Just for Fun...The J-C AI Gallery -- Hiroaki, Kingo & Seiko

 

Hiroaki Igarashi -- Pegasus no Asa (ペガサスの朝）

Kingo Hamada -- Machi no Dolphin（街のドルフィン）

Seiko Matsuda -- Akai Sweet Pea (赤いスイートピー）

Hiroaki Igarashi & Rajie -- Futari dake no X'mas（二人だけのX'mas ）

 

A few days ago, I posted a 1989 Seiko Matsuda（松田聖子）Xmas song titled "Futari dake no Christmas" (A Christmas Just For Two) that came across as this rather holy cherished Xmas experience for the loving couple. Maybe the only thing that was missing was a priest.

Well, when I found Seiko-chan's song, I also found another one with the same title (basically). But this "Futari dake no X'mas" was actually released as a B-side to singer-songwriter Hiroaki Igarashi's（五十嵐浩晃）11th single "Summer Twilight"（サマー・トワイライト）in October 1988, and in terms of tone, it's quite the lighthearted and jolly City Pop duet featuring Igarashi and Rajie, neither of them newbies to City Pop.

Written by both Igarashi and Kazuko Kobayashi（小林和子）with Igarashi's melody being arranged by Shigeru Suzuki（鈴木茂）, the song seems to surround a couple at a Xmas party at a mutual friend's residence (don't be shy...plenty of KFC to munch on) and the lovebirds, who may have yet to announce their relationship, are trying to find some alone time in a niche to at least clink a couple of glasses of champagne. That's gotta be one big house the friend has, but then again, this was released during the Bubble (or bubbly) Era. Anyways, I can also hear this "Futari dake no X'mas" accompanying a breezy montage of the couple having a great day together window shopping, sipping hot chocolate at a trendy cafe in Tokyo and even shooting snowballs at each other to much laughter.

According to the thumbnail for the video and what I found on J-Wiki, "Futari dake no X'mas" is included on Igarashi's 7th original album "Distance" which was also released in October 1988. 

Hiroaki Igarashi -- Fuyuko no Asa（冬子の朝）

 

It was over a dozen years ago on the blog when I posted singer-songwriter Hiroaki Igarashi's（五十嵐浩晃）hit single "Pegasus no Asa"（ペガサスの朝）from November 1980. The song has been notable for being one of my musical signposts of the decade with its up-and-at-'em arrangement and the feeling that it could have been used as a theme tune for any of the American adventure-thriller TV shows back then.

Well, on the flip side of this No. 3-ranking song is "Fuyuko no Asa" (Fuyuko's Morning) which is about as different as one can get from the A-side in terms of tone. A ballad of impending loss, it begins with a very contemplative piano and an eerie synthesizer before an acoustic guitar and Igarashi's plaintive vocals attempt to reassure us about the loss of romance due to death or other reasons. Written and composed by Igarashi with Minoru Ohsugi（大杉実）helping out on the lyrics and former Happy End band member Shigeru Suzuki（鈴木茂）as the arranger, it's a lovely if melancholy love song with an appealingly twangy guitar solo. Here's hoping that Fuyuko recovers.

Hiroaki Igarashi -- Hatsukoi no Machi（初恋の街）

 

Not sure what it's like in your area when May comes around every year, but for us folks in Toronto, it's the month that we can finally (hopefully) put away the winter tires for good and most likely not see any snow again for several months. We also have our first major holiday weekend of the summer with the Victoria Day weekend and the summer activities such as parasailing can get under way.

And perhaps that's what singer-songwriter Hiroaki Igarashi（五十嵐浩晃）was thinking when he came up with his August 1981 third album "Sailing Dream". From it, I offer you the penultimate track from the album, "Hatsukoi no Machi" (First Love Town) which was written by Tetsuya Chiaki（ちあき哲也）and composed by Igarashi, the same duo behind the latter's big hit "Pegasus no Asa" (ペガサスの朝）from 1980. There's even a hint of that song's arrangement in "Hatsukoi no Machi" although overall this tune has more of a down-to-earth vibe and a seeming invitation by Igarashi to join him on his boat as shown on the album cover. I gather therefore that it can fall under the Resort Pop label.

Hiroaki Igarashi -- Machi wa Koibito（街は恋人）

 

Happy Monday! I had been thinking about putting this song up during my Creator article on arranger Nobuyuki Shimizu（清水信之）last week, but in the end, I felt that it deserved its own article.

"Machi wa Koibito" (The City is a Lover) was Hiroaki Igarashi's（五十嵐浩晃）15th single from September 1991. It was indeed arranged by Shimizu with Kei Takamura（高村圭）as the lyricist and Minoru Yamazaki（山崎稔）as the composer. Although by the time that this single came out, I'd already left the JET Programme to return to Toronto, the song still sounds quite familiar to me so perhaps I may have heard it on a videotape of Japanese shows. My first impression was that it was a commercial jingle for a ski wear company since I had heard plenty of those songs during my time there, but actually "Machi wa Koibito" was promoting the Suzuki Alto in that year.

On J-Wiki, the song has been categorized as a pop song and also as a City Pop tune, but I think that latter label was applied more because of the lyrical content of celebrating a repaired romantic relationship in the metropolis rather than the musical style. Regardless, it's a song sung by Igarashi in that particular upbeat style that I've often associated with the male J-Pop singers at the turn of the decade such as Katsumi and Noriyuki Makihara（槇原敬之）. Compare "Machi wa Koibito" with his first big hit at the beginning of the 80s, "Pegasus no Asa" (ペガサスの朝）. There is also a keyboard riff that even had me thinking a bit of Fashion Music.

The song peaked at No. 36 on Oricon, and it was also placed as a track on his first BEST compilation "Igarashi Hiroaski BEST Selection White & Blue"（五十嵐浩晃 ベストセレクション White & Blue） from October 1991.

Kim Carnes -- Bette Davis Eyes

 

On this week's Reminiscings of Youth, I return to the first blossoming of my interest in music on both sides of the Pacific Ocean...in the year of 1981. And once again, I have to begin this article in the same way that I began the article for Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun": ahhh, the more you learn.

Last night, I was reading up and listening to what has remained one of the iconic New Wave hits and a personal aural touchstone for me, Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes" when, just as was the case with "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", I found out that Carnes' biggest hit was actually a cover tune of a song that had first been recorded by singer-songwriter Jackie DeShannon with Donna Weiss for release all the way back in September 1975 on DeShannon's album "New Arrangement".

This original "Bette Davis Eyes" walloped me even harder than listening to Robert Hazard's 1979 original "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". For one thing, DeShannon's song isn't even in the same genre; this is more of a happy-go-lucky country swing number that I would often hear on the radio back in elementary school. Just wow!

Perhaps the singer's "New Arrangement" title was rather prophetic. As one commenter put it under one of the many videos of Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes", whoever did the arrangement for this March 1981 megahit was an absolute genius. I mentioned before that the song was an aural touchstone...well, that was because that Prophet 5 synthesizer riff has remained in my head for years and whenever I hear it there, I automatically envisage skinny ties, shiny gray suits and New Romantic fashion. That friendly country-swing tune down at the local saloon was transformed into a sexy and mysterious New Wave anthem in some downtown angular dance club, thanks to Carnes' raspy vocals.

"Bette Davis Eyes" hit No. 1 in several countries including Canada and the United States, with its stay at the top in the latter nation lasting a few months. By the end of 1981, the song became the No. 2 single of the year on Canada's RPM chart and the year's No. 1 single on America's Billboard Hot 100. It didn't hurt either that "Bette Davis Eyes" won Grammys for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

However, the biggest pleasant surprise for everyone involved, including myself was Hollywood star Bette Davis' reaction. I first got to know Davis when she was already quite elderly and from what I had seen of her on talk shows and other interviews, she gave the impression of being a snappy and suffer-no-fools-period person. So, all these years, I had assumed that at best, Davis gave a very sniffy backhanded compliment that could have been included in the script of one of her most famous movies "All About Eve". Instead, via the Wikipedia article for the song, Fred Bronson through his 1992 "Billboard Book of Number One Hits" gave the following revelation: 

Actress Bette Davis was 73 years old when Kim Carnes's version became a hit. She wrote letters to Carnes, Weiss, and DeShannon to thank all three of them for making her "a part of modern times" and stated that her grandson now looked up to her. After their Grammy wins, Davis sent them roses as well.

So, what were Nos. 7, 8 and 9 on the Oricon chart for March 1981 in Japan?

7. Hiroaki Igarashi -- Pegasus no Asa (ペガサスの朝）

8. Yoshitaka Minami -- Slow na Boogie ni Shite Kure （スローなブギにしてくれ）

9. Masahiko Kondo -- Yokohama Cheek （ヨコハマ・チーク）

Hiroaki Igarashi -- Kipros no Suna（キプロスの砂）

 

Well, welcome to the beginning of the second week of November 2020 so let's see if we can start the Monday edition of "Kayo Kyoku Plus" with something nice and pleasant to take the edge off.

Back in 1980, singer-songwriter Hiroaki Igarashi（五十嵐浩晃）came up with the song that I've known him the best for, "Pegasus no Asa"（ペガサスの朝）, his truly upbeat 3rd single that has the power to break through any thick gloom with that hint of AOR and TV composer Mike Post.

Almost a decade later, Igarashi came out with his 13th single, "Kipros no Suna" (Sands of Cyprus) in June 1989, and it can also be considered to be an AOR tune, albeit one that has a dramatically different sound which reflects the genre during the crossover between the 1980s and the 1990s. It's that certain synthesizer being used right from the beginning...very relaxing and begging for some cold glasses of mineral water with lemon twists.

Written by Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）and composed by Igarashi, "Kipros no Suna" has that light tropical sound which reminds me of some of the songs that Akiko Kobayashi（小林明子）was bringing out at around the same time from her 5th album "Bon Voyage". Perhaps at the time, it was given that Smooth Jazz label, but no matter the name, "Kipros no Suna" is very soothing. It's also the first track on the singer's 7th album "Destination" which was released on the same day as the single, and as one YouTube commenter also sagely remarked, I do love it when the music sounds like the album cover.

Hiroaki Igarashi -- Boku wa Kaze（僕は風）

Well, did my shopping at the nearby Metro this morning. There was a line to get into the supermarket, but the 10-minute wait wasn't too bad and when I did get in, I could find just about everything that my family needed. Of course, I had the mask on. I don't really mind it but it gets annoying when my glasses fog up from the condensation through my breath popping out from the top of the mask.

Anyways, for my second City Pop tune today, I have something more whimsical and slightly bossa via Hiroaki Igarashi's（五十嵐浩晃）"Boku wa Kaze" (I am The Wind), a track from his May 1983 5th album "Soyokaze no Koro"（そよ風の頃...Season of Breeze）. Igarashi was behind the melody here and it strikes me with that nostalgic feeling of early 1980s Tokyo...perhaps doing the shopping in the fancy neighbourhoods one sunny day and then hitting the café afterwards.

For all of the high-falutin' music, though, the lyrics by Shun Taguchi（田口俊）are more bittersweet as a fellow driving a car on a darkened highway finally realizes that the passenger seat will no longer be occupied by his erstwhile girlfriend. The guy calls himself the wind and the clouds that are bombing down the horizon, while the sky that was his girlfriend goes the other way. It's probably one of the more simply metaphorical songs that I've come across.

In addition, have a look at Igarashi's biggest hit, "Pegasus no Asa"（ペガサスの朝）.

Hiroaki Igarashi -- Twilight Bossa（トワイライト・ボッサ）

Monday night...the evening to get over the first day of the work week, and perhaps the toughest night next to Wednesday (Hump Day) to salve those existential blues.

Well, allow me to help out a bit with this short and sweet article. This is based on Hiroaki Igarashi's（五十嵐浩晃）song "Twilight Bossa" from his 5th album "Soyokaze no Koro"（そよ風の頃－SEASON OF BREEZE－）which came out in May 1983. As the title says, it's some nice light Latin to have that first drink of the week with. Igarashi's brand of soothing AOR was written by the singer and Shun Taguchi（田口俊）with Igarashi taking care of the music.

Strangely enough, with all of the City Pop/AOR albums that I've been purchasing over the years, I've yet to get an Igarashi album. Something to mull about as the year starts winding down. Of course, this would be dependent on how that Canada Post strike goes.

An Otsuka Morning

The R&B Hotel in Otsuka, Tokyo was a place where I spent my time during my vacation aside from my 3 nights at my Australian buddy's condo and that one evening in Mito. It was a good place to stay. As I said in my first or second entry, it's a pretty bare-bones business hotel although not to the level of a YMCA hostel but the place has taken on a stringent economizing policy with no provision of toothbrushes, toothpaste or shaving equipment and providing guests with the option of not having the bedsheets washed during a multiple-night stay.

The northern exit of Otsuka Station has a nicely adorned roundabout right in front of the R&B. As is the case with many an area around a train or subway station, there are a number of eating establishments and convenience stores but surprisingly no McDonalds (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). However right beside the hotel, there was a fine bookstore which I dipped into a few times just to browse.

Early on the morning of November 6th, I did a small walk beyond the southern entrance where the Sunmall Otsuka shopping district was located. Of course, most of the establishments were still shuttered but I did see a few coffee places where commuters were catching a quick breakfast. I guess they must have been for the locals since I couldn't fathom anyone else spotting the joints all that easily.

Get that jolt of old-fashioned musical OJ with Hiroaki Igarashi's（五十嵐浩晃）"Pegasus no Asa"（ペガサスの朝）.

Hiroaki Igarashi -- Ai wa Kaze Makase （愛は風まかせ）

The above photo was taken in my neighbourhood just a few weeks ago when the temperature was about -1000 degrees with the winds coming in at a breezy Mach 1. Yes, I am indeed exaggerating but I just want to relate to everyone how long and arduous the past winter has been. Well, today was a very pleasant surprise. We actually got broke through the Zero barrier and hit plus +5 degrees with plenty of sun. Knowing Toronto, there were probably wind surfers on Lake Ontario...at least in those areas free of ice.

In any case, it's a Monday night and to further push the mood of spring ever forward, I'm profiling Hiroaki Igarashi's（五十嵐浩晃）sunny "Ai wa Kaze Makase" (Leaving Love to the Wind). Once again, I came across this nice little ditty through Internet radio, and another reason I wanted to put this one up is that up to tonight, I only knew one song by the Hokkaido-born Igarashi (hey, he should know about long winters as well), and that happens to be one of my favourite songs of the 1980s, "Pegasus no Asa".

"Ai wa Kaze Makase" was Igarashi's debut in May 1980 and unlike his 3rd single of "Pegasus no Asa", this is a quiet bossa nova number and a pleasant way to make his way onto the public consciousness. "Pegasus no Asa" which came out six months later has that roving West Coast sound that I used to hear a lot on radio back here in Toronto at around the same time, but his debut song makes for a more relaxing tune at night. Both Igarashi songs were created by the singer and Tetsuya Chiaki（ちあき哲也）but "Ai wa Kaze Makase" can also be credited to Shigeru Suzuki（鈴木茂）.

Hiroaki Igarashi -- Pegasus no Asa (ペガサスの朝）

"Pegasus no Asa" (The Morning of the Pegasus) just sounds like something that would be perfect for an optimistic start to the day. Composed by the singer, Hiroaki Igarashi（五十嵐浩晃）, himself and written by Tetsuya Chiaki（ちあき哲也）, it was released as Igarashi's 3rd single in November 1980 after 2 other singles in the same year. The third time was the charm as "Pegasus no Asa" ended up becoming a huge hit (peaking at No. 3) going into the new year; it finished 1981 as the 30th-ranked song.

The arrangement of the song reminds me a lot of Mike Post's music. Post is the famous American TV theme composer behind "The A-Team", "Hill Street Blues" and "The Rockford Files". But it's the theme of "Magnum P.I." that I hear whenever I listen to "Pegasus no Asa" for some reason. It's just one of my favourite Japanese pop songs from the 80s.