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.
Y'know...I think this is the earliest in singer-songwriter Kengo Kurozumi's（黒住憲五）discography that I've ever reached. Usually, I've been going through his1980s City Pop material but today, I'm taking a tangent here and bringing over his second single from May 1979, "Tsumibukai Yoru" (A Sinful Night). Written by Ray Nakanishi and composed by the singer himself, the title might refer to something rather salacious but Kurozumi's melody comes across as being rather chipper and light-hearted; more a breezy walk in the park rather than a roll in the hay.
On J-Wiki, he's been categorized as a J-AOR singer instead of a City Pop performer and "Tsumibukai Yoru" has that Margaritaville feeling to add to that argument. The song came out some three years following his 1976 debut single and in 1979, he was on a nationwide tour with the band Godiego（ゴダイゴ）when he released his sophomore effort.
It goes without saying that Kengo Kurozumi（黒住憲五）is absolutely great with the medium-tempo songs. Especially this song,"Lusia". It feels just like a gentle sea breeze soothing the heart of anyone who has tired of the urban lifestyle. Kurozumi's refreshing vocals along with the peaceful mood evoked in the lyrics and the refined arrangement by Masaki Matsubara（松原正樹）have really grabbed me so there is nothing else left to say.
The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised"(2020).
Listening to nice and medium-tempo "Pillow Talk" which was recorded in Los Angeles, I am convinced that Kurozumi is the closest person to the description of Japanese AOR. This is a number that I feel brings together everything that makes up the gentle Kengo Kurozumi（黒住憲五）world from the songwriting to the vocals to the overall sound. I wonder if it would be a little over the top to say that this was one of the final sparks of City Pop at the end of the 80s.
The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised" (2020).
The first time that I heard of "Pillow Talk", it was as the title of an old movie starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson. It wasn't until later that I finally got the meaning of the phrase (chat which accompanies that cigarette for the afterglow), and I thought it was rather ironic that a 1959 flick with that title starred someone like Doris Day, although after watching the trailer, there were a few expressions that probably had audiences and PTAs go like this:
Anyways, I have a less torrid "Pillow Talk" which was recorded by singer-songwriter Kengo Kurozumi（黒住憲五）as the B-side for his June 1989 single"Hachi-gatsu no Angel"（八月のAngel...August Angel）. It was also the title track for his 5th album that came out in the same month as the single. Written by Yoshiko（与詞子）and composed by Kurozumi, it's a laidback mid-tempo tune for summer relaxation and cocktail imbibing. It also contains a pleasant gospel-like backup chorus and aside from a fusion rock instrumental bridge, "Pillow Talk" retains that nice AOR edge. Plus the keyboards have that sound that I've always enjoyed from the late 1980s going into the early 1990s for some light pop.
A bit of an announcement here since Rocket Brown and I will be working together once more on his podcast "Come Along Radio" via Mixcloud for the first time in several months. We'll be going live at 9:30 am Pacific Time/12:30 pm Eastern (provided I finish lunch fast enough) Saturday October 21st 2023. The topics that we will be covering are the legacy of singer-songwriter Shinji Tanimura（谷村新司）who passed away earlier on the 8th, Tetsuji Hayashi's（林哲司）upcoming concert on November 5th, and then we'll be going over singer-composer Kengo Kurozumi's（黒住憲五）October 1982 debut album"Again". Coincidentally, the 21st will mark 41 years exactly since the album was put onto record store shelves.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to procure my own copy of "Again" but luckily some generous souls have been able to upload the album onto YouTube so I've been doing some listening to all of the tracks in preparation. I've covered some of the tracks, actually, in the past: "Lusia" and "Pastel Love" which was my first KKP posting on Kurozumi.
Well, this Kurozumi article will be on "My Sweet Lady" which was his 1982 single ("Lusia" was the B-side). Composed by the singer, written by Akira Ohtsu（大津あきら）and arranged by Masaki Matsubara（松原正樹）, "My Sweet Lady" has had me thinking of some of those 80s West Coast AOR songs, and singers such as Christopher Cross and even Neil Sedaka because of that first verse sounding a bit like "Calendar Girl". There's nothing like a wailing electric guitar to get visions of mullets and skinny ties once more into my head.
A Happy Tuesday to you as we go through the final day of February. We just weathered another spate of heavy snow last night but it looks a whole lot better outside today.
Those of you in the know about Japanese pop culture will quickly recognize the above dancers and singers as the proud Takarazuka Revue Company（宝塚歌劇団）, famous for its all-women company of glitzy and epic performers. I could only do some quick skimming through the 10-minute video by YouTube uploader shinobu kamo so I was unable to find her, but within all of those talented ladies, there is supposed to be one Hanayo Miyuki（美雪花代）who up until 1981 was the top star of the Hanagumi or Flower Troupe.
Miyuki left the Takarazuka rather abruptly in May 1981 and went into a career of television acting under her real name of Miyuki Iwasaki（いわさきみゆき・岩﨑美由紀）. She also sporadically released a couple of singles in 1984 and 1989 with the first single being "Scramble"（スクランブル）. I don't know about that A-side but we do have her B-side, "I-KE-NA-I Koibito" (Forbidden Lover). The song is a rather cute and jangly pop tune with some New Waviness to it although it doesn't really strike any big bells, so I think that it was appropriate as a B-side. The lyricist was Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）while singer-songwriter Kengo Kurozumi（黒住憲五）came up with the melody.
Going into the 1990s, the entertainer began performing in musicals and decided to go with her Takarazuka stage name of Hanayo Miyuki once more.
It's almost been a couple of years since I've had singer-songwriter Kengo Kurozumi（黒住憲五）up on the blog as a performer. The last song that I've covered by him behind the mike was "Lusia", the B-side to his 1982 single"My Sweet Lady".
This time, the Kurozumi file is being added through his "Moonlight Serenade", and nope, this has nothing to do with the jazz classic by Glenn Miller. A track on his 2nd album"Still" (1983),"Moonlight Serenade" is a very different animal which is still in his wheelhouse of bouncy party-atmosphere City Pop with AB'S member Yoshihiko Ando（安藤芳彦）providing the lyrics. It's got those soaring strings for a bit of that sophisti-pop taste but at the same time, there is also a Tats-friendly sax solo and bass that makes me wonder whether the setting for the song is some bayside hotel...with a full moon out, of course.
Although his album releases started in the 1980s, Kurozumi did release a couple of singles in the 1970s and there is his output as the vocalist of the band Boomerang（ブーメラン）in that same decade. Unfortunately, none of his works back then are available on YouTube as of yet.
I've been bouncing between the 1970s and the 1980s when it comes to the works of the band Pedro & Capricious（ペドロ＆カプリシャス）so after going way back into their earliest stuff with the rocking rumba of the 1971 "Yoru no Carnival"（夜のカーニバル）, it's time to head forward once more into the next decade with their mellower AOR material.
This time, instead of first vocalist Yoko Maeno（前野曜子）, it's Naoko Matsudaira（松平直子）as the third vocalist for Pedro & Capricious who leads the smooth "Silky Silver Rain", a track from their November 1984 album"Yokohama Rainy Blue". Written by Keiji Mizutani（水谷啓二）, composed by Kengo Kurozumi（黒住憲五）and arranged by Satoshi Takebe（武部聡志）, it's got that 80s arrangement but at its heart, it sounds like a 70s ballad a la Hi-Fi Set（ハイ・ファイ・セット）or Circus（サーカス）thanks to those vocal harmonies by Matsudaira and company.
Looking at the track list for "Yokohama Rainy Blue" in the band's album section on J-Wiki, it looks like it's a collection of their past tunes with new ones such as "Silky Silver Rain" since it also includes the cocktail-friendly "Gafeira Night" from their 1980 album"Oasis"（オアシス）and even the 1973 "Kyokai e Iku"（教会へ行く）when the second vocalist Mariko Takahashi（高橋真梨子）was on board.
I've mentioned it for her song "Party Night" but I did find "Mr. Cool", Amy's 2nd single from 1983 and the A-side to the former.
"Mr. Cool" has more of the AOR than the City Pop and it has that some of that lovely breeze coming in from the West Coast. I also enjoy the background chorus which indeed sounds like some of that wind wafting through. I'd say that "Mr. Cool" would have been the perfect jingle for a spearmint gum commercial.
According to the JASRAC database, "Mr. Cool" was written by Naoko Nishio（西尾尚子）and composed by City Pop stalwart Kengo Kurozumi（黒住憲五）. The song is also a track on Amy's self-titled album from the same year.
According to "Light Mellow ~ Moment", Anna Kurusu（来栖アンナ）hails from Hawaii and in the early 1970s, she was in Japanese show business as a singer and tarento, but never really hit it big. Going into the 1980s, Kurusu then went for a more rock sound. And that's basically all of the information that I could glean about her. There was nothing new online. The interesting thing is that her name and looks remind me of another singer, Ann Lewis（アン・ルイス）.
However, being included in a "Light Mellow" disc, the song of note here is a City Pop/AOR number called "New York Panorama Night" performed by Kurusu. A track from her 1980 album"Ikanaide"（行かないで...Don't Go）, the lyrics by Naoko Nishio（西尾尚子）invite the listener for a late night of carousing in the Big Apple (provided that you could survive the midnight hours back then), but Kengo Kurozumi's（黒住憲吾）music sounds so upbeat and cheerful (with a slight detour into Latin music) that maybe it should have been titled "New York Panorama Morning" with a dish of bagel and lox and a wonderful sunny view of Manhattan.
Just finished prepping for my student's regular lesson this weekend, so I'm getting at the blog a little later than usual. Therefore, I'm going for something relaxing tonight for starters.
Why not go for some Kengo Kurozumi（黒住憲五）AOR? I found this B-side to his 1982 single"My Sweet Lady" titled "Lusia" which evokes plenty of hammock swaying and blue sky and refreshing cocktails. With music by Kurozumi, lyrics by Naoko Nishio（西尾尚子）and arrangement by Masaki Matsubara（松原正樹）, there's something rather familiar with some of that arrangement during the refrain...maybe a bit of Anzen Chitai（安全地帯）? But I also detected some hint of an American AOR ballad from long ago, too.
Well, I was checking into one of my social media accounts when someone from the City Pop community inquired about this singer named Amy（エイミー）with a killer album of the genre. Apparently, there was close to no information about her anywhere online.
There are a few of her songs on YouTube from her possibly one-and-only album, the self-titled "Amy" from 1983. So I tried out a couple of the tracks. Here is "Ni-Juu-Go-ji"（25時...25:00）which is a mix of light and mellow urban with a Doobie Brothers riff in the refrain. In a way, I think the song incorporates a lot of the American AOR tropes.
According to one site's meager information on Amy (I can't even find her full name!), she's been recognized as a City Pop aidoru...perhaps along the same lines of Momoko Kikuchi(?). She released two singles and this album, all in 1983, and the opening track for "Amy" is her debut single"Shunkan Shojo"（瞬間少女...Girl of the Moment）which was released in March of that year.
Listening to "Ni-Juu-Go-ji", it was hard for me to think of Amy as an aidoru because of the nature of the melody and her voice which is nice and light and silky. But then, on hearing "Shunkan Shojo", although she still has that steady voice, the melody by City Pop singer Kengo Kurosumi（黒住憲五）is actually not too far away from being what I would expect an aidoru to sing on a single's B-side or somewhere in the middle of an album lineup. It's not super-perky and uptempo, but it isn't a lovelorn ballad, either. Naoko Nishio（西尾尚子）provided the lyrics to this one. Unfortunately, I couldn't find out who was behind "Ni-Juu-Go-ji".
"Amy" was produced by guitarist Masaki Matsubara（松原正樹）and according to the uploader for the videos, Jake H. Concepcion was probably the one providing the sax solo for "Ni-Juu-Go-ji". I'm gonna have to try out some of the other tracks. It would be nice if I can purchase the album but I hear that it's in haiban status, and in all likelihood, this was the only album she released. Possibly, she's someone like the mysterious Takako Mamiya（間宮貴子）...a singer who basically disappeared from the spotlight. However, I did have some rather despairing thoughts about Mamiya and not being able to get "Love Trip" because of her obscurity, too, only to find out that the resurgence in her popularity meant I could get my own copy of "Love Trip" and see a whole bunch of other copies at Tower Records in both Shibuya and Shinjuku back during my 2017 trip. So, let us not despair quite yet about "Amy".
Usually when I hear the term High Noon, I think of the famous 1952 Western starring Gary Cooper as the veteran sheriff having to make the agonizing decision between staying true to his wife and facing down a bloodthirsty gang all by his lonesome.
With Kengo Kurozumi's（黒住憲五）1983"High Noon", the only "painful" decision needed here is whether the listener will lie down in the swaying hammock or on the sturdier chaise lounge on the lanai in Honolulu. Mind you, the person may also need to face the hard choice of going with an ice-cold Corona or one of those cocktails with lots of fruit. Aye, the struggle is indeed real, my friends.
Yes, "High Noon" from Kurozumi's 2nd album"Still" is a very laid-back tune, and arranger Masaki Matsubara（松原正樹）lays on the West Coast AOR really thick here. According to kaz-shin's review in his "Music Avenue", Matsubara adds some calypso feeling although I think it's very light via the percussion and some steel drum sound through the synthesizer. Methinks this is more California than the Caribbean in sound, and the refrain sounds similar to something from a Journey song.
Takako Ozawa（大沢孝子）provided the lyrics while Kurozumi came up with the music. Provided that I can get one of his early albums at Tower or elsewhere, I wouldn't mind getting at least "Still" or his debut album"Again".
It's probably the most hip-shaking tune that I have ever heard for a fellow who throws and catches multiple objects in the air but from looking at the lyrics by Naoko Nishio（西尾尚子）, I think "Juggler" doesn't really have anything to do with a juggler.
But, man, is it a catchy song! A bonus track on the CD version of Kengo Kurozumi's（黒住憲五）1982 debut album"Again", it's got that nice melange of disco, Latin and that native Japanese City Pop and Kurozumi, who also composed "Juggler", sounds a lot like Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）here. Well, if you're going to emulate someone, why not emulate the best?
Going back to those lyrics by Nishio, it's all about tripping the light fantastic and painting the town red. I've read through a lot of YouTube comments for a number of those City Pop songs in which folks wish they could go back in time to those early 1980s in Tokyo. Lucky I had my brief experience of Tokyo life in 1981! Wouldn't it be natsukashii to play Space Invaders on one of those tabletop machines in a cafe around now?
As I said, "Juggler" is actually one of three bonus tracks on the CD release of "Again" but unfortunately unless you are willing to pay some good yen on Amazon.jp for the rare album, we may all be out of luck. However, the LP is there at Tower Records Japan at a considerably lower price but without "Juggler" and the other bonus tracks. Still, I may consider investing in the vinyl if tracks like "Pastel Love" are any indication.
Without fail, the program on TV Japan that precedes NHK's "News Watch at 9" in the morning is some form of NHK English-lesson show. I usually wake up and head to the living room right in the middle of those 10 eikaiwa minutes, and the current incarnation is focused on the hospitality sector, with the required tarento being former aidoru Hiroko Mita（三田寛子）.
I swear to you that she's only several months younger than me but she must have a Dorian Gray mirror stored somewhere in her house since she doesn't look all much older than when she had her aidoru days in the 1980s. On one of the episodes, when one of the co-hosts asked her about her singing career, she looked as if she had been caught off-guard and pleaded in an embarrassed way not to go further with that line of inquiry.
Well, I wouldn't be all that harsh. I talked a few articles ago about that huge pyramid of 80s female idols with the three tiers. I would say that the Kyoto-born Mita occupied that second layer. She never became the superstar at the apex but she wasn't part of that huge base which got their five minutes of fame. Mita did hang around to release 14 singles and 4 original albums up to 1987, while becoming an actress and TV personality with a bubbly personality.
There isn't a lot of Mita's original recorded material on YouTube although she is amply represented through her performed songs on TV. However, I was able to find this video of her as a high school student doing the happy commute home while the happy notes of "Lemon Sensation" play along. This was never a single but one of the tracks on her debut album"16-Karat no Hitomi"（16カラットの瞳...16-Carat Eyes）which came out in May 1982.
What can I say? It's simply your typically bouncy and happy aidoru tune of the decade with Mita's happy-go-lucky sing-song-y vocals. "Lemon Sensation" was written by Naoko Nishio（西尾尚子）and composed by singer-songwriter Kengo Kurosumi（黒柱憲五）who I've usually heard perform City Pop/J-AOR material.
Mita was apparently quite the popular figure on TV commercials, as well.
Got Kengo Kurozumi's（黒住憲五）2nd article here as one of those mysterious singers who I could only find out about through "Japanese City Pop".
I swear that listening to "You and Me" which is a track on his 5th album"Pillow Talk" from 1989, the groovy orange mimosa-friendly tune was something out of the mid-1980s or even earlier. The arrangement might be more updated but I could feel the Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）in there. The music was by Kurozumi with lyrics by Dereck Jackson.
With all those horns and guitar in there, I think this would have been something that Sing Like Talking could have done this as well. And what a group of session musicians in there: Jeff Porcaro and Michael Landau among others. Another one of those feel-good summer songs.
For those who already miss the summer, I will have to apologize and warn you in advance since I've got something very summery for this article. Kengo Kurozumi（黒住憲五）is a name that has popped up in front of my vision during my many looks through "Japanese City Pop", but until the last few days, I never had the opportunity to listen to his music.
Well, thankfully, there are a few videos of Kurozumi music on YouTube that I discovered. And I came across this Resort Pop gem by him, "Pastel Love" which is a track on his 1982 debut album,"Again". I couldn't find the exact credits for this particular tune but since he is listed as a singer-songwriter, I assume that he was also responsible for its lyrics and music. In any case, this song paired with the lovely beach scenes will probably have lovers of the hot season crying in their frosty mugs of beer. Having often suffered through Tokyo summers, I'm not such a fan (although I've been faring much better with Toronto summers), but hearing that ol' 80s electric guitar, Kurozumi's vocals and the synths, I got rather nostalgic. Plus with that title, I got reminded of all of those pastel colors that were really popular on fashion back then....aka the TV series "Miami Vice".
Kurozumi was born in Okayama Prefecture and is listed as a J-AOR singer-songwriter according to J-Wiki. He attended Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, before becoming the vocalist and drummer for the band Boomerang in 1973. The band broke up a year later and he became a solo act, releasing his first single, "Ushiro kara Ame ga"（後ろから雨が...The Rain Came In From Behind）in 1976 and becoming a supporting member for the session band Camino. Another singer to peruse.
