Fujimal Yoshino -- Pacific

Perhaps it's still a bit cool out there but the sun and sky are also out so it might be a great day outside for a park outing, as long as you still have a few layers on. Guess why I put up this Seizo Watase picture from my calendar as the thumbnail?

Once again, I read on Van Paugam's Twitter feed a few days ago that one of the big guys in City Pop, singer-musician Fujimal Yoshino（芳野藤丸）celebrated his 71st birthday on April 21st. All the best to him. Incidentally, my most recent article on Yoshino was "August" written up logically enough in August 2021, but once again in another display of my increasing forgetfulness, my memory failed to inform me that I'd actually written about "August" originally back in November 2018. I've done this before with at least a couple of other songs but I've kept everything up just to see if time has changed my outlook on them any.

Anyways in tribute to groovy Yoshino, I'm providing an article on "Pacific", the second track from his second album "Romantic Guys" from July 1983 which also has "August" as the final song. This time, though, I did check whether I'd already written about "Pacific", but luckily, this will be the one and only article. With lyrics by Yoshihiko Ando（安藤芳彦）, his comrade from the band AB's, Yoshino has come up with some summery and sunny music that reflects the title nicely, including a cutting guitar solo. I read up on a review of "Romantic Guys" on the Japanese music blog "Music Avenue", and those additional vocals are provided by Naoki Watanabe（渡辺直樹）, another AB's member, and he gives the song a bit of Toshiki Kadomatsu（角松敏生）. Just lay back in that hammock and relax!

Naoki Watanabe -- Saigo no Coin（最後のコイン）

 

Just a little over a year ago, I wrote about bassist Naoki Watanabe（渡辺直樹）, who has worked with the bands Spectrum and AB's, and his solo album "She" from 1987 via the laidback track "Veranda no Carib"（ベランダのカリブ）.

Later that year, Watanabe cut another album called "Star Child" and the launching song here is "Saigo no Coin" (The Last Coin). Composed by Watanabe and written by his old bandmate from AB's, Yoshihiko Ando（安藤芳彦）, I've read in a YouTube comment that the person was hooked within the first several seconds. It took me about the same length of time as well to get with the program on "Saigo no Coin", and the Japanese-language "Music Avenue" has also praised the opening acapella chorus and how Watanabe shows off more of that falsetto of his. Not sure whether he had a lot of opportunities to show off his vocals when he was with AB's and Spectrum, but I think he certainly has the chops for the mike.

Image-wise, I think of that dreamy sunset walk along the beach when I listen to "Saigo no Coin". I don't quite know what Ando's lyrics are alluding to, although the title might hint at a rather sad but perhaps necessary final phone call to a soon-to-be ex-paramour. If that is indeed the case, I will take my image over that.

Naoki Watanabe -- Veranda no Carib（ベランダのカリブ）

Nope, not exactly a view from a veranda but it was actually a shot that I took from the pier in Mexico during the family cruise back in 2017. Kinda hard to imagine people taking cruises nowadays but perhaps when the pandemic is all over...🙏

Yet another lovely song that I found on "Light Mellow ~ Moment" recently, this is "Veranda no Carib" (Veranda Over The Caribbean) by musician/songwriter Naoki Watanabe（渡辺直樹）. He got to finally sing the number through his first of four original albums "She" released in 1987.

Watanabe armed with his bass has been with a number of his bands in his career which is now approaching 50 years. He and Ichiro Nitta（新田一郎）started up the brass funk band Spectrum (officially, Watanabe is known as Spectre No. 4), and then he later joined up with other City Pop giants such as Makoto Matsushita（松下誠）and Fujimal Yoshino（芳野藤丸）on AB's. In fact, fellow AB's bandmate Yoshihiko Ando（安藤芳彦）provided the lyrics to "Veranda no Carib" to the Watanabe-penned song.

I have to say that Watanabe has got a pretty resonant mid-level voice as he sings "Veranda no Carib" and Ando's lyrics indeed take his partner out onto a cruise liner in the Caribbean. Not surprisingly, the 5-minute song has that same effect as a relaxing nap on the outer deck of the Harmony of the Seas while docked by Puerto Vallarta for the day.

Ah, final thing: I was just reminded that Watanabe's sister is singer Shoko Minami（南翔子）who is also represented on KKP via "Nakimane"（泣きまね）.

M. TOSIKAZ -- Friday Night

Another groovy track from "Light Mellow: Drive", you folks must have known that I had been waiting for a Friday night to put this one on.

So, why not start tonight's round of "Kayo Kyoku Plus" with a City Pop number that is titled "Friday Night". Performed and composed by singer-songwriter Toshikazu Miura（三浦年一）under his nom de plume, M. TOSIKAZ, this was originally from his lone 1983 album "M. TOSIKAZ I", and it has that hearty strut-and-shuffle arrangement by Naoki Watanabe（渡辺直樹）who was part of Spectrum and AB'S. Lyrics were provided by Yuuji Sato（佐藤雄次）.

In fact, all of AB'S was there in the recording booth helping M. out. Yup, AB'S' Makoto Matsushita（松下誠）, Fujimal Yoshino（芳野藤丸）, Hidetoshi Yamada（山田秀俊）, Atsuo Okamoto（岡本郭男）along with Watanabe and a few others backed him up here. Even M's old bandmate from Orange, Kyoko Omiya（大宮京子）was assisting on backup vocals. Not sure if "Friday Night" would be an ideal theme for Friday nights in Shibuya or Roppongi in 2019, but perhaps back in 1983, this would have made for a really nice musical accompaniment with the horns as a nice gang of workers after work decide to paint the town aka.

Miura may have only had the one album but since then, he's provided music for a lot of other artists ranging from Miho Nakayama（中山美穂）to Mariko Takahashi（高橋真梨子）. Plus, he's also contributed to movie soundtracks and anime.

With the summer weather here in Toronto, I hope that a lot of you are enjoying those beers and cocktails out on the patios everywhere.