I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
Showing posts with label Ryuichi Sakamoto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryuichi Sakamoto. Show all posts
About a month ago, I brought aboard Teresa Noda（テレサ野田）and her third and final single from 1979,"Tropical Love". She may not have had a long career under her stage name (her real name is Tamaki Saionji（西園寺環）) but she did bring an interesting mix of reggae and disco into this particular single.
The same folks behind "Tropical Love": lyricist Kazumi Yasui（安井かずみ）, composer Kazuhiko Kato（加藤和彦）and arranger Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）, were also responsible for the B-side, "Yellow Moon". This one still keeps things within that relaxing mixture of reggae and disco but the pacing is even more laidback and Noda's voicing is more intimate as if the setting were an intentionally isolated table in some breezy bar in Falsworth. However, from Yasui's lyrics, the relationship has gone kaput and those vocals, though remaining soft and pliable, throw out a rather solid message of rejection.
Many things have probably been said about The Professor, aka Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）, since he dabbled in a lot of different genres. "Not boring" would be one such phrase.
Certainly this song of his titled "Calling From Tokyo" which leads his November 1989 album"Beauty"（ビューティー）has quite its fair share of story behind it. Some years ago, I discovered that he'd harboured a long fascination for various types of ethnic music and studied ethnomusicology in university. "Calling From Tokyo" might be one result of his studies and experimentation. According to the J-Wiki article on "Beauty", Sakamoto had at one point dubbed the song "Jazz" but Virgin Records which was the label for the album convinced him to change it (good call, Virgin).
There's nothing really jazzy about "Calling From Tokyo" unless we're approaching something close to smooth jazz here. It is, though, a smoky mélange of musical spiciness with West African influences, a soupcon of Japanese traditional, Okinawan chants and a whole lot of World Music (which I don't have as a Label here) among other "ingredients". Perhaps after a few listens to it, people may want to head out to get some rich stew at a restaurant somewhere.
Sakamoto did apparently get his original title for his song as it was placed as "Jazz #1" on the "Black Rain" soundtrack. By the way, it was not only Sakamoto behind the lyrics (and music) but also guitarist Arto Lindsay and Roger Trilling. Some of the vocals were provided by the Brian Wilson and Youssou N'Dour.
A version of "Calling From Tokyo" without any major vocals but with a few techno flourishes was included under the title of "Laser Man" as a track on Sakamoto's July 1989 single"Undo #1"（アンドゥ＃1）. It was apparently used as the theme song for a movie called "The Laser Man".
For some reason, I'd been under the impression that actress-singer Teresa Noda（テレサ野田）had already been on KKP but apparently not; this is her first appearance on the blog, so I bid her welcome. Maybe it was something about the name or a similarity in album/single covers.
Anyways, Noda hails from Okinawa as the daughter of a second-generation Japanese-American man and a Japanese woman (according to her J-Wiki profile, she had been far better in English than Japanese). She made her debut as an actress in the early 1970s and it would be another several years before she began recording those singles she released with the first one coming out in 1977. Incidentally, she's had a number of different stage names during her career including her real name of Tamaki Saionji（西園寺環）.
Her third and final single under the name of Teresa Noda to date is "Tropical Love" from May 1979 which was created by the golden duo of lyricist Kazumi Yasui（安井かずみ）and composer Kazuhiko Kato（加藤和彦）with Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）behind the arrangement. I'm not sure if it would be considered City Pop, but it does have those disco strings and a strong reggae beat. Noda does have a resonant and attractively creamy voice here.
Well, how about that for a coincidence? Just last week, I posted up an article regarding NHK-FM's late-night radio show "Crossover Eleven"（クロスオーバーイレブン）which focused on a lot of the popular non-Japanese music. And then just now, I discovered the radio program that immediately preceded it.
"Sound Street"（サウンドストリート）was a show which focused on both Japanese and foreign music that played in the 10-11 pm hour for about 45 minutes Mondays to Fridays. Lasting from 1978 to 1987, it was hosted by a number of folks in the music industry including the amazing Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）who held the Tuesday night slot for about five years in the 1980s. The above broadcast from June 1st 1982 had Sakamoto inviting his good friend Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）for a round of songs and laughs. Tats himself would host the Thursday program between 1983 and 1986.
The opening theme for "Sound Street" was Sakamoto's own creation "Photo Music" although I'm not sure whether it had been played right from the beginning of its run in 1978 (perhaps before its release on vinyl in 1981, there had been no official opener). Of course, that was also the same year that Yellow Magic Orchestra launched so I'm sure he and his fellow bandmates, Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）and Yukihiro Takahashi（高橋幸宏）, were fully in thrall to the technopop sound, and so not surprisingly, The Professor's dreamy and whimsical "Photo Music" is right up that YMO alley. "Photo Music" actually didn't get released until it found itself as a B-side to the light and fun "Computer Obaachan"（コンピューターおばあちゃん）which was released in December 1981.
I know that Daiei is one of the major supermarket chains in Japan. There was one branch of it near my apartment...a mere ten-minute walk away. The actual supermarket was in the basement but it was huge, fairly comparable to some of the No Frills supermarkets we have here in Toronto, and my Daiei also had a couple of floors above the supermarket for clothes and the usual department store stuff.
Let it be known that it would be grand folly to describe the amazing things that the late legendary Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）did musically in one mere paragraph. He was a pioneer in technopop, helped give a new exciting sound to Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）in the early 1980s, provided some of the catchiest and quirkiest melodies to other singers such as Miki Nakatani（中谷美紀）, arranged one of the cutest kid-friendly songs for an aidoru trio, created some fine and comfortable New Age music, and was even responsible for a blippity-bloppity theme for NHK News back in the day.
And yep, he even gave his all for commercials including one for my beloved Daiei where I often got my bento. And I mean, he gave his all.
(Mock conversation between The Professor and Daiei)
Daiei, nervously: So, can you...uh...provide a nice jingle for our supermarket?
Sakamoto, haughtily: I, Ryuichi Sakamoto, do NOT compose tiny insignificant baubles of eighth notes for anything! I compose full breathing songs, sir!
Daiei: Well...uh...how catchy and long can you make this song for our humble company?
Sakamoto: YES!
And thus, "Daiei" was born in 1983. And here I thought his "GT" was cool and upbeat. "Daiei" may be his most foot-stomping and toe-tapping work yet. It's got his 80s synth beats, celebratory Christmas bells, bounce-off-the-wall saxophone, cool background chorus and bang-and-crash percussion. Good golly...how big was that sale for fruits and vegetables? You will never simply walk over to your local grocery ever again.
Anyways, "Daiei" is available on his November 2002 compilation album"Works I - CM".
Happy Monday! I've always had a fascination for those songs that kinda slipped through the net, so to speak. What I'm referring to are tunes by a singer that never got put onto one of their studio albums from a single such as a forgotten B-side or even an A-side. And perhaps, they never even made it onto one of their early BEST collections.
Being a singer and songwriter, the Akiko Yano（矢野顕子）file on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" is pretty long by now, but I think I've managed to find one of those mystery songs. Her "Ashita Koso, Anata"(Tomorrow For Sure, You) was her 6th single from November 1981, and according to one site, it was used as a jingle for a Kadokawa Bookstore commercial. It did eventually get onto a Yano special compilation CD called "Ai ga Tarinai"（愛がたりない...Not Enough Love） which came out in January 1995 and supposedly consists of those ignored songs.
The other notable thing about this particular Yano song is that aside from the singer coming up with words and music, her husband at the time, Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）, and Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）were behind the arrangement (and you can hear him as background chorus). In fact, looking at the list of musicians involved, this was virtually a Tats-and-Yellow Magic Orchestra collaboration with Sakamoto on synthesizer, Yukihiro Takahashi（高橋幸宏）on drums, Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）on bass and Tats also helping out on guitar while Yano was singing away. I wouldn't even say that "Ashita Koso, Anata" was a technopop tune at all. If anything, it sounds closer to being a Shibuya-kei tune (a decade before the genre really came into being) with the happy-happy beat and Tats' chorus. If there had been a music video, I would have imagined a 60s band playing on some old music-variety show. Plus, there is something about the opening of each verse which reminds me of the music from "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". It's one of the rarest of the rare in many ways.
Fairly busy day today. Met up with an old friend of mine for lunch (that was one spicy steak sandwich from Bear Steak in The Well) and stopped off at Sonic Boom to pick up an LP for my niece's Christmas present. Needed a double nap when I got home tonight. But I'm ready to do some blogging for Hump Day.
A few months ago, I posted up a Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）song which was his March 2008 single"Koko", a elegiac piece for a Japan Post commercial which could have easily been a musical elegy for Sakamoto himself since he has left us. Well, here is one of the coupling songs from the single which will go down as the shortest song that I've ever covered on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" since I started all the way back in 2012.
"Dancing in the Sky" is only a minute and nine seconds along but even within its very short time, it manages to weave together a story of sorts. Just with his wonderful piano, The Professor could have been melodically describing a little boy or girl sneaking down to the living room early on Christmas morning to open up those presents. Maybe the dancing in the sky is the joy the kid feels at getting what he wanted. Nope, it's not a Christmas song per se, but it certainly feels really jingly.
Although I spent one month of 1981 in Japan, I still can't imagine what a time it was for Japanese music lovers over there back in those days. There was the regular kayo kyoku along with the Golden Age of Aidoru rolling in, and at the same time, there were the twin lines of City Pop and technopop for those who had some more particular tastes. Of course, outside of Japan, there was what remained of disco, the roaring New Wave and just good ol' American pop.
But at the same time, I can also believe that some of the more outlying stuff, musically speaking, would never have come onto weekly shows such as "The Best 10"（ザ・ベストテン）or "Yoru no Hit Studio"（夜のヒットスタジオ）. It was just a little too weird, not to put too fine a point on my expression. For example, Yellow Magic Orchestra was having its heyday as the No. 1 band in Japan with its amazing and catchy technopop but some of their other melodic adventures further afield may have been considered a little too outré.
I am not one of those people, by and large...otherwise, this blog would have been far smaller by this point. And there's a lot I like about Ryuichi Sakamoto's（坂本龍一）"Happy End" which was the Side B to his April 1981 single"Front Line". It certainly doesn't sound as if The Professor had wanted to pay any tribute to his then-bandmate Haruomi Hosono's（細野晴臣）old band from a decade earlier. In fact, I would say that "Happy End" sounds like the perfect soundtrack to a ballet performed by shiny silver androids and robots with that synth-string playing a classical melody.
A version of "Happy End" was even included in Yellow Magic Orchestra's 1981"BGM" album. I had forgotten about that but it was no wonder. That synth-string melody was taken out of that version so what I was listening to was even more outré and avant-garde. Couldn't see this played live on a music show. It didn't strike me as being a happy end as it was more of a drunk high end after having too much of that absinthe of malice.
It's been over a couple of years now since the passing of Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）, still greatly missed. Far from his session musician roots where he was helping out with funk, techno and the like, his last couple of decades will always strike me as being wistful and contemplative through his piano.
The other day on NHK's "Asaichi"（あさイチ）information variety show, I heard this piece accompany the Premium Talk guest of the week...sorry, I can't remember his name, and I'm not sure whether it has anything to do with him or any of his work, but he just said that he simply loved this song when asked if he'd like anything to accompany him musically when introduced on the show.
From the languid playing, I should have known right off the bat that "Koko" was a Sakamoto number. Some decades earlier, he'd come up with "energy flow", the soothing song for the Regain vitamin drink brand, and "Koko" was something along that vein. Released as a single in March 2008, The Professor had once considered giving it the full title of "Kokoro" meaning "heart" but according to the J-Wiki article on the song, he felt a little too embarrassed naming it that so he went with just "Koko". I don't see any problem with "Kokoro" myself, but perhaps he had thought that "Kokoro" was a tad too cornball. I'm not sure.
"Kokoro" was used for a Japan Post commercial. Sakamoto himself stars in the ad. Seeing it and hearing the song definitely hits the feelings with an even more bittersweet and melancholy sense considering that he's left this mortal coil.
Welcome to a steamy Sunday in the Greater Toronto Area. I think you have probably read me referring to Yasushi Akimoto's（秋元康）harem of aidoru groups such as AKB 48 as the Alphabet Aidoru. Well, today to start this broadcasting day on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", I'll be providing some Alphabet Songs through their titles.
There's something here that is almost downright "Jeopardy" about this selection. I'll take Alphabet Songs for $200, Alex!
Probably the best thing I can do here is provide a direct quotation from Wikipedia since this is the first time that I had ever read about this artist:
Koharu Kisaragi (Japanese: 如月小春; February 19, 1956 – December 19, 2000) was a Japanese playwright, director, and essayist. The founder of the theater company NOISE, she worked as a playwright and director starting in the late 1970s, becoming, alongside Hideki Noda and Eri Watanabe, one of the leaders of the Third Generation of Japanese small theater. She had a lasting influence on contemporary Japanese women's theater.
Kisaragi had a mighty influence on the Japanese stage but she also contributed a little to the music industry through a couple of releases in 1986. The first one was "Neo Plant" which was produced by none other than Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）. Just from listening to the thumpy technopop rhythm and the mix of the synths and the English rapping by the playwright, I kinda figured that the Professor had his fingerprints on this one.
As was noted above in the quotation, Kisaragi, who was born as Masako Ito（伊藤正子）in Tokyo, didn't have a long life unfortunately as she passed away from a subarachnoid hemorrhage at the age of 44.
Along with the horror-comedy movie "The Substance" which is up for a Best Movie Oscar, the other movie that has stuck in my head all these months since the Toronto International Film Festival back in September has been "Nightbitch" starring Amy Adams as a mother who feels that she may indeed be turning into a dog. It might be a Disney movie (distributed by Searchlight Pictures) but I have a feeling that it's not quite in the same tone as those Kurt Russell pics such as "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes".
In any case, I was reminded of that movie once I came upon this song by singer-songwriter Akiko Yano（矢野顕子）, "I am a Dog" for somewhat obvious reasons. A track from Yano's June 1993 album"Love Is Here", it's another appealingly loopy entry by the longtime New York City resident. I couldn't find the lyrics but I take it that it's all about the life of a dog. I am convinced though that this is truly a Yano song from the usual happy toe-dancing style in which she delivers her words so delectably and with her husband Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）handling the string arrangement, there is something in the overall arrangement that pretty much screams "The Professor At Work Here!". I especially love the way that the song ends.
From Takano's 1994 single "Yume no Naka de Aeru desho"
A song originally offered to The Kingtones（ザ・キングトーンズ）, "Yume no Naka de Aeru desho" is a distant relative to Sugar Babe's（シュガーベイブ）"Downtown". In all likelihood, the song was created with the gentle approach of Kingtones' vocalist Masato Uchida（内田正人）in mind, and its clear and amiable melody paired with its timeless lyrics especially shine within Hiroshi Takano's（高野寛）discography. Ryuichi Sakamoto's（坂本龍一）arrangement is also a highlight.
The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised"(2020).
This song is due to be a Yutaka Kimura Speaks entry in a few weeks so I decided to jump ahead of it with my own take. Honestly speaking, I hadn't heard of this one by singer-songwriter Hiroshi Takano（高野寛）but it has been included in the Top 100 in "Japanese City Pop", so I had to take a gander, especially with the late Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）handling its arrangement.
"Yume no Naka de Aeru desho"(We Can Meet in Our Dreams) had actually been meant as a Takano contribution to the vocal group The Kingtones（ザ・キング・トーンズ）as one of their singles, but as circumstances permitted, it ended up getting out as a Takano single in October 1994. Sakamoto and Takano have made it an early 1970s soul single and I can also hear why the latter had wanted to offer it to The Kingtones with their doo-wop balladry. The single reached No. 67 on Oricon and has been included as a track on his March 1995 album"Sorrow and Smile" which peaked at No. 49.
The Kingtones' take of the song did come out in April 1995 as their 29th single. Couldn't find an original recorded version but I did find this concert footage of the guys doing their doo-wop best. As heard here, it sounds a bit more lighthearted but the story is the same: a couple greatly enjoying each other's company on Earth and in the stars.
Welcome to another Hump Day on KKP. Readers might be feeling a tad worn out by this point, so perhaps one of the tunes put up today may apply some aural salve to your ears.
Generally speaking for me, covers of songs have been fine but they rarely outdo the originals. I think that would also apply to Miki Nakatani's（中谷美紀）version of "Natsu ni Koi Suru Onna Tachi"（The Women Who Love In Summer), a cover of singer-songwriter Taeko Ohnuki's（大貫妙子）original from her October 1983 album"Signifie". As I mentioned in the article for the album many years ago, there was a grand Gallic flair with this summery pop song as if these women in the title were having the time of their lives in the south of France.
Nakatani's version can be found in her 1999 album"Shiseikatsu"（私生活...Private Life） with original arranger Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）, fellow technopop composer Kazuhiko Maeda（前田和彦）and Hidekazu Hoshino（星野英和）helping out on this new arrangement. This new take on "Natsu ni Koi Suru Onna Tachi" goes slightly further into the technopop with enhanced loopiness and a faster tempo. Maybe the protagonists here are female holograms.
Interestingly enough, I only found out by scrolling through the J-Wikiarticle for "Natsu ni Koi Suru Onna Tachi" earlier today that there was another cover done much later by Tomoyo Harada（原田知世）for her May 2016 album of covers, "Ren'ai Shosetsu 2 -- Wakaba no Koro"（恋愛小説2 -若葉のころ...Novels of Love 2 -- During Our Salad Days）. And this time, the cover version goes into the other direction...that is, without any synthesizers or other overtly blippy electronic equipment involved and brings in the tenderhearted strings for a much slower and contemplative Fashion Music take. Guitarist and music producer Goro Ito（伊藤ゴロー）arranged things here.
It may be a little bit of an overgeneralization but whenever I think of Miki Nakatani's（中谷美紀）discography, which has often been handled by the late great Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）, I figure that I will usually get something avant-gardish or hauntingly indies. Her 1997 album "Cure" comes to mind.
Her July 1999 7th single "Frontier" is no different. Written by Nakatani and composed/arranged by Sakamoto, the song was used as the theme for her 1999 NTV drama "Joi ~ Nothing Lasts Forever"（女医...Female Doctor） in which she plays a cardiac surgeon. Once again, there is the matchup of the singer's high, innocent and floaty vocals and the composer's mesmerizing melody but this time, the arrangement is joined by Luna Sea's Sugizo and his guitar.
Yeah, I kinda figured that the opening credits for "Joi ~ Nothing Lasts Forever" would be appropriately atmospheric...and hot. "Frontier" peaked at No. 18 on Oricon and is also available on Nakatani's 3rd album "Shiseikatsu"（私生活...Private Life） which was released in November 1999 and got as high as No. 11 on the charts.
Never really got to know singer-songwriter Bryan Ferry all that well back in the day, especially during his time with Roxy Music. During the 1980s, he got hits with "Slave to Love" and "Don't Stop the Dance" which I heard and saw on fairly heavy rotation via radio and television. The music videos showed him as a slightly louche gentleman of charm and leisure.
So it was only recently that I heard about his May 1977 single, "Tokyo Joe". The song is a disco rock tune that seems to fit the description that I've made for him, and despite the geographical position noted in the title, "Tokyo Joe" is something that probably made for a fine musical accompaniment for the debauchery at New York City's Studio 54 back in those days. For that matter, the song could have been covered by someone like David Bowie.
Bowie probably didn't. However, the intriguing Japanese trio of Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）, Kazumi Watanabe（渡辺香津美）and Yukihiro Takahashi（高橋幸宏）did in 1979 when they released their own version of "Tokyo Joe" as a single. Just imagine...two-thirds of Yellow Magic Orchestra and a famed jazz fusion guitarist arranging and performing "Tokyo Joe" as a slightly more amped-up disco technopop cover. Indeed, let's wang chung tonight! Not sure how the single did but it was placed onto a 1982 New Wave compilation titled "Tokyo-Paris-London-New York, Dancing Night".
Now, to give truth in advertising, officially, the song is provided under only Sakamoto and Watanabe but Takahashi is also providing his vocals here so I am including the late drummer in the byline.
When I did my ROY article on Thomas Dolby's"She Blinded Me With Science", I highlighted that exhortation from the lyrics of the song. And indeed Dolby may have been complimenting Ryuichi Sakamoto's（坂本龍一）wife at the time, singer-songwriter Akiko Yano（矢野顕子）. Both Yano and Dolby had collaborated on the latter's 1982 song "Radio Silence".
Perhaps then, I gather that Dolby's lyrical pass at his wife was the invitation for both him and Sakamoto to collaborate on their own single, the February 1985"Field Work". The guy who looked like a daffy professor and the guy who was nicknamed The Professor worked on words and music with some additional help by Hajime Tachibana（立花ハジメ）from New Wave band Plastics in the arranging department. A dramatic tempest of a technopop tune that starts off like a melodic tornado, "Field Work" overall comes across as the ideal theme for a sci-fi thriller movie and judging from the lyrics, the sci-fi is epic and era-spanning. I'm not sure but I think Dolby was channeling a bit of his inner Bowie in the delivery.
The actual music video for "Field Work" starring Sakamoto and Dolby though takes things into another direction using the tropes of the unwelcome stalker and that WWII Japanese soldier who wasn't unaware that the war had been over for decades. Mind you, there's a bit of X-Men or X-Files sci-fi with Sakamoto's vet.
I've heard that there are various remixes of "Field Work", and up to this point, I've enjoyed this Long London version at a shade over six minutes.
According to Minami（南佳孝）himself, "Hizuke Henkosen"(International Date Line) was a complete song once the chorus was changed from a minor to a major key. With a percussion that wraps around a bossa nova rhythm, the song has the sound of traveling to tropical climes from Tokyo and crossing the International Date Line. The addition of a synthesizer is also splendid, and even among the arrangements of Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）in his pre-YMO days, I'd say that this is one of his best. The refreshing female background chorus belongs to none other than Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）.
The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised"(2020).
The first time I heard of this song was when it was used for a Mitsubishi cellphone ad a few decades ago. Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）was playing the piano most seriously when a cellphone had kept on ringing after which he stood up and gently asked for silence. Then, he provided the solution...a cellphone with a quieter vibration function.
As for the song itself, I just went "Yup...that's the Professor for you. Doing the avant-garde stuff again, I see." It was good ol' Sakamoto. It's titled "1919" and was so titled because it includes a speech by one Vladimir Lenin that had supposedly been given in the titular year. From what I can hear, it's Sakamoto providing some forceful and to-the-point piano with strings buzzing away incessantly. Not sure what it all means aside from speculating that it could have been describing Lenin's mood at the time.. The song itself was included as a track on the master's May 1996 album, logically titled "1996".
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