I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
I barely remember her since I was only a toddler at the time, but Twiggy is a British model and actress who set cameras and the fashion world ablaze in the 1960s thanks to that thin appearance, short hair and large doe eyes. Happy to hear that she's still around at the age of 75.
So, it's not a surprise at all that a Pizzicato Five song used her name twice for the title. "Twiggy, Twiggy" is a track on the band's September 1991 5th album,"Josei Joui Jidai"（女性上位時代...This Year's Girl）, and it's definitely an up-and-at-'em Shibuya-kei tune with timpani and dance-luring rhythms (including a barrage of orchestra hits) along with the Divine Ms. Maki Nomiya（野宮真貴） singing sweetly in our ears. The big surprise though is that it wasn't Yasuharu Konishi（小西康陽） behind words and music for "Twiggy, Twiggy" (although he was behind them for most of the other tracks); it was actually 1970s City Pop chanteuse Nanako Sato（佐藤奈々子）taking care of those.
I'll be honest...the music video with Nomiya and perhaps Konishi and other member Keitaro Takanami（高浪慶太郎）had me so mesmerized as I was about to write this article that when my screen suddenly went all crazy eights necessitating me to shut down and reboot my computer, I had assumed that it was all part of the P5 "Twiggy, Twiggy" experience. Well, no it wasn't. And I took a good look at the security protocols. I'm hoping that what happened was just one of those glitches of an aging unit. But yeah, it's quite the song.
Just to give everyone who may not know her a preview, this is former competitive skater Mao Asada（浅田真央）. She's become quite the legend due to her feats on the ice and has been a regular face on Japanese TV not just because of her skating but also through commercials.
Apparently, she's now broken into the world of music videos. That is indeed Asada against the backdrop of a different form of H2O as Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）sings her latest release, "Days of Love" which got its debut on YouTube a couple of days ago. Written by Takeuchi and composed by her husband Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）, it does have that Tats feeling of twangy guitar and languid rhythm that has often gone into one of his songs.
"Days of Love" is now being used as the campaign song for Airweave, a mattress company. It's a nice fit, considering how relaxing the song feels.
My friend and fellow contributor to KKP, Marcos V., and his own buddy were kind enough to allow me to use some of his photographs after visiting Rio in their native Brazil some days ago, so many thanks to them both. Regrettably, I've yet to travel anyplace south of the Equator but maybe someday, I'll be able to see places like Brazil or Australia or Singapore.
Although I haven't been to Brazil yet, I've been well acquainted with their samba and bossa nova for literally decades, and it seems as if folks in the Japanese music industry have also been very admiring of the genres for that long as well. In fact, I see that Yukari Ito（伊東ゆかり）provided some of her own songs infused with those particular two. I came across these jewels not too long ago and I couldn't decide which one to go with first, so I've opted to cover both of them together.
The first one is "Ai Suru Ashita"(Loving Tomorrow). A B-side to her 42nd single, the June 1969"Aishite, Aishite"（愛して愛して...Love Me, Love Me）, "Ai Suru Ashita" was apparently used as the theme song for a movie of the same name, and it certainly sounds quite majestically bossa nova. Written by Kazumi Yasui（安井かずみ）and composed by Osamu Shouji（東海林修）, the orchestra gives the song a sweepingly romantic heft and there's no doubt what the movie is about from the title and the arrangement of this song. In its own way, I kinda feel like it's the Japanese take on "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing".
The second song was recorded by Ito many years later in September 1984 for her album "Fado"（ふぁど）. "Aki no Jasmine Tea" (Autumn Jasmine Tea) is a more mid-tempo bossa song with a bit more of a City Pop feeling and fueled by the sweet and husky tones of the singer. Keisuke Yamakawa（山川啓介）was the lyricist while Etsuko Yamakawa（山川恵津子）took care of the brisk melody. Enjoy the drink.☕
Probably like a lot of many other kids, I found out about the word "Eureka!" while reading a children's reader on Archimedes. Testing that principle myself, I found out I could overextend it by a good country cube...a little guy, I wasn't.
Now, this all brings us to singer-songwriter Gen Hoshino's（星野源）latest single from the last several days "Eureka". I've been a fan of the guy for his catchy tunes but it's been over a couple of years since I last posted up a Hoshino song and that was "Kigeki"（喜劇）, my very favourite because of the combination of Gen and groovy.
Hoshino continues the Gen and groovy with "Eureka". Not sure if it's been picked up as a theme for a J-Drama or as a commercial tune, but I certainly like it for its relatively low-key rhythms and delivery. Just like "Kigeki", it's got that nice bit of soul mixed in with the pop as well. Plus, I will always appreciate a good piano pop piece.
Well, whaddaya know! It has been used as the theme for the currently-running TBS drama "Madoka 26-sai, Kenshuui Yattemasu!"（まどか26歳、研修医やってます!...Diary of a Surgical Resident : Madoka）.
It's been a quiet Sunday today although there is a major golf tournament in Pebble Beach right now. However, we've got the Super Bowl next Sunday between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles which should have the American football fandom going wild as usual. I remember hearing a lot of American ex-pats in Tokyo trying to get Monday morning off to catch the game at a sports pub.
Perhaps 1970s aidoru Mako Ishino（石野真子）was thinking of stirring up her Sunday with her 4th single"Nichiyoubi wa Stranger" (Sunday is a Stranger) from January 1979. Written by Yu Aku（阿久悠）and composed by Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）, it's quite the jaunty tune about a couple having the time of their lives on what is supposedly the day of rest. Nice to see Mako again, by the way, since the last time she appeared on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" was back in the summer of 2021.
One interesting piece of trivia I picked up on the J-Wiki article for "Nichiyoubi wa Stranger" was the intro riff. And yep, there was something quite familiar about it. Well, it turns out that R&B-loving Tsutsumi opted to adapt a musical phrase that had been used in at least a couple of American songs: "It's The Same Old Song" by The Four Tops and "Time" by gospel group the Mighty Clouds of Joy. Ishino's single peaked at No. 19 on Oricon.
As of last year's appearance, enka singer Yoshimi Tendo（天童よしみ）has been on NHK's Kohaku Utagassen a total of 29 times so far dating all the way back to 1993. Following further tradition, she once again released a new song last month.
Tendo's 81st single from January 15th is "Showa Gokoro" (The Heart of Showa) which seems to come in line with her previous single a year back "Showa Katagi"（昭和かたぎ）. Written by Reiji Mizuki（水木れいじ）and composed by Hideo Mizumori（水森英夫）, there's a lot of metaphor within the lyrics as the Showa era (1925-1989) is seen as this older but more-than-welcome traveler arriving at the station of Reiwa (the current era) to bring back some of those laughing and crying sepia-toned memories.
"Showa Gokoro" is a stately song with plenty of that sleeve-grabbing emotion that is de rigueur for any enka tune, and the way that Tendo delivers it brings some of those memories of Hibari Misora（美空ひばり）, the Queen of Kayo Kyoku who Tendo has often been compared to. The single managed to reach No. 21 on Oricon.
A couple of days ago, fellow Miho Nakayama fan and KKP contributor Marcos V. was kind enough to inform me of a video on YouTube showing the late singer-actress' final concert recorded last July and released late last November, only several days before her untimely death. It's been up on the platform for about a couple of weeks now and frankly I don't know how long it will stay up before the powers-that-be probably clamp down upon the uploader, so get your views when you can. There's also a disclaimer by the fellow stating that the video will only be available at night. I'm assuming that means Japan Standard Time. As well, there are time stamps on the YouTube page so you can check out your favourite Miporin tunes.
When I got my own copy of Miho Nakayama's（中山美穂）"Blanket Privacy", her 6th compilation album of re-recordings of her ballads, two new tunes and three cover songs from November 1993 years ago, I was surprised that one of those covers was Ruiko Kurahashi's（倉橋ルイ子）"Last Scene ni Ai wo Komete" (Fill The Last Scene With Love). Not to say that doing so was the wrong thing to do by any means; Kurahashi remains one of my favourite singers to this day. It's just that I had never expected a former aidoru-turned-pop singer to cover a tune by another singer whose profile didn't reach anywhere near superstar status (although Ruiko has a very dedicated following including myself). To be honest, the only connection between her and any other singer that I was aware about was through the duet consisting of her and Takao Horiuchi（堀内孝雄）, "Hanrira"（ハンリーラ）back in 1985.
And yet, here Miporin is, covering a Kurahashi Fashion Music classic. The original "Last Scene ni Ai wo Komete" has an epic orchestral feeling that makes me feel as if it could be used for an Oscar ceremony "In Memoriam" segment. For Nakayama's cover, the Knock arrangement of Fumiko Okada（岡田冨美子）and Kisaburo Suzuki's（鈴木キサブロー）creation keeps things classy but has more of a contemporary power ballad feeling. Although I think in any emotional tribute video to the singer, a more well-known Miporin ballad will be used, her "Last Scene ni Ai wo Komete" could also fit the bill.
Indeed, welcome to February! And as would be the case here in the Great White North, it's sunny but the temperature is currently a frigid -12 degrees Celsius with a -19-degree wind chill. Seeing the NHK weather caster in Tokyo do a cute shiver and say that the Japanese capital is faced with the deep freeze at +7 degrees C had me sighing. We Torontonians would kill for a +7 right now!
However, the skiers and snowboarders are definitely not crying the blues right now and they're most likely flocking like pigeons to the slopes north of us. There was quite a lot of snow falling in southern Ontario a few nights ago.
And that of course has reminded me of the connection between J-Pop and skiing. About a month ago, I posted up an Author's Picks regarding the popular ski songs which kinda centered on the ski boom days of the 80s and 90s. Well, relatively recently, a solo act called Nostalgic New Town (with lyricist/composer connie also as the vocalist, I'm assuming) came up with an enthusiastic tune in early 2023 that hearkens back to those lovely ski times and songs.
"Mafuyu no Winter Love"(Mid-winter Winter Love) reflects the nostalgia in Nostalgic New Town as I got reminded of the Queen of Winters, Kohmi Hirose（広瀬香美）, and even that duet between Hiroshi Takano（高野寛）and Takao Tajima（田島貴男）, "Winter's Tale ~ Fuyu Monogatari"（冬物語）. I can even hear a bit of an Earth Wind & Fire riff in there, too, although that could be heard as an aural version of the snow-dusted winds whipping up on the slopes.
I couldn't find much information on Nostalgic New Town aside from one blurb that's been repeated on other sites. Apparently back in 2022, a Niigata Prefecture metal manufacturing company known as Marudai launched a project called M.CREATE which collaborates with artists of various stripes and genres to create products under the concept of making fantasy into a reality, and Nostalgic New Town has been one of those creations. In the same year, NNT had also released a debut single titled "Seaside Breeze" which I'll have to check out soon enough.
This was also the case with his debut song "Denwa shite mo"（電話しても）, but there are many instances in Kazuhito Murata's（村田和人）melodies which evoke that particular bittersweetness of youth. Furthermore, when Yoshihiko Ando's（安藤芳彦）excellent lyrics expressing that feeling are laid down, the songs truly shine. "Lady September" is one of those songs representing the duo's early works, and it splendidly illustrates the passing summer and the loneliness present at the end of one love that happened that summer.
The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised"(2020).
Some days ago, I received a comment under the article for singer-songwriter Miki Hyodo's（兵藤未来）1979 song, "GOODBYE DOCTOR", referring me to a B-side from her debut single a couple of years earlier.
Therefore, I've decided to kill two birds with one stone and cover both sides of her first release from 1977. The A-side is "Tonde Kita Yume" (A Dream That Flew In) is a pleasantly gooshy song for sunset written and composed by Hyodo. The singer sounds a bit tipsy and happy as she sounds as if she's a permanent resident of Margaritaville. The tipsiness is perfectly fine though since the song is as sweet and intoxicating as a tall glass of Long Island Iced Tea, and there's a really nice guitar solo along with the Fender Rhodes.
Now, the B-side "Maverick" has nothing to down with the American Western TV show of the 1960s or the main character on "Top Gun" or even the little-known mutant character on "X-Men". In fact, I don't think I've ever heard of a song that had the title of "Maverick" before. This time, while Hyodo provided the lyrics once more, the melody was spun by Sakae Fukamachi（深町栄）and it includes the funky wah-wah guitar although the Margaritaville vibes are still there. However, the feeling this time is more hot afternoon at the shopping mall in the resort town.
There's perhaps a saying "Band members that enjoy themselves well, play well". Well, no, that's not a particularly smoothly-structured aphorism, but it seems to describe the legendary fusion band Casiopea, at least from the comments I've seen under the above video. And it's good to see them back here on the pages of "Kayo Kyoku Plus" again because it's been almost a year since they've shown up.
Indeed, the guys are jamming like crazy with their song "Galactic Funk" which was a track on their September 1981 album "Cross Point". Concocted by Casiopea member Issei Noro（野呂一生）, the funk may reach the galactic edge someday, especially with the spaciness of that one keyboard, but for now, I'm happy that it is down to earth and strutworthy. Of course, all you bass addicts will love the intro.
Well, this article is a continuation of the rainy day theme from Kunio Muramatsu's（村松邦男）"Rainy Day" and it only takes one extra word to complete this Kaoru Sudo（須藤薫）ballad"Rainy Day Hello".
Sudo was known as a singer who loved to give her own renditions of happy-go-lucky 50s/60s girl pop back in the day, but with "Rainy Day Hello", which is a track on her April 1982 3rd album, "Amazing Toys", the arrangement by Masamichi Sugi and Masastaka Matsutoya（杉真理・松任谷正隆）is contemporary pop/AOR balladry aside from a familiar vocal chorus behind her. It's probably not a tune that a freshly brokenhearted person would want to hear (or maybe he/she would😕) but it's a beautifully put-together song by Sugi in terms of words and music about a woman remembering how she met that wonderful man one rainy day only for a lie to bring the world crashing down and un-meeting that man on another rainy day. It's been called one of Sudo's best songs and I can believe it.
For some of that 50s/60s girl pop sound, try Sudo's track mate on "Amazing Toys", "Namida no Step"（涙のステップ）. And indeed, this will be another Yutaka Kimura Talks song.
Well, I was going for a "My Neighbour Totoro" style of thing when I asked Bing to make the iconic scene from that Studio Ghibli movie, but it didn't quite come out that way. However, I figure that if I did obtain a good likeness of that shot, I may have had Hayao Miyazaki and his legal team unleashing both Totoro and Yubaba on my person.
Anyways, no heavy rain here in the Greater Toronto Area, but I wanted to spotlight a future Yutaka Kimura Speaks entry and that would be Kunio Muramatsu's（村松邦男）"Rainy Day". A track from his January 1985 album"Roman", it was written and composed by the singer-songwriter. It contains a nice combination of synthesizer and twangy guitar along with Muramatsu's floaty delivery, and despite the inclement weather, it feels quite refreshing and uplifting...kinda like how Kayo Grace and Mr. Calico look above and below. I don't think it quite qualifies as a City Pop tune but it makes for a very pleasant pop song ride.
Holly Cole has graced the pages of "Kayo Kyoku Plus" before when I introduced her via her seasonal "The Christmas Blues" which she released back in 1989. In fact, it was through a ROY article that she got through and once again, I'm giving her the same treatment here and now.
As I said in that article, in terms of Canadian jazz singers, before Michael Bublé and before Diana Krall, there was Holly Cole. I mentioned there that I had been back in Toronto on vacation during my time on the JET Programme, and most likely through Canada's MuchMusic video channel, I'd seen Cole for the first time through a music video whose song title I couldn't remember at the time.
Well, I remember now. I mean, I certainly remember the video with Cole looking like the ultimate torch song singer in a dramatically black strapless gown on a dimly-lit soundstage as she cooed the song into our ears while backed up by a classy combination of pianist and wood bassist. That song was "Talk to Me, Baby" which was originally written and recorded by singer-songwriter Johnny Mercer and composed by Bobby Dolan back in 1964 for the Broadway musical "Foxy". Cole's sultrier version was recorded onto her 1st full album"Girl Talk" from 1990.
Also, listen to Mercer himself take on his creation. His take has a bit more of the swing orchestra behind him.
Well, since only a year was given for the release of Cole's "Girl Talk", let's show the usual Japanese comparison with a few of the winners at that year's Japan Record Awards -- Pop/Rock Division.
Well, as Kayo Grace and Mr. Calico are showing up above, "Kayo Kyoku Plus" is celebrating its 13th birthday today, so I gather that the blog might be showing signs of teenage rebelliousness in the years to come. As was the case last year, I've opted to show off any other Japanese singers who are celebrating their birthday on January 30th, too.
(1948) Sumio Akutagawa of Toi et Moi -- Dare mo Inai Umi (誰もいない海）
Last week, I provided Part 1 to Chisato Moritaka's（森高千里）November 1992 7th original album, "Pepperland"（ペパーランド）. As I mentioned there, this had been an album that stayed up on my shelves for the longest time after first listening to it and just finding it a little too outré for my impressions of Moritaka back then. However, after many years, I've decided to give it another go and I'm more open to it now. Let's go with Part 2, then, shall we?
Track 6, and perhaps this could have been the beginning song to Side B if an LP version of "Pepperland" had been released, is "Ame no Asa"（雨の朝...Rainy Morning）. Composed by Yasuaki Maejima（前嶋康明）of the band Spick & Span, he's also accompanying Moritaka's drumming with his Fender Rhodes and synthesizer according to the liner notes. It's a familiar track to me so I've probably put it into one of my old mixtapes and it's the funkiest and grooviest track on the album, although the lyrical content is such that you want to give the lass in the story a great big hug. She is not having a good morning as she has to get ready for another day of the corporate grind while watching a downpour outside her apartment.
That lass probably wishes she were in the story of Track 7, "Tokonatsu no Paradise"（常夏のパラダイス）, (and maybe she is), as Chisato sings about being as happy as one can be after a not-so-great previous year. Written by Moritaka (as she did for all of the tracks) and composed by Toshiaki Matsumoto（松本俊明）, I think the original version on "Pepperland" had that Beatles-y sound but the remake above also has incorporated some Okinawan feelings. One of the other things that I like about this one is Chisato's "Ha~i!" in the chorus.
"U-Turn ~ Wagaya"（Uターン (我が家)...My Home） has a distinctly Japanese summer theme as someone is returning by train to the old hometown for a long-awaited visit. That someone can look forward to seeing mountains and rivers and having Mom's home cooking once again. Chisato's piano pretty much lays it out: this is one swaying nostalgic and welcome trip home. Yuichi Takahashi（高橋諭一）, who has also provided the melodies for some of the earlier tracks, is back here on music.
The next track on the album is "Gokigen na Asa"（ごきげんな朝）which I actually posted almost a decade ago as this jangly tribute to the band Shocking Blue. So have a look at it there through the link and then we go to "Rock Alarm Clock" which, like "Ame no Asa", is another work-related tune. This time though, the young lady is making a very energetic effort to get to work on time after her alarm clock lets her down, and in all likelihood, not for the first time. The vocalist and leader of the rock band Carnation, Masataro Naoe（直枝政太郎）, was responsible for the melody.
The final track is the sad and perhaps reflective-of-the-times song "Aoi Umi"（青い海）. Composed by Hiroyoshi Matsuo（松尾弘良）in a deceptively cheerful way, it's the story of a widowed man in his mid-sixties owning a bookstore in his seaside town. His daughter has moved away due to marriage to probably the big city. He goes and visits her but doesn't seem to enjoy the big city life and finds the travel arduous to the point that he may not make a second visit. By the end of the song, the bookstore has been torn down to become a parking lot. Meanwhile, the sea remains blue. 😭 I think I saw this scene play out in yesterday's episode of NHK's current morning serial drama "Omusubi"（おむすび）.
Once again, as was the case with Akina Nakamori's（中森明菜）"Crimson", I've found redemption in Moritaka's "Pepperland" as an album where the singer-songwriter-musician has decided to make a pivot in her style from the synth dance pop where she first made her name to a more grounded form of arrangement. And wiser people than me discovered this far earlier since the album hit the charts at No. 5.
As the byline says, Happy Chinese New Year or Gong Xi Fa Cai! (If I have this wrong, please correct me.) And indeed, it is the Year of the Snake whose titular animal is supposed to bring wisdom, transformation, calmness and creativity. I can only hope that this is really true. Within my city, I've got a number of friends who are probably celebrating with their families so I wish them well on this day.
In any case, I don't quite believe that up to now, I haven't had an article commemorating Chinese New Year but I will rectify that now. I had initially thought about putting up songs which have had something to do with Chinese places or culture, but I've now decided to post songs by singers who have come from places such as Hong Kong and Taiwan to provide hits within the kayo kyoku world.
Back in June last year, I posted up an article for the song "Dr. Yellow"（Dr.イエロー）by MoJo on hearing the announcement that the famous and beloved specialized train for diagnostics on the Bullet Trains was going to be retired over the next few years. However, when I watched NHK news this morning, it looks like JR Central's Dr. Yellow had its final run today (the one belonging to JR West will be retired in 2027).
Not surprisingly, there were huge billowing masses of fans at the final stop and any place where photographers could get a glimpse and shot of the yellow Shinkansen to say goodbye. On the NHK report, there was even a focus on one photographer who had become friends of a family whose young son had been suffering from leukemia. The photographer was able to get one final shot of Dr. Yellow in tribute to the boy who had passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 11.
I was thinking of paying a further tribute to Dr. Yellow but outside of the MoJo song, there doesn't seem to be any other kayo devoted to the train. Therefore, I've decided to put up an Author's Pick on providing songs of gratitude as I'm sure that a lot of the fans have their feelings of thanks toward the train.
Along with the horror-comedy movie "The Substance" which is up for a Best Movie Oscar, the other movie that has stuck in my head all these months since the Toronto International Film Festival back in September has been "Nightbitch" starring Amy Adams as a mother who feels that she may indeed be turning into a dog. It might be a Disney movie (distributed by Searchlight Pictures) but I have a feeling that it's not quite in the same tone as those Kurt Russell pics such as "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes".
In any case, I was reminded of that movie once I came upon this song by singer-songwriter Akiko Yano（矢野顕子）, "I am a Dog" for somewhat obvious reasons. A track from Yano's June 1993 album"Love Is Here", it's another appealingly loopy entry by the longtime New York City resident. I couldn't find the lyrics but I take it that it's all about the life of a dog. I am convinced though that this is truly a Yano song from the usual happy toe-dancing style in which she delivers her words so delectably and with her husband Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）handling the string arrangement, there is something in the overall arrangement that pretty much screams "The Professor At Work Here!". I especially love the way that the song ends.
Just before Christmas, I put up a Hi-Fi Set（ハイ・ファイ・セット）song titled "Doyoubi no Yoru wa Haneda ni Kuru no"（土曜の夜は羽田に来るの）, one of many songs in the kayo kyoku oeuvre that talk of romance won and lost (usually the latter) at the airport. Well, this one here has the same theme but it's from a different time and style.
Of course, Hiroshi Wada & Mahina Stars（和田弘とマヒナスターズ）are one of the premier Mood Kayo groups and with just their second single, they presented the melancholy "Yogiri no Air Terminal" (Night Fog Airport). Just gotta have that night fog rolling in for extra ambience. Not surprisingly, there is another final meeting of a couple before departing from each other forever although the airport in question is not specifically identified.
Written by Takao Saeki（佐伯孝夫）and composed by Tadashi Yoshida（吉田正）, the Mahina Stars are also joined by a couple of female singers, Ukiko Kagurazaka（神楽坂浮子）and Kaoru Kagurazaka（神楽坂かおる）. Despite the identical family names, I'm not 100% sure whether the ladies are indeed sisters although Ukiko is listed on J-Wiki as being a geisha-turned-singer, much like Mamechiyo（豆千代）as mentioned in Noelle's recent article. With all the voices together and the steel pedal guitar, there is very much a mournful tone in store for listeners. "Yogiri no Air Terminal" was actually the first song that the Mahina Stars sang on the Kohaku Utagassen in their 10-appearance history on NHK's New Year's Eve special ranging from 1959 to 1989.
Looks like 80s hairdo live-action Kayo Grace Kyoku is spending an ennui-laden night at a watering hole. And by the looks of those huge bottles of liquor, the ennui will be non-stop.
Well, I may have just the song for her and us Mood Kayo fans. It's "Mélancolie" by Kazuko Matsuo（松尾和子）, and the arrangement follows that melancholy feeling with a bit of Latin rolled in for good measure. I couldn't find out definitively but it may have been released in 1960 from what I could track down via Yahoo Japan.
Matsuo's "Mélancolie" is a cover of the original 1948 song recorded by Swiss actor and singer Pierre Dudan. It was written by him and composed by Alain Romans, and the original has more of a nocturnal jazzier vibe. The Japanese lyrics for Matsuo's version were provided by Tokiko Iwatani（岩谷時子）.
When I think of 1990s singers with a certain je ne sais quoi, distinct style and a whispery kittenish voice, my mind would usually go to Kahimi Karie（カヒミ・カリィ）and her particularly Gallic brand of Shibuya-kei.
Recently though, I came across this singer who's been around since 1991 going by the name of POiSON GiRL FRiEND, and I think she may now be joining those above thoughts as the second singer. But in her case, I get more of a British vibe from her for some reason.
Noriko Sekiguchi or nOrikO released her first album as a major act, "Melting Moment", in 1992 and one of the tracks is "Hardly Ever Smile Before You". On her Wikipedia page, she's got a lot of genres attached to her: dream pop, synth-pop, trip hop, techno, ambient, French pop and dance-pop, and so with this particular moody ballad, I can pick up on the dream pop, ambient and perhaps some synth. At the same time, my ears also detect some of the Pet Shop Boys' balladry and "The Captain of Her Heart" by Double...songs that simply allure listeners into that twilight zone of pondering the meaning of life. Perhaps it also reflects that album title of "Melting Moment"...some Dali instances. As well, with those strings in there, I couldn't but feel that this could have been a new form of Fashion Music.
YouTuber Fond/Sound was able to get an interview with POiSON GiRL FRiEND back in June 2018, so feel free to get some more insights from her about her career and music. Also, this is merely a personal observation but what made me stop on the top YouTube video for "Hardly Ever Smile Without You" was the fact that the album cover featuring her visage has her looking distinctly Akina Nakamori-like. Wowzers!
For those viewers of anime from way back, there was the 1980s "Miyuki"（みゆき）starring a pre-aidoru Yoko Oginome（荻野目洋子）as the main character. As well, the show was also well known for folk-pop duo H2O's contributions to the theme songs with the opener "10% no Ame Yohou" (１０％の雨予報）and then the two ending themes "Omoide ga Ippai"（思い出がいっぱい）and "Goodbye Season"（Goodbye シーズン）. "Omoide ga Ippai" has gone on to become one of the evergreen representatives of graduation-themed tunes.
Well, in between the two H2O enders, there was a second ending theme which showed up on the TV screen for a period of several weeks. Titled "Summer Holiday", this was sung by Michiko Kawai（河合美智子） as a seasonally-reflective romantic number and its old-fashioned standard-style arrangement had me thinking of early Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）and Kaoru Sudo（須藤薫）. Thanks to Masahiko Yoshida's（吉田雅彦）melody and Katsu Hoshi's（星勝）arrangement, it's so Beach-Blanket-Bingo tenderhearted that I can sink a fork into the song and take out slices. Tsuzuru Nakasato（中里綴）was responsible for the lyrics, and for Kawai, this was her 2nd single from July 1983.
Back in September, I put up this band onto the blog for the first time. never young beach struck me via their 2020 "Yasashii Mama de"（やさしいままで）as if the legendary early 1970s band Happy End had come back and decided to go the shoegaze route.
Well, I'm even more convinced of that now. In their 4th album from May 2019,"Story", I have their track "Itsumo Ame" (Always Raining) which was created by vocalist/guitarist Yuuma Abe（安部勇磨）. His strumming guitar and then what follows in the arrangement sounds just perfect for a relaxing sitdown on the outside porch while the precipitation is coming down. As for the lyrics, they might be somewhat existential since a couple may be in existence...or not. But I'll let you link over to the translation at Musixmatch.
Considering that he died at such a young age (40 years old), I think that a lot of his fans can only wonder now what the late actor Yusaku Matsuda（松田優作）could have further achieved in Japan and perhaps even in Hollywood (beyond "Black Rain"). His characteristic role and appearance as the lone wolf avenger has passed even onto anime and manga characters such as Kenshiro from "Fist of the North Star" and Spike Spiegel from "Cowboy Be-Bop".
I discovered that he was once in a 1979 crime film titled "Yomigaeru Kinrou"（蘇る金狼）with him playing a quiet accountant by day and a robber-assassin by night. As usual, he had that huge puff of locks while sporting a natty suit.
For such a lone wolf, the perfect theme song was created. "Yomigaeru Kinrou no Tehma"(The Theme of "The Resurrection of the Golden Wolf") was released as the late Yoko Maeno's（前野曜子）4th single in July 1979. A bluesy folk rock ballad, it was written by Hiroko Asano（浅野裕子）and composed by Casey Rankin of the band SHOGUN. The theme song seems to fit around Matsuda's Tetsuya Asakura just like a dirty trench coat. The thick sounds coming from the guitar work some wonders here.
Milk and I have been together for a very long time. Even with the situation that a lot of Asians tend to not be able to drink the stuff due to lactose intolerance, I've never had that problem. Although the variety I drink here has been 1%, the milk that I used to drink back in Japan was a fair bit creamier...at least over 4%. I can only imagine the Japanese drinking 1% here and thinking that it was white water.
Now, Noelle Tham has been the go-to person on KKP for the last several years when it comes to Showa Era singer Tadaharu Nakano（中野忠晴）, although I got the ball rolling with his rendition of "Rokko Oroshi"（六甲おろし）, the fight song for the Hanshin Tigers. And it was just a few days ago that Noelle posted her article on the duet between Nakano and Mamechiyo (豆千代), "Koya wo Yuku" (曠野を行く).
Well, just out of curiosity, I threw in Nakano's name into YouTube and found this jaunty little number. Tadaharu Nakano and Rhythm Boys had sung "Yama no Ninkimono" (The Favourite on the Mountain) back in 1934 as this happy-go-lucky yodeling tune about a beloved dairy farm or a milk maid. That's quite the higher profile for the drink considering that outside of Hokkaido back in the day, I didn't think milk was all that big a deal.
"Yama no Ninkimono" was a cover of British singer-songwriter Leslie Sarony's 1930 "The Alpine Milkman". It's the first time I've heard yodeling being used for innuendo in those original lyrics.
It goes without saying that Kengo Kurozumi（黒住憲五）is absolutely great with the medium-tempo songs. Especially this song,"Lusia". It feels just like a gentle sea breeze soothing the heart of anyone who has tired of the urban lifestyle. Kurozumi's refreshing vocals along with the peaceful mood evoked in the lyrics and the refined arrangement by Masaki Matsubara（松原正樹）have really grabbed me so there is nothing else left to say.
The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised"(2020).
It's been a while since I posted a Kumiko Hara（原久美子）song onto the blog. In fact, the last one was "Sentimental Balance"（狂ってるハカリ）back in 2022 from her 1981 album"Unhappy Birthday".
The kiddie-like yells of "paradise, paradise" haven't quite sold themselves onto me but the rest of "Paradise", another track on "Unhappy Birthday", is fine by me. Written by Arisu Sato（佐藤ありす）and composed by Hara herself, it's quite the favorable slow funk and soul that makes me think of the early 1970s rather than the early 1980s. Plus, Hara's vocals remind me a fair bit of the voice of Machiko Watanabe（渡辺真知子）. It's a pleasant Friday night tune to be heard while sipping that cocktail at home...although perhaps the volume could be toned down whenever "paradise, paradise" gets thrown out there.
I guess that I should have added the label Kanebo Cosmetics to the Labels because so many of the songs noted here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" have ended up as campaign music for the company's commercials.
But interestingly enough, this particular song hasn't been included in the video compilation at the very top. Apparently, this November 1984 22nd single by the vocal trio Hi-Fi Set（ハイ・ファイ・セット）,"Hoshi Geshou Halley"(Star Make-Up Halley) was used by Kanebo but I haven't been able to find any sign of a commercial associated with the melancholy number on YouTube.
However, there is an anime short that has acted as the official music video for "Hoshi Geshou Halley" which is a bit on the bizarre side. It not only has the trio in anime and live-action form but it stars a time-displaced baby dinosaur missing his family dearly while he's struggling to figure out modern-day Tokyo. But no worries...Hi-Fi Set make like Doctor Who and set things back to normal although there is an Urashima Taro plot twist at the end.
As for the song itself, "Hoshi Geshou Halley" has a star list of songwriters: lyricist Shun Taguchi（田口俊）, composer Masamichi Sugi（杉真理）and arranger Akira Inoue（井上鑑）. It leans toward the sophisticated pop territory of City Pop although a lot of the song also has that Gallic feeling that might transport some listeners to the streets of Paris. Not sure how all this managed to intertwine itself with a baby dinosaur but hey, whimsy is Japanese pop culture's middle name.
The neighbourhood of Okachimachi is smack dab between Akihabara and Ueno and there's even a stop for it on the JR Yamanote Line. Since the first few months of my long stay in the Tokyo area involved work at the Ueno branch of NOVA back in the mid-1990s, I got to know the place with its own collection of shops, department stores, restaurants and bars. And indeed, I probably was there on a Friday night either teaching or making merry.
Speaking of which, I found out about this song "Okachimachi Friday Night" by the band First Love is Never Returned. Released as a digital single in August 2023, I think it's a nice brassy Neo-City Pop tune with a good dollop of soul and even better, I'm happy that Okachimachi has a song attached to it. I am hoping that there may be some past kayo kyoku also associated with the neighbourhood.
2023 was also the debut year for FLiNR which is a Hokkaido band consisting of five people. The vocalist is Kazuki Ishida who studied about singing in New York City. Along with other releases, it looks like the group is also having its round of concert dates including a few this year. Their genres are pop, R&B and indies rock.
Welcome once again to Urban Contemporary Friday on KKP. First off, I have to give my kudos to the photographer behind the album cover for keyboardist Mikio Masuda's（益田幹夫）1980 album"Silver Shadow". I will always love shots of the skyscrapers of West Shinjuku, and they take on a new look in that fogginess behind the beaming Masuda himself.
One track on "Silver Shadow" is the manic "Sonic Barrier" which for some reason sounds like something Santana would create and play. It does sound as if a newly-created jet fighter were trying to break Mach 1. For that matter, some of that guitar and chorus work near the end had me even thinking of some of those SHOGUN arrangements. Give thanks to the vocal chorus group Freezer along with Masuda on the keyboards and Kenji Takamizu（高水健司）on bass.
Well, I guess I'm making my way around the spy-fi theme tunes. There's the cool theme for "Mission: Impossible" by Lalo Schifrin and then Monty Norman & John Barry's iconic theme for James Bond. Both franchises I have known since I was a kid and one other similar example of spy drama and adventure that I got to know early in life was "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."(1964-1968) with Robert Vaughan and David McCallum.
The main scene that I've always remembered is the opening when some assassin in shadow bounces out with his gun and tries to shoot down another silhouetted figure but only manages to hit a shield before the agency's best agent, Napoleon Solo, comes out of his own shadow and threateningly shows what he can do with a weapon. All this was done to a dangerous snappy snare drum and timpani combo.
Then comes the theme by Jerry Goldsmith. I knew this guy was prolific but I had no idea that he was responsible for this one and many others, along with the theme for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" years later. But to be honest, I really didn't get a bead on the "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." theme unlike the themes for 007 and "Mission: Impossible" until years later. Now that I have though, I prefer the original from the first season with the continuation of the percussion and the horn section reflecting the heroic and global organization.
Unfortunately, I don't remember much of the episodes throughout the four-season run of the series (there was one scene where Ilya fell into a vat of goop) but I read that the tone varied wildly from season to season which didn't do much for its fortunes. The first season has apparently been seen as the best one due to its straight and serious nature with succeeding seasons getting campier, and I gather that the variations on the theme also reflected this. The second season theme got jazzier in a beatnik way although the timpani returned on occasion.
The third season (and I'm assuming the final season afterwards) had a theme that just went full go-go boots and so I'm not a huge fan of that arrangement.
Some years ago, some enterprising person came up with their own fantasy opening credit sequence for an UNCLE movie starring George Clooney and Orlando Bloom which was quite well done (regrettably, it seems to have been pulled off of YouTube) and the version of the theme song was actually quite good.
Just from good luck, I managed to track it down as the first song of a medley on a compilation called "The Film Music of Jerry Goldsmith" with Goldsmith as the conductor leading the London Symphony Orchestra. Yep, as some commenters have intimated, Goldsmith was probably a better composer than a conductor here, the cues aren't too sharp, the medley at least sounds as if it had been recorded in Carlsbad Caverns, and frankly the cover of the album looks perfect as something to be found in a Wal-Mart bargain basement basket. However, I think this version is just a few rehearsals and tweaks away from being a really nice take on the UNCLE theme song thanks to the thrilling strings and percussion for a contemporary motion picture reboot.
Ah, speaking of which...the 2015 film of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." was entertaining enough with Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer, but I do wish that the original theme had been brought in.
So, when the original show premiered in September 1964, what were some singles coming out in Japan at around that time?
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