The Blue Impulse -- Taiyo no Tsurugi（太陽の剣）

During my time yesterday writing up about the various songs by lyricist Rei Nakanishi（なかにし礼）, I discovered that the longtime songsmith had also dabbled in Group Sounds songs in the late 1960s.

This would be The Blue Impulse（ザ・ブルーインパルス）...which sounds like the name of one of those model poses on the crazy "Zoolander". However, this was the name of a Group Sounds band that had premiered in 1968 and had a 2-year lifespan under the bright lights. It's been said that they came into being just a little after the peak of the GS boom, so they've gotten some sympathy for failing to capture some of that popularity that earlier bands had gotten.

Releasing a total of 3 singles and no albums, The Blue Impulse's debut was "Taiyo no Tsurugi" (Sword of the Sun) from October 1968. Perhaps it wasn't the biggest Group Sounds hit, but listening to it over the past couple of days, it's not too bad at all. Along with the usual GS sound, there is that French horn in there to keep things fresh, and the vocals are on top of things. As I mentioned, Nakanishi provided the lyrics while Kunihiko Murai（村井邦彦）composed a melody that has something there reminiscent of a heroic Western. The song reached as high as No. 54 so it was a minor hit.

A couple of pieces of trivia about The Blue Impulse from J-Wiki. Back in January 1968, they first formed as The Ducks（ザ・ダックス）before the name change. Also, a few months later, The Blue Impulse and another GS band known as Ponees（ポニーズ）were the opening acts for The Monkees from America at the Budokan in Tokyo!