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.
Awww...isn't this adorable? This was a commercial for one of my favourite drinks, Calpis, and the title for this ad includes the name of the young girl talking, Saori Tsuchiya（土家里織）. According to her J-Wiki file, she did this in 1972. when she was all of three years old; it was the same year that I visited Japan for the first time and discovered the famous refreshment.
Tsuchiya happens to come from a family of thespians including her parents: Shinjiro Ehara（江原真二郎）and Hitomi Nakahara（中原ひとみ）, and throughout her childhood, she would appear in a long-running series of commercials for Lion White & White Toothpaste alongside her famous parents for about a decade into the 1980s. She literally grew up in front of Japan's eyes.
Her acting career began in the late 1980s but it didn't lead to a similarly long singing career though. In fact, Tsuchiya released only two singles; one was a duet with legendary singer-songwriter Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）in 1987 and then there was her one-and-only solo effort released in June 1988, "BOY". Today, I have the B-side, "Nantoka Shite"(Do Something About It) which was written by Shun Taguchi（田口俊）, composed by Masamichi Sugi（杉真理）and arranged by Kazuo Otani（大谷和夫）. It's a pretty blippy-bloppy synthpop tune with a rollicking rhythm.
Isn't this something? A couple of lovers in their best finery as they look longingly into each other's eyes under a huge shining supermoon in some exotic city such as Casablanca. Cocktails and dinner are awaiting them on a table a few metres away.
I'm pretty sure that the setting established in Yoko Minamino's（南野陽子）"Moon Rendezvous" is far less glamorous and luxurious but no less exciting for the people involved. From what I've understood of Shun Taguchi's（田口俊）lyrics, the lass is happily expecting to meet her beloved Dad or beau at the airport...or maybe both; that would be quite the interesting thing. As for Mitsuo Hagita's（萩田光雄）melody (and he also arranged the song), considering the lyrics and the title, I would've been anticipating a City Pop tune, but instead, it hews to an innocent and smooth bossa nova style. For an aidoru song, it sounds quite mature and refined, and at the time, Nanno was still under twenty. The song wasn't released as a single but was included as a track on her November 1986 2nd album"Virginal" which peaked at No.2 on Oricon.
I guess today's been the Urban Contemporary Friday with the songs of mixed genres coming in fast and strong. All the better and no complaints here.
This one is no exception either. Straight from Etsuko Sai's（彩恵津子）2nd original album from March 1985, "All I Need", I give you "Keredo Only You" (But Only You). Short and sweet at just a shade over three minutes, it still manages to contribute some upbeat music with some of that Motown magic mixed in with the regular City Pop. Bobbysoxers can slip and slide in their socks to this one. Shun Taguchi（田口俊）was responsible for the lyrics while Masakazu Togo（東郷昌和）from the 70s duo Buzztook care of the music.
The cases are rare on KKP, but there are singers whose entire portfolios on this blog basically talk on their one-and-only album. Takako Mamiya（間宮貴子）is one such person and the other is a fellow City Pop chanteuse by the name of singer-songwriter Amy.
I covered her 1983 album"Amy" some years ago of which one song is "Dance in Dream". And I have another one here called "Ame Iro no Screen"(Rain Colour Screen). Written by Shun Taguchi（田口俊）and composed by the singer herself, it's so City Pop with the bass and keyboards that it hurts and listeners should find themselves suddenly wearing pink polo shirts and fluffy white cardigans wrapped around their waists. They may even get that sudden urge to walk down a seashore at sunset or sunrise like Amy herself on the album cover.
With the usual two major holidays here during the first week of July in much of North America, I'm sure that there has been a flurry of traffic via all routes. Hopefully, it's been smooth for you.
Since we're on the theme of holidays, I've supplying my most recent Minako Ito（伊藤美奈子）song in about a year. From her October 1982 debut album"Tenderly", I give you the second track "Sayonara no Kyujitsu"(The Goodbye Holiday). A smooth and bluesy City Pop number accentuated with guitar and Fender Rhodes, this is quite the bourbon of Japanese urban contemporary. With words by Shun Taguchi（田口俊）and music by Ito herself, there is also something in the arrangement that is rather kayo kyoku. Lyrically, it's all about a seemingly definitive goodbye to a romance only for at least one half of the relationship suffering from some difficulties in getting rid of the ex from the mind.
I couldn't help but get some of that atmosphere from the Righteous Brothers' classic "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" when I listened to the first few measures of this Kaoru Sudo（須藤薫）song. Released in November 1983 as her final single for CBS/Sony with whom she recorded since the beginning of her career in 1979, "Hadashi no Mama de" (Just Barefoot) sounds like a Hiroshi Nagai（永井博）painting given aural capabilities as Sudo croons softly of a woman at the side of a pool during one summer, thinking about a former flame.
Written by Shun Taguchi（田口俊）, composed by Masamichi Sugi（杉真理）and arranged by Masataka Matsutoya（松任谷正隆）, I wonder whether those last two songwriters were thinking of the Righteous Brothers and Phil Spector when they designed this rather lush ballad that has the vibes of a breezy 60s love song. Considering that we're not too far from the hot season right now, this could be quite the tonic.
As I was sitting around in the waiting room while a family member was going through some medical tests which I mentioned about in my first article today, I whipped out my issue of "Obscure City Pop CD's ~ 1986-2006". Knowing that I had my usual quintet of articles to post today, I wanted to see if I could find something from the book.
Well, as it turned out, one singer in the book has already been given some coverage here on KKP. Makiko Imai（今井麻起子）is someone that I had mentioned about for the first time back in 2019 for her "Belly Roll ~ Kaze no Josoji"（ベリー・ロール -風の助走路-）from her debut album"Ciao!" from February 1988. The impression about her was that she was quite the perky pop star along the lines of Misato Watanabe（渡辺美里）.
In "Obscure City Pop CD's", attention was paid to her 2nd and final album"CANDY A GO GO!!" which came out in March 1989. Track 2 was readily available on YouTube. "Ten Years After" continues the upbeat good times of Ms. Imai but this time, there is some more robust funk in there. Written by Shun Taguchi（田口俊）and composed by Noriko Nigo（仁後典子）and Kazuo Horiguchi（堀口和男）, it's a story of some mild admonishment as a 1999 version of a young lady goes back in time to warn her younger self that she's letting a romantic opportunity go to waste, although it may already be too late (although knowing a sliver of temporal mechanics, I'm not sure how that could happen).
I have to say that though Imai only released two albums, those covers are among the more standout examples that I've ever seen. My compliments to the designers!
I guess that I should have added the label Kanebo Cosmetics to the Labels because so many of the songs noted here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" have ended up as campaign music for the company's commercials.
But interestingly enough, this particular song hasn't been included in the video compilation at the very top. Apparently, this November 1984 22nd single by the vocal trio Hi-Fi Set（ハイ・ファイ・セット）,"Hoshi Geshou Halley"(Star Make-Up Halley) was used by Kanebo but I haven't been able to find any sign of a commercial associated with the melancholy number on YouTube.
However, there is an anime short that has acted as the official music video for "Hoshi Geshou Halley" which is a bit on the bizarre side. It not only has the trio in anime and live-action form but it stars a time-displaced baby dinosaur missing his family dearly while he's struggling to figure out modern-day Tokyo. But no worries...Hi-Fi Set make like Doctor Who and set things back to normal although there is an Urashima Taro plot twist at the end.
As for the song itself, "Hoshi Geshou Halley" has a star list of songwriters: lyricist Shun Taguchi（田口俊）, composer Masamichi Sugi（杉真理）and arranger Akira Inoue（井上鑑）. It leans toward the sophisticated pop territory of City Pop although a lot of the song also has that Gallic feeling that might transport some listeners to the streets of Paris. Not sure how all this managed to intertwine itself with a baby dinosaur but hey, whimsy is Japanese pop culture's middle name.
The last time I wrote about late 80s/early 90s aidoru Yuri Kunizane（国実百合）was back in November when I posted her "Hishochi no Sagan"（避暑地のサガン）from her July 1988 debut album"Summer in Blue". That was in the territory of Motown boogie.
However, later in December of that year, Kunizane put out her 4th single"Tomodachi Ijou" (More Than Friends) which was also placed within her mini BEST album"Y-923NE" from July 1989. That album, according to Discogs, has been categorized as synthpop, kayo kyoku and City Pop, and I think that this particular song seems to exemplify characteristics from all three genres. But without any of the three winning out over the other two, I've kept the Label here as aidoru. Written by Shun Taguchi（田口俊）, composed by Tetsuji Hayashi（林哲司）and arranged by Hiroshi Shinkawa（新川博）, it's quite the sweetly sung song with a killer electric guitar solo near the end.
I also have to note that the title for that mini BEST album is a pretty cool depiction of Kunizane's full name in an old-fashioned Japanese pager language sort of way. Plus, Kunizane herself looks more like a lady ready to hit the dance floors in a bodicon dress in comparison to the more demure 1950s persona that she showed on "Summer in Blue".
It's been over eighteen months since I put up a Maiko Nakano（中野麻衣子）song on KKP, but I figure that today is the right time since it is Urban Contemporary Friday and with Japan also in Christmas mode, people are probably getting into the party spirit.
And yep, I was nicely reminded how snazzy her discography was back in the 1990s. The last song that I wrote about her back at the end of March 2023 was "Imitation Blue" from her 1991 album "Bay Side Story". Well just a couple of tracks down from that one is "Shuumatsu no Lovelorn Girl" (Weekend Lovelorn Girl). Written by Shun Taguchi（田口俊）and composed/arranged by Tatsuya Nishiwaki（西脇辰弥）from the band PAZZ, it seems to possess that feeling of caviar-and-champagne brand of City Pop brought over from Bubble Era Japan, just the thing to stride down that big boulevard at night while savoring some rich times.
"Mizuiro no Wagon" (Light Blue Wagon) shows a guy coming across a car with a local number plate and then taking a short trip led by his heart to a nostalgic street corner via an expressway running through the city. The group, which was with CBS/Sony at the time, has a song strongly reminiscent of "Sunao ni Naritai"（素直になりたい）which was created by Masamichi Sugi（杉真理）, but it's also a number that feels like it was truly penned by the Hi-Fi Set（ハイファイセット）members. The gorgeous harmonies are there as usual, and Hiroshi Shinkawa's（新川博）arrangement which hits the key points is also splendid.
The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised" (2020).
Remembering that I was in the Tokyo area as a resident and employee rather than as a tourist, it's easy to forget that the megalopolis was quite the town for fun and frivolity...provided that I had enough saved from my monthly pay packet. Not the easiest thing to do as an English conversation teacher but I did have my opportunities to paint the town red...usually around restaurants and karaoke boxes. Exclusive clubs and French restaurants? Not so much (though I did partake on the rare occasion).
Maybe for those in a higher income tax bracket, a song like this might be more reflective. "Wonderland Yuuyami City"(Wonderland Twilight City) is a track from Atsuko Nina's（二名敦子）1986 5th album"him". As with a number of other City Pop tunes from the latter half of the 1980s, there is that brassy sense of caviar-and-champagne fragrance infused into the arrangement.
City Pop fans will positively be snapping their fingers and getting that urge to strut down Chuo Douri in Tokyo as they listen to this one. Shun Taguchi（田口俊）provided the lyrics but Masamichi Sugi（杉真理）, who I usually associated with more languid oldies pop compositions, really puts in the feeling of sharp suits, fine dresses, sports cars and luxurious dining in the Bubble Era. Perhaps I can find more of Sugi's more metropolitan-minded masterpieces sometime down the line.
The other day, I received a comment from YMOfan04 underneath my posting on Yuki Saito's（斉藤由貴）"AXIA" album regarding another song of hers, "Mizu no Haru" (Spring by the Water). It is actually not on the June 1985 "AXIA", but on her third album"Chime"（チャイム）which was released in October 1986.
Even before playing it, I was struck by "Mizu no Haru", which I hadn't heard before because it wasn't part of a single and I never had a chance to listen to "Chime". The composer and arranger for the song was Kenjiro Sakiya（崎谷健次郎）, a singer and songwriter that I usually equated with groovy City Pop, and I had never known Saito to have tried the urban contemporary uber-genre; that was more Momoko Kikuchi's（菊池桃子）realm. Incidentally, Satoshi Takebe（武部聡志）co-arranged "Mizu no Haru" with Shun Taguchi（田口俊）providing the lyrics of a happy girl and her boyfriend enjoying a date along a pond.
Beginning with a boogie rat-a-tat drumming from a marching band, "Mizu no Haru" didn't turn out to be a City Pop tune. It was actually more of a jolly synthpop number that, if I hadn't checked the liner notes, I would have assumed to be something by the winning combo of Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）and Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）. So I'm happy to hear that there were others who could come up with catchy and perky technopop tunes for aidoru singers of the 1980s.
The article that I just posted several minutes ago for TOSHITARO's "Am9 ni J - Eikaku Boy de Ite kure yo"（Am9にジェイ - 鋭角ボーイでいてくれよ -）made the point that if anyone knew about this song then they would considered to be truly music maniacs in Japanese; personally, I would prefer the term lovers or hobbyists. Regardless, this song might also be in the same category.
And man, this intro is so AOR, it hurts! Commenters have been pointing out how shocked and delighted to see and hear RAIN's"Hari no Nai Tokei" (Clock with No Hands) up on YouTube. There is next to no information on this group aside from the fact that singer-songwriter Shuuji Kuniyasu（国安修二）had belonged to the band according to his J-Wiki profile. In 1978, it had been known as the folk duo TAKE ONE until they took one more member at least to become RAIN in 1981 (it would break up in 1983).
I could only find out on the YouTube description that RAIN had released this single "Hari no Nai Tokei" in 1982 with Kuniyasu as the composer, Shun Taguchi（田口俊）as the lyricist and Kimio Mizutani（水谷公生）as the arranger. At first, I had assumed that Taguchi was part of the band but he was actually busy with his own group Lorelei at the time. Anyways, getting back to "Hari no Nai Tokei", this song about time standing still due to a romantic breakup (by death or argument) is so smooth and refined that milk tea would curdle in its presence. In fact, with those lovely strings in there, I couldn't help but throw in the Fashion Music label, too.
Well, it's more like a snowy morning there. It was one of the relatively rare times that heavy snow got plopped onto Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture back in 2010. I hope that I didn't have to go to work on that day.
But it was a "Velvet Morning" for Hitomi Penny Tohyama（当山ひとみ）when she sang this track from her October 1985 album"Human Voice". I guess I'm following Miho Nakayama's（中山美穂）"Keep Awake" with another romantically satisfying (and remarkably guilt-free) morning-after situation. Shun Taguchi's（田口俊）lyrics tell the tale of a tryst at what seems like a seaside Motel 6 with the lady declaring that she's more than happy with a Coke and a rusty bicycle rather than champagne and a limo when it comes to spending time with her guy. Yoshihiro Yonekura（米倉良宏）came up with the oh-so-calming melody thanks to the keyboards and the guitar plucking away.
Last Tuesday, I wrote up an article about Side A of Kaoru Sudo's（須藤薫）February 1987 6th album"Hello Again", and so I'd like to follow up with my feelings on Side B.
The side begins with a pretty frenetic pop and rock-n'-roll"Sayonara wa Go-gatsu no Fubuki"（サヨナラは5月の吹雪...May Blizzard Goodbye）. Written by Norie Kanzawa（神沢礼江）, composed by Yoichi Shimada（嶋田陽一）and arranged by Seiichi Kyoda（京田誠一）, there's even a slightly toy store march like feeling to this song which seems to be about getting along just fine following a breakup. May blizzards aren't totally unknown in my neck of the woods although they are happily quite rare.
There's initially more of the 80s version of the 50s with "Daddy Long Legs" with Hiroko Hosoda（細田博子）on lyrics and Satoshi Kimura（木村聡）on melody with Kimio Mizutani（水谷公生）arranging everything. But the melody then subtly evolves into something more relaxing and languid with Sudo's vocals to match. I'm pretty sure that there are no spiders involved with the titular figure probably being a very tall man that a woman is hugging like all get out.
Mizutani is once again the arranger for "Mugon no Message"（無言のメッセージ...Wordless Message） which is a straddling between Sudo's pop stylings and City Pop as she sings about a woman who's falling apart while trying to call someone she has feelings for. Remember that there were no smartphones in the 1980s so she's probably trying to make contact from an old-fashioned glassed-in phone booth somewhere near a park. Shun Taguchi（田口俊）was the lyricist while Nobuyuki Yamazawa（山澤宣幸）was on composing duty.
The same guys behind the above "Sayonara wa Go-gatsu no Fubuki" are also behind "Sweet Little Heartache", a fleeting contemporary pop number although there is some of that 50s and 60s flavour in Kyoda's arrangement. Kanzawa's lyrics seem to be about a couple at some fairly swanky place but the lady is a bit out of sorts for some reason. There's something about the song that reminds me of some of EPO's tunes, too.
The final track on the original album is "Utsukushii Koyomi"（美しい暦...Beautiful Calendar） which was actually composed by Sudo, written by the aforementioned Hosoda and arranged by Kyoda. With the strings in there, it feels like a classy 70s pop ballad by someone like Boz Scaggs. Sudo's soft and purring voice supplemented with the echo effect does give "Utsukushii Koyomi" that heft as a gallant final track. It feels like the sun is setting with this song which makes it appropriate as the last number.
The 2008 re-release of "Hello Again" on CD has three bonus tracks which happen to be live versions of the title track, "Sakamichi wa Pearl Iro"（坂道はパール色...The Pearly Slope） and "Onai Doshi no Koi"（同い年の恋...Love at the Same Age） all of which were covered in Side A. This particular album was Sudo's highest-scoring release, peaking at No. 41 on Oricon.
When I bought Kaoru Sudo's（須藤薫）"Hello Again" album years ago, I had thought for some reason that it was a BEST compilation. For a lack of a better word, the cover looked like a BEST: Sudo looking all wistful and content in black-and-white. But nope. It is actually an original album (her 6th) that was first released in February 1987. Several weeks ago, I gave my two-part writeup on her previous album "DROPS" from November 1983 and so I've decided to provide some insight into "Hello Again" which basically continues Sudo's tradition of smooth and sleek pop and AOR.
Track 1 is the brief intro and title track "Hello Again". Sounding like a torch song off the soundtrack of a frothy 1950s Hollywood romance flick, this was written and composed by Sudo's good friend Masamichi Sugi（杉真理）with arrangement by Seiichi Kyoda（京田誠一）.
The first full-fledged song is "Saikai no Airline"（再会のエアライン...Meeting Again on the Airline）, a breezy AOR number about a budding romance in the air thanks to a fortuitous re-encounter although knowing that it is a Japanese pop song, I doubt that the couple will be joining the Mile High Club. With lyrics by Norie Kanzawa（神沢礼江）and composed by Yoichi Shimada（嶋田陽一）, I opted for a video featuring Sudo in performance since I wanted to see her in the flesh so to speak and she demonstrates some great vocals.
"Sakamichi wa Pearl Iro"（坂道はパール色...The Pearly Slope） would be notable simply for the fact that its lyrics were provided by none other than Seizo Watase（わたせせいぞう）. Yes, that Seizo Watase, the creator of the manga "Heart Cocktail"（ハートカクテル）and all of those City Pop-friendly illustrations including those on the calendar that I possess on my wall. However, the song itself is a lovely if bittersweet ballad about a woman bumping into an old flame in a seaside resort; her hair and makeup may have changed but that pearl earring that she got from him is still solidly in her earlobe. Keizo Hamada（浜田啓造）came up with the wistful melody with Kimio Mizutani（水谷公生） arranging everything.
I think that my favourite track on Side A of "Hello Again" will be a flip between "Sakamichi wa Pearl Iro" and this one, "Machikado no Antoinette"（街角のアントワネット...Street Corner Antoinette）. Perhaps it's because that I may actually have a very soft spot for French pop...would explain my love for Taeko Ohnuki's（大貫妙子）early 1980s material. Anyways, Sudo keeps her voice in the higher and flightier register as she and it trip the light fantastic over Hiroko Hosoda's（細田博子）lyrics (and Paris maybe) regarding the titular Antoinette, who has quite the reputation in her neighbourhood. Shimada, who came up with the AOR "Saikai no Airline" above, did the Gallic melodic weaving for "Machikado no Antoinette" with both he and Kyoda handling the arrangement.
There's some tropical and some doo-wop in the unusual but upbeat "Drop Handle"（ドロップ・ハンドル）with lyricist Shun Taguchi（田口俊）handling the story of a woman out for a jog. Although the title does pop up in the song, I don't know how it fits into the morning run; maybe she's left a note on the drop handle for the door. Hamada and Mizutani once again take care of melody and arrangement.
Side A finishes up with "Onai Doshi no Koi"（同い年の恋...Love at the Same Age）. If this sounds familiar, the song is another version of "Hello Again" which begins the side. The composition is by Sugi but this time, different lyrics are provided by Taguchi although the general theme is still the same: a couple staying together through the thick and thin of marriage. It's a wonder that this hadn't been adopted as a commercial jingle for an anniversary ring ad. "Onai Doshi no Koi" has more of a conventional pop sound compared to its twin at the beginning.
Carrying on from last Wednesday, I'm continuing with the second and final part for my article on the late Kaoru Sudo's（須藤薫）"DROPS" album from November 1983. We're taking a look at Side B of the original LP today.
R&B singer-songwriter and drummer Hiro Tsunoda（つのだ☆ひろ）comes in for a duet with Sudo for "Uwasa no Futari"（噂のふたり...That Couple）. It's a Motown-inflected City Pop tune that was composed by Tsunoda himself and arranged by Masataka Matsutoya（松任谷正隆）with Masako Arikawa（有川正沙子）on the lyrics. As the title says, it's all about a couple having their time on the town and if folks notice their carousing, so be it. Jake H. Concepcion is on the sax solo.
"Hirusagari No Yuuwaku"（昼下がりの誘惑...Afternoon Temptation） is another Arikawa-penned song, and it may feature the same couple from "Uwasa no Futari". The lovey-dovey stuff continues as the two of them in their respective companies despite their usual busy schedules still try to keep in contact by the old-fashioned landline telephone. Matsutoya is also behind the old-style pop arrangement but this time, it's Kiyonori Matsuo（松尾清憲）who composed the jaunty melody.
The upbeat Motown comes back with "LITTLE SHORT ON LOVE", a happy-sounding ditty surrounding a bittersweet story of a woman with a bit of a chip on her shoulder as the man she has in her sights doesn't have her in his sights. And the frustration and jealousy (he's talking with another woman during the song) begin swelling. Arikawa is once again the lyricist here but it's Tetsuji Hayashi（林哲司）on both melody and arrangement. Jake H. is back along with Shin Kazuhara（数原晋）on trumpet and EVE as the back chorus.
The final track on the LP is "Ame no Naka no Funsui"（雨の中の噴水）with Shun Taguchi（田口俊）as the lyricist. A lady is in the rain, perhaps in her floaty delusion waiting for a Prince Charming who may never come to her assistance with his own umbrella. Maybe he's just a friend to see her for a lunch date or something, with the walk under two umbrellas, but someday she'll get to share his. Regardless of the happy/sad situation, the music and arrangement, once again by Hayashi, is top-notch mellow City Pop or J-AOR, if you wish. Sudo's vocals flow wonderfully with the music as Kazuhara handles the fluegelhorn this time, and on backup, there is Hayashi himself along with Yasuhiro Kido（木戶泰弘）and Yurie Kokubu（国分友里恵）. For some reason, the dreamy sax solo isn't mentioned in the liner notes, but I'm pretty sure that it's Jake H. once more.
I know that "DROPS" wasn't the final album by Sudo by any means, but there's a certain poignancy listening to "Ame no Naka no Funsui" as the original final track (bonus tracks were added onto the remastered version in later years) considering her untimely passing nearly ten years ago. "DROPS" reached No. 49 on Oricon. As we've seen and heard, the album is a mix of pleasing styles evoking the old days.
Well, it's taken nearly a decade since "Kayo Kyoku Plus" contributor nikala provided the very first Kaoru Sudo（須藤薫）article in March 2013, but I'm finally putting the spotlight on Sudo's November 1983 5th album, "DROPS". "Kokoro no Haikei" (心の背景...Setting of the Heart) , a track from "DROPS", was nikala's contribution and it was poignant since she'd posted it up just a few days following Sudo's untimely death at the age of 58. Since then, a couple of other tracks have been written about by me: "Mayonaka no Shujinko"（真夜中の主人公...Midnight Heroine） and "Shiawase no Basho"（幸せの場所...A Happy Place）.
As has been my wont recently, I'll be going over "DROPS" in two parts. You may have noticed that I've been doing a fair bit of multi-part articles and that's because: 1) I'm lazy and 2) I figure that it might be easier to have folks listen to the tracks in "bite-sized" pieces on the blog at least, although I know that the whole album is up on YouTube for now. Also just to let you know, most of the tracks including all of Side A of the original 1983 LP have been arranged by Masataka Matsutoya（松任谷正隆）.
I remember nikala pointing out that she'd been looking forward to getting her copy of "DROPS" in her article. As well, I was also smitten by the cover of Sudo's 1983 album which has an Art Deco design that proudly declares Class and Sophistication Personified, so initially I had assumed that "DROPS" was all about the jazzier side of City Pop since I did first see it in the book "Japanese City Pop". Well, it didn't exactly work out that way; there is City Pop in "DROPS" but there is also the happy and jangly 60s girl pop that I would gradually learn was also Sudo's forte, similarly to Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）in her early years.
Let's take care of the remaining three tracks on Side A for starters for Part 1, shall we? "Mayonaka no Shujinko" is Track 1, so let's begin with "Christmas no Tobira"（クリスマスの扉...The Door to Christmas）, a seasonal tune that sways as gently as that porch swing at a house in the Midwest. Shun Taguchi's（田口俊）lyrics relate the tale of a lady whose beau was acting rather strangely one night close to the Yuletide since he was trying to surprise her with a typically Christmas-y purpose.. Masamichi Sugi（杉真理）, a frequent songwriting partner of hers, is behind the melody of that 1960s romantic pop balladry that Sudo loved to do, and it shows. By the way, the album thumbnail above for the video is not wrong; "Christmas no Tobira" was also included on her April 1985 BEST compilation, "Tear-Drops Calendar".
"Nichiyoubi no Go-shuumi wa?"（日曜日の御趣味は？...What's Your Sunday Hobby?）was also by the triumvirate of Taguchi, Sugi and Matsutoya so the 60s are back, although this time, there is more of the upbeat doo-wop in this story of a cad who's woven up this make-believe tale just to meet a girl. And as sung cheerfully by Sudo, the lass doesn't seem to mind too much. One thing for sure...the guy's hobby isn't reading.
There is some melodic wooziness in "I'm Sorry" as if the protagonist in the song has been drowning out her sorrows in strong drink. Once again, the triumvirate is at work here with a tale of the aftermath of a fight and maybe a permanent breakup of a couple only for the feelings of regret and longing to well up along with the tears. "I'm Sorry" seems to have a mix of the 60s stuff and some City Pop, and Matsutoya's arrangement feels like it could work for a vocal group like the Manhattan Transfer.
A few years ago, I introduced another one of those obscure aidoru from the 1980s,Yuri Kunizane（国実百合）, and her 6th single"Kitto..."（きっと...）from 1989.
Well, this is a track from her second album"The Seasons"（シーズンズ）from March 1989, "Midori no Express"(Green Express), and composed once more by Tetsuji Hayashi（林哲司）, it has that rollicking melody that could be called Eurobeat aidoru. It's music that I used to hear a fair bit from aidoru of that time period going into the 1990s on various variety shows when the teenyboppers showed up. Shun Taguchi（田口俊）came up with the lyrics about a woman barely making it onto what I assume is a Bullet Train, and maybe specifically, the Joetsu Shinkansen going from Tokyo to Niigata since that super-express had the green stripes. I would know since I traveled on it once a month between the megalopolis and Gunma Prefecture where I lived at the time.
After calling it a career in the early 1990s, Kunizane got married and became a therapist although according to J-Wiki, she resumed her work in music in 2015.
