In recent years, it's been getting increasingly more difficult to post up Miki Imai（今井美樹）articles simply because I burned through pretty much all of the songs and albums by her that I've cherished in the first years of KKP. It's just the life of a blog. However, once in a while, I do come across a gem or two.
And if it weren't for YouTube, this song may have remained all but a mystery except to those Imai fans who were able to get her very first single from May 1986, "Tasogare no Monologue"（黄昏のモノローグ）. "Tameiki Moyou" (A Pattern of Sighs) is the B-side to the single that has apparently not ever shown up on an album...not her debut album "Femme" or any BEST compilation. Perhaps she has felt that it wasn't really worthy of any time or effort to do so.
But I think for any Imai fan such as myself, "Tameiki Moyou" is still worthy of many listenings. A wistful and introspective pop song, this was created by the same duo behind "Tasogare no Monologue", lyricist Etsuko Kisugi（来生えつこ）and composer Kisaburo Suzuki（鈴木キサブロー）but this time, the arranger was Eiji Kawamura（川村栄二）. I noted in the article for the A-side that with Imai's young vocals back then and the overall arrangement, there was something there that made the song tend towards aidoru-dom but not quite. The uploader for the video noted how young those vocals sounded, and yep, I would agree; in fact, "Tameiki Moyou" pushes the needle even further toward aidoru-dom.
I should also note that Kawamura passed away earlier in May at the age of 78. My belated condolences to his family and friends.
Have you by any chance covered Miki Imai cover of やさしさに包まれたなら and covers of other Yuming Classics?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think I included one or two of Imai's covers of other songs in the original versions' articles.
DeleteNice... I think I like this more than the A-side. I don't know Imai's discography very well but the arrangement on this sounds more heavy-handed -- especially those strings -- than the later songs that I've heard from her.
ReplyDeleteHello, Robert. I would probably agree with you on your choice of sides. This early in her career, I think the producers and songwriters were still feeling around what would constitute an ideal Imai song.
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