Credits

I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Monday, October 5, 2020

Kyoko Kosaka -- Glass Saiku(ガラス細工)

 


Over 5 years ago, I wrote about Kyoko Kosaka's(小坂恭子)"Omoide Makura"(想い出まくら), a folk song that was quite familiar to me although I hadn't known about the singer/songwriter or the even the title back then. 


(excerpt only)

"Omoide Makura" was released as Kosaka's 3rd single in May 1975 and it was a signature hit for her as it became the 3rd-ranked single of the entire year. Just in the last little while, though, I discovered the title track from her debut album released in July 1974, "Glass Saiku" (Glassworks).

I mentioned in the other article that Kosaka was someone who covered both the folk and New Music genres. Well, in comparison to the folksy kayo that "Omoide Makura" was, "Glass Saiku" is definitely more in the New Music vein. The singer was responsible for both words and music with Mitsuo Hagita(萩田光雄) handling the arrangement, and there is something more Western about "Glass Saiku" with the piano and strings reminding me of the introspective pop that I used to hear on the radio back in those 1970s. It definitely doesn't come across as the usual kayo. In addition, the way those strings suddenly get so contrastive in the middle of the song makes me wonder whether Kosaka and Hagita had also wanted to get a little progressive in the arrangement. As well, the former's vocals have a bit more growl and bite here when compared to the way she sings "Omoide Makura".

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