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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.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Toshinobu Kubota -- Ryuusei no Saddle (流星のサドル）


I first came across Toshinobu Kubota（久保田利伸） in 1989 when I was teaching at my larger junior high school in Gunma Prefecture. The 3rd-year girls at the school were rehearsing their group dance for the annual Culture Festival, and they happened to choose "Ryuusei no Saddle"(Meteor Saddle), Kubota's kinetic and funky first track from his 1986 debut album, "Shake It Paradise". Now, the kids didn't exactly bust a move to the song....as I remember it, it was more of a hurried military march. Still, the song stayed in my head far longer than the 3rd years' performance and I ended up getting Kubota's first Best album, "The Baddest".

I'm not sure if I would be right in saying that Kubota is the Father of J-R&B, but he is at least one of its pioneers. Since his debut as a spiky-haired Michael Jackson wannabe, he's gone on to explore a number of genres such as blues, soul and reggae over the last quarter-century. And he's composed tunes for artists ranging from 70s aidoru-turned-80s chanteuse Hiromi Iwasaki（岩崎宏美） to fellow J-R&B singer Misia. Along with Michael Jackson, Kubota has listed Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye among others as his inspirations.

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7 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 28, 2012 at 9:38 AM

    Hi..i would like to know your thoughts about Yukiko Okada..iam sure that you know story about her..this is my ''true'' aidoru from 80s..
    Thank you

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    1. J-CanuckMay 28, 2012 at 12:07 PM

      Hello there, and thanks for the comment. Unfortunately, I know more about Yukiko Okada because of her untimely death than from her music, although I have "Kuchibiru Network" on a very old audio tape. Her voice on that song had this wonderfully pure quality...almost like spring water.

      All music aside, I think it was a tragedy that she felt compelled to take her own life.

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  2. AnonymousMay 28, 2012 at 4:06 PM

    Hello J-Canuck..
    thanks for your answer..
    Iam Yukiko fan almost 20 years!
    Should I tell you that i also like Seiko,Momoe,Akia and Naoko Kawai..but slightly less..he he..

    Yeah most people know about Yukiko because of death..
    What i would like to know if any of Yukiko era Idols talk about her death openly in public? Even now people stil dont have a clue..you cant find anything about her relatives..

    For some refreshing memories of Yukiko you can look at this youtube links:

    great mix..

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsZu0jhK0Hk&list=FL_3-4hN8sCpiEgxNfOM386w&index=2&feature=plpp_video

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpUkhZXi7H4&list=FL_3-4hN8sCpiEgxNfOM386w&index=1&feature=plpp_video

    and my fav:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyWG-uytTfE

    and iam also Enka fan but thats another story..

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    1. J-CanuckMay 28, 2012 at 8:26 PM

      Thanks very much for YOUR reply and the YouTube URLs. I pretty much listen to everyone you've mentioned...including some enka singers. Your question got me thinking about Yukiko Okada and so I just did a bit of research about her. Still can't believe that a definitive cause behind her suicide has never been found.

      Anyways, I'm getting an entry prepped about her.

      J-Canuck

      Delete
    2. J-CanuckMay 28, 2012 at 8:27 PM

      Thanks very much for YOUR reply and the YouTube URLs. I pretty much listen to everyone you've mentioned...including some enka singers. Your question got me thinking about Yukiko Okada and so I just did a bit of research about her. Still can't believe that a definitive cause behind her suicide has never been found.

      Anyways, I'm getting an entry prepped about her.

      J-Canuck

      Delete
  3. Stéphane Lebesgue [FR]August 10, 2026 at 5:06 AM

    Hi J.,

    I took a little trip down memory lane this weekend by digging out my old CDs from the early days of Toshinobu Kubota’s career (actually, I just pulled one out at random as I sometimes do and the others followed because it was just so good). It’s truly amazing how well these albums still hold up on their own today, 40 years later. The production was so clean, free from stylistic or technical excess, that it hasn't really aged a bit. Even if we compare them with the latest productions of their author, since we are lucky that he is still pursuing his career today (Wikipedia is not up to date, I follow him on his YouTube Channel), we could almost mix the old tracks with the new ones with just a few remixing work. Four decades of reign over the Soul and R&B scene in Japan, that's something.

    PS: As always when I take a trip like this, I also check out Kayo Kyoku Plus for some advised insights. If I don't write often, I follow and read a lot 😉

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    1. J-CanuckAugust 10, 2026 at 11:21 AM

      Kubota is definitely a destination on memory lane since I've known about him since my JET days from 1989 to 1991. One grade in my junior high school even concocted a dance to "Ryuusei no Saddle" during their Sports Day activities. Things have evolved in the J-R&B genre since then.

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