Tokyo Performance Doll（東京パフォーマンスドール）was the 1990s aidoru group from which I got to know some of the members for the first time via their post-TPD solo ventures. I've encountered Miho Yonemitsu and Yuko Anai（米光美保・穴井夕子） but arguably the most notable graduate from the group has been Ryoko Shinohara (篠原涼子) who, for the past few decades, is known more for her filmography than her discography.
Another member of Tokyo Performance Doll was Yuri Ichii（市井由理）, and to be honest, when I came across the name once more, no bells were striking with me. But then when I took a look at her J-Wiki profile, I realized that she was the YURI in the rap group EAST END×YURI with their 1994 hit "DA.YO.NE". They were all over the pop culture map back then though certain musicians from America weren't initially too impressed.
I certainly wouldn't have recognized that YURI from this Yuri (Ichii) with her 2nd album "JOYHOLIC" from August 1996, especially with one track "Koi ga Shitakatta" (I Wanted to Fall in Love). Couldn't have asked anything more different from "DA.YO.NE" with this one since it's a really whimsical jazz-pop arrangement (almost goes Shibuya-kei) by Hirofumi Asamoto（朝本浩文）and lyrics by legendary 80s aidoru Kyoko Koizumi（小泉今日子）. Even Ichii went high-pitched and floaty in her vocals here (the "nyan, nyan, nyan" helps). It does make me interested in how the rest of "JOYHOLIC" plays. By the way, I'm betting that's Napolitan spaghetti she's noshing on in the cover for the album.
Such a different sound from her days with East End. Speaking of them, I recently checked out their only album together and I thought it was pretty good even though they're probably considered a novelty.
ReplyDeleteTokyo Performance Doll is interesting because I think they could have been bigger if they didn't debut during the period of the "idol ice age." They were kinda Morning Musume before MM themselves debuted.
Yeah, I don't think Wu-Tang Clan or Run DMC had anything to worry about from East End x Yuri, but it was interesting to see a Japanese rap trio make the highlight reel for a year or so.
DeleteAs for TPD, it was too bad about the timing, but as mentioned above, most of the individual members didn't do too badly afterwards. :)