Posting this in the morning with twilight on my mind. What a nice song to unwind to after a long day. When I was sampling Hiromi Go's (郷ひろみ) output during his Casanova days while going through some compilation albums a while back, I always had this sense that he'd be compatible with the urban contemporary side of music. Just a hunch. He certainly has had the right looks and outfits for it. So I looked up his name next to "City Pop", and voila, this Music Avenue page popped up. The song is "Irie Nite" (入江にて...By the Bay), which appears on his 1979 studio album "Super Drive", Written by Machiko Ryu (竜真知子), composed by the Tetsuji Hayashi (林哲司), and arranged by Mitsuo Hagita (萩田光雄), it has that lovely atmosphere of a rendezvous stroll by the sea just when the buildings behind the couple are lighting up for the night. I have learned a bit about Hayashi from J-Canuck's posts (check out this comprehensive Creator entry) and noticed that he has a knack for these atmospheric urban tunes. I can feel his magic in "Irie Nite" as well. And Go, well, he isn't exactly a soothing crooner, but his delivery is nicely enthusiastic to make the song work.
I ended up purchasing "Super Drive" a couple of years ago based on this tune and a couple of others and it turned out a pleasant listen. Although it was recorded in Japan, many of the songs have a New York City vibe thanks to the contribution of the 24th Street Band (24丁目バンド), a jazz fusion band based in the city. They've had some success in Japan releasing studio albums as a group, while individual members have operated as session musicians on the other side of the Pacific. You can skim through their contributions on English Wiki: Hiram Bullock, Will Lee, Steve Jordan, and Clifford Carter.
Due to some label complications, "Super Drive" has yet to get a CD release, so I ended up getting it on vinyl. "Irie Nite" itself, however, has appeared on a number of compilation released, including the "Best Of" collection of Go's songs from '86 to '91 and Light Mellow Twilight.
(karaoke version)
I ended up purchasing "Super Drive" a couple of years ago based on this tune and a couple of others and it turned out a pleasant listen. Although it was recorded in Japan, many of the songs have a New York City vibe thanks to the contribution of the 24th Street Band (24丁目バンド), a jazz fusion band based in the city. They've had some success in Japan releasing studio albums as a group, while individual members have operated as session musicians on the other side of the Pacific. You can skim through their contributions on English Wiki: Hiram Bullock, Will Lee, Steve Jordan, and Clifford Carter.
Due to some label complications, "Super Drive" has yet to get a CD release, so I ended up getting it on vinyl. "Irie Nite" itself, however, has appeared on a number of compilation released, including the "Best Of" collection of Go's songs from '86 to '91 and Light Mellow Twilight.
Hi, nikala.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that is one mellow City Pop song. The famous Go twang is there, and he may not be the best guy to handle the vocals but still "Irie Nite" is enough for me to get the album someday, LP or CD.
Which other albums are in the Super Drive vein? Really love the funky AOR vibe with his slightly quirky voice. Thanks
ReplyDeleteHello, Calvin. Since The 24th Street Band was backing Go up here, you could try their 1979 self-titled album
Delete(https://kayokyokuplus.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-24th-street-band-shoppin-round-again.html).
There's also Go's buddy, Goro Noguchi, with his 1978 "L.A. Express" .
(https://kayokyokuplus.blogspot.com/2020/11/goro-noguchi-catalog-la.html)
For that added distinctive voice, you can also give Yoshitaka Minami's albums a try from the 70s into the 80s. You'll have to scroll far down his discography.
(https://minamiyoshitaka.com/discography/)