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I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Yukari Isshiki -- Ghost Town(ゴースト・タウン)


Had my annual physical today. No big surprises so far in terms of my weight and blood pressure but there's still a blood-and-urine test to get out of the way. Of course, right after that, we all went to McDonalds. Strangely enough, though, I hadn't had a Big Mac meal in several months and never garnered any sort of craving which I think is a good thing. However, my observation was that the Big Mac has somewhat shrunk; it was actually more of a Moderate Mac. Again, that shouldn't be a bad thing for someone my age and physical condition but I'm beginning to think that the Golden Arches may soon end up with a false advertising charge.


Anyways, enough of my dinnertime indulgence. Ten days ago, I wrote an article featuring some interesting websites proffered by a couple of the faithful commenters, one of which showed a huge list of singers and their debut years. So I took a look at 1981. I was entranced by the visage of one such singer by the name of Yukari Isshiki(一色ゆかり)because of those come-hither eyes.

For some reason, the description at that site hinted that Isshiki had initially been marketed as an aidoru. But listening to this track, "Ghost Town", from her sole album "Let's Begin" from June 1981, I think she should have been labeled more as a pop/rock singer. That husky voice of hers had me associating her more with singers such as Ann Lewis(アン・ルイス)and Yuki Katsuragi(葛城ユキ)than Seiko Matsuda(松田聖子)and Naoko Kawai(河合奈保子). Shosuke Nagato(長戸秀介)took care of the lyrics while Junichi Kawauchi(河内淳一)composed the song whose guitar solo reminded me somewhat of The Eagles.

Plus, the Aichi Prefecture-born Isshiki, who was born Youri Sugimoto(杉本誘里)in 1962, once she entered high school in Chiba Prefecture, helped create a band by the name of...well, Fuckt...where she served as guitarist and vocalist. Not sure how that name got past the PTA and teachers but then again, perhaps back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, English slang didn't quite permeate Japan as much as it does now. The band covered songs by Prism and Masayoshi Takanaka(高中正義)which I don't think were quite all that punk or hard rock (I'm taking the band name into consideration here), but it's hard to believe that a member of a band with that name would be modeled into a boppy frilly dress-wearing aidoru.

Under the name of Yukari Isshiki, the singer released one single "Gambler"(ギャンブラー)and that one album "Let's Begin" in 1981. She would go back to her real name and release four more singles up to the end of 1987, and one more album "Dynamyte"(ダイナマイト)in 1984. By that point, she was apparently going for a more heavy metal sound. She even went into the anison and seiyuu business as well.

6 comments:

  1. Hi J-Canuck!

    Nice to see her on your blog though I know her more through her "Dynamyte" LP (yes, with 2 "y". Not a typo) and her anime songs for Animage records.

    She was advertised as idol at first, the article you read is correct. Except, not as traditional pop idol but as rock/metal idol among others like Mari Hamada, Misako Honjoh or Megumi Hayakawa. This trend was popular back then in early 80's but except for Mari Hamada, the "Metal Queen", none other lasted very long in this business.

    You can read a bit more about that here: http://www.geocities.jp/matsnagger/japametaqueens/japametaqueens.htm

    You'll notice some big Japanese metal names behind these idols.

    Oh, and on a side not her real name should read as "Youri" not Yukari as seen on her EP/LP covers (https://auctions.c.yimg.jp/images.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/image/dr000/auc0302/users/7/0/4/8/minibuta666-img600x600-1486349560i7gqwo22610.jpg)

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    1. Thanks, Daemonskald. I've made the corrections above.

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  2. Hey! Nice article, i love youri sugimoto's music from what i've heard but it's really hard to find. I think she has a powerful voice and aesthetic which imo was most prominent in songs like Woman, Medusa, hold on and love you amongst others. Glad to see other people recognize such a great talent

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    1. Hi there. Thanks for your comments. It's always nice to hear from other folks who like this kind of music and it's just as great to be able to dig up these obscure gems.

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    2. Indeed. i really wish i could find a way to listen to the rest of Dynamyte or buy a physical copy someday

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    3. Yeah, at this point, we all just have to keep an eye on the various online shops and hope that someday, one of the studios decide to remaster and re-release those old albums.

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