Saburo Tokito -- Motto Tsuyoi Gin wo Kure（もっと強いジンをくれ）

 

When I first introduced actor/singer Saburo Tokito（時任三郎）onto "Kayo Kyoku Plus" all the way back in May 2012, it was to write about his "Kawa no Nagare wo Daite Nemuritai" (川の流れを抱いて眠りたい）, a beautiful ballad that I heard on "Sounds of Japan" in 1982 among all of the pops and hisses of a poorly-received CHIN-FM broadcast that night. Even through all the static, that elegant piano intro, the crying guitar solo and Tokito's rock balladeer vocals have stayed with me all those years so I have been grateful to YouTube for providing the song with tons of clarity.

"Kawa no Nagare wo Daite Nemuritai" was a track on his 1981 debut album "Tooku de Boogie ga Kikoeru" (遠くでBoogieが聴こえる....I Can Hear a Boogie Far Away), but the album first starts off with "Motto Tsuyoi Gin wo Kure" (Will You Get Me Some Stronger Gin?). It's a cool and pensive song that brings feelings of Ian Thomas or Santana through the urban cowboy melody by Yuusuke Nakamura（中村裕介）. But instead of a steed, the cowboy here is probably manning a sports car as he helps a young lady through the blues according to the lyrics by Akira Ohtsu（大津あきら）.

From the title, the cowboy thinks that some good talk and some of that clear libation will help the lass through the worst of her depression. It's a Yokohama-based song from Ohtsu's lyrics and Bay Route 6 seems to be the ideal path for that possibly romantic ride. Not sure where this highway is on a map of Yokohama, but for City Pop fans, maybe this could be another target area to ride in that rental car.😎