98.12.25: Otokotachi no Wakare (2005)

On 28 December 1998, the Japanese band Fishmans gave a concert to mark the departure of their bassist, Yuzuru Kawashibara. For two hours at the Akasaka Blitz in Tokyo, the band worked their way through their extensive body of work, from the dub- and reggae-influenced tracks of their earlier albums to the expansive psychedelic compositions of their later work, with their 45-minute magnum opus Long Season as the absolute highlight.

Singer Shinji Sato and drummer Kin-ichi Motegi had intended to continue the band following Kawashibara’s departure, but on 15 March 1999, two months after the concert, Sato died unexpectedly. Thus, Otokotachi no Wakare (Japanese for ‘a farewell to men’) suddenly became a very different kind of farewell from what had been planned. The recording of the concert stands as a testament to one of the most legendary Japanese bands of all time.