Masahito Arai -- Kimi wa Ima...（君は今...）

 

I figure that up north of here, Unionville is getting ready for another round of Xmas activity. I've mentioned this to Scott who's in charge of the podcast "Holly Jolly X'masu" (and I realize that his last entry was all the way back in January, but he's been very busy this year) that Unionville is basically the Normal Rockwell scene for the Toronto area, so it's not surprising that a lot of folks want to make that drive to the area in December if not already.

My apologies for raving about this again but I've always enjoyed the cover of singer-songwriter Masahito Arai's（新井正人）"MASAHITO ARAI" album from 1987 because of its depiction of a streetscape that reminds me a lot of the main street in Unionville. Ironically, my most recent article involving Arai was back in early 2022 for a track from that very album. But this time, I'm now introducing the first track from "MASAHITO ARAI", "Kimi wa Ima..." (Now, You Are...) with the lyrics by Ayuko Ishikawa（石川あゆ子） telling the story of a guy who's still swooning over his ex-girlfriend with heartrending questions like "Who's loving you now?".

The music by Arai is pretty darn snazzy though with an arrangement that sounds more urban and urbane than that cover's streetscape. I'm always gonna be a sucker for nocturnal horns...and a good sax solo. Reminiscing over lost loves isn't usually this cool.

Masahito Arai -- Dance, Dance, Dance（ダンス，ダンス，ダンス）

 

Just before Xmas last year, I brought singer-songwriter Masahito Arai（新井正人）onto "Kayo Kyoku Plus" for the first time with his "Fuyu no Photograph"（冬のフォトグラフ）from his first album as a solo artist titled "MASAHITO ARAI" from October 1987.

That song kinda straddled the line nicely between City Pop and straight-ahead pop, and the same can be said for another track from "MASAHITO ARAI", "Dance, Dance, Dance". Written and composed by Arai himself, it's a song that keeps within a certain range in terms of beat but it still has its mellower and dynamic parts. There's also an electric guitar which periodically enters the soundscape to add some more coolness to the proceedings.

Still don't know who did the appealing cover for the album but it's still cute and stylish at the same time. It reminds me a little of the main street of Unionville which is a scenic community north of Toronto; the area is also popular during the Holidays.

Masahito Arai -- Fuyu no Photograph（冬のフォトグラフ）

 

Just a seasonal photograph of the Mitsukoshi Department Store in Ginza passing through.

I've seen the name of singer-songwriter Masahito Arai（新井正人）from place to place and time to time, but this is the first time that I've included him in the annals of "Kayo Kyoku Plus", so I bid him welcome at last. Arai began his career in 1977, first as the vocalist for the band Diary（ダイアリー）and then in the same position for the vocal group PAL in 1979.

According to his J-Wiki profile, Arai has been involved in anison and City Pop. I can't really speak for that first category here, but his "Fuyu no Photograph" (Winter Photograph) has got some of that urban flavour through the brassy rhythms of the saxophone and then the electric guitar. This is a track on his debut solo album "MASAHITO ARAI" released in October 1987 with the singer behind the music and Akira Kogure（木暮陽）handling the lyrics. Just from the general arrangement and Arai's vocals, I also get some Shogo Hamada（浜田省吾）and perhaps even Toshiki Kadomatsu（角松敏生）vibes.

Initially, I'd thought that "Fuyu no Photograph" would be good enough to bring in as a musical harbinger of winter which is just a few days away, but then with the faint jingle bells in the background and Arai's constant reminder of "Holy night", I guess this could also be indeed a Christmas tune. By the way, I really like the design of the album cover for "MASAHITO ARAI", and I've noticed that Arai retained him for some of his other albums. The design does look familiar so if anyone recognizes who the designer is, let us know.

Pal -- Please Catch Me

I've been enjoying a number of the videos from the YouTube channel, Kimi no Station: The Home of City Pop over the past several months, and I found this interesting album by a vocal group called Pal. I don't know long the band had been around but at least it's been before 1978 since the original vocalist Yuji Ozeki（尾関裕司）left Pal then with singer-songwriter Masahito Arai（新井正人）taking over, according to the description on Kimi no Station's video.

In 1980, Pal released the album "Catch Me" and the first track is "Please Catch Me" (I guess they were being very Canadian). According to the JASRAC database, it was written and composed by Takaki Funabashi（船橋孝樹）; I've never heard of this person before so perhaps he may have been part of the band. In any case, from just this song, I get the impression that the sound of the band is a mix between Off Course and The Doobie Brothers. It's summery AOR with a hint of folk and as refreshing as a mint julep.

According to the same source, Pal finally broke up in 1982 with Arai pursuing a solo career. Now as I listen to the second track, "Satin Doll Night", I'm considering whether I can track this gem of an album down.