J-Canuck's Favourite Junko Ohashi（大橋純子）Songs

 

Last Friday, I contributed an Author's Pick on my favourite Junko Yagami（八神純子）songs, a list that has been long in coming, and I figured that I had to do the same for Junko Ohashi, another singer-songwriter who dove into the City Pop pool. Once again, I have to put forth my caveat in that these are my favourite seven songs by the Hokkaido-born Ohashi (not in any particular order, may I add) among a huge wealth of her lovely tunes, so of course, you fans will have your own choices which may not chime in with mine. Please let me know.

(1977)  Crystal City

Every time I hear "Crystal City" as the title track of her 4th album, I simply get that strange desire to head back to mid-1970s Tokyo. Well, I can hardly break the fourth dimension right now, but I can still dream of returning to my old stomping grounds in the 21st century, and besides, I have a better chance now to find that skyscraper to scramble up to the top to admire the Crystal City.

(1978) Tasogare My Love (たそがれマイ・ラブ）

"Tasogare My Love" is one of the three Ohashi songs on this list that strikes me as being atypical of the image that the singer has of being a funk/soul City Pop chanteuse. The thing is that the song leans more toward the kayo end of the spectrum although that saxophone solo midway hints at that drive through the megalopolis. And indeed, it is wonderfully delivered.

(1981) Silhouette Romance（シルエット・ロマンス）

As I mentioned above, this is the second atypically non-City Pop song by Ohashi on the list and as I stated in the original article, "Silhouette Romance" is the first song by her that I had ever heard via "Sounds of Japan". It's got that "classic" feeling with the string-and-flute arrangement that actually comes across as more of a pop fantasy through the stars than a downtown jaunt.

(1988) Nemurenai Diamond (眠れないダイアモンド）

One of my very favourites by Ohashi, "Nemurenai Diamond" is definitely an underrated diamond along the same lines of Junko Yagami's "Jealous". The singer has been known for her 1970s/early 1980s disco City Pop, but this time, she's tackling the stylish sophisti-pop side of the uber-genre in the Bubble Era of the late 80s. Whatever criticisms that sociologists and economists may have for that time, just listening to "Nemurenai Diamond" takes listeners on quite a ride through all of that champagne and caviar.

(1980) Canadian Lullaby （カナディアン・ララバイ）

There was a YouTube video of the actual National air conditioner commercial for which Ohashi had recorded the song. But it's been sadly deleted, although you can enjoy this tune while imagining the lovely surroundings of Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. As such, I'd say that the song falls more under the New Music banner rather than City Pop, and I cherish it because it had been something that I was searching for literally years until I realized that it was Ohashi behind the mike.

(1977) Simple Love （シンプルラブ）

I gotta say that I do love this video with the softly aged visuals of Ohashi and her band Minowa Central Station as they tackle the disco "Simple Love". I'm getting those rose-coloured images of Tokyo life in the 1970s. When I hear this one, I realize that this is the song which gets me the flood of what Ohashi's voice can really do.

(1981) Telephone Number

You didn't think that I was going to leave this one out, did you? "Telephone Number" is the one song in this list that I only discovered while I was actually doing the blog from the early 2010s, so after my Japan odyssey. Indeed, it had been thanks to all of the City Pop fans on YouTube, before all of the "Plastic Love" hype exploded, that I got to know the secret number of 56709 and the wonderful song and vocals which came with that.

So once again, I state that these are my seven favourites among some really great Ohashi stuff. What are yours?