It was about a dozen years ago that I put up my first Pocket Biscuits（ポケットビスケッツ）article onto "Kayo Kyoku Plus", and it happened to be the synthy and upbeat "Yellow Yellow Happy". It was also where I discovered that the squeaky-voiced tarento Chiaki (千秋) could actually sing her way onto a CD.
Well, commenter and occasional contributor Fireminer reminded me of another single by Pokebi（ポケビ）that was their third from January 1997 and another successful hit, to boot. "Red Angel", which was also created by the band and Pappara Kawai（パッパラー河合）, the lead guitarist from Bakufu Slump, has more of a sinister rock edge with a percolating synth-drum rhythm. And with the band in darker outfits and the more nihilistic lyrics, I could say that it almost earns the extra Label of Halloween.
Becoming another million-seller like their later hit "POWER", it reached No. 2 on Oricon and became the 12th-ranked single of 1997. "Red Angel" is also available on Pocket Biscuits' first album "Colorful" which was released in July 1997 and hit No. 3 on the album charts. One piece of trivia that I picked up on the song via J-Wiki is that the members of the group were discussing about where to film the outdoor shots of the music video. Chiaki had thought about either New York or London while bandmate Teruyoshi Uchimura（内村光良）had suggested Macao or Nikko. Macao won out.
Firerminer here! Thank for having honored my request! This song certainly grab you in the first few bars. It's like a progressive rock band tries to do gothic rock.
ReplyDeleteHi, Fireminer. Glad that you could see it. That's an interesting way to describe Pokebi's approach to this hit.
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