Singer-songwriter Kazuo Zaitsu（財津和夫）had been leading the famous folk band Tulip（チューリップ）for about seven years from 1971 when he decided to try his hand at a solo career. At the same time, he was continuing to get onto radio programs and even acting in dramas, so I'm fairly sure that he wasn't too timid about going at it alone behind the mike.
In May 1978 then, Zaitsu released his debut solo single "Futari dake no Yoru" (A Night Just For Two). He not only wrote, composed and sang this surprisingly racy tune about a couple "getting down", but he also performed on all of the instruments, so he was really eager to make an impression. "Futari dake no Yoru" has got a pretty brisk tempo for this kakkoii-sounding tune that is also quite urbane though I'm not sure if I would still place it in City Pop. The song was also placed onto his first solo album "Uchuujin"（宇宙塵...Space Trash） which came out in the same month as the single.
this song has faster pace than other Kazuo Zaitsu's songs I heard. I didn't know that he even acted in the 70s, i just thought he was (still is) super active in his career. I love his Kitte No Nai Okuri Mono for Minna no Uta - I discovered that song by accident (Ken Hirai covered it)
ReplyDeleteYeah as a solo debut, it was quite different from the other Zaitsu songs that I've been familiar with. As for his acting career, it's been sporadic but his latest venture on the boards was in 2006. I'll have to check out his "Kitte no Nai Okuri Mono". Thanks!
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