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.
Showing posts with label Masami Tsuchiya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Masami Tsuchiya. Show all posts
I've heard of author Franz Kafka and the adjective that he left us all: Kafkaesque meaning (according to the "Encyclopedia Britannica") to describe "...isolated protagonists facing bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible socio-bureaucratic powers. It has been interpreted as exploring themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity".
Catching Kafkaesque movies was never one of my pointed priorities in pop culture life but I think I have heard or seen a few such as Terry Gilliam's"Brazil" and then there was the B-plot in the overall OK "Ocean's Thirteen" with the poor hotel inspector going through his own existential hell as part of Danny's overall plan of revenge (happily, he gets a handsome reward in literally the final scene).
Strangely enough, I figured that if Kafkaesque ever deserved a soundtrack, there would be either a sinister French accordion or a boppy technopop layer. Well, I have apparently won the lottery since Masami Tsuchiya's（土屋昌巳）"KAFKA" featuring the Professor himself, Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）, has both (well, the accordion was actually a pianica). Sakamoto wrote, composed and arranged (and played most of the instruments for) this song with Tsuchiya on the electric guitar and Sakamoto intoning some lyrics hinting at a garbled incomplete message driving any Kafkaesque victim insane with frustration. The music also hints that the poor schlub must be going through some really horrendous battles.
"KAFKA" was placed onto Tsuchiya's June 1982 debut album"Rice Music". Might I say that Tsuchiya looks very handsome/pretty on that cover? He looks like a New Wave bellboy!
I shouldn't neglect the fact that March has indeed come in. Can't complain too much about the weather either since it's sunny and the temps are hovering at around freezing which isn't bad at all considering where we live and the time of year.
Kahoku Kohiruimaki（小比類巻かほる）is one of my favourite singers and I've acquired a number of her albums over the years except for the one whose thumbnail you can see at the top. I never got her 1988 4th album, "Hearts On Parade". With that jagged script on the cover and Kohhy looking rather ominous in that purple outfit, I couldn't be blamed if I'd assumed that she was trying out for the role of the Joker in Tim Burton's"Batman" a year later. That's a pretty ironic statement since she would be working with Prince soon enough, the same fellow who came up with "Batdance" for the movie at around the same time.
Well, since I don't have "Hearts on Parade", there are some new Kohhy songs to plumb even at this late stage in the kayo kyoku game. I've known the singer-songwriter for her very upbeat numbers such as her first big hit "Hold On Me" but she's also quite capable with the ballads as well. In fact, I remember the soulful "I'm Here" which was composed by the one-and-only Masayuki Suzuki（鈴木雅之）in 1987.
Martin is back again as he created another ballad for Kohiruimaki for "Hearts On Parade". "Mercy Me" was given words by the singer herself as she compares everything about an old flame to a beloved record of memories and voice. It's accompanied by some warm piano and even a trombone solo by Takaaki Hayakawa（早川隆章）. Masami Tsuchiya（土屋昌巳）was responsible for the arrangement. Kohhy does a great job here but I'm also wondering whether Martin has ever done a cover of this one.
Well, it's been a while since I've put up a Kyon-Kyon article and it's literally been years since I heard this particular song by Kyoko Koizumi（小泉今日子）.
"Mizu no Rouge" (Aqua Rouge) is the title for Koizumi's 21st single that was released in February 1987. It was created specifically for a Kanebo cosmetics commercial touting its Aqua Rouge lipstick, so everybody including Kanebo should have been satisfied.
Of course, if "Mizu no Rouge" was going to tout a big-name cosmetics product, the big songwriting guns had to work on this so it was up to lyricist Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）, composer Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）and arranger Masaaki Omura（大村雅朗）to come up with this aidoru tune with some more dance-pop oomph. As you can plainly see from the Kanebo commercial above, Kyon-Kyon doesn't have much of that pixyish and slightly fresh-mouthed teen appearance of her earlier days (well, she was already over 20 by that point), having a more mature look. Thank you, Kanebo! Her vocals even sound a bit deeper here.
"Mizu no Rouge" hit No. 1 and became the 32nd-ranked single for 1987. It was also placed onto her 11th original album"Phantasien" which came out in July of that year albeit it was rearranged into a "Berlin version" by Masami Tsuchiya（土屋昌巳）. The album peaked at No. 4.
When "Kayo Kyoku Plus" contributor nikala provided an article on Shizuoka-born musician, producer and singer Masami Tsuchiya（土屋昌巳）through "Stay in Heaven", like her, I started likening him to late 1980s David Bowie slightly in terms of his looks but much more in his presentation and choice of music. Tsuchiya and "Stay in Heaven" made for some very arresting viewing and listening.
As nikala also mentioned, "Stay in Heaven" is the first track on Tsuchiya's third album"Life in Mirrors" which was released in October 1987 which involved Minako Yoshida（吉田美奈子）and David Sylvian among others. Another banger is Track 4, "Mizu no Naka no Hotel", literally translated as "The Hotel in the Water" but given the flashier title of "Hotel Atlantis" instead. I gather that Aquaman needed a side job as a hotelier to afford all that rinse and conditioner for his hair living in seawater.
The same duo that created "Life in Mirrors" was also responsible for "Hotel Atlantis", Yasuo Sugibayashi (杉林恭雄) , himself the vocalist for the rock band Qujila（くじら）, taking care of the lyrics while Tsuchiya created the percolating melody and arrangement. I can only say that this Hotel Atlantis must be a really happening establishment underwater considering all of the instrumentalists having a party down there. I especially have to give kudos to guest jazz trumpeter Guy Barker from the UK for his scintillating solo. He had me thinking of everyone from Miles Davis at warp speed to Maynard Ferguson.
In all honesty, although I put "Hotel Atlantis" in the New Wave and Rock categories, I think something like this song rather traverses those boundaries. Doesn't matter...it's a cool song and I can only wonder if there was ever a remix version made of it.
It's been almost six years since I purchased "Loft Sessions, Vol. 1", an unusual album released in March 1978 consisting of songs of varying genres including City Pop performed by female vocalists who had an association with the live house chain Loft in Tokyo. There's even a J-Wiki article devoted to Loft which was first founded by former (then known as) Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications employee Yu Hirano（平野悠）in 1971 as a jazz café. After that, folk/rock branches of Loft were set up in areas such as Shimo-Kitazawa, Nishi-Ogikubo and Shinjuku.
I purchased the album which was featured in my City Pop bible of "Japanese City Pop" for a couple of reasons. One was that a pre-debut Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）had a couple of tracks in there which have already been written about in the blog, and the other is that I rather fell hard for that wonderful album cover with not only a great bird's-eye view of a city but also of the logo of a couple tripping the light fantastic. Unfortunately, it's taken quite a while for some of the other tracks on "Loft Sessions, Vol. 1" to see the light of day...or YouTube, but finally a number of those songs have appeared so I can write about them.
The first track is Kaoru Uemura's（上村かをる）cover of "Hoshikuzu"（星くず...Stardust）, originally created by Youma Fujita（藤田洋麻）and performed by band Makoto Kubota to Yuyake Gakudan（久保田麻琴と夕焼け楽団）back in 1977. The original has that mellow Margueritaville folksy vibe but Uemura takes things downtown disco with her version. I can see the Shinjuku or Roppongi glitter ball now.
Back a few days ago, I made my first article on Shizuru Ohtaka（おおたか静流）and her ethereal cover of the kayo classic "Kanashikute Yarikirenai"（悲しくてやりきれない）in 1992, and at the end, I remarked that Ohtaka had actually been singing since the late 1970s at least under the name Shizuko Ohtaka（大高静子）. Well, this is the song that she composed and recorded as the 2nd track on "Loft Sessions", "Black Coffee"（ブラック・コーヒー）.
With lyrics by Yasuki/Yasuteru Konishi（小西保輝）and music by Ohtaka herself about a cup of joe no longer being quite so bitter to perhaps indicate a woman getting over a broken heart, "Black Coffee" explodes out of the gate sounding quite progressive rock/pop and reminding me of a Joni Mitchell song. Ohtaka back then seemed to have a voice similar to that of City Pop/R&B chanteuse Minako Yoshida（吉田美奈子）, ranging from wafting and delicate to slightly growly. Masami Tsuchiya（土屋昌巳）of Ippu-Do and Minoya Central Station fame arranged this song which also wavers from that dramatic rock passage to some of that softer melodic contemplation in the café.
The above video uploaded by LX Archives is actually one of the not-so-full album (due to the usual copyright issues...ahem). However at 9:03 is the one song that I really wanted to feature from "Loft Sessions" and that is "Ame wa Itsuka"（雨はいつか...When is the Rain?）by singer/songwriter and guitarist Yoshiko Yoshida（吉田佳子）. A cover of a Sentimental City Romance song from the band's December 1977 3rd album"City Magic", this splendid song by SCR member Nobutaka Tsugei（告井延隆）is handsomely crafted into this version performed by Yoshida. I couldn't have asked for a more comforting folk-country kayo about a long walk or a long walk through life.
The performance here also includes a couple of guests, Koichi Matsuda（松田幸一）on harmonica and Ritsu Murakami（村上律）on steel pedal guitar, from a band that I had just written about yesterday, The Last Show（ザ・ラストショウ）. I would have included "Ame wa Itsuka" in its own article in comparison with the original by Sentimental City Romance since the video for it is up on YouTube, but I couldn't wait. However, I will tackle that one soon enough.
The last song that I'll put up here has the singer who started things off. Kaoru Uemura wrote and composed "Kyo kara"（きょうから・・・From Today）. It's a bluesy jazz ballad close to a torch song about a woman recovering from a hangover after a most interesting night with a fellow. She seems to be making amends for her follies but then near the end, the song takes a 90-degree turn and goes super funky for some reason. Perhaps the lass didn't learn her lesson after all.
Not sure whether founder Hirano ever decided to have a concert version of "Loft Sessions, Vol. 1" but that would have been quite the gig for everyone including the fans. There was never a Vol. 2 unfortunately, but recently a new version of the 1978 album was released called "Loft Sessions, Vol. 1 Outtakes" which includes most of the original tracks (but not the Takeuchi and Ohtaka entries) on one CD with another CD featuring outtakes of those originals.
Happy Hump Day to you and yours. Yesterday, I was happy to get my package from Logic Store fairly quickly and in it was indeed the rare 1983 album "Tsukihime" by singer-songwriter Mioko Yamaguchi（山口美央子）. Buoyed from nikala's original 2014 article on two of the tracks from the album, the title song and "Koi wa Shunkan"（恋は春感）, and then my own discovery of the wonderfully techno-Japanesque "Satemo Appare Yume Zakura"（さても天晴れ 夢桜）, I stated my desire to purchase it and sure enough, Toshi from Logic Store assured me that CDs of her albums could be bought there. So first off, many thanks to him for the tip.
All of the tracks were written and composed by Yamaguchi. I will be referring to some of the liner notes given by the singer herself regarding some of the tracks.
The first track is "Yugao ~ Aware"（夕顔 -あはれ-...Yugao ~ Sorrow）which starts off the album contemplatively and according to Yamaguchi, the song is based on the character of Yugao from the legendary Tale of Genji from Japanese literature. Now, the University of Toronto did offer an entire course to the epic story but I never took it despite my major in Japanese Studies since I frankly wasn't a huge literature fan although I had to read my Mishima and Natsume. So the Tale of Genji is unknown to me but Yugao was one of the ladies that Genji encountered and apparently although her appearance in the story was relatively brief and sad, her consequential appeal to the protagonist was very far-lasting.
Unfortunately the lyrics sheet in the album was too small for me to read (my eyes aren't all that strong) but I enjoyed the song which, now that I have read a little about the character, seems to frame her story. Plus, the overall Japanesque tone for the album starts with the ringing of one of the quintessential summer symbols in the country, the fuurin（風鈴...wind chimes）.
"Yugao" was also the B-side to the single version of "Satemo Appare Yume Zakura".
Track No. 2,"Natsu"（夏...Summer）, mixes in some more of the technopop. It has more of a Chinese influence, I think, in terms of the melody. Speaking of Mishima, Yamaguchi noted that her lyrics were inspired partially from "The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea" and from another one of his creations. My favourite part of this tune was how the horn-sounding synths suddenly went on a crescendo as if something rose from that very ocean. "Natsu" was Yamaguchi's 3rd single from 1982.
"Hakuchuumu"（白昼夢...Daydreaming） fulfills its title with a dreamy melody. Usually when it comes to daydreams, I often associate kids in their classrooms after lunch to which annoyed teachers would throw chalk or even a textbook if they're particularly unhappy. This "Hakuchuumu" is more for the adults who may not be in an especially happy point in their lives. The thing here is, though, that the grownups know how to conceal their daydreaming better in their cubicles or offices which may not be a good thing in this case.
(9:57)
"Shizumi Yuku"（沈みゆく...Sinking Down） is a short song with only a piano and a Roland TR-808 as her musical accompaniment, so the nostalgia factor may be imbued right in every note since according to Wikipedia, since the pioneering drum machine was discontinued in 1983. Again, I was unable to read the lyrics but the slowly undulating melody reminded me of waves while someone is right in the middle of them...perhaps trying not to do what the title is saying. For some reason, I think Yamaguchi's voice really comes to the fore here.
As you may have guessed, the "Tsukihime" album is an overall introspective album that I think would be ideal to listen to on a slow summer day or perhaps even a rainy Sunday over some chamomile tea. However, the final track "Koi wa Shunkan"（恋は春感...Love is the Feeling of Spring） is a pretty upbeat, even skippy, way to finish off the album.
Coming out as Yamaguchi's 4th single in 1983, the song has already been featured in nikala's article but I wanted to give my two (non-existent Canadian) cents about the number since it is pretty reminiscent of some of Taeko Ohnuki's（大貫妙子）fun little technopop singles from around the same time. Not surprisingly, it was crafted for a Kose cosmetics commercial.
According to J-Wiki, "Tsukihime" was the only album by Yamaguchi to get onto the Oricon charts, getting as high as No. 64. However for the singer, this would be her final release. Afterwards, she would continue her career as just a songwriter for a number of other singers. All of the arrangements were by Masami Tsuchiya（土屋昌巳）from the New Wave group Ippu-Do（一風堂）. Supposedly her earlier albums were arranged by Akira Inoue（井上鑑）so will be looking forward to hearing those as well.
This does bring me to my disclosure. I did purchase "Tsukihime" from Logic Store thanks to Toshi. He was also very magnanimous in sending me Yamaguchi's first two albums"Yume Hiko"（夢飛行）and "Nirvana" as free samples for which I'm grateful. I will be talking about those releases in future articles in February. If you are interested in any of the albums after reading this or coming across the videos on YouTube, you can check them out here.
Well, I figure it was going to happen to me someday, but I got word from CD Japan that my order for a certain compilation on Techno Kayo would have to be cancelled since not only was the disc out of print but there wasn't enough demand to make it worthwhile for the originating producer. I'm a bit disappointed, of course, but knowing that I usually go for the older and rarer albums, I was due for some rejection.
So, in the meantime, I came across this catchy Techno Kayo number by New Wave-yIppu-do（一風堂）titled "Moonlight Magic". Written and composed by the vocalist, Masami Tsuchiya（土屋昌巳）, as the band's final single in April 1984, I'm not sure how it did on the charts but it was used for a Mitsubishi commercial. And for me, it has that really delectable poppy beat filtered through all those 80s electronics that had me getting all electro-nostalgic again.
Thank goodness for the huge size of Japanese music market. It's like a bottomless pit of hidden gems to discover. Just yesterday, I came across this playful yet pleasant techno tune from 1983 by a singer-songwriter Mioko Yamaguchi (山口美央子) and it just made me feel all warm inside. I think with the temperatures here in Gifu rising, which means the blossom season is upon us about a month from now (still early, I know), I've been in a mood for something with a traditional vibe. "Tsukihime ~Moonlight Princess~" (月姫) delivers exactly that, even though the lyrics have nothing to do with sakura and the like, and the bouncy techno colors it with joy. Yamaguchiwrote and composed this song and Masami Tsuchiya (土屋昌巳) handled the arrangement. His involvement is always welcome.
There's not much information available on Yamaguchi. Her singing career was very brief, lasting between 1980 and 1985 during which she released only three studio albums and one best-of, and as I'm writing this, none of these have been remastered on CD. Her most successful release was the third album "Tsukihime", which peaked at No.64 on Oricon weeklees and sold about 5000 copies. According to J-Wiki, she was labeled as a "synth utahime" due to how her elegant vocals combined with the synthesized sound. From mid-80's on, she withdrew to the background to compose songs for singers like Miki Imai, Junichi Inagaki, Masayuki Suzuki, and Yuki Saito. I found a site that lists some of those works. She had great potential as a singer though.
Back to springtime, "Koi wa Shunkan" (恋は春感) from "Tsukihime" sounds more springlike than the titular track, but I felt like highlighting that one for some reason. Either way, both songs are wonderful, and this one in particular gives me Akiko Yano vibes. Perhaps I should hunt down that LP after all, even though it must be pretty rare.
To tell the truth, I chose the labels for this entry quite liberally since there's too much going on here. Yep, this is fusion alright, with funk, rock, pop and exotic sounds from the Middle East working together in perfect harmony. I first heard it back in 2008 when I was busy exploring Japan's techno and new wave scene from the 80's. Naturally, I checked out Ippu-Do (一風堂) and got introduced to the solo work of their leader Masami Tsuchiya (土屋昌巳). When it was turn to try out his 3rd1987album, "Life in Mirrors", I was startled by the sudden change of sound that the opening track "Stay in Heaven" presented. I never heard this side of him before. Only this past year I found out through this blog that he has created some funky songs for Junko Ohashi (大橋純子) back in the 70's even before Ippu-Do debuted. This man also knows how to groove.
Needless to say, I welcomed this song gleefully. It's such an irresistible and eclectic number that brings to mind a dance festival in oriental paradise. The brass band is very busy here. I also enjoy Tsuchiya's Bowie-like vocals since they have this story-telling effect. He composed and arranged the song while Yasuo Sugibayashi (杉林恭雄) provided the lyrics. While doing research for this article, I was further amazed by all the personnel that was involved in "Life in Mirrors". Of course, there was Tsuchiya's regular collaborator Mick Karn, along with David Sylvian, John Taylor, and Guy Barker from one side of the Pacific. The Japanese musicians, including Satoshi Nakamura (中村哲), Ichiro Nitta (新田一郎) and Kazuto Shimizu (清水一登), were prolific in the country's City Pop and kayokyoku scene and took care of all the horns action. As a cherry on top, the flawless Minako Yoshida (吉田美奈子) participated in the back chorus. You can hear her voice on this track.
Strangely enough, the first time I'd heard of this Japanese New Wave band was on the legendary Toronto program, "The New Music"when J.D. Roberts (now John Roberts, former CNN anchor) and Jeanne Beker had a special episode on the music of Japan. My first thought of the vocalist was that Duran Duran should have recruited him on the spot.
Ippu-Do（一風堂）was formed in 1979 with Masami Tsuchiya（土屋昌巳）as that lead vocal. I mentioned this when I profiled Junko Ohashi's（大橋純子）1977 album, "Crystal City", but Tsuchiya was the guitarist behind the track, "Funky Little Queenie". It wasn't until July 1982, though, that Ippu-Do hit paydirt with its 6th single, Tsuchiya-penned "Sumire September Love"（Violet September Love). Reminding me of some of YMO's earliest hits like "Tong Poo"and "Firecracker" in melody, Tsuchiya's vocals glide through Machiko Ryu's（竜真知子）lyrics like skates on ice.
The song managed to peak at No. 2 on the Oricon charts. Selling 450,000 records, "Sumire" also got picked up as the campaign song for a Kanebo Cosmetics commercial starring Brooke Shields. The above video has "The Best Ten" program handing it off to Ippu-Do at the Liverpool Empire Theatre in England. At the time, Tsuchiya was part of the world tour for UK band Japan. Ippu-Do, by the way, was named for a discount store located in Shibuya, Tokyo.
In October 1997, one of the big bands of Visual-Kei (Japan's version of Glam Rock), SHAZNA, released a cover of "Sumire September Love" as its 2nd single. Tsuchiya couldn't have asked for a better person to hand the baton to. It also peaked at No. 2 and was the 54th-ranked song of 1997. It can also be found on SHAZNA's 1st album, "Gold Sun and Silver Moon" released in January 1998.
This was another album, Ohashi's fourth, purchased at Tacto from the recommendations of "Japanese City Pop", although remastered Junko Ohashi（大橋純子） albums are now available at the big shops like Tower Records.
Junko Ohashi is another one of those veteran singers who never ended up appearing daily or weekly on countdown shows or in commercials but still garnered a loyal fan base with her music and powerful voice. So, it's a bit ironic that her two biggest hits "Silhouette Romance"（シルエット・ロマンス）and "Tasogare, My Love"(たそがれマイ・ラブ）have her singing relatively quietly.
Even the reviewer for "Crystal City" in "Japanese City Pop", Yutaka Kimura（木村ユタカ）, relates his surprise on hearing the album and realizing how much soulful power she had belted out a few years before her biggest commercial hits came out.
The above video is for the title track right at the top of the lineup. A soul number, Ohashi sends her love for the titular city, whether it be Tokyo or New York, by referring to the 52nd-floor sky restaurant, the highways, the subways and the smell of fresh ink from a newspaper. Clearly, she's taken a more positive attitude toward urban life than Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子） who tended to disdain it through some of her songs. Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）was responsible for the lyrics with Ohashi's husband, Ken Sato（佐藤健）, taking care of the music here.
"Funky Little Queenie"was a revelation for both me and Kimura. As the title suggests, this is a funk number on the order of Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music" in which Ohashi belts out her inner demons. It was written and composed by the guitarist in Ohashi's backup band, Minoya Central Station（美乃家セントラル・ステイション）. Masami Tsuchiya （土屋昌巳）would later become famous as the lead singer in New Wave/Technopop band, Ippu-Do（一風堂）, famous for their 1982 big hit "Sumire September Love"（すみれ September Love).
