Barbee Boys -- Mou Yada! (もォ やだ!)

You know you want to listen to a band that calls themselves Barbee Boys (バービーボーイズ). Contrary to the initial perception of them being named after that silly doll, it's actually a pun on the term "barfly" (i.e. someone who hangs around bars a wee too often), with a fluffy bee taking place of a fly (at least according to J-Wiki). This cartoonish bee also appears at the end of the PV above as well as on the cover of their debut album "1st Option", enjoying some Austin Nichols Wild Turkey Whiskey. Formed in 1982 as a four-piece band composed of Konta (vocals, soprano saxophone), Tomotaka Imamichi (いまみちともたか; also known as Imasa) (guitar), Enrique (bass), and Toshiaki Konuma (小沼俊昭; Koiso) (drums), at first they really were all boys. The other vocalist Kyoko (杏子) was eventually recruited into the group after a demo tape that she submitted to one of the venues they were performing at caught their attention. Still, their name remained the same even with a female presence around.

Barbee Boys' career spanned between 1984 and 1992, during which they release 16 singles and 6 studio albums. The band then reunited for a few live shows in 2003 and then once more between 2008 and 2010. Right from the start, they distinguished themselves from other rock bands of the time with their peculiar sound that was influenced by British New Wave and featured Konta's signature performance on soprano saxophone. Another feature of theirs was their cynical lyrics, which usually dealt with the unstable relationships of Japanese youth of the time and their reckless behavior. You can hear all of the above in their second single, "Mou Yada!" (もォ やだ!...I've Had Enough!) (released on February 1st, 1985) , which pretty much runs like an argument between two fussy lovers clashing against one another. You can just picture them swinging their arms at one another. Konta's and Kyoko's expressions in the PV are rich. The song was written and composed by the guitarist Imamichi (who was responsible for the majority of the band's output) and features some solid playing from the members. Now, I realize that the aggressive vocals are not for everyone, and Konta's in particular are an acquired taste, but I personally could listen to these two going at it all day. Never hesitated to like this band when I first discovered them back in 2006. And this is coming from someone who is normally picky about rock singers.

Though not a hit by any means, "Mou Yada!" was definitely a stepping stone for the band towards superstardom, with each of their subsequent releases being bigger than the last. Some of their signature songs include "Me wo Tojite Oide yo" (目を閉じておいでよ), "Megitsune on the Run" (女ぎつねon the Run), and "chibi". They also had some influence on contemporary acts like Shiina Ringo and Porno Graffitti.

Some interesting piece of trivia from J-Wiki: apparently the band's songs featured both male and female parts even before Kyoko came into the picture. During those days Konta would show up on stage decked out in white makeup performing both roles. Oh, the mental picture!

Source: hm6666hero from blogs.yahoo.co.jp