Donna Summer -- Last Dance

 

Welcome to the regular weekly Reminiscings of Youth session where I post about songs that I used to hear in my youth (toddlerhood, young adulthood). This time around, I'm also including this one since it's been reported that the late great Donna Summer (who had passed away in 2012) was just inducted into The Songwriters' Hall of Fame.

It's kinda too bad that the only trailers I could find of the movie "Thank God It's Friday" from 1978 are pretty darn murky, but I guess that they reflect how dark the interior of the discos were back in the day, aside from the blinding lights. As a kid, I barely remember that there was a movie with that title during the Age of Disco. I had no idea that it had starred Jeff Goldblum, Debra Winger (her first appearance in a motion picture) and Terri Nunn who would become the lead singer of the 80s New Wave band Berlin. Last but not least, it also had Summer with a pretty meaty role.

Ah, someone turned on the lights a bit more. Thank you! And on a great song, too, as Summer let loose a disco classic in the movie "Last Dance". I heard "Last Dance" here and there over the years through the radio and TV and more recently via YouTube. Nope, never danced to it which for sighted people was just as well. I think the Torch Lady (the Columbia Pictures logo) in the movie cut up the rug a whole lot better than I ever could.

Created by Paul Jabara, "Last Dance" was released in July 1978, some weeks following the release of the movie. It starts off with a ballad-like opening before the gates open and the joy of disco floods the floor. For those of a certain age, the song has probably evoked some good-time memories. It hit No. 10 on Canada's RPM and then No. 3 on America's Billboard. It won the Oscar for Best Original Song and a Grammy for Best R&B Song for Jabara and then a Grammy for Summer for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female.

Just a day after the release of "Last Dance", Oricon put up its weekly single rankings. Here are Nos. 1-3.

1. Circus -- Mr. Summertime

2. Pink Lady -- Monster （モンスター）

3. Eikichi Yazawa -- Jikan yo Tomare （時間よ止まれ）

Sayaka Ito -- Broken Generation

 

Early last month, I introduced 1980s rock-n-rollin' singer Sayaka Ito（伊藤さやか）to the blog with her "GO! GO! POP-TOWN" from 1982. Wasn't sure whether the song was just that one foray into the 1950s and 1960s that a lot of those Harajuku dancers were into at around the same time.

Well, it looks like the old-fashioned rock-n-roll music life was just the thing for her. In June 1983, Ito released her 5th single, "Broken Generation", and this time, compared to "GO! GO! POP-TOWN", she's eschewed the New Wave aspect and went for the basic old school. In fact, I'd say that the melody by Ginji Ito（伊藤銀次）and arrangement by Tsugutoshi Goto（後藤次利）was more reminiscent of the stuff that Motoharu Sano（佐野元春）would make up. I get images of a 1950s motorcycle gang living the free and untamed life and roaming the byways and highways of the city and life in general. Heck, even the singer herself in the thumbnail above looks like she could have been the gang leader's girlfriend (get a load of that hair!). Hitoshi Shinohara (篠原仁志...aka Heart Box) was the lyricist here.

Mia Masuda -- Fuwa Fuwa（ふ・わ・ふ・わ）

 

I haven't been to this place in quite a while but Fuwa Fuwa is our local establishment for Japanese-style pancakes. To be honest, during my time in Japan, I hadn't been aware that my old stomping grounds were famous for fluffy souffle pancakes. Sure, I used some of that pancake mix from Morinaga in Ichikawa, but I never got anything nearly as airy as the pancakes they make at Fuwa Fuwa.

But I digress. Another object that has been given the name is one of aidoru Mia Masuda's（増田未亜）songs. "Fuwa Fuwa" (Fluffy) is a track on her August 1989 debut album "Pure", and Masuda certainly sounds quite fluffy here; heck, the first word in Machiko Ryu's（竜真知子）lyrics is marshmallow. One can't get fluffier than that.

Ken Sato（佐藤健）, Junko Ohashi's（大橋純子）husband and composer of many of her City Pop songs, was responsible for the melody. It was truly made for an aidoru but with an extra level of class thanks to those strings and a general arrangement of pop music that sounds as if it had been meant for someone like Mariko Nagai（永井真理子）or Miki Imai（今井美樹）. So, perhaps the vocals and the overall atmosphere were the fluffier parts of "Fuwa Fuwa".

Noriyuki Makihara -- Shouri no Egao（勝利の笑顔）

 

It's been just about six years since I put up my most recent Noriyuki Makihara（槇原敬之）song onto the blog, so allow me to rectify this situation.

Back in November 1991, singer-songwriter Mackey released his 4th single, the classic "Fuyu ga Hajimaru yo"（冬がはじまるよ）, a really jolly song for the Yuletide with that wonderful harmonica playing. Well, I've found out that the coupling song for that one is lovely in its own way, if quite wistful.

"Shouri no Egao" (The Smile of Victory) has nothing to do with Christmas and it tells of a romance that never got to be due to various circumstances such as the eddies of fate forcing a pair to drift apart. Starting with a riff that sounds like it was inspired by 1970s soul, Makihara sings about a man suddenly bumping into a woman he had feelings for way back in his high school years as a soccer player. They exchange pleasantries politely but it seems like the woman never really reciprocated those feelings and after she even gives him her contact information, he ends up tearing the memo later on. He has moved on and if there's not even an ember of romantic hope and it was more about lip service, then why bother? They'll probably see each other at a distant school reunion. 

Ryuichi Sakamoto -- Dancing in the Sky

 

Fairly busy day today. Met up with an old friend of mine for lunch (that was one spicy steak sandwich from Bear Steak in The Well) and stopped off at Sonic Boom to pick up an LP for my niece's Christmas present. Needed a double nap when I got home tonight. But I'm ready to do some blogging for Hump Day.

A few months ago, I posted up a Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）song which was his March 2008 single "Koko", a elegiac piece for a Japan Post commercial which could have easily been a musical elegy for Sakamoto himself since he has left us. Well, here is one of the coupling songs from the single which will go down as the shortest song that I've ever covered on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" since I started all the way back in 2012. 

"Dancing in the Sky" is only a minute and nine seconds along but even within its very short time, it manages to weave together a story of sorts. Just with his wonderful piano, The Professor could have been melodically describing a little boy or girl sneaking down to the living room early on Christmas morning to open up those presents. Maybe the dancing in the sky is the joy the kid feels at getting what he wanted. Nope, it's not a Christmas song per se, but it certainly feels really jingly.

Miyuki Kajitani -- Kiss The Sunlight

 

So far, singer-songwriter Miyuki Kajitani（梶谷美由紀）has been represented on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" for her contribution to the "Sailor Moon" franchise with the happy-go-lucky ""Rashiku" Ikimasho"（”らしく”　いきましょ）ending theme. And on her J-Wiki page, it's been said that she's been mostly known for her anison.

However, Kajitani did release her 5th single in November 1996, "Kiss The Sunlight", which apparently didn't have any anime connections (although it was used as the ending theme for a weekly animal documentary program on TBS). It's also quite the peppy bossa-pop number that starts with a rollicking keyboard sequence that I quite like. For a while, I thought maybe it could also qualify as a Shibuya-kei piece but ultimately I went with Latin and Pop. Kenzo Saeki（サエキけんぞう）and Kajitani were the lyricists here while Hirofumi Suzuki（鈴木博文）took care of the amiable melody.

TOM★CAT -- Summer Time Graffiti（サマータイム グラフィティ）

663highland via Wikimedia Commons

 

I regret that I never took the opportunity to visit Okinawa during my years in Japan. I have a friend who lives in Naha and we've exchanged correspondence and Christmas cards once a year for many years now. Maybe I'll get that chance someday. Certainly would love to try Okinawan cuisine such as goya champloo and their distinct brand of soba.

One reason that I mentioned the above is that this particular song was used as the campaign jingle for Japan Air Lines' 1985 campaign for Okinawa. "Summer Time Graffiti" was the second single released by the band TOM★CAT. I wrote about these guys back in 2022 with their November 1984 debut song "Furare Kibun de Rock 'n' Roll"（ふられ気分でRock'n' Roll） and they stood out for their main vocalist TOM, aka Atsumi Matsuzaki（松崎淳美）with her distinct look of J-Roy Orbison in hair and sunglasses as she manned the keyboards.

"Summer Time Graffiti" was written and composed by TOM and released in April 1985. It's definitely got that 80s sound with those orchestra hits launching the song off and TOM's keyboard work which almost had me sprouting a mullet from the back of my head. I think that JAL was quite happy with this one for their campaign since it's dynamic enough to make tourists think about parting with their money for a trip down to Japan's southernmost prefecture. "Summer Time Graffiti" made it to No. 13 on Oricon.

Seiko Matsuda -- Futari dake no Christmas（二人だけのChristmas）

 

And here I thought that Seiko Matsuda（松田聖子）got all her Xmas feelings out when she released her 1987 "Snow Garden". Well, apparently not.

At the very least, she did have one more Christmas song in the form of "Futari dake no Christmas" (A Christmas Just For Two) which was a track on her December 1989 album "Precious Moment". Seiko-chan herself came up with the lyrics (as she did for all of the tracks) with Minoru Komorita（小森田実） as the composer and Masaaki Omura（大村雅朗）as the arranger. Speaking about arrangement, "Futari dake no Christmas" has this solemn and hushed atmosphere but also seems to possess a child-like wonder about the Holidays as if a couple were getting married in an ancient church on Christmas Eve. As for "Precious Moment", it scored a No. 6 ranking on Oricon.

Susumu Hirasawa (Mandrake) -- Iriyou Hachi no Yuuwaku（いりよう蜂の誘惑）

John Severns via Wikimedia Commons

 

I'll tell you...I get all kinds of images when I listen to this one by technopop pioneer Susumu Hirasawa（平沢進）. This is about the earliest that I've gone in his long career and "Iriyou Hachi no Yuuwaku" (Temptation of a Bee) is part of his discography when he was with the progressive rock band Mandrake. 

Mandrake was a band I mentioned in my previous Hirasawa article back in October for "Dummy no Sakuryaku"（ダミーの策略）. By the time that this particular song came out, the band was pretty much on its last legs and to be honest, I don't think "Iriyou Hachi no Yuuwaku" sounds really anything prog rock. It sounds as if Hirasawa really wanted to show off this wonderful new genre called technopop. Anyways, "Iriyou Hachi no Yuuwaku" was a track on the compilation record titled "Synthetic Space" which was released in 1978.

Starting off with a ticking that reminded me of a disco version of the theme from the famed American newsmagazine show "60 Minutes" and then some really furious tearing out of pages from a book, the synths in this one really do sound as if a bee were falling into temptation. Then, it goes into something out of a Tex Avery cartoon before there is an ominous fadeout and fade-in which takes we listeners into a fearsome odyssey out of yet another 1980s "Doctor Who" episode. The intrepid bee comes sonically back leading to an apocalyptic conclusion...maybe this is the Butterfly Effect brought to its ultimate power. I can't even imagine what the production staff must have thought when this was recorded.

Masamitsu Tayama/Yoko Kishi -- Tabi ni Detai（旅にでたい）

 

Back in September this year, I posted an APB for Neff for a group of Chinese-language covers of Japanese and Western songs. Basically, the mystery was solved and that included the final song of the compilation whose original version was "Tabi ni Detai" (I Want to Go on a Trip). What I hadn't realized at the time was that I had already written about it through Kyo Nishimura's（西村協）1982 cover of the song. I did realize that the windmills of my mind were getting a little tattered.

Mind you, although I did give my brief two cents' worth of the original song by folk singer-songwriter Masamitsu Tayama（田山雅充）and another cover version in the aftermath of the APB, I figured that both should get their own article so I've got them both here. Starting with Tayama's "Tabi ni Detai" which was the final track of his May 1977 album "Kouyou"（紅葉...Autumn Colours）, it's a truly folksy introspective number with that acoustic guitar as Tayama sings about taking those close to him to pleasant places outside the city such as that tiny seaside town or a small forested hill, thanks to Tsuzuru Nakasato's（中里綴）lyrics.

In January 1978, the late Yoko Kishi（岸洋子）released her cover version of "Tabi ni Detai"  as her 14th single. This version has a more conventional kayo arrangement including those silky strings and what sounds like a harpsichord.

Ben E. King -- Stand By Me

 

It was often the case that if I were doing an obituary article, it would be for someone in the Japanese music industry. I would wake up in the morning and catch NHK's "News at Nine" which broadcasts live some fourteen hours ahead of us here in Toronto when we're on Eastern Standard Time and then find out if a singer or other person within the industry had passed away. 

via Twitter

This morning though, it was a little different. Via the CP24 news scroll, I found out much to my shock that actor-director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner had been found murdered in their home. Reiner was someone that I'd known since I was an elementary school student. The first time I was aware of him was when he had his memorable if brief guest part in an "Odd Couple" episode in the early 1970s when he was performing with the late Penny Marshall who'd had a recurring role on the show as Myrna Turner and who'd been married to Reiner at the time. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any clip of that scene on YouTube or elsewhere but I was able to find a photo that you can see above. Reiner is the man in the white dress shirt, third from the right standing next to Marshall who would become an A-lister director herself.

Reiner would gain further fame that decade as Mike Stivic, the hippie son-in-law of the irascible and conservative Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor in the landmark CBS sitcom "All in the Family". Not surprisingly, sparks flew fast and furious between them.

I didn't watch a lot of "All in the Family" but I did remember catching one episode "Mike the Pacifist" in which Mike had to do something drastic while he and his wife were traveling on the scary New York subway.

Reiner would follow more heavily on the directing track rather than acting which he did on both TV and movies. His directing career was all for the big screen, and like Japanese songwriters Yu Aku（阿久悠）and Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）, I often went "He did that?!" when I scrolled down Reiner's filmography as a director. He helmed "This is Spinal Tap", "When Harry Met Sally" and "The Princess Bride" among other flicks. I caught "A Few Good Men" and also "Stand By Me", the August 1986 coming-of-age movie mostly based in 1959 with some rough around the edges. There were stars in the making in that one including Wil Wheaton who would take on the role of Wesley Crusher in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" the following year and then Kiefer Sutherland who would become the Jack Bauer of "24" fame.

I remember when the movie came out, the old 1961 Ben E. King classic of the same name was unearthed as the main theme song to much acclaim. During the movie's run, "Stand By Me" got a lot of airplay on the radio and then as a music video starring King alongside at least some of the actors starring in the movie. When King's song was released in 1961, it hit No. 4 on US Billboard and even with its revival a quarter-century later, it returned to the Top 10 there at No. 9. In Canada, it did even better by hitting the top spot. Personally, I also remember "Stand By Me" as a favourite karaoke song in both Toronto and in Japan...not sung by me, of course. It deserved a better fate than that.

My condolences go out to almost all of Reiner's family, friends and many fans.

So for this special ROY, what was being released as music singles in Japan in the same month as "Stand By Me"?

1986 Omega Tribe -- Super Chance

Akemi Ishii -- Cha-Cha-Cha

Miho Nakayama -- Tsuiteru ne, Notteru ne（ツイてるねノッてるね）

Nash Music Library -- Kamakura de X'mas

Dirk Beyer via Wikimedia Commons

 

Well, it wouldn't be a KKP Christmas season without including something Yuletide from the good folks at Nash Music Library. I did have something from them last year with "Happy Christmas". And so, I thought "Why not have them aboard again?".

This time,  I have "Kamakura de X'mas" (Christmas in Kamakura). Now, to be honest, Kamakura would be one of the last places where I would imagine anything having to do with Noel and the like, but hey, this ancient city gets snow and illumination so again, why not? "Kamakura de X'mas" is most likely the first KKP entry which has both the Xmas and Traditional Instrumental labels for the same song and with the piano and the jingling bells in there, I couldn't help but get images of Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）and even Studio Ghibli vibes via Joe Hisaishi（久石譲）. The song was part of the October 2024 compilation "Christmas Avenue".

Yukio Hashi -- Okesa Utaeba（おけさ唄えば）

 

It seems so long ago and yet it's only been a few months since enka singer and actor Yukio Hashi（橋幸夫）left this mortal coil at the age of 82. I guess that the music that he provided fans were so imbued with the feeling of a long-ago era that it might be easy to assume that Hashi was someone from a very long time ago.

I was just scrolling through the Top 10 Songs of 1961 and it was evident that Hashi had a lot of hits during that time, including one that came in at No. 9, "Okesa Utaeba" (Why Not Sing A Traditional Folk Song?). Hashi's 3rd single was released in October 1960 and it's definitely an enka tune when compared to some of his later and more muscular rock kayo tunes such as "Zekken No. 1 Start da"（ゼッケンNO.1スタートだ）. Written by Takao Saeki（佐伯孝夫）and composed by Tadashi Yoshida（吉田正）, it's got that jingly and jangly festival spirit in there although according to the J-Wiki article on "Okesa Utaeba", there was no choreography particularly planned for it in performances of the song unlike some of Hashi's other fare. I certainly thought that there was something min'yo about it.

With the mention of Niigata Prefecture in Saeki's lyrics and perhaps other places within the province, I assume that "Okesa Utaeba" can also be considered to be a go-touchi song or a regional tune as Hashi sings about the one that got away. Maybe the song is supposed to be a salve for that broken heart. Listeners could sympathize because "Okesa Utaeba" managed to sell about 200,000 records and break the Top 10 list in the pre-Oricon era as mentioned above.

Hidemi Ishikawa -- Watashi wa Otona（私はオ・ト・ナ）

 

There are always those times when children think they are grown-ups or want to show that they are grown-ups by putting on make-up or clothes that are way too big. Of course, the parents get all gushy and smiley. Then, the kids actually do grow up and the parents may have different reactions.

That was the impression I got while I was listening to Hidemi Ishikawa's（石川秀美）December 1983 3rd album "Semi-Sweet" and specifically one track, "Watashi wa Otona" (I'm An Adult). Ishikawa was actually around 17 when she recorded this so I'm assuming that the protagonist in the song is someone going through the rebellious stage and storming out the house. 

Written by SHOW and composed by Yuuichiro Oda（小田裕一郎）, this is a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary aidoru tune with the slightly spooky background chorus, the Dazz Band-like synths in there, and the rumbling percussion contrasted with the squeaky vocals of Ishikawa. Not sure whether Oda and the other producers were trying to show off their aidoru's persona in "Watashi wa Otona" as someone insisting of her adulthood despite the fact that she certainly didn't sound like an adult but the effect worked on me.

Kurofune Lady to Ginsei Gakudan -- Furubon'ya no Waltz（古本屋のワルツ）

 

It was about a year ago that I introduced a since-disbanded jazz trio with the name Kurofune Lady to Ginsei Gakudan（黒船レディと銀星楽団...The Black Ship Lady and The Silver Star Orchestra） consisting of singer Fumi Mizubayashi（水林史）as the Black Ship Lady herself with pianist Yuri Hirota（廣田ゆり）and guitarist Toshihiko Shiokawa（塩川俊彦）. Their song was the peppy "Ichiban Hoshii Mono"（いちばんほしいもの）.

Well, that song belonged to the trio's 2006 album "Furubon'ya no Waltz"（古本屋のワルツ...The Old Bookstore Waltz）, and now that they're back on the blog again, I'm providing the title track. As advertised, it is a lovely and intimate jazz waltz with Mizubayashi's gently lilting voice doing that light waltz all over the floor and on the song sheet. Seeing that the album had been produced to help support the bookstore area in Jimbocho, Tokyo, there is that atmosphere of the ancient pages of books and woodsy bookshelves within that old-style bookstore. Here's hoping that the E-book trend hasn't totally eliminated the need to visit some of those establishments in Jimbocho. Writing this on a Saturday, I remember that I often used to visit the area on Saturdays.

NUTS -- Heart Beat Express

 

It's quite the lovely day outside if a wee cold out there. Hopefully, all of you are enjoying your weekend.

NUTS is a 1990s pop duo that I had last posted about back in 2019 so it's time to give them their due once more. Plus, it is brilliantly sunny in my neck of the woods so something just as light and happy is appropriate. Just to remind folks, the duo consisted of vocalist Tomomi Saito（斎藤友美）and keyboardist Akihiko Hirama（平間あきひこ）. What I hadn't realized was that Hirama was once part of the funk group JADOES.

So far, this is the earliest that I've gone in NUTS' discography. Their 4th single from February 1995 is "Heart Beat Express" which is quite the bouncy number. It almost achieves 1990s City Pop status but in the end, I went with regular pop in Labels. There's no mention of whether it was it was tied up with any particular commercial but I think it should have since it does sound so welcoming for a product or service such as Japan Railways. Being a 90s song, it does have that clear and crisp brassy synth work; sounds like I described a brand of beer. The single was also included in NUTS' debut album "Ticket to Happiness" which was released about a month following the single.

Masayoshi Takanaka -- Bad Chicken

 

I think the one time that I had bad chicken was when I was back in Ichikawa. For dinner, I decided to make my own chicken katsu so I did the usual thing with the chicken breasts and dredged them in flour, egg and panko. They went into the microwave oven for some minutes (yup, I didn't use a fryer...followed my friend's style) and I chowed them down with rice. Well, I was glad that this all happened on a Friday since my weekend was pretty much a goner. I had the worst stomachache; whether it was due to not cooking the chicken enough or there was something in the egg wash, I'll never know. The horror of that gastrointestinal disaster was enough for me never to make chicken katsu ever again.

Hopefully, master musician Masayoshi Takanaka's（高中正義）only approach to bad chicken was actually through his creation "Bad Chicken" from his June 1987 14th original album "RENDEZ-VOUS". Takanaka was responsible for the funk and rock but Daryl Canada took care of the lyrics. Yes, this is a better way to shake that body around instead of wincing and twisting in agony. "Bad Chicken" wasn't necessarily used for the dance floor, though. It was actually used as a campaign song for a Toshiba product and none other than Hiroko Yakushimaru（薬師丸ひろ子）was in the commercial. I guess she liked hugging electric poles; I'm not judging.🤷

Ritsuko Amano -- Lemon no Namida（レモンの涙）

From Mercari

Once again, I have encountered a singer whose profile is virtually a tabula rasa. I couldn't find any information on this singer Ritsuko Amano（天野立子）aside from the fact that she released a single in 1985 titled "Lemon no Namida" (Lemon Tears).

And that's too bad since she's got a very nice voice...not even sure whether she was promoted as a regular pop singer or an aidoru. I figure that she spans the gap between Hiromi Iwasaki（岩崎宏美）and Mari Iijima（飯島真理）. And "Lemon no Namida" indeed has that breezy aidoru-esque arrangement but with some City Pop and disco which makes this feel like something that could have been composed a half-decade earlier; love the bass by the way. I had to track down a photo of the actual 45" single at Mercari to find out that Mariko Kubota（窪田まり子）was the lyricist while the composer was Kunihiko Suzuki（鈴木邦彦）. If anyone out there can provide some further insight into this mystery singer, that would be greatly appreciated.

Tazumi Toyoshima -- Moetsukite, Desire（燃えつきて、ディザイア）

 

As soon as I heard the first few notes and first few strains of this song, I figured that this had to have been created by lyricist Etsuko Kisugi（来生えつこ）and her brother, singer-composer Takao Kisugi（来生たかお）. The tenderness in the opening piano was too much of a giveaway.

Quite appropriate, too, as this was Tazumi Toyoshima's（豊島たづみ）final single to date, released in 1982. "Moetsukite, Desire" (Burn, Desire) actually appears as a slowly fading ember in a campfire or maybe the night lights of the city gradually turning off after midnight once all of the usual hijinks take place. It seems like the perfect bedtime City Pop ballad to tuck folks into sleep. Perhaps it could have been the ideal campaign song for Japan Railways as tired commuters are heading back home after a long day of work and a long night of play.

Soichi Noriki -- Dream Cruise

 

I was listening to pianist and composer/arranger Soichi Noriki's（野力奏一）1984 album "Dream Cruise" as I was in bed...which was a big mistake. The songs were so relaxing that I went out like a light by the third track. I woke back up just when the final song of the album was doing its fadeout. It was like getting that anesthetic needle before my colonoscopy earlier in the fall.

Now that you may be spending the rest of the article trying to get that image out of your mind, I'll try to help by providing some of that smooth music that I almost got to hear in its entirety from "Dream Cruise". It's been several years since I last posted on Noriki with my last article on him being a follow-up on his 1983 debut album "Noriki".

As for the album itself, I had assumed that "Dream Cruise" was all about that wonderful trip on a cruise ship, seeing all that water on the cover. But I don't see any ship there although there is a highway going off into the horizon with what looks like half a red stretch limo, so instead of placing a thumbnail photo of the Harmony of the Seas up at the top, I went with a photo of Yokohama's Chinatown at night and then followed up with one of J Utah's driving videos through Tokyo.

In any case, "Dream Cruise" begins with the cheerful "You Can Make It". It does sound like something that would be great on either a cruise liner's speakers or a car radio, and it's the aural equivalent of that good buddy having the listener's back as the title states. Some wonderfully woozy sax as well, with the late great Jake H. Concepcion being one of the guys on the instrument. Noriki and guitarist Hirotsugu Nakai（中井浩二）were behind the composition here.

What starts off Side B of the original LP is "Easy Way" which sounds anything but in terms of how all those musical professionals brought it all together for this very tropics-friendly sound. Nakai took care of this one by his lonesome. Looks like all of the musicians had their individual chance to shine including Nakai himself. Shin Kazuhara（数原晋）is also in there but I didn't really hear his trumpet for some reason.

"Mild Life" is another track from Side B, and the title and melody are in synch with each other. It really sounds like someone having a wonderfully mild life out in tropical areas somewhere...preferably with a lanai. Bassist Ryuji Hirasue（久末隆二）was responsible for this one, but Noriki also has a lot to say through his keyboards.

My final track today for "Dream Cruise" is the truly City Pop-worthy "Night Lights" which has a few lyrics provided by Yurie Kokubu（国分友里恵）and Mamie Lee while Noriki and drummer Masayoshi Imaizumi（今泉正義）are behind the cool night drive arrangement. Among all that funk is some elegance in the piano playing by Noriki. Quite a night out.

Stardust Revue -- Sweet Snow Magic

 

I was just having an email exchange with an old friend and former student earlier this morning, and we both agreed that the Christmas feeling has descended upon our respective cities of Toronto and Tokyo. The above photo is a night shot of all that illumination in front of the Microsoft Building in southern Shinjuku. 

Then I came across DJ Hasebe who has just put up a Christmas City Pop mix in the last few days, so have a good listen of that. There are quite a few J-Xmas City Pop tunes that I have yet to cover although I've posted on some of the greats such as Junichi Inagaki's（稲垣潤一）"Christmas Carol no Koro ni wa"（クリスマスキャロルの頃には）and Ruiko Kurahashi's（倉橋ルイ子）"December 24".

One example of a song that I had yet to cover that was on DJ Hasebe's list is Stardust Revue's（スターダストレビュー） "Sweet Snow Magic" which appeared on the band's 9th album "Brightest!" from November 1991, a decade following their debut single "Sugar wa O-Toshigoro"（シュガーはお年頃）.

Written and composed by vocalist Kaname Nemoto（根本要）, "Sweet Snow Magic" reflects how Christmas in Japan has been a second Valentine's Day with all of the hearts fluttering around in the cooler air even if snow might be hard to come by in Japan's capital city...no problems, those LED lights are still there. I see and hear that the upbeat jazziness that has been part of Stardust Revue's music is also imbued within "Sweet Snow Magic" even if the instruments are almost all of the synth variety. "Brightest!" managed to reach No. 2 on the Oricon weeklies.

From Virtual Japan, here is the 2025 edition of all that Xmas illumination in Tokyo. I know that LEDs are energy-efficient but TEPCO must be making a killing each year.

Hiroko Taniyama -- Yuuyake Ringo（夕焼けリンゴ）

 

One reason that I've come to enjoy the music of Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）and Akiko Yano（矢野顕子）is the delicacy and magical qualities that they imbue into their melodies...as if we listeners were going to be taken on some magic carpet ride.

I think singer-songwriter Hiroko Taniyama（谷山浩子）can be included in such august company. An example I can give is her August 1986 single "Yuuyake Ringo" (Sunset Apple). Although she did provide the lyrics, it was actually fellow singer-songwriter Kenjiro Sakiya（崎谷健次郎）who came up with the magical and wistful melody which makes some wonderful turn of keys through the echoing piano.

According to the YouTube explanation, Taniyama had been inspired to come up with this song through something she observed when she was at a train station somewhere along the Izu Peninsula when she was a kid. She saw two girls there: one who looked sullen while the other had a rather complicated expression. They shared taking bites out of an apple but said nothing to the other. Apparently, Taniyama extrapolated a love triangle out of that awkward situation

Steely Dan -- FM (No Static at All)

 

I'm providing this week's Reminiscings of Youth under false pretenses since this song by Steely Dan, unlike "Peg" and "Time Out of Mind", isn't something from my youth. I never heard this on the radio while I was growing up although I was certainly alive at the time of its release in 1978. In fact, I didn't hear it for the first time until I was well within my odyssey in Japan between 1994 and 2011 when I picked up that Steely Dan BEST compilation.

As well, I had never seen nor heard of the April 1978 film "FM" with its eclectic cast which included two stars from Mel Brooks' classic "Blazing Saddles": Alex Karras and Cleavon Little. It wasn't particularly well reviewed but looking at the trailer, I'd be interested in taking a gander at it.

However, it's the theme song by Steely Dan, "FM (No Static at All)", that has managed to grab me by the wide lapels of my leisure suit of the 1970s. But I'm a huge Steely Dan fan so that's no surprise. What's also no surprise is that Wikipedia has provided a rather lengthy article on the song itself so please peruse that for that analysis that I could never create. 

For me, "FM" is this heady combination of jazz, rock, R&B and romantic sophisticated pop that hits all the right places. The first three genres drive me on the nocturnal and perhaps not-so-safe streets of the metropolis while the final genre manages to lift me up into the clouds and penthouses thanks to those really silky strings. And once again, it seems as if Donald Fagen and Walter Becker managed to attract some of the best of the best in studio musicians and jazz greats such as drummer Jeff Porcaro of TOTO and saxophonist Pete Christlieb. Plus, I only found out recently that some of The Eagles had helped out as background singers. The contrasts and comparisons even extend into the relationship between the song and the movie with the lyrics condemning FM radio while the John A. Alonzo project wants to save it. As a kid who only really knew about AM radio at the time, this whole argument was lost on me. But I'll be more than happy to take "FM" for my own now. I'd also say that this would be one song that I'd play on my own radio broadcast that I mentioned some months ago.

"FM" the single was released on May 19, 1978. A few days prior, there was the Oricon Top 10 list for May 15. Let's see what was up at Nos. 1, 3 and 5.

1. Pink Lady -- Southpaw （サウスポー）

3. Momoe Yamaguchi -- Playback Part 2 （プレイバック・パート２）

5. Candies -- Hohoemigaeshi （微笑がえし）

George Yanagi -- Araburu Tenshi-tachi（荒らぶる天使たち）

 

It was just a little over fourteen years ago that musician and singer George Yanagi（柳ジョージ）left this mortal coil at the untimely age of 63. He's probably one of those guys who fit that Japanese fashion meme of slightly rascally middle-aged men that was making some headlines on TV twenty or so years ago. 

Yup, he's still looking very kakkoii on the cover of that April 1993 album "Yokohama AREA 2" in which I serve you a track "Araburu Tenshi-tachi" (Scarface Angel). Just from the title of that song, I'm guessing some well-meaning guy is taking the hits and rolling with the punches as he tries to clean up his area of town. There's almost something Batman-like about this.

But Batman gets orchestral soundtracks. Over here, it's Yanagi backed up by a chugging and churning bluesy-rock horn section as the singer is growling out his lyrics but not in an overly raspy way. Listening to "Araburu Tenshi-tachi", I also feel some similarity to Tomoyasu Hotei（布袋寅泰）, although Yanagi's stuff has a bit more soul in there. Toshi Sumikawa（トシ・スミカワ）took care of the lyrics while the melody was handled by Toshiro Masuda（増田俊郎）. "Yokohama AREA 2" reached No. 45 on the yearly Oricon rankings.

Junretsu -- Futari dake no Himitsu（二人だけの秘密）

 

As expected, "Uta Con"（うたコン）had its final episode of the year on Tuesday night with a retrospective on 2025's highlights. They did have some guests performing in front of the camera, though.

One of the acts was the oft-appearing group Junretsu（純烈）which has now been whittled down to a trio. They will be showing up on the Kohaku Utagassen in a few weeks as one of the relatively fewer performers providing something akin to the old kayo.

Maybe they will be performing their June 2025 single "Futari dake no Himitsu" (A Secret Between You and Me) which is what they sang on "Uta Con". I quickly caught onto their combination of old-fashioned doo-wop and kayo kyoku, and my mind went back to the sentimental music of the 1960s and 1970s because of it. Written by Goro Matsui（松井五郎）, composed by Kohei Miyuki（幸耕平）and arranged by Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）, it's no wonder how old-school it sounds considering the three music creators behind it. 

The official music video above has Junretsu taking on double roles: of course, as themselves performing "Futari dake no Himitsu" in what appears to be an Okinawan bar and as a trio of lunkhead barflies smitten over a demure lady. Double of course, hearts will be broken.

capsule featuring Sonic Coaster Pop -- Life Style Music

 

Well, winter is definitely back in town. We're due for about four inches of snow by the time today shifts into tomorrow. Might be the perfect weather for Hump Day commuting. 

It might be time for some blippity-bloppity technopop to get the blood flowing and the nerve endings fired up once more for that one more burst before the weekend arrives. Here is the short-and-sweet "Life Style Music", a collaboration between Shibuya-kei/technopop duo capsule and the technopop group Sonic Coaster Pop which I only discovered earlier this year.

"Life Style Music" hails from capsule's third album "phony phonic" from November 2003. It's got quite the percussive rhythms in there and the percolating synths with both bands indulging in their high-toned vocoders. Yasutaka Nakata（中田ヤスタカ）took care of everything here. One observation I have to make here is that considering SoCoPo's breakup in 2002, they were still pretty darn active. Another is that although the upbeat perkiness of Shibuya-kei is showing its echo in "Life Style Music", I think the song is definitely more of a harbinger of capsule's stylistic future.

Ritsuko Kurosawa -- Eve no Tenmondai（イヴの天文台）

 

I think I've gotten most of the Xmas cards sent out by now. I'm usually pretty diligent with those.

The latest J-Xmas tune for this season and the one to round out today's crop of KKP entries is "Eve no Tenmondai" (The Observatory on Christmas Eve) by Ritsuko Kurosawa（黒沢律子）. Released in December 1991 as her 4th single, it's a pleasant pop ballad of the season about a couple who once met at an observatory one Christmas Eve. To be honest, that's the first time I've ever heard of a place dedicated to space as a romantic meetup spot. Usually, I think of places with tons of illumination or restaurants for that special dinner, but perhaps privacy is a good site for some. Anyways, "Eve no Tenmondai" was written by Masami Tozawa（戸沢暢美）, composed by Takaaki Yasuoka（安岡孝章）of the band I Re'in For Re'in（アイリーン・フォーリーン）and arranged by Masahiro Ikumi（幾見雅博）.

Nanako Sato -- Muse no Koibito（ミューズの恋人）

From Apple

 

This song by City Pop chanteuse Nanako Sato（佐藤奈々子）had me by the throat right from its rolling piano intro which sounds like a fresh babbling brook in the forest.

"Muse no Koibito" (The Muse's Lover) is a ballad from Sato's December 1977 sophomore album "Sweet Swingin'". Composed by the singer along with her own muse Motoharu Sano（佐野元春）and written by Sato as well, it flows across the score sheet like a one-day thrill of a romantic adventure from morning to night in those 1970s. From her vocals and the arrangement, it also sounds like something that another up-and-comer from those days, Junko Yagami（八神純子）, would also tackle. It has that feel of a midtown-to-downtown escapade but I think the City Pop tones are more subdued here. Instead, what comes more to the fore is the flavour of female pop balladry from America. You can also try another track from the album, "Shuumatsu no Highway"（週末のハイウェイ）.

saifonica -- Sekai wa Nagai Yume（世界は長い夢）

From Litalico

Well, I've learned a new term today: yakyoushou（夜驚症）. It means "night terrors". Thankfully, I've never experienced any of those before although I often have dreams of getting lost in some environment in a fairly Kafkaesque manner. How about you?

The reason I ask is that I came across this track from an album by the band saifonica which is titled "Yakyoushou" and was released in April 2016. The track itself is titled "Sekai wa Nagai Yume" (The World is One Long Dream) which could fit quite nicely into what "Yakyoushou" is talking about if it is meant to be a concept album. Written and composed by saifonica vocalist and guitarist Shintaro Takeuchi（竹内信太郎）, the song is one hard rock (and maybe dystopian?) adventure albeit with a nice and slick smoothness punctuated by some juicy bass by fellow member Luka（ルカ）. The one other member is drummer Chan-Kana（ちゃんかな）and apparently all of them have had vocalist duties.

Unfortunately, there isn't much provided on the history of saifonica: no origin year and no discography outside of finding "Yakyoushou". However, their website does state that the trio is an alternative guitar rock band who also likes to bring in elements of jazz, funk and bossa nova. Apparently, their policy is "...to pursue the music we want to make without being bound by trends".

Sumiko Yamagata -- Murasaki Iro no Kaze（むらさき色の風）

 

Singer-songwriter Sumiko Yamagata（やまがたすみこ）is someone that I got to know first from the pages of "Japanese City Pop" and then from her 1977 album "Flying". It was the album that signified the young folk singer's transition into something more adult contemporary.

However, I think the Tokyo native may have already been showing signs of trying out different genres as early as 1974 when she released her third album "Melodies Come From My Heart". It was still considered a folk LP but I think with her track "Murasaki Iro no Kaze" (Purple Wind), I've been getting different genres including folk. I could pick up on some blues guitar and a general feel of New Music. Yamagata was behind both words and music with the story of a woman standing in the midst of a stiff breeze as she tries to forget about that man who's now very much part of the past. There may be some lingering regret but as the last few notes hint, there is also hope around the corner.

Pizzicato Five -- Lover's Rock

 

Looks like in recent days, the YouTube movie reactor brigade has caught the "Austin Powers" trilogy, and apparently one of the most popular scenes happens to be the opening credits for the first movie "International Man of Mystery". And what's not to love? Austin is gaily dancing and running through the streets of Swinging 60s London while having an entire army of women chasing him down like a pack of wolves. He may be a contradiction in profession as the world's most famous spy but his mojo is never in doubt. Plus, it's all set to Quincy Jones' "Soul Bossa Nova".

Of course, seeing all this had me thinking about the one group and one genre which emulates the joyful style of that decade from long ago, and that would be Pizzicato Five（ピチカート・ファイヴ）and the whole Shibuya-kei thing. I've already posted a lot of the big songs by the Divine Miss Maki Nomiya（野宮真貴）and Yasuharu Konishi（小西泰治）such as "Tokyo wa Yoru no Shichi-ji" (東京は夜の七時）and "Baby Portable Rock".

But strangely enough, I never experienced the very first single where Nomiya made her presence known and that was "Lover's Rock", P5's 3rd single from May 1990 which came out about four-and-a-half years following their previous single in 1986. It's an interesting song for not only the fact that the above version is an extended mix which lasts over ten minutes, but with Nomiya making a surprisingly demure debut here, original P5 member Keitaro Takanami（高浪慶太郎）seems to be showing the young lady the ropes and easing her into the cold pool gingerly through both sets of vocals. "Lover's Rock" has that P5 touch but also has that "slowly slowly" approach with none of the usual brash panache that Nomiya would soon show via sound spectacular and music video.

Spoozys -- Plastic Planet

 

I noticed that I hadn't enriched the Spoozys file since I posted their 2003 "So Human" onto KKP. Too bad since the song is pretty catchy. Must rectify.

Well, I found this earlier single by guitarist and songwriter Jun Matsue（松江潤）and company titled "Plastic Planet" from June 1999 which may have been the band's debut outing. Lots of anarchic raucousness to be enjoyed here and for music lovers of a certain generation, and that includes me, this brand of bloopy synths and slightly growly surf guitars had me thinking the New Wave band Plastics and the other techno rock outfit POLYSICS. The verses even reminded me a bit of "Nice Age" by Yellow Magic Orchestra. The single also got onto Spoozys' debut album "Astro 99" which was released later in October that year.

J-Canuck's Canadian Tourist Destinations in Winter

 

Just for the record, the above YouTube video comes from the channel Going Awesome Places with Will Tang and he's showing off some of the wonderful things to do in Alberta's Banff and Lake Louise, a place that I got to visit all the way back in 1990.

I mentioned in a recent Xmas-based article on KKP that not all Canadians want to celebrate the Holidays in their own country. Perhaps it's something about the fact that walking daily in a winter wonderland with the temperature at a slightly cool -280 degrees and the winds coming in at a breezy Mach 2 might not be the most enjoyable environment. 🧊🥶 

I know that folks do like to head down south for days, weeks and even months at a time but I wanted to sate my curiosity about where Canadians like to go during winter once and for all. And I was surprised to find out that at least some of my fellow countrymen do like to keep things within the Great White North while others do desire something more tropical. As such, possessing that whimsical nature which often powers my Author's Picks, I've come up with five destinations while providing the appropriate songs to accompany them.

(1967) Jackey Yoshikawa and His Blue Comets -- Blue Chateau（ブルー・シャトウ）

(1967) Yukio Hashi -- Koi no Mexican Rock （恋のメキシカン・ロック）

(1981) Akira Terao -- Habana Express

(1983) Hiromi Iwasaki -- Niagara

(1983) Seiko Matsuda -- Miami Gozen Go-ji （マイアミ午前5時）

Chiaki Watanabe -- Purple Memory（パープル・メモリー）

 

Almost six years ago, I posted an article regarding aidoru Chiaki Watanabe（渡辺千秋）and her debut single "Natsu ni Refresh"（夏にリフレッシュ）from April 1984. It was notable in that the composer was the tough-as-nails folk-rock singer Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi（長渕剛）although the song was the typical teenybopper tune with some AOR feeling.

Well, this is her sophomore outing, "Purple Memory" which came out in September that year. I'd probably say that this is a more conventional aidoru tune with an enjoyably jangly melody by Kisaburo Suzuki（鈴木キサブロー）and arrangement by Kazuo Otani（大谷和夫）with some of those early 1980s shimmering strings. The lyrics were provided by Etsuko Kisugi（来生えつこ）. 

The song was used for a candy commercial by House Foods. I mentioned in the previous Watanabe post that once she had finished her showbiz career, she got married and returned to her native Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1993. Well, since then, she took over the management of the family restaurant in her hometown of Nagato, finally earned her high school diploma through correspondence, and then in April 2021, she was elected as a city council executive.