsunoda and lead guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka, both from Flied Egg, who on June 21, 1972, released their first 7" single, Cycling Boogie, produced by Kato and released on his newly formed Doughnut Records, Japan's first private label. Tsunoda left the band, and was replaced on drums by Yukihiro Takahashi. Bass player Ray Ohara also joined the band.

Their first, self-titled album was a mix of glam rock and some light progressive rock, released on Doughnut the following year, and on EMI's progressive Harvest label in the UK. In 1974, the followup Black Ship (Kurofune, a funky flirt with psychedelic rock, produced by British star producer Chris Thomas, was released to critical acclaim in the UK, but sales were poor outside Japan where it was a hit. While Thomas also was producing the ill-fated, Welsh power pop band Badfinger's 6th album Wish You Were Here, he introduced Mika to band leader Pete Ham, which lead to her singing background vocals (in Japanese) on one of its songs, Know One Knows.

Ohara left the band and in came Tsugutoshi Goto on bass. And it wasn't until their 1975, third release, the even funkier Hot! Menu (again produced by Chris Thomas) that things started happening. Their new single Mada Mada Samba got airplay on BBC Radio 3, and also performed Time to Noodle and Suki, Suki, Suki on BBC TV's Old Grey Whistle Test in October 1975. They also toured with Roxy Music, and thus was the first ever Japanese band to tour the UK. After this, Mika and Kazuhiko Katō divorced and left the band. Mika remarried Chris Thomas, and the rest of the band continued recording and touring as the more jazz rock oriented Sadistics until 1979, when the band finally folded.

In 1977, Kazuhiro Kato had married translator, essayist, lyricist and former singer (knowns as ZuZu), Kazumi Yasui. Meanwhile, he continued recording and releasing albums as a successful solo artist, worked as a radio host and became a well-known TV personality. Masayoshi Takanaka became one of Japan's most famous guitarists, and Yukihiro Takahashi earned fame as drummer and main vocalist with synth-pop band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO).

In 1985, the band would return as Sadistic Yuming Band, with Yumi Matsutoya ("Yuming") on vocals, and YMO leader Ryuichi Sakamoto on keyboard. They would reunite again in 1989 as Sadistic Mica Band, with Karen Kirishima on female lead vocals, and released a new studio album, Appare (天晴), for the first time in 14 years, followed by a live album. They would reunite a third and last time in 2006 as Sadistic Mikaela Band, now with 22-year-old pop singer Kaela Kimura on lead vocals . An album and a DVD, Narkissos, followed. In 2007, a retrospective, triple live CD (enhanced with videos) was released.

Kazuhiro Kato and Kazumi Yasui stayed married until her death from lung cancer in 1994. On Oct. 17, 2009, Kato ended his life in a hotel room in the popular tourist resort Karuizawa in Nagano. He was 62. Today, Sadistic Mika Band's 2nd album Black Ship (黒船) is regarded as one of the most influential Japanese rock albums of the mid-70's.