Nuggets II: I’m Just A Mops by The Mops

The success of Rhino’s 1998 Nuggets boxset justified a follow-up. The sequel covers the rest of the world since the first volume only chronicled the USA.

Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964–1969 emerged in 2001. It features music from countries such as Iceland, Uruguay, and Japan. I’m profiling and rating each of the 109 tracks, working backwards.

Track 86 – I’m Just A Mops by The Mops

From: Tokyo, Japan

Credits

PERSONNEL/HIROMITSU SUZUKI: vocals * MASARU HOSHI: lead guitar, vocals * TAROU MIYUKI: rhythm guitar * KAORU MURAKAMI: bass * MIKIHARU SUZUKI: drums
Producer(s) unknown
Recorded in Tokyo, Japan
From the album Psychedelic Sounds In Japan, Victor #SJV-356 (1968) [Japan]

The Mops

The Group Sounds genre became popular in Japan in the late 1960s. It fused Western rock music with Japanese pop music (kayōkyoku). It was sparked by The Beatles’ 1966 appearance at the Budokan.

The Mops started as a high school band, playing instrumental rock like The Ventures. Their manager visited San Francisco and brought home Jefferson Airplane records, steering the band toward psychedelic rock. The Mops covered ‘White Rabbit’ and ‘Somebody to Love’ on their debut album. They became known as Japan’s “first psychedelic band”, and performed with elaborate light shows.

I’m Just A Mops

‘I’m Just A Mops’ may be a grammatically dubious title, but it’s a terrific song.

There’s a busy bassline, a fuzzy guitar, a Beatlesque tune, and a charismatic singer delivering wacky lines like “But I don’t care of them/’Cos I am just a Mops!”

The Mops hammered their point home six months later with their first album, Psychedelic Sounds In Japan, which included wild covers of “Somebody To Love” and “San Franciscan Nights,” as well as some fuzzed-out nuggets of their own, like “Blind Bird” (which included the dramatic exhortation “Please kill me”–predating Richard Hell by a not-so-blank generation). Best of the bunch, though, was probably their loopy theme song, “I’m Just A Mops,” a proud statement of their outcast status, in less than perfect English: “But I don’t care of them/’Cos I am just a Mops!”
Mike Stax, Nuggets II liner notes

The Aftermath

The Mops broke up in 1974. Guitarist Masaru Hoshi worked as an arranger. Vocalist Hiromitsu Suzuki became a TV personality and actor, while drummer Mikiharu Suzuki started a successful career in artist management.

Read More

7 Comments

Christian's Music Musings

November 9, 2025 / 10:37 am Reply

That is such a cool song, Graham. It’s also safe to assume it’s the first music by a Japanese garage rock band I’ve ever heard!
- Aphoristical
  
  November 10, 2025 / 7:01 pm Reply
  
  Yeah, when I think of Japanese popular music, it’s slick City pop or the Yellow Magic Orchestra and friends.
Badfinger (Max)

November 9, 2025 / 3:28 pm Reply

I love this! Like Christian…and probably most people, my first taste of a Japanese garage band…I’ll have to look more of these guys up.
- Aphoristical
  
  November 11, 2025 / 9:32 am Reply
  
  Yeah, had me interested in more too. Great pick from the compilers – must be people out there with an encyclopedic knowledge of obscure 1960s records.
  - Badfinger (Max)
    
    November 12, 2025 / 4:50 am Reply
    
    They must be…this is about as obscure as you can get.
80smetalman

November 10, 2025 / 2:03 am Reply

Make that three people who’s first experience of Japanese garage music this is. There seems to be a strong Beatles influence.
- Aphoristical
  
  November 11, 2025 / 9:32 am Reply
  
  Yeah, it’s pretty Beatlesy – like 1964 Beatles maybe.