Junko Yagami -- Sotto Ato kara（そっと後から）

 

Well, more than a dozen years following my article on Junko Yagami's（八神純子）seminal sophomore April 1979 album, "Sugao no Watashi"（素顔の私）, I'm giving myself a Gibbs slap upside the back of my head once more. At this rate, I may have to be mindful of concussion protocols.

Now, the reason for once more going into self-flagellation mode is that even though I had provided quite a few tracks in the article for "Sugao no Watashi", I had also neglected one particular track, "Sotto Ato kara" (Quietly, Afterwards) which is quite the City Pop tune as well. Written and composed by the singer and arranged by bassist Tsugutoshi Goto（後藤次利）. Escorted by a phalanx of disco strings and boppy bass, the dreamy and sultry vocals of Yagami lead the way through streets and highways of late 1970s Tokyo in all their splendor...and pollution probably as well. But let's not dwell on the photochemical and instead focus on the romantic aspects of what life could have been like in Shinjuku, Roppongi or Akasaka around half a century ago.