As I pointed out in the September 2014 article for Mariko Takahashi's（高橋真梨子）1984 album "Triad", this was the first album by her that I got in the form of an audiotape when my parents had granted my wish for a couple of her albums after returning from Japan on vacation back in 1985. This was after hearing her magnificent voice a number of times via the CHIN-FM radio program "Sounds of Japan". She really stood out like a blossom in the pop field when compared to YMO's technopop and Seiko Matsuda's（松田聖子）aidoru music.
Although I covered a number of tracks on "Triad", and separately, another track and one of Takahashi's biggest hits "Momo Iro Toiki"（桃色吐息）, I'm happy to say that I hadn't done this particular song which ends Side A of the album. "Mo Ichido Romance ~ Machikado Monogatari" (Romance One More Time ~ A Street Corner Tale") is a poignant ballad about hoping for and perhaps getting that second chance at love in a small neighbourhood. The lady has seen her former beau on the streets but not made eye contact, afraid that powerful emotions may well up once more.
Written by Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）, composed by Issei Okamoto（岡本 一生）under his new moniker of Akira Okamoto（岡本朗）, and arranged by Keiichi Oku（奥慶一）, "Mo Ichido Romance" is a quiet down-home ballad which is as sweet as the meet-cute-again possibilities in the story. It indeed contrasts as the B-side with the smoky exotica of "Momo Iro Toiki" which was released as a single in May 1984.
I love those 1980s album covers! This is a wonderful Ballad that would not sound out of place if it was use for a slow dance at a high school prom.
ReplyDeleteYeah, as I said in the "Triad' article, that was my first time seeing Mariko and she looked like a fox! :)
DeleteMariko is a fox! This is a fun English expression because if it were literally translated into Japanese, it would have a very different nuance, 彼女はきつねですね vs a more idiomatic translation, 彼女はすごく魅力的だ or 美人だ。
Delete