Akihiko Matsumoto -- Odoru Dai Sosasen N.E.W. Metropolis wo Kakenukero! Soundtrack（踊る大捜査線 N.E.W. メトロポリスを駆け抜けろ!）

 

Ahh, yes...the mid-1990s. I had been in the Tokyo area for a few years already. Odaiba (Rainbow Town) in Tokyo Bay as this new un-Tokyo-like district of work, residence and play was still brand spanking new and Fuji-TV saw fit to use the megalopolis' newest area as the base for a police series. But this series would be something very different: there would be no crazy stunts by the officers, no bullets fired and although the good cops would be fighting crime, they would also be fighting the obstreperous and ass-saving bureaucracy among the higher-ups within their own industry.

Yes, I am talking about "Odoru Dai Sosasen" (Bayside Shakedown) which turned a lot of heads when it came out in 1997. Plus, I have to also add that Akihiko Matsumoto（松本晃彦）was in charge of the original soundtrack that has become an entity all unto its own with a mixture of orchestral grandioseness and techno fun. In the years on KKP since I've posted about his stuff from "Odoru Dai Sosasen", I've learned about some of his pre-1997 material including his work on what has become one of the City Pop classics, "Dress Down", sung by Kaoru Akimoto（秋元薫）.

Last night, as I was winding down, I noticed that a lot of "Odoru Dai Sosasen" videos were popping up on YouTube. Then I realized that a new movie of the franchise "N.E.W. Metropolis wo Kakenukero!" (NEW Race Through the Metropolis!) had just debuted the day before. I had assumed that the 2012 movie was the final entry (it was labeled "The Final" after all) but I guess the producers just had to throw another one in the mix after fourteen years. Hey, if Tom Cruise can finally add the coda to his "Mission: Impossible" franchise after 29 years, Yuji Oda（織田裕二）can do the same for "Odoru Dai Sosasen".

I didn't bother watching "The Final" since by that point, I'd felt that things were getting a little stale for "Odoru Dai Sosasen" and seeing the trailer for the new movie which seems to copy a major plot point from another far more serious Japanese thriller, I'm not sure if I'll see this one either. Plus, aside from an aging Yuji Oda, I think the other members of the original cast who are still alive seem to be showing up as cameos only.

Anyways, I still wanted to give the new soundtrack, which was released yesterday, a try. It starts off with "Rhythm And Police N.E.W. (Metropolis Ver.)"  which is a short-and-sweet version of the original opening theme with more dance beats and lower brass and strings. 

"Tokyo Metropolis" is a thunderous tribute to one of the world's biggest cities which includes bits of "Rhythm and Police" and "CX".  The track finishes with an ominous conclusion.

"Azumin Dance" is another new theme added to this soundtrack by Matsumoto. It adds to my opinion that the composer wanted to bring a little more dance club to the movie for some reason. There is a character named Azumi in the movie although the actor portraying him is apparently in his seventies; he must be one funky dude.

"R.A.P N.E.W. C.X. Jams" is a slightly weird PBJ sandwich of a track which has the orchestral and techno remix versions of the original "C.X". bracketing a very brief reprise of "Rhythm And Police N.E.W. (Metropolis Ver.)". I've seen "C.X." as the secondary theme for "Odoru Dai Sosasen" and as a popular piece of background music for a lot of other news shows if they're covering a relatively more lighthearted segment on the cops.

There is another new addition called "Sashikata the Super Doctor" which is named after a new character in the movie who might be part of the forensics team helping the stalwart Inspector Aoshima. It might even describe the character to a T: funky and cocky techno acid jazz.

Along with "Rhythm & Police" and "C.X.", another old favourite coming back into the soundtrack fold is the ending theme "Love Somebody" via an instrumental version "Love Somebody (Piano N.E.W. Ver.)". It's safe to say that this one won't be used for an action scene. Maybe it's for a death scene or an Aoshima soliloquy.

The stoic and cynical original character of Inspector Shinji Muroi had "G-Groove" as his theme song. Cool as heck, I've always seen it as the show's equivalent of "The Imperial March" from "Star Wars". However, this new track "M36 Muroi Shinji"（M36 室井慎次）is a whole new animal. Perhaps it hints that the former stick-in-the-mud Muroi has finally let go of his stress and has learned to smile a bit more in retirement. It still has a march percussion hiding in there to reflect his old past but overlaying it is a sweeping melody of hope and redemption. Interestingly enough, "M36" wasn't composed by Matsumoto but by veteran Satoshi Takebe（武部聡志）.

The final one I'll do here happens to be the final track for the album. Of course, it is the remastered version of the original "Rhythm And Police". And if anyone reading this from Japan has had a chance to see the new movie, let me know how it is. It might just show up on Jme by 2030.

Gerald Fried -- The Ritual/Ancient Battle/2nd Kroykah (aka "Star Trek" Fight Music)

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Considering that I've become a lapsed Trekkie in recent years, I completely forgot that tomorrow will be 60 years to the day since the very first "Star Trek" episode was televised on NBC. 

It was the episode "Man Trap" that started the whole ball rolling on September 8th 1966...in America. But the crazy thing I found out very recently was that Canada had actually cut to the chase by broadcasting "Man Trap" two days earlier on September 6th on CTV at 7:30 pm. That's a little early in the evening to be showing a man-killing salt vampire but hey, maybe Gene Roddenberry was feeling a bit daring.

It is a holiday Monday so it is time for a special Reminiscings of Youth but several years previously, I already posted an article on Alexander Courage's original theme for "Star Trek" so I was kinda knocking my head about what I could do to pay further tribute to the series. And then, an idea struck me.💡

On September 15th 1967, the second season began with "Amok Time", the episode where we first got a taste of Mr. Spock's culture including the ultimate example of Vulcan randiness, pon farr. It all climaxes (sorry, pun intended...haha) with a battle to the death between Spock and Captain Kirk. I always love a good battle with a lirpa and an ahn-woon.

Also, accompanying the fight was composer Gerald Fried's music that may rival Courage's theme as the most recognized piece of music from "Star Trek" even for non-Trekkies. Titled officially as "The Ritual/Ancient Battle/2nd Kroykah", I'd just like to call it the "Star Trek" fight music. It kinda has that atmosphere of gladiator games and no-holds-barred hand-to-hand combat with the dissonant horns and rapid-fire percussion. No wonder it was used for a lot of other fight scenes in the show since.

I gained quite the smile when I heard the fight music being used again on one episode of the current series "Strange New Worlds" a few seasons ago.

Gerald Fried (February 13, 1928 – February 17, 2023) was a composer and conductor who created scores for many TV shows and movies from the 1950s to the 2010s, and I read on his Wikipedia file, he provided music for the original "Mission: Impossible" TV series, "Gilligan's Island", "My Three Sons", etc. So, basically I had plenty of Fried (aural) food even before I was five years old. Anyways, LLAP!

By Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons

So, what else was coming out of Japan in September 1967? Well, I've got two singles that got released around that time.

Masayoshi Tsuruoka & Tokyo Romantica -- Otaru no Hito yo （小樽のひとよ）

The Tigers -- Mona Lisa no Hohoemi（モナリザの微笑）

Ken Shima -- Misty

 

Yup, I still have the latest Seizo Watase（わたせせいぞう）calendar hanging up in my room. If I can't have the good life, well, at least, I can watch it vicariously.

According to YouTuber Marty McFlies v2, there was a manga by Watase known as "Hurricane" which lasted all of one volume, and jazz pianist/arranger Ken Shima（島健）created an image album of music based on it. Released in 1989, this album, also known as "Hurricane", looks awfully classy on its cover...almost like an old movie poster of some thriller movie starring Bogie and Bacall. Shima is no stranger to Watase projects since he had also been helping out on the anime form of the illustrator's "Heart Cocktail" through songs such as "Cool Lunch Time"（クールランチタイム）.

The first track on "Hurricane" is a cover of the 1954 jazz standard "Misty" by jazz pianist Erroll Garner. Shima's take on it is very refined and romantic...somewhat Mancini-esque in arrangement. I start remembering the more tender moments in the detective dramedies "Moonlighting" and "Remington Steele" when I hear this one. Very expensive dinners under moonlight also come to mind. 

Masashi Sada -- Kamisama no Iu Toori（神さまの言うとおり）

 

Welcome to Hump Day! And yeah, it feels even more like a Hump Day than usual. For one thing, I've been noticing for the past three days that our household has suffered micro-power outages of less than a second at around the same time in the morning. Now as I said, they are very short in duration so the power is back on lickety-split but it's enough to require me to wait five minutes for the Internet to return and I have to reset all of the clocks. Very annoying. I've sent our electric power company a letter of inquiry and complaint for which I've received a reply stating that it may take up to five days for a proper answer.

In any case, I've learned that people having a bad day tend to be more productive at work, presumably because they want to focus on anything other than the source of the bad day. Well, I'm focusing on this one here. And it has to do with a couple of observations regarding recent Japanese society. The first one is that Japan may have one of the larger populations of centenarians in the world and the other is that when the patriarch of the family retires from decades of work, he may tend to just lounge around the house with nothing to do all day which can aggravate the wife and perhaps even the children to no end. 

That seems to be the premise of the Japanese comedy movie franchise "Oshûkatsu Jukushun! Jinsei, Hyaku-nen Jidai no Sugoshi Kata"（お終活 熟春!人生、百年時代の過ごし方...The Final Years: The Golden Years of Maturity—How to Spend Life in the Era of the 100-Year Lifespan） that started in 2021. A third movie was released at the end of May this year. As to why I'm talking about this, well....last night, singer-songwriter and tarento Masashi Sada（さだまさし）appeared on "Uta Con"（うたコン）to sing this old-time jazzy number called "Kamisama no Iu Toori" (As God Says). I've heard Sada sing folk and City Pop but this is the first time that I've heard him sing anything jazz and this is where I found out that "Kamisama no Iu Toori" was the theme song for the third movie. Written and composed by Sada with Toshiyuki Watanabe（渡辺俊幸）handling the arrangement and the conducting of the orchestra, it's a sweet nostalgic tune that had Sada doing a bit of Vaudevillian soft-shoe on the stage and maybe the movie characters dancing cheek-to-cheek on the floor.

Morton Gould -- So In Love/Night and Day

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This week's Reminiscings of Youth will be a little more unusual and involved so please bear with me today. For one thing, this really ought to be one of those Reminiscings of Babyhood articles actually, but I'll explain as we go along.

For citizens and international residents of Japan of a certain age such as myself, there was the weekly Sunday night Hollywood movie of the week on TV Asahi that lasted for decades since the 1960s. So, folks could watch anything from that decade to something more contemporary like a Steven Seagal action flick but it had to fit within the tight two-hour slot with commercials...which often meant that the movie had a fair amount of footage slashed out. Annoying as heck, but that's the way it was. 

The host of "Nichiyou Youga Gekijo"（日曜洋画劇場...The Sunday Western Movie Theatre） for most of its time was the avuncular and dapper movie critic and tarento Nagaharu Yodogawa（淀川長治）. He always showed up at the beginning of the show to introduce the film and then wrap up with his thoughts about it for a few minutes before signing off with "Sayonara, sayonara, sayonara". 

Then, there were the ending credits for "Nichiyou Youga Gekijo" which had stills or slow-motion footage of the movie just presented while this really dramatic and melancholy-sounding song played in the background. In fact, I found the music so sad that I was more than happy to switch the channel. I wouldn't find out until literally several days ago that the piece was a Cole Porter standard called "So In Love" as interpreted by conductor and arranger Morton Gould.

"So In Love" was a song used in one of Porter's famous musicals "Kiss Me Kate" from 1948. It was also used in the 1953 cinematic adaptation, but Gould's interpretation was presumably from 1951. Now that I've heard the whole thing above, I have a better view of it as something more epic and moving. Japanese commenters have complimented it as being very nostalgic since they used to watch the Sunday movie of the week when they were younger.

But "So In Love" hadn't been the main target for my ROY ROB this week. That was merely a happenstance stumbling discovery. Actually, it was for another Porter classic "Night and Day" which had been created in 1932. I remember getting to see it performed on the 2004 "De-Lovely", the Porter biopic musical starring Kevin Kline where I could glean some more insight into what the song was about.

Now, I realize that there have been many renditions of "Night and Day", sung and instrumental. But the reason that I started all this was that I remember the very first rendition that I heard of this song and it was by the aforementioned Morton Gould through his 1961 record "Kern/Porter Favorites" although that track later showed up on our "RCA 50 Years Of Hits In Stereo" that I wrote about last October. 

According to his Wikipedia article, Gould was a master of interweaving different musical genres into formal classical structure without losing any of the main elements from either the adopted genres or the original song. Gould had a few more contributions to my family's "RCA 50 Years of Hits In Stereo" which were "Brazil" and "Blues in the Night" and I note that he was epic and playful with those.

With "Night and Day", he showed that same verve for grandness. His take took the ultimate song of pining away in love and made it into his own overture movie. To me, his "Night and Day" sounds like a romance between two people rudely interrupted by war with the happy and grateful return interpreted as this huge orchestral rush. And it just happened to be a song that I heard often enough as a kid on the old RCA stereo.

So, let's see about some of the major singles of 1961 in Japan.

Kyu Sakamoto -- Ue wo Muite Arukou (上を向いて歩こう)

Yujiro Ishihara & Junko Makimura -- Ginza no Koi no Monogatari （銀座の恋の物語）

Hitoshi Ueki -- Suudara Bushi (スーダラ節）

Guernica -- Ginrin wa Utau（銀輪は唄う）

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Jun Togawa（戸川純）is a singer whose works have popped up periodically on the blog over the years, beginning with KKP writer nikala's article on her "Yumemiru Yakusoku" (夢見る約束) and my own article on Togawa's "Zukei no Koi"（図形の恋）, both from the 1980s. My own impression of the singer was that she was an avant-garde post-punk/New Wave chanteuse who could be seen as a precursor to Ringo Shiina（椎名林檎）. 

Recently though, commenter YMOfan04 let me in on some information about Togawa. Before all of that post-punk and New Wave tour de force hit my eyes and ears for the first time, the Tokyo native had also been a member of the band Guernica which formed in 1981. Togawa formed it with keyboardist and composer Koji Ueno（上野耕路）and stage designer/costumer and lyricist Keiichi Ohta（太田螢一）. In this particular period of Japanese music culture when the Golden Age of Aidoru, 50s rock n' roll, technopop and City Pop were grabbing for their share of the popularity pie, Guernica was devoted in bringing the sounds of early 20th century kayo kyoku or ryukoka and military marches back to life. Incidentally, Guernica, which was also the title of Picasso's legendary anti-war painting from 1937, wasn't the first choice as a name for the trio; initially it had been Intonarumori which were musical instruments devised by an Italian futurist, but they changed their mind.

Guernica's first and only official single was "Ginrin wa Utau" (Singing of Silver Rings) which was released in December 1982. Backed by a full orchestra, Togawa was the vocalist here and the song sounded just like some of that beautiful music, as it was called a century ago, I heard on the old movies and television shows such as "The Little Rascals". Beautiful music were the melodies that were played at those fancy dance parties or soirees to contrast with the so-called "evil" music known as jazz back in the day. One can imagine Togawa being her melody moppet ancestor singing behind a huge NBC microphone on a New York soundstage, and I think that's where member Ohta brought some more of that yesteryear magic while dressing the others in the finery of the day. Quite the contrast with the type of music that Togawa would sing a few years later. Still, Guernica would release three albums up to the end of the 1980s.

Jerry Goldsmith -- Theme from "Barnaby Jones"

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"A Quinn Martin production!"

For anyone who grew up in the 60s and 70s and was at least able to catch a little bit of the prime-time police procedurals or detective shows on television (usually it was just the opening credits since my brother and I were told in no uncertain terms to head to bed at the time they began), the name Quinn Martin was a familiar one.

At first, I'd thought that there was a Mr. Quinn and a Mr. Martin producing these cop shows but no, it was really one person named Quinn Martin. And although he didn't apply it to every one of his programs, there was a certain formula to the opening credits. A cool dramatic theme and graphic design intro sequence would start up with the gravitas-laden narrator stating the title of the show and the aforementioned quote at the top. Then, he would continue by introducing the main cast, the guest actors and finally the name of the episode title emblazoned on the screen. This was nicely parodied for the brief comedy series "Police Squad!".

The late great Jerry Goldsmith already has a lengthening file on KKP which includes his majestic theme for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture". And for all of the exciting intros for Quinn Martin shows, my favourite theme song was his contribution to the series "Barnaby Jones". For a detective series regarding an elderly but wise ol' gumshoe played by Buddy Ebsen, this was a pretty kickass theme with the stomping brass and a calm and calculating flute sequence. Ever since I decided to write about this one for Reminiscings of Youth, the theme has been stuck in my head.

The audience must have gone crazy when they were watching the 1993 cinematic redux of "The Beverly Hillbillies" when Barnaby Jones showed up in a cameo. Ebsen was the star of the original TV sitcom which lasted even longer than "Barnaby Jones".

In any case, the detective series premiered on January 28th 1973. Now, what was hitting the top of the Oricon charts the next day afterwards?

1. Shiro Miya & The Pinkara Trio -- Onna no Michi (女のみち）

2. Naomi Chiaki -- Kassai （喝采）

3. Mari Amachi -- Futari no Nichiyoubi (ふたりの日曜日)

Hiroshi Miyagawa -- Teresa no Tameiki（テレサのためいき）

 

Going back to my youth, I remember those over-and-over reruns of "Uchuu Senkan Yamato"（宇宙戦艦ヤマト...Space Cruiser Yamato）, aka "Star Blazers" outside of Japan, with the original seasons of the Iscandar mission and the Comet Empire saga. That penultimate episode of the latter season when it looked like the evil Prince Zoldar and his empire finally crumbled only to reveal a Super Star Destroyer filled with absolute revenge arguably represented one of the greatest anime cliffhangers.

Of course, sticking with the "Star Blazers" line, the finale had to wrap up some loose threads along with the main one involving the Comet Empire. What happens to the crew of the Argo and what of helmsman Mark Venture who supposedly gave up his life in defense of the ship a few episodes earlier? And what of Trelaina of Telazart, the sylph-like whistleblower who began the entire story and ended up falling for Mark?

Well, in the original "Yamato" series, Trelaina was actually named Teresa which I guess sounded exotic enough for Japanese viewers (although the late singer Teresa Teng was already well-known in Japan), although folks in North America must have wondered whether if the lass had sisters named Mabel and Connie. Anyways, along with the iconic Comet Empire theme done by the legendary composer Hiroshi Miyagawa（宮川泰）, another constant musical piece in the second season was Teresa's own theme titled "Teresa no Tameiki" (Teresa's Sighs). 

The song as I remember it was a sad and lonely one for Teresa and even her relationship with Mark was all too brief before she seemingly had to make the ultimate sacrifice for Earth. On Christmas Day 1978, Miyagawa released a concept album connected with "Yamato" titled "Fumetsu no Uchuu Senkan Yamato: New Disco Arrange"（不滅の宇宙戦艦ヤマト ニュー・ディスコ・アレンジ...The Indestructible Space Cruiser Yamato: New Disco Arrangement） where some of those familiar tracks from the series received some more syncopated oomph. I don't think the treatment given to "Teresa no Tameiki" is particularly disco but it's more of a mild City Pop thing with some of that haunting voice which was common to a fair number of Miyagawa pieces in anime. Had to laugh a little at the name of the group performing the tracks: Yamato Discotheque Orchestra.

Fred Steiner -- Park Avenue Beat (The Perry Mason Theme)

 

Back on Monday, when I wrote up the piece on Hachiro Izawa's（井沢八郎）"Otokogasa"（男傘）, I made mention of the observation that there was a pounding on the piano keys in that kayo kyoku which reminded me of one of the earliest and most memorable television theme songs that I'd ever heard. I also stated that I would cover this today as this week's Reminiscings of Youth entry.

Well, here it is. Actually, this should be called a Reminiscings of Baby entry because when I was born, "Perry Mason" (1957-1966) was in its final season but of course, even back then in the age of black-and-white TV sets, there were the reruns so I got to hear the dramatic theme song over and over again. Perhaps my parents were into the legal series although I couldn't imagine that they could understand what was going on in Perry's courtroom. 

The theme song for "Perry Mason" by Fred Steiner turned up a lot of interesting tidbits...kinda like a typical episode of the show itself. For one thing, it's one of the few times that I've encountered a TV theme song that actually had a proper title and not just the "The Theme from (blank)". It was called "Park Avenue Beat" and a fellow Blogger blog "Ill Folks" gave its own story on the theme back in 2013 so have a look at that one.

Another good point about the theme was that it mixed the saucy R&B/jazz of the streets where a lot of the sordidness that Perry and his staff had to wade through existed with the elegant symphonic strings of the high life of fancy restaurants and dance halls which Perry also inhabited. I also think that "Park Avenue Beat" melodically traced the usual episode of "Perry Mason": it starts with an ominous trill and crash which could reflect a violent crime being committed and then it goes into the jazzy symphony as the burly Raymond Burr as Perry comes into the picture and investigates the heck out of the case before winning it by the end. Considering that glowering expression and his linebacker appearance (albeit decked out in one fine suit), I was surprised that I never saw Mason use his fists and that it was his mind and voice that he used as weapons.

We're talking about 1957 here today. What were the hits of that year?

Akira Wakayama -- Yorokobi mo Kanashimi mo Ikutoshitsuki（喜びも悲しみも幾歳月）

Haruo Minami -- Chanchiki Okesa (チャンチキおけさ)

Kotringo -- Edible Melodies: Original Soundtrack for "Koufuku Graffiti"（幸腹グラフィティ）

 

The above is a shot of my grilled eel lunch that I had in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture almost a decade ago. I figured that this would be the ideal shot for my latest entry in the "Koufuku Graffiti" (幸腹グラフィティ...Gourmet Girl Graffiti) franchise, a category that I haven't updated since 2015 when I first saw the anime at my friend's place. Up to now, I had covered the opening and ending themes along with the insert songs.

As with anything in the movie field, anime has covered everything from the goriest horrors to the zaniest comedies, and basically for me, I've always had a preference for the quiet slice-of-life type of show, and "Koufuku Graffiti" has been one of the most famous examples (mind you, it has those rather orgasmic scenes of ingestion). Having a couple of good friends enjoy Japanese dishes from episode to episode has been my manna from heaven...no psychological angst, no fierce rivalries and plenty of deliciously portrayed food that I've been eating since I was a tadpole myself.

Well, yesterday, as I was finishing off my usual five in the Urban Contemporary field as would befit a KKP Friday, my mind went back to that 2015 anime and wondered about its original soundtrack. Foe one thing, it was composed and arranged by singer-songwriter Kotringo（コトリンゴ）who already has a fair number of articles posted including her time with the cool band Kirinji during the 2010s and her cover version of the folk classic "Kanashikute Yarikirenai"（悲しくてやりきれない）as the theme song for the acclaimed anime film "Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni"（この世界の片隅に...In This Corner of the World）.

For another, the soundtrack for "Koufuku Graffiti", known as "Edible Melodies" (the link will take you to Amazon), never seemed all that obtrusive which I think fits Kotringo's personality. There was never any hint that an electric guitar would be shredded at any time during the series. The music is all very whimsical, wistful and warm with the priority given to the visual joy of some of my old dishes from my childhood being animated in most glorious detail. The above track for example, Track 11's "Ippon Yozakura Tamagoyaki"（一本夜桜卵焼き...Night Cherry Blossom Fried Egg） centers around the flute and strings and sounds just like a number one would hear in an art gallery cafe. 

By the way, you can also access this link to hear very brief excerpts from the soundtrack at Apple.

One trope that pops up throughout the soundtrack is that Kotringo herself provides some of her vocal effects through humming or scatting, and that is the case with Track 15 "Omurice Horror"（オムライス・ホラー...Rice Omelet Horror）. It really does sound rather sinister although Kotringo's vocal beats let us know that it's not all bad out there. I do recall one episode where there was indeed an omurice accident. Omurice isn't exactly a novice dish, you know.

I definitely remember this piece, Track 22 "Atatakai O-nabe"（あたたかいお鍋...A Warm Bowl）, playing in the background, although the video here is of a cover version by AniMuffin Piano. If I'm being accurate here, it was playing during the quiet scenes and since there were a whole lot of quiet scenes in "Koufuku Grafitti", I'm sure that it was getting played at least once an episode. There's quite the nice waltz-y lilt.

I guess because the soundtrack was so subtle and relaxing, it hasn't gotten a lot of videos up onto YouTube, so I just have the above Episode 1 in its entirety to show off a few more tracks. Right from the start, there is a rendition of Track 1 "O-inarisan no Aji"（おいなりさんの味...The Taste of Sushi Rice in Deep-Fried Tofu Skin） which pops up whenever the main character of Ryo remembers back to the past, including her memories of her late grandmother. 

At about 5:00 of the video, in comes the petite force of nature that becomes Ryo's foodie friend, Kirin, so her theme song which is Track 3 has some of those Kotringo verbal beats and a circus-like arrangement. One more song that I'll throw in is "O-ryori Humming"（お料理ハミング...Cooking Humming） Track 20 which gets played at 13:40 and is one of my favourite parts of the soundtrack because it not only sounds a tad Xmas-y but it also comes across as something cheerful from an old-timey sitcom or Hollywood comedy. 

As I hinted above, "Edible Melodies" isn't a soundtrack to emphasize the action or the laughs for an anime. Think of it as a light and tasteful vinaigrette to add a little something to the salad.

Yuuki Hide -- Chikai no Ballad（誓いのバラード）

 

It was almost five years ago that I posted the article for the opening theme for Toei's take on "Spider-Man" from 1978 because at the time "Spider-Man: No Way Home" was on its way to theatres with a flash-bang trailer leading the way. I'll let you know right now, I only got to see the whole film finally last month, and much to my regret, I wish I had seen the movie at theatres but with COVID restrictions and my parents' health a concern, there was no way I could do so.

Earlier this morning, the trailer for the next chapter in Peter Parker's life was released. I saw the big ad for "Brand New Day", and I'm definitely looking forward to this one. And hopefully this time around, I'll be able to catch this one at the cineplex at the end of July. For Peter's sake, I'm also looking forward to a happier movie overall as the title hints.

Well, then, to follow the pattern of the article for "Kakero! Spider-Man"（駆けろ！スパイダーマン）, I will provide the ending theme for the 1978 Japanese show. The same people involved for that opening theme: singer Yuuki Hide（ヒデ夕樹）, composer Chumei Watanabe（渡辺宙明）and lyricist Saburo Yatsude（八手三郎）, are back for the ender "Chikai no Ballad" (Ballad of Vows). Not surprisingly, this one contrasts with the heroic opener by being more introspective and revealing of the costs of being a superhero: loss of loved ones and a lonely existence. Good heavens! It pretty much wraps up the whole story of "No Way Home" into a tightly-packed ball. Mind you, it's a ballad that almost reaches City Pop groove.

Uta Con: February 24th 2026 -- Tribute to Yu Aku（阿久悠）

 

First off, thanks go to The history man on YouTube for providing this video on the life and career of kayo kyoku songwriting legend Yu Aku (1937-2007) who apparently remains the 2nd-most prolific lyricist in Japan following Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康）. Yesterday, the return of NHK's "Uta Con"（うたコン）after the Olympic break was a big one for all of the kayo fans since a good chunk of the program was a tribute to the works of Aku who would have been 89 back on February 7th..

This isn't an Author's Picks because I wasn't the one who came up with these songs for performance on the show last night. Of course, it was the NHK producers who did that but I still wanted to acknowledge the Aku songs that had been sung on the Shibuya stage since they have remained part of the bread and butter that make up a lot of this blog. You can also take a look at a Creator article that I wrote up back in 2015 regarding Aku and his constitution on writing those lyrics.

(1974) Isao Sasaki -- The Theme from Space Cruiser Yamato (宇宙戦艦ヤマト）

(1977) Sayuri Ishikawa -- Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyu Geshiki （津軽海峡・冬景色）

(1977) Hiromi Iwasaki -- Shishuuki （思秋期）

(1984) Shinichi Mori -- Kita no Hotaru （北の螢）

(1982) Hiroshi Itsuki and Nana Kinomi -- Izakaya （居酒屋）

(1977) Kenji Sawada -- Katte ni Shiyagare （勝手にしやがれ）

(1973) Finger Five -- Kojin Jugyō（個人授業）

(1974) Finger Five -- Gakuen Tengoku (学園天国）

Boris Karloff -- You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

The final regular Reminiscings of Youth article lands on Christmas Day today and it will be on the theme song for "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" from December 1966. It's a special, just like "A Charlie Brown Christmas", that I used to see every year on CBS on the old tube telly. By this point, pretty much everyone in North America knows about the green Grinch with his heart being two sizes too small (initially at least) and his willingness to ruin everybody's Christmas.

As a little kid, I didn't know who the narrator was and wouldn't finally find out for quite a few years. At first thought, I'd assumed that it was Dr. Seuss behind the narration but then I discovered it was Boris Karloff, Frankenstein's Monster himself, behind the mike when I'd known about his time many decades earlier as a horror movie icon. And dang it! He had a great voice for the theme song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" which was given lyrics by Dr. Seuss and composed by Albert Hague as this classic comically villainous composition. Karloff chewed the heck out of this tune like a zombie on bone.

I never saw the Jim Carrey version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" from 2000, but he one-ups Karloff in his rendition of the song. Some fine Canadian ham there! 

Anyways, we have a couple of singles in Japan that got released at around the same time as the original cartoon.

The Wild Ones -- Omoide no Nagisa（想い出の渚）

Akira Fuse -- Kiri no Mashu-ko （霧の摩周湖）

The Manhattan Transfer -- The Christmas Album

 

Nope, this isn't another Reminiscings of Youth article. My personal opinion has always been that Christmas and jazz go together like hamburgers and French fries, and one fast food restaurant that has often brought that together is The Manhattan Transfer. And on this Christmas Eve, I've decided to finish off tonight's round of KKP stuff with one of my favourite music acts doing what they do best.

In November 1992, the famed vocal quartet released "The Christmas Album" which is filled with plenty of stylish jazz renditions of some of the most popular Christmas hits with the backing of an orchestra that would have Nelson Riddle smiling from the great beyond.

One fine example is the Transfer's take on "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!". A lot of folks would know this 1945 classic by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne from its Vaughn Monroe original when it was used at the end of "Die Hard". That one was quite the bouncy tune about snuggling up with the significant other as the fire and repeated ingestion of popcorn added to the warmth. The Transfer's rendition takes the jauntiness out and replaces it with silky-smooth and slowly simmering romance to really get those feelings of nestling up in the lodge. I wouldn't blame the happy couple in the song if they didn't get off the sofa until the 27th.

"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" already has representation on the blog through Tony Bennett's most wonderful version from 1968. But this one by the Manhattan Transfer is also plenty of fun with the orchestra going all snazzy and swingy. With the additional subtitle of "Santa Man", it's very hep, and all of the gang have put their vocalese on full. It's just a shade over three minutes but they have managed to pack in a lot of melodic dynamite.

Speaking of Tony Bennett, he makes a guest appearance on "The Christmas Album" via his and the Transfer's take on "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)", a chestnut that probably has even more articles on KKP such as the iconic version by Nat King Cole. As with all of the other versions, this collaboration between Bennett and the Transfer brings up the nostalgic warm-and-fuzzies and the Normal Rockwell images of Christmas at home surrounded by a nightly winter scene and lots of family and friends.

Let me take this opportunity then to wish all of the readers, commenters and contributors to "Kayo Kyoku Plus" a very Merry Christmas.

Lalo Schifrin -- Theme from "T.H.E. Cat"

Regions via Wikimedia Commons

I only came across the above video yesterday during my usual YouTube browsings. It's the annual Turner Movie Classics "TCM Remembers" which pays musical tribute to the entertainers around the world that have passed on during the calendar year. We did lose quite a few famous folks from film such as Gene Hackman, Robert Redford and Tatsuya Nakadai（仲代達矢）.

However, during the tribute, I was surprised to find out that Argentine musician and composer Lalo Schifrin had passed away months ago in June at the age of 93. I didn't know a lot of his work but what I do remember has stuck with me as two of the most iconic theme songs in American TV history. There was the cool jazz theme for private eye "Mannix" and then the far more famous one for "Mission: Impossible" which got its most recent unveiling when the final movie in the Tom Cruise version of the franchise (I'm confident that there will be at least a try to revive it with a new lead) hit the theatres some months ago.

"T.H.E. Cat" was a short-lived series on NBC that lasted only a season, premiering in September 1966, the same month when "Mission: Impossible" launched on CBS. It starred a leopard-lithe and quick Robert Loggia (I had to really look up my sources to make sure that this was the same burly Robert Loggia from "Big" and "Mancuso") as a former acrobat and master thief-turned-security guy named Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat who helped clients who were in over their heads.

Although "T.H.E. Cat" started its brief run when I was not even a year old, this would still apply as a Reminiscings of Youth article for me because I only found out about the series when it ran on a local gonzo late-night show during my teenage years, appropriately titled "The All-Night Show" (which I will feature as a ROY probably sometime next week) that often unearthed long lost shows from the heap of TV history.

Schifrin came up with the theme for "T.H.E. Cat". It's not nearly as famous as his themes for "Mannix" and "Mission: Impossible", but it does have that sinewy downtown coolness which describes Mr. Cat to a tee. And the jazz orchestra reminds me of some of the stuff that Henry Mancini had created for projects such as "Peter Gunn".

Tomorrow on Christmas Day will have the usual and holiday-themed ROY but I wanted to provide this special Xmas Eve ROY in tribute to the great Schifrin. There were two Japanese singles that were released when "T.H.E. Cat" made its debut in September 1966.

Linda Yamamoto -- Kommachauna （こまっちゃうナ）

The Spiders -- Yuuhi ga Naiteiru (夕陽が泣いている）

Rodgers and Hammerstein -- My Favorite Things

 

When it comes to Japan Railways, there has been one campaign of theirs that has stood out because of the glorious beauty of Kyoto and that one song which has accompanied the commercials for over thirty years. I'm hoping that whoever in the JR advertising department was behind the idea of using "My Favorite Things" got a major bonus for the idea. The cinematic version of "The Sound of Music" from where "My Favorite Things" originated is practically essential viewing in the junior high schools of Japan, so that particular song among the many others in there is well known to everyone. But now, the Japanese probably relate the song more to Kyoto than the original movie.

Of course, before Julie Andrews and the movie version became the huge hit, "The Sound of Music" originated as a stage musical in 1959 with Mary Martin in the starring role of Maria. I never knew all that much about Martin but I knew her son, Larry Hagman, as the infamous JR Ewing in the show "Dallas". And of course, there was his earlier role as the far nicer military man Tony in "I Dream of Jeannie".

For the record, I'll have you know that from the lyrics, my favourite things would be apple strudel and schnitzel with noodles. If these were available at a buffet, I would be a happy man. Now, the reason for me choosing this one is that although it wasn't specifically made for the Holidays, "My Favorite Things" has been a staple on the radio and mall speakers during the Xmas season. Personally, I used to remember my kindergarten teacher always playing this on the record player...most likely to sedate us.

I figure that if Rodgers and Hart have a ROY entry on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", then Rodgers and Hammerstein should get a shot as well. Anyways, what were the big hits in 1959 in Japan when "The Sound of Music" made its debut on Broadway?

Hiroshi Mizuhara -- Kuroi Ochiba （黒い落葉）

The Peanuts -- Kawaii Hana (可愛い花）

Frank Nagai and Kazuko Matsuo -- Tokyo Nightclub （東京ナイトクラブ）

Paul McCartney and Wings -- Live and Let Die

 

I mentioned this a little when I posted the ROY article regarding the iconic James Bond theme by Monty Norman & John Barry but my first several years of 007 exposure was through the frequent Sunday night reruns on ABC. It was on the telly where I witnessed Sean Connery, George Lazenby and Roger Moore punch bad guys out and romance the ladies always opening with that assassin's-view shot of the master spy before he swerved around and shot back. In fact, the first time I actually saw a Bond movie on the big screen was in 1985 when Moore had his final go-around as Bond in "A View to a Kill". By that point, Moore had looked a little long in the tooth.

But today for this 007 Reminiscings of Youth article, I'm going to focus on the theme song of Moore's first foray into Bondlore, the 1973 "Live and Let Die". I'll be honest and admit that the opening credits scared the heck out of me when I saw that woman's head turn into a skull on fire...forget about the nudity. One other point about catching Bond movies on TV is that it was often the case that it had used to take about three to five years before a cinematic release finally made its way to television so I probably didn't see "Live and Let Die" until the late 1970s and by that point, I had already made Jane Seymour's acquaintance through "Battlestar Galactica" the original. Had no idea that she was also the femme fatale in Moore's first Bond movie.

The main reason that I'm covering "Live and Let Die" this week as a ROY is that the guy behind the theme song of the same title, Sir Paul McCartney, had just finished a weekend of thrilling concerts just down the highway from me in the city of Hamilton. For a man his age, he has Time Lord energy coursing through his veins and arteries and it appears that "Live and Let Die" is an essential part of the playlist.

It was Moore's first time as Bond but it was also the first time that a rock song was used as a theme for a 007 flick when compared to the swaggering jazz that had been the music for all of those Bond movies in the 1960s. I didn't quite "get" "Live and Let Die" when I first heard it with that crazy mix of rock and orchestra (which would eventually become the template for future Bond themes by pop and rock acts). At the time, I preferred Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" but I'm good with it now and I think it represents the oncoming storm that is 007 when he's ticked off at somebody. And I have to admit that to see and listen to it live has to be one of the major highlights of a McCartney concert, if not the highlight.

"Live and Let Die" reached No. 2 on both the American and Canadian charts. It was nominated at the Oscars for Best Original Song and won a Grammy for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). The song was released on June 1st 1973 as a single from Paul McCartney & Wings, a few weeks before the movie's American release. What was up at the top of the Oricon charts a few days later on June 4th?

1. Miyoko Asada -- Akai Fuusen（赤い風船）

2. Kenji Sawada -- Kiken na Futari （危険なふたり）

3. Saori Minami -- Kizutsuku Sedai（傷つく世代）

Katsuhisa Hattori -- Final

By Alvesgaspar via Wikimedia Commons

Considering recent sports events in Toronto, my fellow Torontonians and Canadians at large may be feeling rather blue for a little while. And I can understand that...invest so much of your enthusiasm, soul and passion into the actions of one team...only to see them not quite grab the brass ring. It's a gut punch but everyone will get over it and move forward soon enough.

I kinda thought that this song might be somewhat emblematic of how folks are feeling right now. This is "Final" from composer and arranger Katsuhisa Hattori's（服部克久）"Juicy and Crispy" album from 1985. And it sure sounds final in a melancholy way. With that forlorn trombone included in the mix, it feels like the end of a story where the guy doesn't get the girl, the team manages to grab defeat from the jaws of victory, the up-and-coming boxer ultimately gets knocked out by the champ after twelve grueling rounds, and so on. It's sad but heroic as all involved trudge off into the sunset exhausted, disappointed but perhaps hopeful for the future with lessons learned.

"Juicy and Crispy" also holds the surprisingly AOR "Secrets" by Hattori. Give that a listen, too.

Gioachino Rossini -- William Tell Overture

 

Yes, I can understand their confusion. The legendary Swiss marksman William Tell and the legendary Lone Ranger John Reid are probably wondering what the deal is regarding their joint iconic theme song.

But let's provide some of that Reminiscings of Youth context first. I remember this one song popping up in a number of Warner Bros. cartoons, especially when there is a chase scene involving horses and Westerns. It grew on me very quickly because I thought it was of those rousing songs that fairly screamed "Time to save the day!". Just wanted to jump onto that steed right then and there.

(1:35:10)

And then, I found out that it had made its leap to the live-action screen via Bob Hope's "Call Me Bwana" from 1963. I remember having a good belly laugh when the rocket launched.

Not long afterwards, I realized that this was the theme song for "The Lone Ranger" that had its run on ABC TV from 1949 to 1957 but also previously on radio. So, it wasn't only "Time to save the day!", but "Hi Ho, Silver!".

However, I also got confused because I would eventually discover that the famous song wasn't called "The Lone Ranger Theme" but the "William Tell Overture". Wait! Wasn't William Tell the archer who shot the apple off of his son's head? Well, why would a cool cowboy hero theme be named after a bowman from centuries previously?

As it turns out, the reason is that the "William Tell Overture" actually made its presence known all the way back in 1829 when its composer, Gioachino Rossini, had created it for his opera "William Tell" based on the William Schiller play "William Tell" from 1804 based on the exploits of the famed archer. The overture was divided into four parts of which the finale "March of the Swiss Soldiers" makes up the famous theme for the Lone Ranger. The more you know, huh?

I have to admit that Hans Zimmer added some kickass booster engines to his take on the theme as part of the soundtrack for Gore Verbinski's 2013 motion picture take on The Lone Ranger. That scene with the train when the theme kicked in was probably what almost saved the picture.

Now, the Japanese pop culture angle on this is that I also remember the "William Tell Overture" being used for the 1981 Fuji-TV comedy-variety show "Oretachi Hyokinzoku" (オレたちひょうきん族....We Are The Wild and Crazy Guys) that loved to break all the rules. The show had its City Pop ending themes by EPO, her version of "Downtown" and then "Doyou no Yoru wa Paradise" (土曜の夜はパラダイス）. However, for the opening theme, it was the overture to prepare all viewers for one heck of a comedy trip.

I wonder how Rossini might be feeling from elsewhere looking down on how adaptable his composition has become in the centuries since.

Well, then, "Oretachi Hyokinzoku" premiered on May 16th 1981. So, what was on top of the charts on May 18th that year? I'll give you Nos. 1, 2 and 5.

1. Akira Terao -- Ruby no Yubiwa (ルビーの指輪)

2. Seiko Matsuda -- Natsu no Tobira （夏の扉）

5. Naomi Sugimura -- Sunset Memory （サンセット・メモリー）

John Williams -- Superman

 

I figure that with me seeing the new "Superman" last week and then "Fantastic Four" coming out in the next several hours, I should bring this particular work onto KKP as a ROY entry. 

As I have probably mentioned in the past, "Superman II" was the first in the franchise that I caught in 1981. It certainly started with a bang with the most epic Reader's Digest version of an opening credits montage sequence reviewing the first movie that I had ever seen. I never caught the first "Superman" in 1978 on the big screen due to various reasons including the fact that my family was never all that much of a moviegoing family. 

Along with the first "Back to the Future", that was one of my big regrets: not catching "Superman" at the theatre. The Christopher Reeve part of the franchise may have gradually ended up going over a cliff but that first movie for the most part was a magical experience. After having seen "Superman II" five times at the theatre (I really did love those credits and the final battle between Supes and General Zod), I finally got to see the original "Superman" on CTV separated into two parts over one weekend, and when I saw those soaring jaw-dropping opening credits (including the Superman logo) with John Williams handling the iconic theme, I realized I missed out on something special, especially with the intro by that kid at the beginning.

The weird thing is that the first time I had ever heard of Williams' "Superman" theme in its entirety, it wasn't on anything connected with the movie but on an episode of "Battle of the Network Stars" which involved television celebrities from various shows competing with each other through events including obstacle courses. The director apparently decided to bring in the theme, and at first, I wasn't all that impressed because I thought it just sounded as if Williams had opted to copy "Star Wars" and its amazing overture.

But of course, the pure epicness of "Superman" with its mashing of the fanfare (that rises to Sousa levels by the end), the march and the love theme into one big overture finally won me over and it got me to buy the original soundtrack whose cover you see at the top. And at this point, among all of those amazing Williams soundtrack themes including those for "Star Wars" and "Jaws", I have to say that the "Superman" theme is my favourite, and I had expressed a bit of disappointment even when the composers for the new "Superman" score brought in just that tiny smidgen of Williams' work although I realize that the original theme was for Reeves and that John Murphy and David Fleming had the prerogative to bring in something new to musically reflect the new Man of Steel.

But with John Williams' "Superman", I could believe that a superhero theme could truly fly!

As crazy as this may sound, "Superman" in 1978 wasn't a summer blockbuster, it was a Christmas one. Released on December 15th in the United States, that must have been some present for superhero fans, and it could explain why the version of the love theme used during the Kal-El-and-Lois flying sequence sounded so Yuletide. In any case, what was up at the top of the charts in Japan a few days later on the 18th?

1. Pink Lady -- Chameleon Army (カメレオン・アーミー）

2. Chiharu Matsuyama -- Kisetsu no Naka de （季節の中で）

3. Muneyuki Sato -- Aoba-jo Koi Uta （青葉城恋唄）