Kazuko Ishibashi -- Fuyu ni Sayonara（冬にさよなら）

 

Well, I guess this is a first, providing two Kazuko Ishibashi（石橋和子）songs on KKP in a calendar year. 

Up to now, the articles on singer-songwriter Ishibashi have focused on tracks from her 1981 album "Nice to Meet You" (including the last article on her) since that's the only one I've known due to its presence in the book "Japanese City Pop". I managed to find a track though from her 1982 release "Nora ga Tobira wo Akeru Toki"（ノラが扉をあけるとき...When Nora Opens the Door） with the beaming face of the singer-songwriter smack dab on the cover.

"Fuyu ni Sayonara" (Goodbye to Winter) is the final track on Side A of the original LP according to Discogs, and although there is a City Pop sax instrumental bridge in the song, I wouldn't really place it within that genre. There is also a feeling of Fashion Music in the European-ness floating all about but in the end, I've categorized it as a pleasant pop ballad written by Masako Arikawa（有川正沙子）and composed by Yasuo Kosugi（小杉保夫） (nope, Ishibashi had nothing to do with its creation this time). Would be interested in hearing some of the other tracks from the album, and for that matter, I'm wondering who the heck Nora is.