Friday, August 7, 2026

Cunimondo Takiguchi's Personal Selection for His Top 10 City Pop Albums of the 1980s ~ Part 2

 

Last week, I started posting a 2-parter translation of an article that I'd found in the April 2018 issue of "Record Collectors" titled "Cunimondo Takiguchi ga Erabu Shiteki Hachi-juu Nendai City Pop Best 10"(クニモンド瀧口が選ぶ私的80年代シティポップベスト10). Part 1 contains the Ryusenkei(流線形)leader's first five albums for his Top 10 City Pop list and I'll be wrapping up here with Nos. 6-10. Again, although he doesn't go into great detail about his choices, I will still leave what he said about each one. One more point is that except for No. 6, I was able to bring in whole albums for the other entries. (Part 1 of the article is here.)

6. Baker's Shop with Haruko (Kuwana) -- Hot Line (1980)

I got to know Baker's Shop when they performed as Ruriko Ohgami's(大上留利子)backup band on "Yoru no Hit Studio"(夜のヒットスタジオ). I thought that their playing was just so cool and reminiscent of a bunch of foreign studio musicians. It was through my discovery of Haruko's "Akogare no Sundown"(あこがれのSundown)in the 90s that I found out about this album. Their wonderful performance was able to bring back some distant memories to me.

7. Harumi Ohzora -- VIVA (1983)

The tropical impressions I got from the savannah band kayo of "VIVA" led to some exciting metropolitan vibes even within all of that nostalgia. 

8. JADOES -- Free Drink (1987)

I bought "Free Drink" because Toshiki Kadomatsu(角松敏生)was the producer.

9. Toshiki Kadomatsu -- Gold Digger ~ with true love ~ (1985)

As for "Gold Digger", my buddies and I sang "Tokyo Tower" while driving through Roppongi back in our high school days. We really got that urban vibe.

10. Kyosuke Kusunoki -- Just Tonight (1985)


The AOR and soul here felt just right and I couldn't get enough of its urbaneness. Hiroshi Narumi's(鳴海博)guitar and arrangement were the best.

2 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks. Hopefully, they pass muster with those who have read the original article.

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