Looks like we've come to the Bailey's Irish Crème portion of City Pop this afternoon. This is the sweet and mellow "Machikado no Pretender" (Street Corner Pretender) which was written, composed and performed by Masayuki Kishi（岸正之）.
Basically the title track from his 1983 2nd and final album to date, "Pretender", I couldn't relax any more in my chair without breaking laws of physics while listening to it. Those languid keyboards keep the atmosphere on a very even but gently swaying keel while the listener is perhaps enjoying that liqueur I mentioned off the top. It's good ol' City Pop/J-AOR but I can't really see the setting in any sort of swanky club; it's more of a Sunday afternoon hammock environment, in my opinion. In addition, the arrangement here reminds me somewhat of what Yumi Matsutoya（松任谷由実）was doing at around the same time.
The other observation is that there have been a lot of kayo with the word machikado in the title. Not quite sure what the special significance of the street corner is, but maybe it's about that fateful person at the urban crux of two important directions in terms of both time and space. Without getting into too much philosophizing, I'll leave it at that.
Smooth AOR served up just right. I'm digging this. Never heard of Masayuki Kishi before, so this is a new discovery for me. His voice brings to mind Kisugi Takao.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this. You've got taste.
Thanks, Michael. I just like what I like and thank good luck for coming across some of these treasures. Come to think of it, there is a bit of that Kisugi feeling to Kishi's vocals.
Delete