Masaki Matsubara -- I Remember

 

Man, all this song is missing a mullet and a view of the California coast. I'm talking about a track from the late guitarist Masaki Matsubara's（松原正樹）3rd album from January 1983, "Sniper". 

I mean, "I Remember" is so American AOR, it just hurts. Although Matsubara is manning the guitar, it was Terry Shaddick and Jesse Barish behind words and music respectively with Barish also singing the song. Going into the last third of "I Remember", a melancholy tune about remembering a past romance, the key changes are so sublime that any City Pop songwriter can only turn green in envy. 

It's been a good long while since Matsubara's name has gotten onto the byline although he's still popped up in Labels in later songs as a songwriter. But my last article with him is "Shining Star", a track from his "Painted Woman" album which was released later that year in November.