Kaoru Sudo -- DROPS (Part 1)

From Sony Music

Well, it's taken nearly a decade since "Kayo Kyoku Plus" contributor nikala provided the very first Kaoru Sudo（須藤薫）article in March 2013, but I'm finally putting the spotlight on Sudo's November 1983 5th album, "DROPS". "Kokoro no Haikei" (心の背景...Setting of the Heart) , a track from "DROPS", was nikala's contribution and it was poignant since she'd posted it up just a few days following Sudo's untimely death at the age of 58. Since then, a couple of other tracks have been written about by me: "Mayonaka no Shujinko" （真夜中の主人公...Midnight Heroine） and "Shiawase no Basho"（幸せの場所...A Happy Place）. 

As has been my wont recently, I'll be going over "DROPS" in two parts. You may have noticed that I've been doing a fair bit of multi-part articles and that's because: 1) I'm lazy and 2) I figure that it might be easier to have folks listen to the tracks in "bite-sized" pieces on the blog at least, although I know that the whole album is up on YouTube for now. Also just to let you know, most of the tracks including all of Side A of the original 1983 LP have been arranged by Masataka Matsutoya（松任谷正隆）.

I remember nikala pointing out that she'd been looking forward to getting her copy of "DROPS" in her article. As well, I was also smitten by the cover of Sudo's 1983 album which has an Art Deco design that proudly declares Class and Sophistication Personified, so initially I had assumed that "DROPS" was all about the jazzier side of City Pop since I did first see it in the book "Japanese City Pop". Well, it didn't exactly work out that way; there is City Pop in "DROPS" but there is also the happy and jangly 60s girl pop that I would gradually learn was also Sudo's forte, similarly to Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）in her early years.

Let's take care of the remaining three tracks on Side A for starters for Part 1, shall we? "Mayonaka no Shujinko" is Track 1, so let's begin with "Christmas no Tobira"（クリスマスの扉...The Door to Christmas）, a seasonal tune that sways as gently as that porch swing at a house in the Midwest. Shun Taguchi's（田口俊）lyrics relate the tale of a lady whose beau was acting rather strangely one night close to the Yuletide since he was trying to surprise her with a typically Christmas-y purpose.. Masamichi Sugi（杉真理）, a frequent songwriting partner of hers, is behind the melody of that 1960s romantic pop balladry that Sudo loved to do, and it shows. By the way, the album thumbnail above for the video is not wrong; "Christmas no Tobira" was also included on her April 1985 BEST compilation, "Tear-Drops Calendar".

"Nichiyoubi no Go-shuumi wa?"（日曜日の御趣味は？...What's Your Sunday Hobby?）was also by the triumvirate of Taguchi, Sugi and Matsutoya so the 60s are back, although this time, there is more of the upbeat doo-wop in this story of a cad who's woven up this make-believe tale just to meet a girl. And as sung cheerfully by Sudo, the lass doesn't seem to mind too much. One thing for sure...the guy's hobby isn't reading.

There is some melodic wooziness in "I'm Sorry" as if the protagonist in the song has been drowning out her sorrows in strong drink. Once again, the triumvirate is at work here with a tale of the aftermath of a fight and maybe a permanent breakup of a couple only for the feelings of regret and longing to well up along with the tears. "I'm Sorry" seems to have a mix of the 60s stuff and some City Pop, and Matsutoya's arrangement feels like it could work for a vocal group like the Manhattan Transfer. 

Anyways, Part 2 for next week.