Kome Kome Club -- Sure Danse

I believe I mentioned this back in a past article, but the Canadian program "The New Music" once did an hour-long spotlight on the music of Japan....and not on the classical stuff with the koto or shamisen, but the music that we all have been involved with on this blog. I recollect seeing Pizzicato 5 and YMO and also the good folks of Kome Kome Club（米米クラブ）with leader and bon vivant, Tatsuya 'Carl Smokey' Ishii（石井竜也）, getting interviewed. What was notable about his talk was how subdued and even guarded he was during those few minutes, as if he was afraid that he would divulge something he shouldn't. The record companies have wielded a lot of power over their employees, kinda like how the big movie studios did during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and so perhaps I could understand some of Ishii's reticence.

But on stage, Ishii and K2C were the masters. And Ishii especially was the charismatic ringleading master of ceremonies for the happily chaotic circus that was all his. Another reason for the excitement they've provided over the years was their 5th single from April 1987, "Sure Danse". I'm not sure what made me get this one except to believe that just coming across one of their performances on TV via a music program or one of their stage appearances or one of their occasionally shown official music videos was reason enough to head down to the CD shop and grab the single. And once again, it was the combination of Ishii's silky/booming voice and the propulsive Big Horns Bee, plus seeing Mari and Minako dancing away behind their leader that made this song fun to watch and hear.

"Sure Danse" was penned by K2C and peaked at No. 19 on Oricon. It's also a track on the band's 3rd album, "Komeguny" which came out in October 1987 and went as high as No. 3.

Kome Kome Club -- Sure Danse