Yoshitaka Minami -- Crescent Night（クレッセント・ナイト）

 

Ahhh...isn't that sweet? Kayo Grace and her beau walking under that crescent moon in the sky. Too late for Valentine's Day but still a week early for White Day. Well, considering how they are gazing into each other's eyes, I don't think chocolate is on the immediate menu anyways.

I've had friends recommending me to get Yoshitaka Minami's（南義孝）1980 album "Montage", and perhaps, I should finally heed those suggestions. Certainly, a track like "Crescent Sky" may finally seal the deal for me. Written by Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）with Minami himself behind the romantic melody, the song has the ideal blend of City Pop, jazz and exotic arrangements. In a way, it reminds me a bit of "Chuo Freeway"（中央フリーウェイ）, Yumi Arai's（荒井由実）classic song of luxurious freedom; there is that footloose and fancy-free atmosphere which floats over both songs. Plus, some of the keyboard work suggests a couple tripping the light fantastic throughout the metropolis.

Ironically enough, my last song regarding Minami also had a moon theme, too.

Junko Ohashi & Minoya Central Station -- Feel So Fine

 

I've technically done my three for Thursday. However, I'm being drawn away from duty tomorrow so I'm getting a start on my usual Friday Urban Contemporary stuff today. The NHL Trade Deadline Day has a way of distracting me...even from my beloved City Pop (you can take me away from Canada, but you can't take away Canada from me).🏒

So, why not go with one of the best? I have a number of Junko Ohashi's（大橋純子）albums with Minoya Central Station（美乃家セントラル・ステイション）, but I don't think "Full House" from June 1979 is one of them...perhaps. Anyways, there is a real banger from Side A, "Feel So Fine" that's struck my fancy.

All I can say is that bass addicts will be slurping this one up repeatedly as we get to hear the late great Ms. Ohashi in her most wonderful disco glory. It really does feel so fine. Written by Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）and composed by Kenjiro Oda（小田健二郎）, the song practically bewitches the listener to vicariously hit the ground running in Roppongi or Shinjuku in search of any dance club of the time such as the Lexington Queen (although it wouldn't open until 1980). By the way, the remix version below is by YouTuber Sukebe (heh heh heh).😁

Seiko Tomizawa -- Colonial Hotel no Dekigoto （コロニアルホテルの出来事）

 

When I first saw this title, I immediately thought that this should be the title for the next Benoit Blanc movie. Yep, my impression of any Colonial Hotel is that it must be located somewhere near the bayous of Louisiana. And yet, there is a Colonial Hotel located right in my currently icy province of Ontario in the community of Grand Bend.

Anyways, moving onto that song, "Colonial Hotel no Dekigoto" (Incident at the Colonial Hotel) is another example on KKP where I start with the B-side of a single before going to the A-side. And indeed, this was the A-side for Seiko Tomizawa's（富沢聖子）1984 single that I'm getting to today more than a year after having tackled the B-side of "Anata to Southern Island"（あなたとSouthern Island）.

For something titled "Colonial Hotel no Dekigoto", one would imagine something rather zydeco in the arrangement, but instead, we get something on the order of jazzy sophisticated pop and Brazilian...namely, bossa nova. This is a nice contrast to the tropical breeziness of "Anata to Southern Island". It's almost the same cast of characters for both songs: lyricist Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）and arranger Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）but for the A-side, it's composer Takuya Takahashi（高橋拓也）. A Benoit Blanc movie is something that I don't hear here...it's more Henry Mancini-esque with dashing romance in this one, and it fits the type of music that Ruiko Kurahashi（倉橋ルイ子）and Junichi Inagaki（稲垣潤一）tackled with aplomb in those 1980s.

Kei Ishiguro -- Camel no Nioi（キャメルの匂い）

Museum Rotterdam via Wikimedia Commons

 

OK, I have to admit that I was glad that I hadn't been imbibing anything when I first came across this song since I probably would have done a major spit take all over my computer screen. Please imagine: "Camel no Nioi" (The Smell of Camels); from what I heard about camels, they don't really smell too good. And I was a bit worried that singer Kei Ishiguro（石黒ケイ）may have been confessing to some sort of weird fetish.

So, I was somewhat relieved to find out that the title was actually referring to the distinct aroma of Camel Cigarettes...not that I can remember what those smelled like. Back in my childhood when cigarettes were still socially acceptable on a wide basis, there was that general smell of burning tobacco but I guess that Camels must have had something special since they included something Turkish. Still, there is the danger of secondhand smoke and all that.

Anyways, "Camel no Nioi" is a track from Ishiguro's 1984 album "You Remember Me", and it's one of those songs that are delectably difficult to categorize one way or another. There is the City Pop and the AOR, but I could also pick up a bit of New Wave in the first few measures. Yoichi Takizawa（滝沢洋一）was behind the introspective melody with Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）weaving the story of a woman's memory of a one-night stand and the lingering smoke of a Camel. After all, people have got to deal with the afterglow.🚬

Mia Masuda -- Fuwa Fuwa（ふ・わ・ふ・わ）

 

I haven't been to this place in quite a while but Fuwa Fuwa is our local establishment for Japanese-style pancakes. To be honest, during my time in Japan, I hadn't been aware that my old stomping grounds were famous for fluffy souffle pancakes. Sure, I used some of that pancake mix from Morinaga in Ichikawa, but I never got anything nearly as airy as the pancakes they make at Fuwa Fuwa.

But I digress. Another object that has been given the name is one of aidoru Mia Masuda's（増田未亜）songs. "Fuwa Fuwa" (Fluffy) is a track on her August 1989 debut album "Pure", and Masuda certainly sounds quite fluffy here; heck, the first word in Machiko Ryu's（竜真知子）lyrics is marshmallow. One can't get fluffier than that.

Ken Sato（佐藤健）, Junko Ohashi's（大橋純子）husband and composer of many of her City Pop songs, was responsible for the melody. It was truly made for an aidoru but with an extra level of class thanks to those strings and a general arrangement of pop music that sounds as if it had been meant for someone like Mariko Nagai（永井真理子）or Miki Imai（今井美樹）. So, perhaps the vocals and the overall atmosphere were the fluffier parts of "Fuwa Fuwa".

Tomoko Kuwae -- Blue Blue Island（ブルーブルーアイランド）

 

Last night's "Asaichi"（あさイチ）was entertaining enough. The topic du jour regarded the proper way to cleanse one's face but for me, it was all of the old kayo kyoku that was thrown out as segment BGM. That NHK staff seemed to have been on a bigger music bender than usual and even the on-air personalities were shimmying in their seats as the report discussed the debate on whether to use cleansing milk or oil to get the best results. And yep, one of the songs was the venerable chestnut, Tomoko Kuwae's（桑江知子）"Watashi no Heart wa Stop Motion"（私のハートはストップモーション）.

As mentioned in that article, "Watashi no Heart wa Stop Motion" was released in January 1979 as Kuwae's debut single. Well, a few months down the line, Kuwae released her sophomore effort, "Blue Blue Island" in May. Despite the title, it isn't really a tropical-sounding tune but something more akin to a jangly footloose and fancy-free 50s or 60s pop song while still retaining that breezy vacation atmosphere. The same songwriters that were behind that first single were also back for "Blue Blue Island": lyricist Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）, composer Shunichi Tokura（都倉俊一）and arranger Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）.

Mariko Takahashi -- Mo Ichido Romance ~ Machikado Monogatari（もいちどロマンス ～街角物語）

 

As I pointed out in the September 2014 article for Mariko Takahashi's（高橋真梨子）1984 album "Triad", this was the first album by her that I got in the form of an audiotape when my parents had granted my wish for a couple of her albums after returning from Japan on vacation back in 1985. This was after hearing her magnificent voice a number of times via the CHIN-FM radio program "Sounds of Japan". She really stood out like a blossom in the pop field when compared to YMO's technopop and Seiko Matsuda's（松田聖子）aidoru music.

Although I covered a number of tracks on "Triad", and separately, another track and one of Takahashi's biggest hits "Momo Iro Toiki"（桃色吐息）, I'm happy to say that I hadn't done this particular song which ends Side A of the album. "Mo Ichido Romance ~ Machikado Monogatari" (Romance One More Time ~ A Street Corner Tale") is a poignant ballad about hoping for and perhaps getting that second chance at love in a small neighbourhood. The lady has seen her former beau on the streets but not made eye contact, afraid that powerful emotions may well up once more.

Written by Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）, composed by Issei Okamoto（岡本 一生）under his new moniker of Akira Okamoto（岡本朗）, and arranged by Keiichi Oku（奥慶一）, "Mo Ichido Romance" is a quiet down-home ballad which is as sweet as the meet-cute-again possibilities in the story. It indeed contrasts as the B-side with the smoky exotica of "Momo Iro Toiki" which was released as a single in May 1984.

Yukari Ito -- Mariko（マリコ）

 

Well, it is Urban Contemporary Friday on KKP and I'm starting this week's batch in the evening after a late morning of walking around in the midst of the currently-running Toronto International Film Festival, so let's start with something especially light and mellow.

One example is Yukari Ito's（伊東ゆかり）"Mariko" which is a track on her 1982 "Misty Hour" album, her musical embracement of all things City Pop. Written by Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）and composed by Ken Sato（佐藤健）, I don't know who this Mariko that Yukari is referring to, but from the footloose and fancy-free arrangement, I take it that the lass is simply and happily drinking in life as it comes to her. The Fender Rhodes sounds especially sumptuous here. I will always be grateful to the singer for taking that brief side road into the groovy territory.

MAKE-UP -- Pegasus Fantasy（ペガサス幻想）

Wikimedia Commons
via Macacaosapao

 

I have some sad news to relay from commenter Kyle Andrew to all those in the tokusatsu, anime and J-Rock communities if you don't already know. Singer-songwriter Nobuo Yamada（山田信夫）, who had been involved in the creation of anison and tokusatsu theme songs, passed away on August 9th from kidney cancer at the age of 61. 

To be honest, I didn't know much of the Osaka-born Yamada's career and discography which began in the early 1980s. However, there is one song that I do recognize very well and it was through his hard rock band MAKE-UP which started up in 1983 for an initial four-year run, and then starting up again in 2010 to go for one more year.

My anime buddy, when we used to have the regular biweekly Sunday anime-and-meal outings, played his usual anison for an hour or so on the stereo, and one of the recurring tunes that I heard was the first opening theme song used for the anime "Saint Seiya"（聖闘士星矢）which started in the fall of 1986 and lasted until spring 1989. I only found out about "Saint Seiya" much later in life...basically when I was already living in Japan, and just from judging from the opening credits and the MAKE-UP song, I probably would have gotten into the show because I was so much into the absorption of Japanese pop culture back then.

"Pegasus Fantasy" was released as MAKE-UP's 4th single in October 1986. Written by Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）with Yamada and band guitarist Hiroaki Matsuzawa（松澤浩明）responsible for the melody, it's quite the rousing up-and-at-'em rock number to get all of the Saints off and running toward saving the day. I could imagine anime fans from 8 to 88 punching the air as this was playing. "Pegasus Fantasy" was also first placed onto the band's BEST compilation "GLORY DAYS〜MAKE-UP BEST COLLECTION" which came out in August 1989.

My condolences go out to Yamada's family, friends and many fans.

Mami Koyama -- Twilight Train（トワイライト・トレイン）

 

Well, it was just on Tuesday that Mami Koyama（小山茉美）had another posting on KKP under her guise as the precocious android Arale-chan（アラレちゃん）from "Dr. Slump"（Dr.スランプ ）. She was providing another cute and adorable march for her island neighbour Suppaman.

But now that it's Urban Contemporary Friday on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", Koyama is back in her City Pop form, thanks to her debut album "Yurete Mami"（ゆ・れ・てMami...Sway Mami） from 1982. One of the tracks is "Twilight Train", and it's about as urbane as one can get in a Japanese pop song. Resonant keyboards, beefy bass and Koyama's light vocals help this smooth-as-butter track go down nice and slowly. Lyricist Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）and composer Ken Sato（佐藤健）were behind this one.

Ruiko Kurahashi -- Umi no Mieru Mado kara ~ Omoide no Natsu（海の見える窓から~おもいでの夏）

 

I'm a bit surprised by this one. I have heard Ruiko Kurahashi's（倉橋ルイ子）"Umi no Mieru Mado kara ~ Omoide no Natsu" (The Ocean View from the Window ~ Summer of My Memories) a number of times before, but I realized that I had yet to cover this one.

A track from Kurahashi's September 1982 3rd album, "Heartbreak Theater", it's a fitting ballad by one of my favourite singers because it is about that sad look out of the bus window while going along the beach where probably the lass in the lyrics had once frolicked with her beau back in the summer. However, it's plainly evident that despite her love for him, the romance is as dead as the autumn leaves fallen from the tree. It's the quintessential Ruiko ballad with her languid delivery, Tetsuji Hayashi's（林哲司） melancholy tear-stained melody and Machiko Ryu's（竜真知子）words. The bluesy saxophone and the chorus backing the singer just ups the ante on wistfulness. 

Paris Match -- Mr. Summertime

 

With Kingo Hamada and Mariya Takeuchi（濱田金吾・竹内まりや）earlier today, we were talking about original and cover when it came to their "Lonely Wind". Now, we come to a cover of a cover.

One of the earliest Japanese pop songs that I fell for when I really got into kayo kyoku in the early 1980s was Circus'（サーカス）"Mr. Summertime", thanks to that episode of "Sounds of Japan" on CHIN-FM here in Toronto. However, I wouldn't find out for years that the 1978 hit for the vocal group was actually a cover for Michel Fugain's "Une Belle Histoire" in 1972. By the way, I never mentioned it in the original Circus article, but Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）had been responsible for the Japanese lyrics.

Well in 2008, the duo paris match performed their own cover of "Mr. Summertime" for their February 2008 7th album "Flight 7". Compared to Circus' take, this one has a bit more oomph thanks to a rocking Shibuya-kei organ and an electric guitar. At the same time though, there is some lightness thanks to Mari Mizuno's（ミズノマリ）tender vocals. Basically, when compared to the relaxing Riviera vacation that I envision when I listen to "Mr. Summertime" 1978, this version thirty years later has a bit more of spy intrigue and jet-setting adventure perfect for a 1960s caper.

Takako Shirai -- Uchiki na My Boy（内気なマイ・ボーイ）

 

Gradually building up the Takako Shirai（白井貴子）file over the years, I've realized that she hasn't been all about the rock n' roll discography. Although she has come up with the rocking "Chance!" from 1984, I discovered several years ago that she has had her City Pop side, thanks to the David Foster-ish "Pillowcase ni Sayonara"（ピローケースにさようなら）from 1982.

And then there is her debut single from November 1981, "Uchiki na My Boy" (My Shy Boy). It's not rock or City Pop but something that resides somewhere in the middle...a mellow AOR number. Written by Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）, arranged by Kazuo Shiina（椎名和夫）and composed/written by Shirai herself, it's quite the breezy and summery song despite its autumn release. I get the impression from the lyrics that the young lass loves to tease and bother the bashful lad into a relationship. Hmmm...reminds me of a recent anime.

Hitomi Ishikawa -- Amore（アモーレ）

 

Kinda feeling sleepy this final Saturday of February 2025 after being kindly treated to an enormous Salvadoran lunch earlier today. Plenty of protein and carbs for this ever-growing boy.😁

Anyways, although I couldn't track down the commenter, I remember having a recent conversation with them about singer Hitomi Ishikawa（石川ひとみ）and her 20th single titled "Amore" that she released back in July 1984. When it comes to her, I will always remember her hit "Machibuse"（まちぶせ）from 1981 and her impression as that quintessentially early 80s aidoru (although she'd been around since 1978).

Well, with "Amore", I think that aidoru tag was most definitely left behind in her room as she sings about a torrid affair between two lovers. Even her voice deepens here, compared to her high twinkly vocals from "Machibuse". There's more Latin and rock woven into her pop and the overall arrangement reminds me somewhat of the one for a big hit from that same year of 1984, Mariko Takahashi's（高橋真梨子）"Momo Iro Toiki"（桃色吐息）. Strangely enough, the composer, Takashi Sato（佐藤隆）, created both "Amore" and Takahashi's classic. Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）was responsible for the lyrics.

Takako Shirai -- Kaze no Naka（風の中）

 

Happy Saturday! Looks like we've traded the bitterly cold temperatures over the past several days for a good dumping of snow overnight. It's looking like another winter wonderland out there but the temperatures are a little less frigid, and the sun is still out there.

It might be nice to start off this weekend with something mellower. For example, we can try the final track from singer-songwriter Takako Shirai's（白井貴子）November 1981 debut album "Do For Loving", "Kaze no Naka" (In the Wind). Shirai wrote and composed this one with Machiko Ryu（竜真知子） also getting a co-lyricist credit. 

Compared to the snazzy City Pop from the first track "Pillowcase ni Sayonara"（ピローケースにさようなら）and Shirai's noticeably lower vocals, the final track "Kaze no Naka" is more in the light and bouncy AOR vein with the singer going higher in pitch. And of course, for those who have known her for years as a rocker, it still must come across as a revelation to hear this early groovier side to Shirai.

Poplar -- Ijigen Story（異次元ストーリー）/Norimasa Yamanaka -- Wing Love

 

"You can be my wingman anytime". I kinda wonder whether this statement marking the beginning of a friendship between Maverick and Iceman in "Top Gun" was how the key word entered the vernacular meaning a guy who will have his friend's back every time whether it be in war or love. I've been hearing "wingman" quite a lot in movies over the past few decades now.

And that's the reason that I was initially tickled by this manga-turned-anime titled "Yume Senshi Wingman"（夢戦士ウイングマン...Dream Warrior Wingman） from 1984. The Wingman here was actually the star instead of the sidekick. My information on 80s anime is pretty sparse but from what I could glean is that the hero is a high school boy who gets those delusions of grandeur of becoming a great tokusatsu hero and he actually gets his opportunity through an encounter with an alternative universe princess. Of course, as we can see in the above video, the process is never a smooth one. I guess all that chuunibyo stuff goes back further than I'd assumed.

In any case, the opening and theme songs for "Wingman" are surprisingly urban contemporary considering the plot of the show. And both were created by the same team: lyricist Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）, composer Tetsuji Hayashi（林哲司）and arranger Keiichi Oku（奥慶一）...pretty darn potent City Pop guys. The opening theme "Ijigen Story" can be translated as either "Story from a Different Dimension" or "Unprecedented Story". It's got that urbanity along with some haunting interdimensional whimsy as would befit some of the goofy humour. There's even what sounds like a bit of Dixieland jazz that pops up in the full version. Sumiko Fukuda（福田スミ子）, aka Poplar（ポプラ）, provides the bluesy and smoky vocals; she's also one of the singers responsible for the theme song for famous electronics chain Yodobashi Camera.

Norimasa Yamanaka（山中のりまさ）is another singer that I haven't heard a lot about, only writing about one song of his only a few months ago, "Sunrise Sunset"（サンライズ・サンセット）. His second one here on KKP is the ending theme for "Wingman", the West Coast drive-friendly "Wing Love", which is more on the AOR side with some Boz Scaggs/Bobby Caldwell influences in Oku's arrangement. Maybe this could be one song that could greet young Kenta on the stereo after battling his monsters as the title character himself.

Mitsuko Horie -- Pure Morning（ピュア・モーニング）

 

The weather here in Toronto today is nothing like that shown above with the El Cid Hotel in Mexico. It was 0 degrees Celsius with a -7-degree wind chill and areas a few hours north of my city are supposed to  be getting their first dumping of snow over the weekend. On the penultimate day of this November, it's really feeling like a little bit of Christmas.

I'd been more of a night person than a morning person but at my wizening age, I no longer consider myself someone who's really all that chipper at any particular time of the day. However, it seems as if seiyuu and singer Mitsuko Horie（堀江美都子）might have been more of the latter. The last time I wrote about her was back in June 2023 when I posted her "Morning Rain", a pleasant City Pop concoction from her December 1981 mini-album "Micchi no Hitorigoto Club"（ミッチの独言倶楽部）.

Earlier in the year though, Horie released her 4th single in June, "Pure Morning". I guess she really had a thing for the AM hours. Written by Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）and composed by Koji Makaino（馬飼野康二）, "Pure Morning" has more of a calming mixture of down-home City Pop and the ol' kayo kyoku thanks to that orchestra backing her up although there is some of that groove of the former genre. It almost sounds like something that Hiromi Iwasaki（岩崎宏美）would have tackled at the same time. The same song headlined her 2nd original album "Image" which was released a couple of months later and ended up as high as No. 54 on Oricon.

Yumi Takigawa -- Sayonara Mr. J.J.（サヨナラMr.J.J.）

 

Welcome to the final week of November 2024. Hope you are doing well wherever you are. It's cool and cloudy out there and it looks like we may be getting the first signs of flurries for this season, as terrifying as that may sound to a lot of my fellow Torontonians. Anyways, as a minor-key segue to this first song of this business week on KKP, I do have to say that writer and director J. J. Abrams really had a fetish for his lens flares and one of the more egregious examples was with his take on "Star Trek" in 2009. I got the feeling that the special effects budget was higher than it should have been because of them.

Now, with "Sayonara Mr. J. J.", which is a track on Yumi Takigawa's（多岐川裕美）"Sayo"（小夜） from 1979, this obviously has nothing to do with the lens flare-happy Abrams who was all of thirteen probably when the album was released. Nope, this Mr. J.J. is merely a love 'em-and-leave 'em cad whose latest victim and lover has quietly, firmly and even playfully shut the door on any more shenanigans with the guy. 

Written by Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）and composed by bassist Tsugutoshi Goto（後藤次利）, "Sayonara Mr. J.J." is more into the straight pop rather than the City Pop of "Gozen Rei-ji no Koibito"（午前０時の恋人） which was not only the last Takigawa song that I posted but the track mate for "Sayonara Mr. J.J.". Still, the arrangement is pretty refined although I think the beat is a little too fast for it to be considered Fashion Music and the overall upbeat feeling is that the lady involved is more in "no harm, no foul" mode rather than being crushed and heartbroken.

Seiko Tomizawa -- Anata to Southern Island（あなたとSouthern Island）

 

Another pleasant Sunday out there...the rays of the sun are literally and figuratively reflective of autumn but the something-close-to-summery temperatures continue so it's quite good out there.

I have another Seiko Tomizawa（富沢聖子）song for you, following up from her "Ku-gatsu no Melody"（9月のメロディ）last month. "Anata to Southern Island" (You and the Southern Island) was the B-side to her 1984 single "Colonial Hotel no Dekigoto"（コロニアルホテルの出来事...Incident at the Colonial Hotel） which is a pretty specific title, accommodations-wise. I was sorely tempted to place this into City Pop like some of her other songs, but if anything, the calm blue ocean arrangement by Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）and Tomizawa's high and floaty vocals actually almost take things into the aidoru category. So, I'd say that this was contemporary but not urban contemporary. The melody was composed by Ken Sato（佐藤健）while Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）took care of the lyrics of love down south.

Circus -- Day Dreaming（デイ・ドリーミング）

 

One of my earliest articles on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" was vocal group Circus'（サーカス）"Mr. Summertime"（Mr.サマータイム）, their March 1978 hit 2nd single which was a cover of Michel Fugain's "Une Belle Histoire" from 1972. It's been a song that has stayed with me for so long because it was one of the first Japanese pop songs to adhere to my brain when I got started into enjoying kayo kyoku in the early 1980s. It has swing, class and any adjective I would add to anything that is in the sophisticated pop vein.

Well, a dozen years following that article, I'm finally putting up that B-side from the No. 1-hitting "Mr. Summertime". "Day Dreaming" is an appropriately breezy and classy tune that's pretty much a cousin to the A-side. This time, though, it isn't a cover of a French song but a homegrown tune. Machiko Ryu（竜真知子） was the lyricist while Junko Hirotani（広谷順子）took care of the basic melody with arranger Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）taking care of everything else. Put some of this between your headphones and ears for pure listening pleasure.