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.
Well, I figure if I can reference the latest Marvel flick "Thunderbolts*" a few days ago, I can throw in Johnny Storm the Human Torch for this one.
A few years ago, I profiled a 1979 album "Radio Moon and Roses 1979Hz", a collaboration between the band Moonriders（ムーンライダーズ）and singer-songwriter Nanako Sato（佐藤奈々子）which came about from the latter's relatively recent discovery of recorded but unaired tunes that she had done with the former decades previously.
One of the songs on the album that I hadn't covered in the original 2022 article is Moonriders and Sato's cover of the former's "Hinotama Boy"(Fireball Boy). Written and composed by Keiichi Suzuki（鈴木慶一）, it's a combination of hot and sultry Sato with Suzuki giving a bluesy rock vocal performance along the lines of a young Tom Waits (still a few bottles of hard liquor away from getting that Waits growl) as the lyrics tell of a life of a young lad living life rough in the big city...maybe an updated version of Hibari Misora's（美空ひばり）Shoeshine Boy (or Girl). Can't help but think of the two sashaying across a rough wooden floor in a honky-tonk dive bar deep downtown as they are performing "Hinotama Boy" which strikes me as something rather prog rock, especially with the violin in there.
As I mentioned above, the track on "Radio Moon" is a cover of the original Moonriders' title track from the January 1976"Hinotama Boy" album, and that original is even snazzier with some jazzier arrangements in there. This time, the venue isn't an alleyway honky-tonk but a cabaret club a grade higher with room for those cool horns. Also, the video above provided by kun hoh is absolutely top-notch and an obvious labour of love that was first put up about a decade ago.
There were a number of stars helping out on the original such as Hiroshi Sato（佐藤博）, Akiko Yano（矢野顕子）and Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）. In fact, according to the J-Wiki writeup on the album, Suzuki had based the song on Hosono's way of music. Finally, if I were to Marvelize this song, it wouldn't be "FLAME ON!" but "Simmer...".
I kinda felt like saying to the lady on the cover there something to the effect of "Uh, Miss, did you forget to wear something this morning? Awfully chilly today". Anyways, this is the cover for an album titled "Guuzen no Deai"（偶然の出逢い...Chance Encounter） which was released sometime in 1979 and is a release by a singer named Kozo Mori（もりこうぞう）. To be frank, at this point, that's really all I have about this fellow. Even the person behind the description of "Guuzen no Deai" at the website Dessinee Shop isn't even sure whether the singer is male or female. I'm pretty sure that it's a high-toned guy, though.
Just for the record, the photo was taken by the famous photographer Kishin Shinoyama（篠山紀信）who passed away late last year. But I want to turn you over to one of the tracks on "Guuzen no Deai", "Dance, Dance, Dance" by the mysterious Mori and the famous band Moonriders（ムーンライダーズ）. The guy at Dessinee Shop and I agree that the song is pleasantly rollicking, pulling in bits from rock, New Music and City Pop and I wouldn't mind hearing this in a car bombing down the highway...heading to a destination with a lot of surf and margaritas. Try as I could though, I couldn't find out who wrote and composed the happy-go-lucky "Dance, Dance, Dance"; there is an image of the liner sheet for the album but I couldn't magnify it enough to read the pertinent information behind who had made the song.
By chance, if anyone out there knows who Mori is, please let me know.
I've already mentioned the fact in the last few days on Twitter, but as I was scrolling down "The Japan Times" online, I found an article titled "Nanako Sato brings back the groove of a bygone era" dated August 22nd, 2022. In it, the singer-songwriter（佐藤奈々子）that I had first discovered in the pages of "Japanese City Pop" related her surprise reunion with a spate of songs that she had recorded live with the rock band the Moonriders（ムーンライダーズ）in a radio station studio back in 1979 via a long-lost CD that was passed onto her via acquaintances. Those songs have now been placed into an album titled "Radio Moon and Roses 1979Hz" which was earlier in August on CD and Spotify. It consists of songs that both Sato and the Moonriders recorded in their respective earlier works; for Sato, her songs came from her 1977 album"Pillow Talk", while for the Moonriders, their tunes originated from the following albums: their 1976 "Hinotama Boy"（火の玉ボーイ...Fireball Boy）, "Istanbul Mambo" from 1977, and "Nouvelles Vague" from 1978.
By the way, "The Japan Times" allows unsubscribed readers to go through an entire article just once unscathed before they stop you from reading a second time so that you can set up an account with them. So, unless you are interested in getting a subscription with the newspaper, get to the article that one time and do a copy-and-paste if you plan to peruse it more than once.
I'll cover about half the album since I don't want to steal all of your spirit of adventure in exploring this fascinating set of eight tracks, although I may decide to check out some of those other songs in future individual articles. Let's begin with the first song "Swimmer"（スイマー）which was originally on the aforementioned "Nouvelles Vague". Written and composed by vocalist Keiichi Suzuki（鈴木慶一）, it's a hit-the-surf-running tune in this version as it takes on the rock side of New Music, and especially with Moonrider Masahiro Takekawa（武川雅寛）going off on his violin, I thought things were pretty progressive rock or progressive pop. If I've read the lyrics correctly, the song is about comparing getting into the love game with trying to swim through turbulent waters.
Nanako Sato is on the lead here as she purrs her own "Coin Laundry"（コインランドリー）which originated from her "Pillow Talk" LP. Sato took care of words and music along with her boyfriend at the time, Motoharu Sano（佐野元春）, also helping out on the melody. With all of the tracks coming from previous albums, I'm interested in hearing them all on those records, but I'm especially intrigued by "Coin Laundry" which may be the sexiest tune about a clothes-washing establishment ever made. I have to check out the original version, but I'm already sold on the song as-is here on "Radio Moon", thanks to the 1970s City Pop "haze" synthesizer effect, the jazziness of it all, and Sato's breathy bedroom vocals (plus Takekawa's violin) which has me thinking this as a Fashion Music piece. Mind you, instead of her draped on a grand piano, she must be lying on top of a Maytag.
"Black Pepper Jealousy"（ブラックペッパー・ジェラシー）is also from Sato's"Pillow Talk" and has Sato and Sano working on this one as well. It's not only got more of a tropical paradise feeling, but it sounds like a number that Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）and Tin Pan Alley（ティン・パン・アレー）would have shaken up like some cocktail at a Tiki bar. By the way, Sato's thank yous and introductions are very appealingly distracting.
The final track on "Radio Moon and Roses 1979Hz" is "Jub Up Family" (ジャブ・アップ・ファミリー), a song which got its KKP article all the way back in March 2013, thanks to contributor nikala. Armed with a truly Devo-esque music video and a New Wave spirit that predated the genre by a couple of years, this was one bizarrely fun song to first hear. As performed on "Radio Moon", "Jub Up Family" takes on more of a Gypsy Jazz and Hosono tropical feeling once more as even Sato gets involved in this lyrical fight between a married couple.
By no means is my selection here a representation of my favourite tracks. I think that all of the tracks are great and would like to read some of your comments about the above and the ones that I have yet to talk about. "Radio Moon and Roses 1979Hz" is a wonderful discovery by me and a delightful re-discovery for Sato and presumably the Moonriders themselves. It's always nice to unearth some long-lost treasure.
Man, that sample jellyfish photo from the computer has sure come in handy today.
I had lunch with my good friend, Shard, and we ended up at the newest branch of the Santouka ramen franchise in The Annex. As usual, we had some good talk on music, the life of Anthony Bourdain and sci-fi from decades past. He was kind enough to pass me some books of the genre such as William Gibson's works including "Neuromancer". We even talked about "Logan's Run", the novel and its movie adaptation. For those who may not know about the story behind this particular book, it's about a so-called utopian society on Earth centuries from now...the only catch being that people are no longer allowed to exist beyond the age of 21 (in the movie with Michael York and Jenny Agutter, the age is 30). Shard posited that the 1967 story was inspired by the perception back in those days that adults were no longer to be trusted.
Well, coincidentally, I was thinking about doing this song since it is September 1st today. I also mention the word "coincidentally" since the source album for this Moonriders'（ムーンライダーズ）song is titled "Don't Trust Over Thirty" (November 1986). Not sure if any of the songwriters had seen or read "Logan's Run".
Anyways "Ku-gatsu no Umi wa Kurage no Umi" is translated as "The September Sea is the Jellyfish Sea". It kinda sounds like a rather Beatles-ish tune or perhaps it could be ELO. Maybe the melody by Moonriders' keyboardist Toru Okada（岡田徹）has that rather twangy and loopy feel since it was meant to emulate the movements of jellyfish?
The lyrics by Kenzo Saeki（サエキけんぞう）also have a certain loopy quality about it...perhaps rather late 60s in inspiration; I'm thinking of "MacArthur's Park" or "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". I think they refer to a fellow's perception of someone he likes as a person he knows nothing about but can feel everything about and as someone he has always been searching for but cannot see. However, as the lyrics go on, the song may simply be about a visitor's love for jellyfish at the nearest aquarium. A bit of a joke, but perhaps this could be Moonriders' equivalent of The Beatles'"Octopus's Garden"?
Going into the Canada Day long weekend, summer is definitely beating us with a large stick. I'm keeping the blinds and windows closed as the outside temperatures hit 36 degrees with a 42-degree Humidex. Supposedly, the Middle East today has lower temps.
Anyways, listening to the latest purchase in the "Light Mellow" series, "Wing", I found the Moonriders'（ムーンライダーズ）"Jealousy". Seeing that outside of nikala's article on them performing the bizarre technopoppy "Jub Up Family" (ジャブ・アップ・ファミリー), there hadn't been any article featuring the band itself (although they are represented on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" for a few other articles as songwriters) until today, I think it was time to put in their second feature as musicians.
nikala's article mentioned that Moonriders delved into a number of genres such as technopop, disco and New Wave. However, "Jealousy", the band's 2nd single from 1977, is none of those. Actually, it kinda fits hand-in-glove with breezy American 1970s pop which was probably considered to be in Japan's New Music category then. Vocalist Keiichi Suzuki（鈴木慶一）, who also composed "Jealousy", also operated the Yamaha synthesizer CS-60 (according to the "Wing" liner notes) whose sounds kept things going at a brisk pace. Younger brother and bassist Hirobumi Suzuki（鈴木博文）was also behind the lyrics.
The other notable thing is Keiichi's voice which to me sounds like 10% Joe Cocker and perhaps 90% Boz Scaggs. Both his vocals and the electric guitar periodically seem to take things into a slightly more rock direction. "Jealousy" is also a track on Moonriders' 3rd album"Istanbul Mambo" which was released in October 1977.
Well, I was going to keep it to two articles of my own today but then I saw this video, and I simply had to get this one in. This is one of those rare gems that might come across my vision once in a blue moon and there is no sign of a blue moon tonight.
What I am talking about is this music video for "Haru Shite, Koi Shite, Mitsumete, Kiss Shite" (Make It Spring, Fall In Love, Look For It, Kiss Me) by this New Wave band called Portable Rock (ポータブル・ロック) which had its heyday between 1983 and 1986. And what is notable about it is who was fronting the band as its vocalist. It was none other than the lady who would half a decade later become the Divine Ms. M of Pizzicato Five, Maki Nomiya（野宮真貴）. I actually and somewhat offhandedly threw out the trivia that Nomiya had been part of this group in one of the first P5 articles I wrote, "Baby Portable Rock" back in early 2013, never knowing that I would ever witness an actual video from Portable Rock itself.
When Nomiya started her solo career in 1981, her backing musicians at her debut concert happened to be Nobuo Nakahara (中原信雄...bass) and Tomofumi Suzuki (鈴木智文...guitar). The following year, they decided to make it a permanent professional relationship by creating Portable Rock. However during their 3 years of existence, they never really hit it big although "Haru Shite Koi Shite, Mitsumete, Kiss Shite" was a tie-up song for the spring campaign for Kose Cosmetics in 1986. The song was written by Saeko Suzuki（鈴木さえ子）and composed by Keiichi Suzuki（鈴木慶一）of the Moonriders.
Still, it is interesting to see Nomiya in her mid-20s prancing about like a proto-version of her Shibuya-kei self singing a cute technopop commercial jingle. Now, I just gotta track down some of her solo stuff even before Portable Rock!
This was a pretty interesting album to pick up just on the cover alone which looked like something from one of my old science textbooks. And it was rather outside of the range of the usual PSY-S album covers so it was a done deal with my wallet. "Collection" or perhaps the proper title is "PSY-S Presents 'Collection'" was released in February 1987 as a collaborative effort between the technohappy duo of CHAKA and Masaya Matsuura（松浦雅也）and a whole number of other musicians based on an old NHK radio show called "Sound Street".
The song that starts things off is "Wake Up" which I already wrote about all the way back in 2012. I realized that I got my yen's worth just on hearing this OJ of a song. CHAKA and Matsuura concocted the tune with a whole melange of instruments including electric guitar, bombing drums and chirpy synths seemingly hell-bent on waking the listener up.
When I came across the video of Track 2 "Dream Soup"（ドリーム・スープ）, that was my impetus for getting this article together. As the title may imply, the song seems to be a combination of a cute kid's song and something more psychedelic. I especially enjoyed the weird synths employed throughout the song. Written by the lead vocalist of the all-girl rock band ZELDA, Sayoko Takahashi（高橋佐代子）, and composed by Matsuura and the Moonriders' keyboardist/vocalist Toru Okada（岡田徹）, Takahashi, CHAKA and cute little Natsumi Shimazaki performed this one.
Another reason that I purchased "Collection" was for the presence of one of my favourite songs by PSY-S,"Woman-S". Again like "Wake Up", I have already given my two cents about the song in the past. This is yet another version of "Woman-S",bossa nova, to be exact. At first, I was disappointed in this version since it didn't have all of that excitement from the very first take that I had heard on PSY-S' first BEST compilation, "Two Hearts", but since I have become somewhat of a convert to the Brazilian genre over the past couple of decades, I'm now much more accepting of it. The video above also has one more track from "Collection", "Silent Song" but I think it deserves its own article which I will do in the near future.
One track from the album that unfortunately couldn't be found anywhere online is "Honto no Uso"（本当の嘘...True Lies）. It's also another relaxing bossa nova number by acoustic guitar duo GonTiti（ゴンチチ）which is one of the highlights. Although Gonzalez Mikami and Titi Matsumura（ゴンザレス三上・チチ松村）wrote, composed and sang the number, Matsuura provided arrangement and keyboards while CHAKA was on backup chorus. (November 18 2018: Found it!)
Happy New Year, everyone! After JTM's, Marcos', and J-Canuck's
great entries on what they consider the best of the best in 80's Japanese
music, it's time for me to offer my take. To be honest, I've never
earnestly thought about such a list before because I liked talking about songs I enjoy on their own without isolating others. But given the occasion and everyone's enthusiasm for this project, I gave it a go. Picking out only 10 songs
from the hundreds and thousands that go through my ears on a regular
basis wasn't an easy task for sure, so I reflected on what obstacles
I used to face with making rankings and decided that my Top 10 list
would focus on songs that remained fresh and memorable to me even
after multiple listens and those that basically influenced my taste
in old Japanese music as I grew up with it from a preteen into an adult.
This ended up sounding similar to J-Canuck's criteria, but at the end
of the day, music is personal and so are rankings.
Moreover and to spare further
headaches, I decided to avoid ranking these from least to most
favorite. So the order in which I listed these songs doesn't matter,
since they're all equally special to me for their own unique reasons.
1. Off Course -- Kotoba ni Dekinai [オフコース -- 言葉にできない] (1982)
There isn't a single ballad out there
that makes a bigger emotional impact on me than this one. With its
resonant melody and Kazumasa Oda's heartfelt vocals, it's one of the
most genuine love songs dealing with heartbreak. Some emotions don't
require words, just like the “la la la”s that ring throughout the
refrain. I first heard Oda's remake in a 2006 film “Tegami”, and
from then on I sought other songs by the singer and the early 80's
pop scene that the song belonged to. I was never a fan of ballads up
to that point, yet “Kotoba ni Dekinai” alone changed that
mindset. That's why it's so important to me.
There were tons of candidates for my top technopop song, but Yano's quirky and sweet “Hitotsudake”
just had to be the one. That melody cannot be mistaken for any other,
and the technopoppy synths that build up in the bridge and drive it
towards the chorus give this happy-go-lucky song a nice edge. I can't help but smile whenever I listen to it. It reminds me of my best friendships and long-lasting bonds. While it was
not the first time YMO contributed to Yano's solo material, I think
“Hitotsudake” and the whole “Gohan ga Dekita yo” album was when the quality of their work was at its height. It was also the first technopop song I liked before warming up to YMO's individual sound.
3. Minako Yoshida -- Town [吉田美奈子 -- TOWN] (1982)
Whenever I think of City Pop, this song
always pops up in my head. Right from that multilayered urban sound
containing some of the most thrilling bass, drumming and horns I've
ever heard, it proudly declares “This is a big city!”. Yoshida may
not be someone who sells many records, but she definitely has a lot
of talent and has proven to be one of Japan's greatest R&B and funk artists. It's interesting to note that only about half of
the song features her singing, while the rest goes into an epic
instrumental rampage that brings to mind a sleepless city. And I never want it to end.
For pop-rock I've decided to nominate
Sano's bluesy ballad “Heartbeat”. The live arrangement featured
above is the one that particularly strikes me. Must be the tingly
synths right before the chorus. Love everything about this song: the introspective melody, emotional saxophone, Sano's
tough yet vulnerable delivery, and the harmonica that closes the
piece with a melancholic mood. Sano has intrigued the listeners
with his talent and versatility over the years, and this song was one
of the earliest examples of that. I always have to stop what I'm
doing and focus whenever this comes on my mp3 player, and this has already happened many times.
I've been a fan of Japanese New Wave
for nearly 10 years now, always thinking back to Moonriders and how
they furthered my interest in Japanese music as a creative force of
its own. This song just works as it crosses many genre boundaries
like folk, pop and doo-wop while remaining perfectly structured and
melodic at the same time. That's basically my formula for a great
song: adventurous but easy to follow. Moonriders were one of the
first artists to show me that (before I came across New Music and City Pop). This is one of those songs that you
can come back to again and again and still pick out interesting
details. And there's that eccentric wonder to the melody that I've
found inspirational for some reason.
Somewhat related to Eiichi Ohtaki's
sudden passing last month, Moonriders' drummerTetsuro Kashibuchi (かしぶち哲郎) lost battle to esophageal cancer on December 17th. What a way to end the year.
6. Tomoko Tane -- Katakoi Doumei [種ともこ -- 片恋同盟] (1986)
“Katakoi Doumei” may not have been
a single, but it was surely the most impressive highlight in Tane's
second album “Minna Ai no Sei ne.” and my personal favorite from
her catalogue. It's both dynamic and ethereal at the same time, kind of
like an action-packed children's story book. The way Tane switches between
the titular and secondary lyrics in the chorus as the background rhythm beats
like a clock is just wonderful, and there's a beautiful twist to
the melody in the center of the song. Whoever came up with that synth
arrangement was clever in making an ordinary tune into something
more.
7. Rebecca -- One More Kiss (1988)
I was never a big fan of Rebecca minus some songs, but this one is simply delightful. It's hard for
me to find words to describe how beautiful it
is. And even with the
nostalgic sound, it remains timeless at the same time. Growing
up in the 90's, I first only enjoyed 80's music for its novelty factor, but hearing songs like sparked my interest even further. Then I realized they don't really make music like this anymore. I particularly enjoyed the slight reggae touch to the
arrangement in the verses and instrumental bits. Also,
Nokko's vocals in the song strike a nice balance between sweet and sensual, something that appeals to me.
Hats off to the video director for providing all the gorgeous visuals and
making the song even more special.
Shortie but a goodie. There have been a
mini-trend in the 80's of reviving the sounds of the 50's and 60's
thanks to acts such as The Checkers and Ohtaki. Not to take anything
from them, but I have to say that Matsuo's debut single “Itoshi no
Rosie” will always be my favorite when it comes to these retro throwbacks. Matsuo originally started off as a member of a British-style pop/techno group Cinema in 1981 before he went solo and polished
the old style even further. His debut single is full of charming
instrumentation especially the drum beat and percussions which I've gotten quite
addicted to. And even though the lyrics are kinda cheesy, I think the eclectic
arrangement makes up for it. The song just “sparkles”, for the
lack of a better word.
9. Mari Iijima -- Ai Oboetemasuka [飯島真理 -- 愛・おぼえていますか] (1984)
I apologize for a slight overlap with
JTM's list, but as far as 80's idol pop goes, Iijima's
signature song will always be the most memorable for me and not
because of its connection with “Macross”, which I never watched.
For me, Iijima has always stood out from the crowd thanks to her unique high vocals and in this one she sounds more beautiful then ever. And let's not forget Kazuhiko Kato's chill-inducing melody. This is basically my go-to track for reminiscing the good old days.
(15:25)
10. Yoshitaka Minami -- Jules et Jim /
Totsuzen, Honoo no Gotoku [南佳孝 -- 突然炎のごとく] (1986)
Last but not least, Minami's mysterious
jazzy number from his excellent album “Last Picture Show”
provides a perfect soundtrack for those late-night walks to my
apartment I have to take on a regular basis. I particular enjoy the surreal foggy ambience created by the fusion between the haunting synths and
strings in the foreground and the muted trumpet in the background.
Minami's relaxed yet sharp vocals glide with the music seamlessly. Not surprisingly, the title and the music were based on
Francois Truffaut's New Wave classic “Jules et Jim”, and there's
certainly a sense of the film's elegant setting guiding the melody. It's a masterfully crafted track, in my opinion.
So that's it. There were many strong candidates that
had to be pushed aside, so I hope to give them their own recognition in more genre-specific rankings which I plan to do later. It sure does feel strange to narrow down
a decade-worth of good music to a tiny list like this, but it was an educational experience nonetheless. Most of these may not have been successful on Oricon and
some weren't even singles, but they're still great tracks in my book.
I tried to make this list as diverse as possible, but I must say that
I only take punk and avant-garde in small doses and still have a long way to go with rock in general, so I stuck with poppier material which I'm more comfortable writing about. Perhaps we'll get a new contributor in the future who is an expert on those?
There is not much information available on the elusive singer Rajie (ラジ), even in Japanese. Apparently she started off as a member of Moonriders' protegee chorus group Pony Tail (ポニーテール) and then moved on to providing backing vocals for the Sadistics (a.k.a. Sadistic Mika Band). She began her solo career in 1977 singing City Pop songs penned by Yukihiro Takahashi (高橋幸宏) from pre-YMO days. Even after joining the group, Takahashi would continue to produce her songs, this time with a whole YMO family backing him up along with some other interesting names which will be mentioned below. So from 1979, Rajie's music headed into a technopop direction, with a pretty fine lineup and production work behind it. Here I want to talk about the second album from that phase, "Mahiru no Hodou" (真昼の舗道), alternatively titled "Pavement at Noon" or "Le Trottoir D'apres-Midi". Those are direct English and French translations of the Japanese title. Unlike the preceding album "Quatre", which was pure early-YMO techno, this one has a wider range of influences, from European sounds to breezy 70's kayokyoku and some quirky experimental fare. All of it arranged by Takahashi and brought to life by Rajie's sweet-as-honey vocals.
At the moment, this album only exists in vinyl format and is a rare one at that. I bought my copy from Yahoo! Japan Auctions via a middleman service but you don't have to go that far. In fact, a quick Google search will lead you to a working download link. Just saying. All 10 tracks are available for sampling on Youtube, but some of them sound bad in terms of quality, so I substituted those with my own rips. My record is not in the best shape but at least it sounds better than listening to it through a tin can.
(full album)
Here's the opening track "Last Scene" (ラスト・シーン), which was written by Etsuko Kisugi (来生えつこ) and composed by Yoshitaka Minami (南佳孝). I was actually first introduced to Minami's music through his compositions for Rajie. He also contributed a few songs to her previous two albums. This one gives the album an intriguing start with a tango rhythm, sharp bass line and a wailing violin. It's actually a pretty packed song, overloading my mind with images of extravagant mid-20th century parties and New Wave cinema. Even with the synthesized arrangement it doesn't sound all that 80's, but that's just my impression. It's pretty dark in atmosphere, especially with the pendulum clock noise that pops in here and there, but thanks to Rajie's elegant delivery, I can still listen to it with a peaceful mind..
The second and title track, "Mahiru no Hodou" (真昼の舗道) at 4:46, was written and composed by Taeko Ohnuki (大貫妙子), but you'd probably tell without even reading the credits. It's got a distinctly French melody mixed with a light techno arrangement -- very characteristic of Ohnuki's sound at the time. And man, is it a stunning one. Glides like a waltz on a marble floor. Rajie's voice is so beautifully haunting here. Still rings in my head along with that guitar solo for a while after the song is over.
To crank up the pace, we have "Itsuwari no Hitomi" (偽りの瞳) at 12:34. Takahashi composed this one and co-wrote it with Kenji Omura (大村憲司). It's 3 minutes and 20 seconds of speedy technopop and is one of my favorites on the album. For those of you familiar with Pink Lady, you'll notice that it bears an uncanny resemblance to the duo's oddball technopop song "Last Pretender". In fact, it's an earlier version of that song that was released two months prior. Takahashi obviously composed both, but his arrangement for Rajie's version is edgier and more urgent compared to Pink Lady's poppier cousin. I love both. The lyrics are also different, but from what I can hear, they both deal with a woman growing tired of showing fake affection for a man whom she just doesn't care for. Have a listen and compare.
Not that there aren't other old-fashioned tunes on the album, but "Radio to Futari" (ラジオと二人), with its breezy strings and melody, just feels like a kayokyoku piece that belongs in the 70's. Yes, there is some techno present in the arrangement, but it's barely noticeable for most of the song. Shockingly enough, Shigesato Itoi's (糸井重里) lyrics speak about the warm nostalgia that the protagonist gets from listening to the classics of yesterday on that old radio. I was a little surprised when I found out that Masamichi Sugi (杉真理) composed the song. Not the name I'd see on a personnel list comprised mainly of the YMO team and their friends. Even Minami collaborated with them for some of his work.
Another standout track is "Yojirean Twist" (ヨジレアン・ツイスト), which was written by Itoi and composed by Keiichi Suzuki (鈴木慶一) from Moonriders. It's fun listening to Rajie let go of the introspective persona and go for a more playful vocal style as she twists and spins around Suzuki's quirky New Wave tune. The title doesn't make much sense and neither does the song itself, but it's so catchy and eccentrically cute that it doesn't matter. Akiko Yano (矢野顕子) also contributed to the album with "Midori no Koe" (みどりの声), at 27:31 providing both the lyrics and music. It's an upbeat technopoppy track executed in a distinct Yano fashion. Sounds like something from her "Gohan ga Dekita yo" album. Yano also plays the keyboards here, and I'm guessing that those cute synths that sound like bursting bubbles are her doing. At some parts, I found the melody playfully snarky, like where Rajie goes "Iya kimochi no iro wa midori", which roughly means that unpleasant emotions are green. A very interesting eclectic piece.
I'm going to wrap up the profile with the ninth track, "Aki no Arashi" (秋の風) at 31:57. It didn't make much of an impression on me on first listen but I grew to appreciate it for all the subtle details in the melody over the years. Happy to hear the strings return. It was written by Ohnuki and composed by Suzuki, but unlike "Yojirean Twist", this one has a serious dramatic mood. The title does translate to "Storm in Autumn" after all, and as I'm typing this, dark clouds are gathering outside ready to burst anytime. Like I said before, Rajie's voice is classic and her delivery sounds particularly chilling here. I could picture her performing this standing still and upright.
This goes without saying, but even with all the big names behind it, this album didn't chart anywhere and CBS Sony never bothered to remaster it in CD format. Which is a shame, as it's such a diverse and well-crafted piece of work that deserves to be more accessible. Definitely one of the hidden gems in my collection.
I don't really understand why anyone uses drugs when you have music like this. Unless, of course, you were in charge of making this music video and needed something to boost your creativity. It really is something. I first started exploring Japan's pre-90's music back in 2004 through its techno and new wave scene and became an instant fan of YMO, Ippu-Do, P-Model and the like. And then there was a band called Moonriders (ムーンライダーズ), which I discovered shortly after through the above video for Jub Up Family. I believe someone on a P2P program Soulseek shared it with me. Needless to say, I was young and open-minded to embrace the whole whackiness of it, even the singing washing machines. At that time I didn't know how to describe the sound of the song, other than that it reminded me of Devo, but I later learned through Moonriders' fans that the band went as far as blending into it elements from disco, tropicala, and techno. Yet beneath it all, Jub Up Family is actually a pretty catchy song with a fun melody, in my opinion at least. It's pop music that ridicules its own self. "Funky papa, crazy mama, macho baby, jub jub jub up!"
Moonriders has often been lumped with the YMO and Ippu-Do as pioneers of Japanese technopop, which I'm not quite sure about. I suppose if you look at it from the point of their legacy, then it makes sense. Hiroyuki Hayashi from Polysics and Masaya Matsuura from PSY-S, for example, list the group as one of their influences. But Moonriders themselves are tricky to classify as just technopop, and the band's style altered a lot from album to album. I could probably write a whole book on their massive amount of creative endeavors, but it's better to leave it at this song for now as it shows enough already. They even managed to make the seemingly straightforward genre of AOR sound eccentric in their 1992 album A.O.R. (what a title). Perhaps the best general way to label Moonriders is art rock and new wave.
Originally formed as Keiichi Suzuki with Moonriders (鈴木慶一とムーンライダース) in 1975, the team of Keiichi Suzuki, Tohru Okada (岡田徹), Masahiro Takekawa (武川雅寛), Tetsuro Kashibuchi (かしぶち哲郎), Hirobumi Suzuki (鈴木博文), and Kazuo Shiina (椎名和夫) released their first album Hinotama Boy (火の玉ボーイ) in 1976, in which they played smooth progressive rock backed by artists such as Tin Pan Alley and Akiko Yano. In 1977, the band took on their current namesake and Shiina was replaced by Ryomei Shirai (白井良明) on guitar. It was in 1978 with the release of their fourth studio album Nouvelles Vagues(ヌーベル・バーグ...Jub Up Family is one of its tracks) that the band launched into its experimental phase and alienated itself from the mass audience. Not that the guys cared about being popular, since they were having too much fun collaborating with other cutting edge artists of the time. They also produced a number of songs for popular singers such as Yukiko Okada, Tomoyo Harada, Kenji Sawada, and Minayo Watanabe. I'd say they were just as prolific as YMO members, just not as commercially accessible. And they stuck around for over 35 years in the music industry before breaking up in 2011 after their 22nd album Ciao!.
Anri's（杏里） 3rd album, "Kanashimi no Kujaku"(Sorrowful Peacock), is not my favourite album of hers ("Boogie Woogie in Mainland", "Circuit of Rainbow" or "Wave" rank quite a bit higher), but it is one of the more interesting that I've come across, and one that I've wanted to profile for a while.
Released in September 1981, I came across it in one of the CD shops in Tokyo. I'd already bought a number of her late 80s/early 90s discs when she was in full thrall with American R&B, and their covers consisted of a very vivacious and smiley Eiko Kawashima standing against a very summery setting. On the other hand, the cover for "Kanashimi no Kujaku" from those early years had Anri looking very pensive in a heavy jacket standing against a tall rugged man with 5 o'clock shadow. Later buying her first 2 albums, "apricot jam" and "Feelin'", the cover for her 3rd album also had her looking more mature when compared to her teenage sylph-like looks on those covers.
In any case, looking at that distinctive cover, I snapped up that album in a jiffy. I listened to the 12 tracks and found them revealing in that Anri sounded very un-Anri-like. Her creamy vocals were still recognizable, but they were pushing in a totally different direction. Case in point, the 2nd track, "Espresso de Nemurenai"(エスプレッソで眠れない....Can't Sleep Cause of the Espresso) is basically Anri's telling of an Italian romance-comedy in which a love 'em-and-leave 'em Casanova takes off in his green Fiat while his latest conquest is left wondering whether he'll return. The lyrics were by prolific Shigesato Itoi（糸井重里） and the song was composed by Keiichi Suzuki（鈴木慶一） (I wonder if Suzuki had been a few of those small cups of the killer coffee when he was creating this song). The video is up above. The song was also Anri's 9th single released in February 1982.
Like "Espresso de Nemurenai", the rest of the tracks in this album took on a more European New Music feeling which, as Anri fans would know, was a dramatically different bent for the singer, who had just turned 20 at that time. The official age of turning into an adult in Japan is the big Two-Oh, so perhaps Anri may have wanted to reflect this more mature turn of musical phrase. In the album, she took on old-fashioned French pop, something that sounded more Central Asian, and even a touch of New Wave via Blondie mixed in with some of that old summer pop through Track 10, "Itsu no Hi ka Happy End"（いつの日かHappy End...When Is My Happy End?) which was written by Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）, who herself had been going through some musical changes at the time as well.
(full album)
Keiichi Suzuki, the producer of the album, was also the lead vocal for The Moonriders, a pop and rock band that had started up in 1975, and he and a couple of other members of the band were helping out in the production. The above links have a couple of more songs from "Kanashimi no Kujaku". First up is the mournful title track (composed by Anri and written by Nanako Sato[佐藤奈々子]) at 36:17 which finishes the album; Anri sings of waking up beside a lover in the morning and realizing that the relationship was coming to its inevitable end. And the next song is probably the shortest Anri song in her very long repertoire at 16:34, "Riviera kara no Tegami"(リビエラからの手紙...A Letter From The Riviera) (composed by Suzuki and written by Sato), which is a Dear John letter with a musically spooky sinister edge. If you're detecting a theme through the three songs profiled, I can assure you it's not all romantic gloom and doom....about half of it is, but not all.
In any case, listening to the album again today after so many years to prepare for this profile proved to be a fascinating experience, especially in light of what was to come for her in the form of another producer by the name of Toshiki Kadomatsu（角松敏生）. There wasn't much information even in Japanese concerning "Kanashimi no Kujaku", but what little I could get I found on The Moonriders website which did give some insight into this very different Anri album. After Anri's debut success with "Olivia wo Kikinagara" in 1978, the singer went through a dry spell for a number of years. I mentioned that perhaps the coming-of-age for her may have influenced her temporary direction into this European sound, but it could also have been an attempt to break out of the slump. Thanks in part to Kadomatsu and Anri's efforts, she could finally achieve that lasting success two years later with "Cat's Eye".
The streets of Manhattan
Anri -- Kanashimi no Kujaku
As a bit of a PS, I came across this cover version of "Espresso de Nemurenai" by a singer/model by the name of nAo, which was released in 2011.
