Penthouse -- Doukeshi（道化師）

 

Although I never watched an episode of "Takeshi's Castle", the infamous TBS game show where folks had to go through a lot of arduous, painful and hilarious obstacle courses for fame and glory, I've seen enough variety shows in Japan where similar things would happen although the contestants consisted of the huge numbers of tarento that were part and parcel of Japanese entertainment on TV. One American tarento, Thane Camus, once noted in an interview that if one wasn't willing to make an entire fool out of oneself on camera, then Japanese television wasn't the place for that person. Yup, I can believe that.

This song, the latest rambunctious single by the City Soul band Penthouse from last month, "Doukeshi" (Play the Fool) struck me as being the perfect music description for the whole thing of risking body and soul on a Japanese game show. And what a cool song to accompany a tarento on his/her journey through a crazy career. Band bassist Takuma Ohara（大原拓真）and vocalist Shintaro Namioka（浪岡真太郎）took care of the lyrics while the latter composed "Doukeshi", a tour de force of swing jazz and funk that trumpets the entertainers that take all the pies and bottles thrown at them and yet refuse to crumple and skitter away. They keep coming back for more. 

PANTA -- Laser Shock（レーザー・ショック）

 

To be honest, I'd never heard of this rock singer and songwriter by the stage name of PANTA before. Hailing from Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, his early career in the late 1960s included a stint in the Group Sounds band Peanut Butter（ピーナツバター）and then in the 1970s, he helped found the folk-rock band Zunou Keisatsu（頭脳警察...Brain Police）, a group that became notorious for their antics on stage, including mastering one's own domain (that's a "Seinfeld" reference, by the way). In the latter half of the decade, after a time of going solo, PANTA became one half of a duo known as PANTA & HAL. 

Once PANTA & HAL broke up in 1981, PANTA resumed his solo career and released an album in 1982 titled "Kuchibiru ni Spark"（唇にスパーク...Spark on Your Lips）. One track there is "Laser Shock" which was written and composed by the singer under his real name, Haruo Nakamura（中村治雄）. Considering what I've read of his past, "Laser Shock" sounds remarkably comfortable and subdued as a conventional New Wave rock tune. As well, PANTA's vocals emerge rather precisely and languidly. "Laser Shock" was also released the same year as a 7" EP.

Aside from the EP, PANTA supposedly only put out albums rather than singles up to 2007. In July 2023, the singer passed away from respiratory failure at the age of 73.

Ami Ozaki -- Hatsukoi no Toori Ame（初恋の通り雨）

 

I'd just like to reassure folks that the above is a shot of an Ami Ozaki（尾崎亜美）CD single from the 1990s. However, for today, I'd like to return to her 1970s roots since I hadn't been to that part of her early discography in a couple of years.

Call me an old New Music wonk but the piano that begins Ozaki's 4th single "Hatsukoi no Toori Ame" (A Passing Shower of First Love) had me at "Hello!". After that, the singer-songwriter from Kyoto goes full steam ahead into an optimistic contemporized version of a 1950s/1960s girl pop song about a couple sharing that umbrella during some meteorological spritzing. Of course, the tradition of sharing that umbrella in Japan is one serious sign when it comes to the subject of romance. No wonder it's so softly upbeat thanks to Masataka Matsutoya's（松任谷正隆）arrangement of Ozaki's words and music. 

It's a bit of a shame though that after "Hatsukoi no Toori Ame" had been released in July 1977, it got no higher than No. 100 on Oricon. The song shares track space on Ozaki's（尾崎亜美）2nd original album, "Mind Drops" with "Taiyo no Hitorigoto"（太陽のひとりごと）.

Original Love -- Deep French Kiss

 

It was a few months ago that I posted "J-Canuck's Four Favourite Songs by Original Love" after seeing singer and songwriter Takao Tajima（田島貴男）perform live on "Asaichi"（あさイチ）one Friday morning. His amazing performance was such that I just had to put up something by the band.

Well, one of the songs that Tajima performed that day was "Deep French Kiss" which I realized was Original Love's debut single from June 1991. I hadn't heard it before and found it really cool. Of course, the "Asaichi" performance was a veteran Tajima with that characteristic growl in his voice and so I wanted to hear it way back when more than three decades ago.

Indeed, Tajima's voice sounded downright angelic and soulful in the original 1991 recording, although the lyrics hinted at some raunchy stuff happening starting with the titular act (hope the couple brushed beforehand). The music is jazzy and funky and it feels as if I were having the pleasure of hearing it at a small live house where the entire venue is suffused with good vibes. There's the hearty sax and organ along with some punchy percussion all over. Good times were about to be had by Original Love.

Yoko Shibata -- Furareta Ato de（ふられたあとで）

 

The last time singer-songwriter Yoko Shibata（柴田容子）was on the byline of an article was over four years in 2022 when I wrote about her "Heartbreak House"（ハート ブレイクハウス）. And that's a pity especially on hearing this new tune by her.

Well, the "new" tune is actually an old one but it's one that I'm hearing for the first time. "Heartbreak House" was on her one-and-only February 1978 album "Tomarigi" (とまり木...Perch) but so was "Furareta Ato de" (After Getting Dumped) which was the first track of the album. I have an affinity for a clarinet-led bluesy jazz number and this one indeed fills all the checkboxes. Shibata wrote and composed "Furareta Ato de" which takes the wistful view of experiencing one of the more emotionally twisting trials of life and gives the shrug of "Hey, what can I do?". It's a nice song to shuffle off to the nearest watering hole to drink away the rest of the evening. 

Styx -- Mr. Roboto

 

I remember seeing the music video for Styx's "Mr. Roboto" as a teen on Canada's premier music program "The New Music" and there was some narration about a rock opera ("Kilroy was Here") that was being produced at the time featuring the band and other actors. Never heard any more from it, but the chief song "Mr. Roboto" has been the main aspect that has survived all these years, and apparently the lyric by vocalist Dennis DeYoung, "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" is now part of the English vernacular. When one would use it in polite conversation is beyond me, however.

Still, the technopop/technorock "Mr. Roboto" caught my ears and at the time, I was keenly attuned to anything that had synthesizers connected to it, and of course, there was my whole fascination with Japan, so you can imagine how hyped I was at hearing Japanese being sung in an American rock song. At the time though, I could only understand that lyric of "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" and it wouldn't be until some time later, I finally figured out what the other Japanese was (domo arigato, four years of university Japanese language training). 

"Mr. Roboto" hit No. 1 in Canada and No. 3 in the United States.

So, what was hitting the top of the charts at around the time "Mr. Roboto" was released on February 11th 1983? Well, we've got the Top 3 of the February 14th 1983 Oricon singles chart.

1. Seiko Matsuda -- Himitsu no Hanazono （秘密の花園）

2. Masahiko Kondo -- Midnight Station（ミッドナイト・ステーション）

3. Eisaku Ohkawa -- Sazanka no Yado （さざんかの宿）

Kazuhiro Nishimatsu -- Byakuya e no Shoutai（白夜への招待）

 

With October 31st coming up in the next few weeks, I'm pretty sure that I'll be covering Danny Elfman's "Beetlejuice" theme for the annual Halloween ROY article. It's quite the distinct song that set up the composing career by the former vocalist for Oingo Boingo. For a while, he seemed to be the go-to guy for magical European Gothic suspense horror scores for movies like "Batman" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas".

Earlier today, I received word from a KKP commenter that I hadn't heard in some years, Matt K. We shared thoughts and feelings on one of the 1980s most unique Japanese pop albums, "Bouekifu Monogatari"（貿易風物語...Trade Wind Story） by singer-songwriter Kazuhiro Nishimatsu（西松一博）. The original 1985 LP provided music that felt like stuff that could be heard in that notorious bar in Mos Eisley where Han Solo had shot first. There was something of that techno-jazz cabaret vibe that could have come from the early 20th century...and maybe even the early 22nd century.

I provided articles for "Bouekifu Monogatari" in 2018 and 2020, and yet I think there are still a few tracks that I hadn't covered. Matt K. reminded me of one of those tracks. I did mention Elfman off the top and so here is "Byakuya e no Shoutai" (Invitation to a White Night) which sounds like something that could have floated around in the master composer's mind, even though of course, this is Nishimatsu's composition with Ren Takayanagi（高柳恋）as the lyricist. To be honest, listening to "Byakuya e no Shoutai", images of The Joker from Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman" maniacally running around and cackling in his lair while playing a huge pipe organ have come to mind (although it's hard for me to imagine Jack Nicholson spending time on a keyboard). The frenzied minor-key chord progressions simply suggest villainous ideas are afoot here, something that Nishimatsu's vocal punctuations help enhance. I wonder whether the singer had sported a mask and a quill pen when coming up with this one.