Happy weekend! Went out earlier today to meet an old friend from Winnipeg for lunch and then returned knowing that I have to launch the 2023 edition of the Xmas season on "Kayo Kyoku Plus". Allow me to bring in once more the unofficial mascot for the blog, Kayo Kyoku「旭花耀」who got her 2nd appearance last Tuesday. This time, though, she's here to also commemorate the Christmas season starting from today and lasting until the end of Christmas Day in a month. It won't be a daily thing but enough songs will be posted to make it clear.
Let's start off with EPO's "Shiroi Machi Aoi Kage" (White Streets, Blue Shadows) which was her 17th single from December 1988. I first heard it on Scott's "Holly Jolly X'masu" podcast from late September since the song was also a part of "Winter Tales" a J-Xmas song compilation that was actually released a month earlier in November by the record company MIDI. A concert version of "Shiroi Machi Aoi Kage" can also heard on the March 1989 "Sparks" which was her first live album.
Written and composed by EPO with Danny Schogger providing the arrangement, the song has got that hint of gospel soul, and as often is the case with a J-Xmas tune, the melody can be cheerful and/or romantic, but the lyrics tell of a breakup happening right on the street. That's a major ouch!😖 But it does sound beautiful especially with Hiroyasu Yaguchi's（矢口博康）saxophone solo. The single peaked at No. 97 on Oricon but "Sparks" did better by placing in at No. 44.
EPO! Yeah! I like the smooth mellowness of 白い街 青い影 but it is a bit of different genre from EPO's other works or at least those I know of. I tend to imagine EPO's music style as being closer to some type of upbeat city pop and may be Techno kayō.
ReplyDeleteHello, Brian. I think I put up most of my EPO tunes in the early days of the blog so it's always nice when I can still come across any songs of her to write about. When she first started out, EPO was about the City Pop and regular pop but as the 80s passed, I think she went more into regular pop stylings.
DeleteWell, then I think I am going to have to start search the archive for some of your other EPO post!
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