Tatsushi Umegaki/Hideki Saijo -- CATALOG

(I'm sorry but the video has been taken down.)

I couldn't find a whole lot of information about musician-composer Tatsushi Umegaki（梅垣達志）, except for a mention of his debut album, "CATALOG", released sometime in 1977, in "Japanese City Pop". A number of tracks are briefly talked about in the book's posting for this album, but not Track 7 which is the title song, and the song that I'm looking at today.

Written and composed by Umegaki himself, "Catalog" is a breezy comforting ballad, reminiscent of some of the mellow AM/FM radio tunes I used to hear as a kid from acts like The Little River Band and Chicago. Perhaps Umegaki got some inspiration from them. If I were to compare him with anyone within the kayo kyoku community, I think he could be a melodic cousin to Ami Ozaki（尾崎亜美）. In any case, hearing the song a few times now, I just want to open a window and let the breeze flow in. Mind you, I've got street construction going on outside my window this week.... As for the lyrics, Umegaki sings in the opening bars about a soft breeze going through Harajuku in April as it reminds him of someplace in California; I got the impression that one of the hubs of Cool Japan was a far different place back in the late 70s than it is now.

There is an old Japanese music blog by the title of "Music Avenue" that highlighted the album, and the author half-jokingly admits that it's somewhat of a "maniac" LP, in that it's not a particularly well-known album and one would probably have to be heavily into music, especially City Pop/J-AOR to even be aware of it. Well, that's why I do what I do here....always nice to come across the small gems now and then.

Umegaki has composed and arranged songs for a number of singers such as Yukiko Okada, Maiko Ito, Kami Fusen and Rumiko Koyanagi.

Aidoru Hideki Saijo（西城秀樹） did a cover version of "Catalog" at a Valentine's Day concert in 1978 in Hibiya, Tokyo, which became an album, "Valentine Concert Special -- Hideki Saijo: Ai wo Utau"（愛を歌う....Sing of Love). His version takes on a pretty Carpenteresque arrangement; I almost expected Hideki to hand off the mike to Karen herself.