Well, I wouldn't say that it's time to put on the flip-flops and shorts quite yet although at least it is above 0 degrees Celsius out there. However, there is a feeling that spring is slowly coming out of its shell. Maybe in another month, we can ditch the heavy gear.
In any case, our fellow J-technopop fan, 80sAndYMOLover, suggested an album recorded by 80s aidoru Tsukasa Ito（伊藤つかさ）called "Sayonara Konnichiwa" (Goodbye and Hello) which was her sophomore album released in March 1982. It has some technopop goodness in there and with songwriters such as Akiko Yano（矢野顕子）and Ryuichi "The Professor" Sakamoto（坂本龍一）helping out, I have no doubts about that. As well, there is the title track which was written and composed by Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）, one of my personal favourites and a good associate of The Professor in those early 1980s, and arranged by Nobuyuki Shimizu（清水信之）.
"Sayonara Konnichiwa" launches the album and it's an interesting mix of classy old-fashioned strings and some languid metallic synth meshed in with Ito's breathy teenybopper vocals. In a way, this is what I would have expected if Ohnuki had come up with an aidoru tune back then. The song also fits the spring theme as a teen girl just fresh from graduation reminisces about the one that got away, a young lad who has remained a good friend to her but didn't become more for her. He's probably gone off to another high school but at least he was able to leave his signature in her autograph book, so it may be a goodbye but it's also a hello every time that she opens the book in the future.
With all of those big songwriting names in the album, including that of Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）, I'll have to take a closer look at the album in the weeks and months to come.
Morning, Brian.
ReplyDeleteYes, definitely would be worth more exploration.