Morton Stevens/The Ventures -- Theme from "Hawaii Five-0"

From YouTube

 

Former contributor and good friend JTM who lives in the Aloha State might snicker a bit, but whenever I hear about Hawaii, it's not palm trees, leis or ukuleles that first come to mind. I always think of gigantic waves...namely the one that shows up in the opening credits of the original "Hawaii Five-0" which began its dozen-year run in September 1968. The image kept imprinting itself into my head because I used to remember it as a toddler whenever the long-running cop series came on CBS (I can't quite believe that I was allowed to stay up that late). At one point, I just marveled at the fact that the wave didn't crash into our living room.

Speaking of those opening credits, they are iconic. It will go down as the coolest and most dramatic travelogue for the 50th State in pop culture history especially when the camera races up to the star, Jack Lord as Steve "Not a Hair Out of Place" McGarrett, turning toward it. Of course, what else is iconic is the theme song which has gone down as one of the best that television has ever come up with anywhere around the world.

We can thank composer Morton Stevens, a protégé of Jerry Goldsmith, for the theme. I have no idea how he was inspired to come up with something this epic for a cop show in Hawaii, but it's gotten to the point that if some band plays it anywhere, it will get a rousing round of applause and cheers...and maybe the odd "Book 'em, Danno, Murder One".

The thing is that Stevens was partially responsible for my early exposure to television music. I only found out recently that he had also been behind the elegant theme for the weekly CBS movies, and it even had a title "So Old, So Young". Along with his work on movie scores, he also had a hand in other television shows such as "Gilligan's Island", another one that I remember very well.

A musical cue that Stevens used in "Hawaii Five-0" got even more fame and popularity as it got a new job accompanying "A CBS Special Presentation" lead-ins. It was those lead-ins that got me excited for the fact that they invariably led me to "Peanuts" specials. The original track from "Hawaii Five-0" is below with that percussive cue revving up at around 47 seconds.

For a few years, I had assumed that The Ventures were the ones behind the theme for "Hawaii Five-0". Well, the band that has given its own contributions to kayo kyoku in Japan actually did the cover for Stevens' theme later in 1968 which became one of their big hits, peaking at No. 4 on Billboard. It did well in Canada, too, hitting No. 5 on RPM.

Of course, it came back for another decade on the new "Hawaii Five-O". And even for a beloved CG movie franchise.

Anyways, a couple of acts won some Best New Artist prizes at the Japan Record Awards in 1968.

Ken Yabuki -- Anata no Blues （あなたのブルース）

Pinky and Killers -- Koi no Kisetsu (恋の季節）

The Ventures/Yuko Nagisa -- Nagasaki Bojou（長崎慕情）

 

Over the years on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", I've included the legendary instrumental rock band The Ventures and not as part of the Reminiscings of Youth series. If you can take a look at their entries on the blog, they not only had their day in the United States with surf rock but have become stars as well in Japan by providing their own tunes for Japanese audiences that have been sung by Japanese singers. In fact, there is one section in the J-Wiki article for The Ventures which talk about Ventures kayo, some of which are part and parcel of KKP.

Well, it's sad to say but co-founder and guitarist Don Wilson of this very group passed away yesterday morning at the age of 88. As such, I wanted to provide another one of The Ventures' creations in Japan in tribute.

One of the kayo that I wrote about all the way back in 2014 was "Kyoto Bojou"（京都慕情）which was a November 1970 release by The Ventures. Several days later in December, Yuko Nagisa（渚ゆう子）did a cover of the song with lyrics added. In both cases, "Kyoto Bojou" was quite the quietly cheerful affair.

A year later in November 1971, The Ventures then went further west in Japan to provide "Nagasaki Bojou" (Nagasaki Memories) which was a more contemplative and perhaps more melancholy tune thanks to the guitar and what sounds like the electric organ. That rhythm guitar, presumably by Wilson, has a somewhat mesmerizing effect on the ears like a murmuring stream.

Also in 1971 and maybe just after The Ventures' release of the song once again, Nagisa's cover of "Nagasaki Bojou" came out with Haruo Hayashi（林春生）providing the lyrics just as he did for "Kyoto Bojou". It does have more of that kayo feeling with the addition of the soprano saxophone, the thwack-y drumming and the strings although I also hear that electric organ again. 

All of my condolences to Wilson's family and friends. I'm sure that fans in Japan are also mourning the loss but are also celebrating what he has left everyone.

Chiyo Okumura/The Ventures -- Kitaguni no Aoi Sora（北国の青い空）

In terms of foodstuffs in Japan, one of the many items that I miss dearly is the Rokkatei Marusei Raisin Butter Cookie from Hokkaido which I could readily purchase in Tokyo. Packaged in the familiar white, red and dull gold, these are confections that risk the consumer with addiction. I can merely glance at them and I will gain a few ounces immediately and they're oh-so-tasty. I don't think I've had any of them since the 2014 trip and when I checked their website out, they don't do deliveries outside of Japan (considering the ingredients, I'm not surprised, but still...😢).

Perhaps if I had been less focused on the various delicacies in Hokkaido (specifically Sapporo) when I went there over a decade ago, I would have looked at the big sky over Japan's northernmost island. Speaking of which, I will now do an abrupt segue into a relatively early Chiyo Okumura（奥村チヨ）single from August 1967, "Kitaguni no Aoi Sora" (Blue Skies of the Northern Country). However, the official English title is "Hokkaido Skies".

Okumura's quavering voice is instantly recognizable as she sings about a romance in Hokkaido which has probably ended for good in a kind of "We'll always have Sapporo" way. When I first heard "Kitaguni no Aoi Sora", I wondered whether I could treat this as an enka tune because of the overall sound and the theme of the ephemeral nature of love, but seeing that, according to J-Wiki, Okumura has been categorized as a kayo kyoku singer, I've set the song down as a pop tune.

I may have said this before but I think if there is such an institution as a Japanese Hall of Fame for kayo kyoku, The Ventures should be given a place in its corridors for the hits that they've provided a number of Japanese singers in the 60s and 70s, including Okumura. The legendary guitar band was responsible for the creation of the song under the title "Hokkaido Skies" while Jun Hashimoto（橋本淳）wrote the lyrics. According to Joseph Murrells' "The Book of Golden Discs" (1978) via Okumura's entry on Wikipedia, this particular single, which was apparently a cover of The Ventures' original, sold over a million copies.

Yumi Makiba -- Kaiten Mokuba（回転木馬）

For as long as I've been writing on the blog, I've managed to find some more kayo where legendary band The Ventures have gotten involved.

Yumi Makiba's（牧葉ユミ）singing career didn't last too long, since it was just between 1971 and 1975. The Tokyo native somehow found herself behind the mike after a brief time as a staff worker at a company, and she made her debut with "Bouken"（冒険...Adventure）in July 1971. For the purposes of this article, allow me, though, to write about her third single, "Kaiten Mokuba" (Carousel) which came out in June 1972.

Kazuko Katagiri（片桐和子）wrote the lyrics about a young woman falling in love with a vagabond guitar player on some rock, although nothing about a carousel ever popped up from what I could find there. Still, Bob Bogle, a founding member of The Ventures, composed "Kaiten Mokuba". According to the YouTube description, the hint was that the song may have been a cover of a Ventures tune called "You and Me", but I couldn't find any thing of that tune by the band. In any case, I like Makiba's crisp and strong voice.

Makiba, whose real name is Yumiko Omura（大村由美子）, released a total of 11 singles and 1 original album. From what I read on her J-Wiki profile, a very young Momoe Yamaguchi（山口百恵）had sung "Kaiten Mokuba" on the audition program "Star Tanjo"（スター誕生!...A Star Is Born!）back in December 1972 to pass through to the next stage in the competition. My compliments to the uploader MomoeKaitenMokuba in being able to create this video which was probably very difficult to pull off.

The Ventures/Yuko Nagisa -- Kyoto no Koi （京都の恋）

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sebastiantiger/3038474206/

May Day today! Therefore in Japan, it's the middle of the annual Golden Week holidays so once again the world's longest traffic jams are in play, and over here it's been an unseasonably cold start to the fifth month but what else is new in Toronto? I took the parents out to the local Eggsmart (a breakfast/brunch restaurant chain) for brekkie as an early Mother's Day present and I'm back here to hopefully enjoy a quiet Sunday.

If I recall correctly, I have been to the ancient capital of Kyoto three times in my life with the first time being in 1972 that I have no memory of. The second time was in the summer of 1981 and I remember being really deep in the crowds watching a parade of mikoshi (portable shrines) trundle by during the city's annual Gion Festival. And being July, it was tremendously hot and humid so it was a minor miracle that I actually survived the experience. I also recall being completely conked out in my bed in the hotel for most of the afternoon afterwards. My love for vending machines continued to grow.

Last week's "Utakon" (うたコン) featured an old kayo associated with the city called "Kyoto no Koi". Although literally translated as "Kyoto Love", the official English title is "Kyoto Doll" for some reason. This was another song contributed by The Ventures for Japan along with "Kyoto Bojou" （京都慕情）and the earlier "Futari no Ginza"（二人の銀座）. Released by the band in February 1970, although it goes along at a fairly brisk pace, there is that certain melacholy wa-fu feeling to it. It peaked at No. 19 on Oricon. What is also notable about that The Ventures created the song in commemoration of the 1970 Expo in Osaka.

However, the version that I like even better is the cover by Yuko Nagisa（渚ゆう子）with the lyrics by Haruo Hayashi（林春生）, both of whom would also cover "Kyoto Bojou" a few months later. Nagisa's version came out 3 months after The Ventures' original, and what I like about it is that although it basically has that same dramatic pace, there is a certain appealing tenderness in the sung version thanks to Nagisa's vocals. Of course, Hayashi's lyrics about the heroine mourning the loss of what seemed to be the love of her life certainly adds to the sadness. Compared to the relatively lighter feeling of "Kyoto Bojou", "Kyoto no Koi" is bittersweet at best.

Nagisa's "Kyoto no Koi" was a huge hit. It got to No. 1 and stayed there for 8 consecutive weeks, selling more than 850,000 records. And along with the fact that it won a Grand Prize at the Japan Record Awards, it was No. 10 in the annual singles rankings for 1970 and still hung on in 1971 to become the 27th-ranked single. All those accolades and apparently it didn't get onto the Kohaku Utagassen that year.

Ken Yamauchi & Masako Izumi/The Ventures -- Futari no Ginza （二人の銀座）

I was watching "Kayo Concert"（歌謡コンサート）last night with the theme being movie songs. A lot of the entries were songs that I had already covered in the blog, but then I came across this one titled "Futari no Ginza" (Ginza for Two), which I actually had referred to in passing for "Kyoto Bojou"（京都慕情）about 18 months ago. Like that song, "Futari no Ginza", which is officially known in English as "Ginza Lights", was composed by surf rock legends The Ventures with lyrics by Rokusuke Ei（永六輔）who had written the just-as-legendary "Ue wo Muite Arukou"（上を向いて歩こう）.

The singers behind this one were actors Ken Yamauchi and Masako Izumi（山内賢・和泉雅子）. The two of them had actually been releasing records as well before "Futari no Ginza", but to be honest, listening to the two behind the mike, I got the impression that acting was more their gig. However, I think it was their somewhat amateurish delivery that may have been the charm as a couple of young folk in love dashing through the bright lights of one of the planet's most expensive neighbourhoods. And The Ventures created the music based on their observations of Ginza at night which is still pretty dazzling even now.

Released in September 1966, "Futari no Ginza" was actually first offered to chanson singer Fubuki Koshiji（越路吹雪）according to an interview with Izumi, but after listening to The Ventures' melody, she felt that Izumi was a far better choice. Considering that Koshiji was already well into her forties when she was approached while Izumi was all of 19 at the time, I think it was the right decision. The former may have been far more skilled as a singer but the latter was the more appropriate partner for the 22-year-old Yamauchi in terms of the overall footloose-and-fancy-free tone.

"Futari no Ginza" was such a hit that in 1967, a movie was made based on the song starring Izumi and Yamauchi. I've never seen it myself but I'm pretty sure it was just as footloose.

To finish off, here are The Ventures with their own take. Makoto Kawaguchi（川口真）arranged this one.

Ginza 4-chome with the Wako Clock

Mizue Takada/Southern All Stars/Juicy Fruits/The Ventures -- Sonna Hiroshi ni Damasarete （そんなヒロシに騙されて）

Wow! It's been almost 18 months since I've put up something by Mizue Takada（高田みづえ）. It might seem that it's all ado about nothing, but when Takada is one of the singers that helped me wade into the ocean that is kayo kyoku in the first place in the early 80s...well, I just had to rectify that.

So, allow me to put up her 21st single from August 1983, "Sonna Hiroshi ni Damasarete" (Tricked by That Hiroshi). If I'm not mistaken, it was responsible for getting Takada invited one last time to the Kohaku Utagassen which was where I first got to hear it. Written and composed by Keisuke Kuwata（桑田佳祐）of Southern All Stars, there was a definite love thing going on for the Group Sounds of the 60s when he created this rollicking tune about a woman absolutely in thrall to the roguish dance floor-loving Hiroshi despite his wayward personality.

For Takada, this was the 3rd-most successful single of her career behind the Latin spice of "Watashi wa Piano"（私はピアノ...I am A Piano） and her debut release of "Glass Zaka"（硝子坂...Glass Slope）, of which the former was also penned by Kuwata back in 1980. It went all the way up to No. 6 on Oricon and sold over 300,000 records. It also became the 45th-ranked single for 1983.

What I hadn't known at the time was that Takada's single was a cover version for the Southern All Stars original which was a track on the band's 6th album, "Kirei"（綺麗...Pure）. The album came out just a month before Mizue's version and hit the No. 1 spot, later becoming the No. 5 album of the year. Keyboardist Yuko Hara（原由子）took care of the vocals here, and both she and Takada interpret the song as a bit of a handwringer about the woman's love for Hiroshi although it sounds like he's already thrown her away like an empty can on the side of the road.

On the same day that Takada's "Sonna Hiroshi ni Damasarete" was released, another band that tapped into the music of the 50s and 60s, Juicy Fruits, also released their own version of the song as their 11th single. It peaked at No. 44.

And finally, I discovered that The Ventures also had their own instrumental version of the song.

The Ventures/Yuko Nagisa/Akiko Yano -- Kyoto Bojou （京都慕情）

On the right side of the Pacific Ocean, when the band The Ventures is mentioned, the fans may remember them for their renditions of songs like "Walk, Don't Run" and one of the best American TV themes in history, "Hawaii Five-0" (if anyone mentions the Aloha State to me, that's the song that gets into my head immediately). But unless someone can correct me, The Ventures are seen here in North America as a musical product of a bygone age who might sometimes pop up whenever a nostalgia tour is advertised on the telly.

However in Japan, just like The Carpenters, The Ventures have been nothing less than music gods for over 50 years. After the band's start in 1959, it didn't take long for Don Wilson, Bob Bogle and the rest of the guys to come over to the left side of the Pacific in 1962 for the first time and pretty much stay there in spirit. For years, whenever I watched TV in the country and heard that The Ventures were coming over for their umpteenth tour, the announcers would always talk about the "teketeke" （テケテケ）sound which was the chromatic run that was the characteristic of the guitar playing. I gather that a lot of teenagers there became rock acolytes from that.

The relationship between The Ventures and Japan wasn't just a one-way thing from fan to entertainer. The band also had their love for the country and also created songs in tribute. One of their earliest creations was "Futari no Ginza"（二人の銀座...Ginza For Two）, a Mood Kayo duet from 1967. Then a few years later, they moved their focus to the ancient capital of Kyoto with "Kyoto Bojou" which translates as Kyoto Yearning although the official English title was the more romantic-sounding "Reflections In A Palace Lake".

Released on November 25 1970, "Kyoto Bojou" was an instrumental piece which was a cheerful mix of Ventures and kayo kyoku (although I can imagine a scene in Honolulu as much as a scene in Kyoto). I can easily hear this being played on a koto. On Oricon, it went as high as No. 48.

Less than a week after The Ventures' release of "Kyoto Bojou", singer Yuko Nagisa（渚ゆう子）released her lovely cover from December 1, complete with lyrics by Haruo Hayashi（林春生） and a classic kayo kyoku arrangement with an orchestra. And it wasn't her first time covering a Ventures number. Earlier in the year, she had also given her version of the band's "Kyoto no Koi"（京都の恋...Kyoto Doll） which stayed at No. 1 for 8 straight weeks and is her most successful hit. "Kyoto Bojou" was almost as successful with the song peaking at No. 2 and ending up as the 15th-ranked song of 1971.

https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/oui-oui/id671520554

Actually, the first time I heard "Kyoto Bojou" in any of its incarnations was through Akiko Yano's（矢野顕子）funky & fun version from her 1997 album, "Oui Oui". With all of the geographical hopping I've hinted at in the article, I can say that Yano's version, which is titled "Kyoto", has more of a grounding in The Big Apple. It shares the album with "Cream Stew".

Feifei Ouyang -- Ame no Midosuji （雨の御堂筋）

Tonight, there was an NHK special titled "Osaka no Melody" in which a number of enka and pop singers (including NMB 48) came together to pay tribute to Osaka through song.

One of the songs I heard had the title that I'd mentioned for Taiwanese singer Feifei Ouyang （欧陽菲菲）when I wrote an article on her "Love Is Over". Now to be honest, that title didn't ring a bell, but the melody sure did, especially when it came to the line "Anata....anata wa doko yo"（あなた。。。あなたは何処よ....Where....where are you?）. And I hadn't realized that this was Ouyang's debut number. But it was a song that I have heard over and over through the years.

"Ame no Midosuji" (Rainy Midosuji) talks about that girl who is pining for that guy while walking the titular main street in Osaka. When I heard it again, I should've gone "Ahhh...naruhodo". That smoky voice is vintage Feifei. But I was quite surprised listening to the recorded version (I'd only heard it through her performances on TV); although a part of the arrangement has that unmistakable 70s feeling to it, there is also a part (perhaps it's the guitar) which makes it sound almost a decade ahead of its time when it was released in September 1971. The surprise didn't stop there, though. I found out that the people who composed this hit debut for Feifei were none other than The Ventures. The band apparently created the song specifically for Japanese ears, and I would never have and never did guess it was the same group which recorded the iconic theme for "Hawaii Five-O". I gather that considering the love that poured from Japan toward the members (and it still continues), The Ventures just had to provide some love back through a song or two. Haruo Hayashi （林春生）provided the lonely lyrics.

In any case, what a way to start a career in Japan for Ouyang. The dynamic "Ame no Midosuji" all in all sold over a million copies and got the singer a Japan Record Award for Best Newcomer. For the yearly Oricon rankings, despite the late debut, it ranked in at No. 18 and a year later in 1972, the song went even higher coming in at No. 12. Although Ouyang would make her debut on the 1972 Kohaku Utagassen, she performed another song instead. But with her presence on the special, she became the very first non-Japanese solo artist to appear on the program.

Yuzo Kayama -- Kimi to Itsumademo/Yozora no Hoshi （君といつまでも・夜空の星）

Yuzo Kayama（加山雄三） is one of those iconic figures as an entertainer. As an actor, he gained fame as the hero in the "Wakadaisho"(若大将...Young Man About Town) movie series in the 60s in which he played the crooning handsome good guy with all the style, money and women. His character lived the life that a lot of young people craved in a country that was just starting to come back as an economic power.

In the 6th entry of the series, 1965's "Ereki no Wakadaisho"(エレキの若大将...The Young Man About Town of the Electric Guitar), he performed the theme song "Kimi to Itsumademo"(With You Forever), a love ballad which sold over 3 million copies and would become Kayama's trademark tune. One of the lyrics, "Shiawase da na"(幸せだな....I'm so happy), became a catchphrase of the time. Although Oricon didn't exist at the time, it did reach No. 1 on the "Record Monthly"magazine charts and would earn a special award at The Japan Record Awards of that year. In addition, Kayama would appear four times on the Kohaku Utagassen (1966, 1981, 1982, 1999) to perform the song which was originally released in December 1965.

"Kimi to Itsumademo" was written by Tokiko Iwatani（岩谷時子）and composed by Kayama himself. The pair was also responsible for the song below.

The B-side of the record is "Yozora no Hoshi" (夜空の星....Stars of the Night Sky), which has also become one of Kayama's famed songs. In fact, it also got him two further appearances on the Kohaku to perform this song (1997, 2010). His Ventures surf rock influence is very obvious here as he and his bandmates just twang on those guitars. Both songs have been chiseled into my memory as classic kayo kyoku. And both have been covered by various artists such as rock band The Alfee, former Morning Musume member Maki Goto（後藤真希） and even by The Ventures themselves.