I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
Along with that tribute to folk music in last night's "Uta Con"（うたコン）, we also had the usual new releases getting to air as well. One of the guests was Crazy Ken Band headlined by Ken Yokoyama（横山剣）. It was just about a year ago that I featured his bluesy "The Roots" which I had found out through a viewing of "Uta Con", too.
Well, this year, it's "Kankou" (Sightseeing), a track from Crazy Ken Band's 23rd and latest album"Sekai"（世界...The World） which was released a week ago. Written and composed by Yokoyama with assistance from Ayesha and Park, this is an ode to the wonders of traveling and it looks like Crazy Ken did his fair bit of it for the music video. Aside from the exotic kayo-friendly percussion and keyboard work, it's a good ol' groovy light soul tune with the comfortably rumpled familiarity of Ken's vocals. All I wish is that I could travel as footloose and fancy-free as Ken does....and have some of that wonderful food.
I mentioned in my previous article on Rimi Natsukawa's（夏川りみ）"Tinsagu nu Hana"（てぃんさぐぬ花）, that I caught the Okinawan singer's reassuring song on last night's "Uta Con"（うたコン）on NHK. Officially, the theme of the episode was on the go-touchi kayo（ご当地歌謡）: Japanese pop songs based on the wonders of the various geographical regions in Japan, and I gather that Natsukawa's song was such a tune representing Okinawa Prefecture.
At the same time though, I also caught a subtext in which last night's show was also on the family. There were a few songs that touched on that including the aforementioned "Tinsagu nu Hana" and the topic of this article. Dapper and slightly rebellious singer-songwriter Ken Yokoyama（横山剣）also appeared on "Uta Con" to show off one of his most recent from his band Crazy Ken Band's（クレイジーケンバンド）August 2022 album, "Juei"（樹影...Shadow of a Tree）.
"The Roots", as sung by Crazy Ken in his recognizably gruff voice (he also wrote and composed it), is a tribute to not only the parents but also all of the ancestors going back through history. But instead of it sounding like a dry report from Ancestry.com, it's done in a celebratory and bluesy way since without everyone before, there wouldn't be a someone now. After his performance last night, I was left wondering how far back my family tree extends in Wakayama Prefecture.
Additionally, the theme of the go-touchi kayo on "Uta Con" did give me a brain wave about providing a couple of articles at least, devoted to the various Japanese songs themselves devoted to each of the 47 prefectures and territories. I've got a number of them collected on the blog over the past decade.
Unlike in some other years, I've been finding some good sources for J-Xmas this year, including a 2-CD compilation of the stuff through "Fantastic Christmas" which was released back in 2006. Most likely, I picked it up at Tower Records or HMV in Shibuya. When the season comes, these compilations pop up like jack rabbits all over the place and I'm Elmer Fudd...a more successful one.
One of the more recent examples on CD 2 is Crazy Ken Band's（クレイジーケンバンド）"Christmas Nante Dai Kirai!! Nanchatte" (I Hate Christmas!! Just Kidding) which was whipped up by Crazy Ken Yokoyama（横山剣）himself with co-writing help from Goro Matsui（松井五郎）. This was CKB's 6th single from December 2002, and I can only theorize, mind you, but that title probably got formed from the observation that it was playing on Yokoyama's usually initially scary appearance but then folks find out that he's really a decent sort. I think the same thing has probably come from first meeting Masayuki Suzuki（鈴木雅之）.
Although I probably wouldn't place it within the City Pop genre, there's something about "Christmas Nante Dai Kirai!!" that sets it on the snow-covered downtown streets as folks are making merry while doing their Xmas shopping and dropping by the nearest café for hot chocolate with marshmallows. If it had been filmed somewhere in Toronto, I think the community of Unionville just a tad north would have been perfect.
Still, the music video setting is just as good and to confirm the uploader's suspicions, indeed "Christmas Nante Dai Kirai!!" was adopted for a cellphone commercial. Couldn't get more Xmas-y than this with a few thespians in there including actress Juri Ueno（上野樹里）. The song peaked at No. 14 on Oricon and was placed onto CKB's BEST compilation, "Crazy Ken Band BEST" which hit as high as No. 10 on the album charts.
On the night before the final month of 2020, even though it's a Monday, it might be nice to have something a little happy and party-like especially during these uncertain times when we have to stay apart.
At this point in my life, I can only fantasize about what a Crazy Ken Band（クレイジーケンバンド）concert or even a Crazy Ken Band soiree must be like, but I'm fairly sure that it isn't boring. Just find some live house in Shibuya or Shimo-Kitazawa and the joint will be hopping with Ken Yokoyama（横山剣）and the guys down there.
That's the impression that I get especially listening to CKB's coupling song, "Ah, Yaru Tok'ya Yaranakya Dame nano." from their 7th single"Amai Hibi"（甘い日々...Sweet Days） released in February 2003. I can translate it directly as "You Gotta Do It When It's Time to Do It" but the English title for the song is apparently "Ah Means I Love You". This is another one of those tunes that I can't simply stamp with the Pop label; there is just too much going on. I can pick up on some jazz here and some doo-wop (it actually reminds me of "We Go Together" from the movie "Grease") there. But as written and composed by Crazy Ken himself, I think it's just made for live performance when the audience is ready for some good ol' happy fun.
But I gotta admit that seeing what looks like the cast from an NHK kids' show popping up on the stage with the Crazy Ken Band is something that really lands in from left field. Should some of those kids have been up so late? Doesn't matter...it's a fun song! The single itself reached as high as No. 24 and "Ah, Yaru Tok'ya Yaranakya Dame nano." managed to get included on CKB's June 2003 album"777" which peaked at No. 14 on the charts.
It was a fairly good catch of interesting acts on "Uta Kon"（うたコン）the other day as the show continues its new normal of no audience and combination of live guests and past performance footage. One group that I was happy to see was Crazy Ken Band（クレイジーケンバンド）.
The ever-cool Ken Yokoyama（横山剣）and his group were there to perform "Ivory" from their first single in about 5 years, "Ivory ep" which was released last month. Nice and summery, I love that underlying groove and the horns that take me back to Bobby Caldwell and "What You Won't Do For Love". Some good ol' relaxing cocktail-friendly AOR with some jazz thrown in. The end even has me thinking of that New Music from Yumi Arai（荒井由実）.
Furthermore, the music video brought back all sorts of memories since some of the traveling scenery reminds me of some of the trains that I took west of Shibuya Station to see some students in places like Den'en-Chofu and Tamagawa Gakuen. Supposedly, it's the view from Ken's car but I still like to think that it's from one of the lines that I rode.
I listened to Rajie's debut album from 1977"Heart to Heart" again earlier this afternoon and it's starting to age quite nicely. I already covered the album back in the summer but one track that I had yet to cover is the one featured here, "Kibun wo Dashite Mou Ichido"(Bring Back The Mood Once More), a cute little number that could be set in any intimate bar in a big city as a woman tries to tease out her guy's feelings for her.
Showing my age here but I could probably imagine Katherine Hepburn in this situation while trying to crack through Cary Grant's shell...or if you wish, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, but perhaps even that pairing may be a little too dated. Fair enough. Anyways, "Kibun wo Dashite Mou Ichido" was composed by Kazuhiko Kato（加藤和彦）and written by Kazumi Yasui（安井かずみ）as this Latin-tinged song evoking some nice tropical feelings.
A quarter of a century later, the Divine Ms. Maki Nomiya（野宮真貴）unearthed "Kibun" once more in 2002 to perform it as a 70s soul duet with the Crazy Ken Band'sKen Yokoyama（横山剣）. The track is included in Nomiya's album"Lady Miss Warp". That's a pretty nice combo with one of the Shibuya-kei set performing with the charmingly louche Yokoyama.
October 29th 2020: I've got a follow-up on the song right here.
I was quite fortunate living where I was in Ichikawa City, a burg that really spread out like crepe batter. The subway station was a 10-minute walk away from my apartment (that could be great or bad depending on your own circumstances), but my community and I were blessed with having a lot of convenience stores and four supermarkets within walking distance. One of them is in the above picture, Y's Mart. That used to be my main market in the early years of my stay but with the renovation of the supermarket across the street and right under the subway tracks, my loyalty gradually shifted over there. Still, if I did come home early before lunch, I still dropped by Y's Mart to grab a bento.
Including Y's Mart, three of the four supermarkets were fairly small affairs but the fourth was a Daiei department store that had a massive supermarket in the basement on the size of the SuperCentres we have here in Toronto.
There was no Seiyu supermarket near my place but that is also a famous brand that was actually close by my friend's old apartment in Jiyugaoka way out in the western end of Tokyo. And at the end of the last decade, they had a pretty funky campaign song.
Name of said song? It's "Hirugao" by the Crazy Ken Band（クレイジーケンバンド）. Released in July 2009 as one of four songs on the band's 11th single, "Girlfriend"（ガールフレンド）, I wasn't quite sure how to translate it initially. According to jisho.org, it can be defined as a type of plant called the Japanese bindweed but I have a feeling that vocalist and songwriter Ken Yokoyama（横山剣）wasn't particularly trying to pay tribute to a weed. The word was also the Japanese title for the 1967 French film "Belle de Jour"starring Catherine Deneuve as a wife who secretly worked as a daytime prostitute while the husband was off at work.
Hmmm...if anything, the lyrics by Crazy Ken have a fellow declaring his undying love for an older woman (married/single) and willing to do anything for her at any time at any place. The fact that he keeps calling her "okusan"（奥さん...madam）almost as if she's a potential client might make the guy a gigolo although I think he's more of a desperate suitor. In any case, it's an interesting song for a supermarket but I gather that the point here is that it's willing to do anything to keep its customers satisfied. And dang, isn't it catchy?
"Girlfriend" peaked at No. 12 on Oricon. Meanwhile, "Hirugao" and the main song of the single were also on Crazy Ken Band's 11th album from August that year "Girl! Girl! Girl!"（ガール!ガール!ガール!）which scored a No. 4 ranking.
I remember when I first saw Ken Yokoyama（横山剣）of the Crazy Ken Band(クレイジーケンバンド) on TV years ago. With that louche and thuggish appearance, in retrospect, I thought he was the epitome of a choiwaru oyaji (ちょいわるおやじ) which would translate as "slightly nasty middle-aged guy". This was a brief fashion phenomenon created by the Japanese men's magazine, LEON, to describe the usually staid and sober-suited guys from their forties dressed up in a cool set of sunglasses, open shirts and pastel suits...and often attached to a swirling goblet of brandy. There were segments on various variety shows on Japanese TV where the fashion experts would take ordinary guys or senior male tarento and transform them into these middle-aged "don't f*** with me" goodfellas.
However, I did qualify my above paragraph with "in retrospect" since I think the phenomenon started in the mid-2000s whereas the first time I saw Ken Yokoyama was a few years previously. Perhaps, he was the inspiration for LEON. Who knows? In any case, it was obviously not just about the looks with Crazy Ken Band. Yokoyama had also created quite the cool song back in December 2002 titled "Tiger and Dragon".
This was the 5th single of a band that has dipped into all sorts of genres since it got started in 1997. According to their J-Wiki entry, Crazy Ken Band has been into rock, pops, kayo kyoku, soul, jazz, funk, etc. with Ken and his 10 bandmates. And I think "Tiger and Dragon" is one of those songs that could fit into all of the categories I've just listed above. The official (and nifty) music video above also illustrates it, but the cool sound of "Tiger and Dragon" has that feeling of the urban 1970s.
From what I gather from Ken's lyrics is that he is begging, as that fellow from the wrong side of the tracks, his lover to give him those 5 essential minutes to explain himself and make things right. Whether he can right himself for good is anyone's guess but he is earnest with his pleas. Plus, he's got quite the kakkoii musical backing that could help out any Tarentino flick set in the decade of "Shaft" or "The French Connection".
However, the really notable thing about the song is how Ken delivers it. Until I decided to write about "Tiger and Dragon" a few days ago, I had always thought that the guy was channeling soul singer Akiko Wada（和田アキ子）, right down to the characteristic "Ha~!" he belts out at the end of a verse. The "Ha~!" is one of Wada's musical trademarks. Well, as it turns out, Yokoyama had composed the song so that Wada herself would sing it someday, and thus recorded it as such. And the legendary Wada did cover it the following year in 2003 as a coupling song to her single "Rumba de Bunbun"（ルンバでブンブン）.
"Tiger and Dragon" was the theme song for a TBS comedy-drama of the same name (among other TV and radio programs) which started out as a 2-hour episode in January 2005 before getting a full run of 11 episodes later from April. The show starred a couple of Johnny's Entertainment mainstays, Tomoya Nagase（長瀬智也）of TOKIO and Junichi Okada（岡田准一）of V6 with Nagase portraying a gangster who decides to make a big shift in his career and become a rakugo comedian. The plot kinda reminds me of a recent anime's story.
In any case, "Tiger and Dragon" the song peaked at No. 17 on Oricon and was also a track on Crazy Ken Band's 7th album from 2005, "Soul Punch" which hit as high as No. 9 on the album charts.
