Anzen Chitai -- V

As I mentioned in my last entry on Anzen Chitai（安全地帯）for their album, "IV", which was the No. 1 album for 1986, changes were brewing musically for their next album. "V" was originally released as a 3-album set in December 1986 with three of its songs having been released earlier as individual singles. One of them, "Friend", has vocal Koji Tamaki（玉置浩二） in full heartbreaking mode, as his ballad talks depressingly of the end of a friendship....or a relationship. As I have also mentioned about the band, their songs were often the backbone of a karaoke night during my university days. "Friend"was one of the popular requests. As with a number of Anzen Chitai songs, it was written by Goro Matsui（松井五郎） and composed by Tamaki, and released as their 13th single in October 1986.

Anzen Chitai was a popular band outside of Japan, especially in Hong Kong. So, it was no surprise that their albums were on the shelves in the record stores of Chinatown. "V" was selling there, too, but I just couldn't rationalize lugging home a 3-album set of vinyl to my parents while I had zilch income (being a university student was no excuse), so I went to audio cassettes (easier to sneak in my bag) before I bought the 2-CD set in Japan many years later.

Musically, the band decided to pull out the stops with this album....pretty obvious with three different records containing a total of 36 songs. There were tunes like "Friend" which still had that distinct Anzen Chitai sound from their previous 4 albums (or at least from albums "II" to "IV"). However, Tamaki and company this time decided to incorporate a lusher sound with a horn section from both sides of the Pacific (thanks again, Jerry Hey), strings and even an oboe for one track. The above video is for "Kon'ya wa YES"（今夜はＹＥＳ.....Tonight's YES!）, a surprisingly extroverted popper of a song with Koji-san singing about yellow cabs and lovely legs and replicants flooding from the subways (you got me about that last one)....a typically dynamic night in New York? The tune is an example of the more exploratory, less introverted sound that the band was illustrating in "V".

"Namida wo Tometa Mama"(涙をとめたまま....Stopped Crying) is a tribute to those morose drunken nights at the local piano bar at midnight. Listening to it, I can just imagine some guy's head hitting the bar after having bent off the bartender's ear. It's one of my favourite tracks since I do like my Miles Davis nighttime jazz.

(cover version)

That sad song above interestingly segues immediately into this one, "Kon'ya Futari de"(今夜ふたりで...Tonight, The Two of Us) which is a  hopeful urban contemporary tune about a couple having that special night. Of course, being a cynic, I would've thought it better if this song had preceded "Namida". In any case, I also enjoy this one for the inclusion of the horn section (I'm a sucker for a good flugelhorn).

(from about 3:50)

The final song for the whole project is "To Me". This is a showstopper finale ballad for such a big album with Tamaki putting his talented vocal cords through its paces on an almost operatic scale. In fact, the final part has him performing a crescendo which can pop out your earbuds. Probably, realizing how big the album was, Tamaki wanted something appropriately epic to finish "V" off. I suspect that this was a popular tune on the concert circuit near the end of the show.

The other two official singles from the album are "Suki sa" (好きさ...I Love You) and "Natsu Owari no Harmony"（夏終わりのハーモニー....Harmony at the End of Summer）which I will cover in separate entries.

My final thoughts on "V" are that Anzen Chitai wanted to create a concert-themed album for the fans: some sad songs, some party-as-if-it's-1986 songs. I guess after a number of years of musical introspection, the guys needed to get out and have fun. A bit of a reach, perhaps, but I think "V"was also the band's version of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"...not that I would dare elevate "V" to the level of The Beatles' magnum opus, but I think in both cases, there was a desire for both bands to explore.

And by the way, "V" ended up being the 7th-ranked album for 1987.